Winefeed

Cruise lines become experiential sales channel for US wineries

• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant chartered Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady for wine club members in 2024; the sold-out cruise led 30 percent of members to book a second sailing in February 2027.
• Four Feathers Wine Services created a Columbia Valley sparkling wine for Holland America's fleet in 2024; it became the cruise line's most-served adult beverage across all ships.
• Eleven Eleven Wines, a Napa boutique, hosted 60 guests on Scenic Eclipse II in the Mediterranean and achieved 33 percent conversion of non-members to wine club, plus two referrals.

Vineyard operators idle acres to cut costs while awaiting market recovery

• A 2025 study of 19 northern Willamette Valley vineyards found idling reduced management costs by an average of 38 percent per acre, with some sites cutting costs in half.
• Vineyard idling, a temporary halt to production lasting one to three years, preserves vines and capital rather than removal, allowing producers to survive current weak grape demand.
• Viticulturists report idling requires careful maintenance including aggressive pruning, minimal irrigation, weed control, and selective fungicide spraying to revive vines when markets recover.

Wildfires destroy 200 hectares in Sierra de Gredos wine region

• Between July 22 and 26, wildfires burned 77,000 hectares across Ávila and Madrid provinces, with approximately 200 hectares of vineyards in Cebreros DO damaged by fire or smoke, representing around 40 percent of registered vineyard area there.
• Producers including Comando G's Daniel Landi and Juanan Martín of Rico Nuevo have drafted proposals to regional authorities requesting subsidies for forest clearance and firebreaks, along with support for vineyard planting and dry-stone wall restoration.

Southern Glazer's pays $12.5M to settle DOJ bribery investigation

• Southern Glazer's, the US alcohol distributor, reached a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ and TTB on Thursday, resolving a bribery probe covering 2016-2024.
• Former employees allegedly gave cash, gift cards, luxury goods, and trips to California retailers for better shelf placement; the company also issued false invoices to hide payments.
• Southern Glazer's will pay $12.5 million and strengthen compliance controls over the next two years under the settlement terms.

US tariff lift and India trade deal reshape Scotch whisky market in 2026

• US lifted a 15-month tariff on Scotch in July 2026, reversing a 15 percent export decline to one of Scotland's largest markets.
• A July 2026 UK-India free trade agreement opened access to the world's largest whisky market, potentially transforming Scotch sales abroad.
• Diageo and Brown-Forman operations remain paused as post-pandemic oversupply and a historic liquid glut persist; distilleries like Clynelish closed visitor centers due to weak tourism.

Trump bans Canadian alcohol imports as tariff war escalates

• President Trump announced a ban on Canadian alcohol imports effective September 29, escalating tariffs that began in April 2024 and July 2025.
• Canada retaliated with levies on $20 billion of US goods starting Tuesday, prompting Trump's ban announcement.
• US wine, beer, and spirits exporters faced considerable revenue losses in 2025 after Canada's retail and bar ban on US alcohol products.

AriZona Iced Tea launches artist residency at New York headquarters

• AriZona Iced Tea, founded in 1992, launched a six-week artist residency program at its Woodbury, New York headquarters, hosting four artists per session since July 2025.
• Residents receive stipends, living space, materials, and access to The Lookout studio and rooftop workspace to develop personal projects alongside company creatives.
• Artists' work draws inspiration from AriZona's visual identity, with finished pieces exhibited and sometimes added to the company's permanent collection.

Early harvests reshape winemaking, tourism, and costs across global regions

• Domaine Lafage in Roussillon began harvest on July 23, weeks earlier than traditional fall schedules; California Central Coast grower Kevin Merrill reported the earliest date in 27 years, six to eight weeks ahead of historical norms.
• Early harvests force wineries to refrigerate and process fruit during peak summer electricity prices instead of cooler fall, raising costs; shorter harvest windows strain crews, custom crush facilities, and glass bottle supplies tied to heat-dependent furnaces.

Boycott Wines Grown With Herbicides

• Adam Huss launched a campaign in August to boycott all wines produced with herbicides, arguing they degrade soil health and decrease wine quality.
• Luís Patrão from Vadio in Bairrada, Portugal reported that his parents' generation's herbicide use turned vineyards into barren wastelands and eliminated local ladybird, eel, and salamander populations.
• The author attended the Austrian Single Vineyard Summit in Grafenegg and used producer certifications (Organic, Biodynamic, Sustainable Austria) to select only herbicide-free wines from 556 offerings.

Sicus: distinctive low-intervention wines from Catalunya

• Sicus, Eduard Piè's winery near Tarragona, Catalunya, ferments indigenous varieties in local clay amphora, some buried in vineyards, using organic farming and no-till practices.
• Sicus Cartoixà Brisat (Xarel.lo, 2019) scored 94/100 for its stony citrus, orange peel, and bright tangy profile.
• Sicus Sumoi (2021) from El Roldonar vineyard features whole-bunch fermentation, 3 months amphora and 5 months stainless steel aging, at just 10% alcohol.

Is That the Death Rattle of Wine Writing I Hear?

The purpose of any honest writing competition can only be to support and encourage the craft and industry of writing

The Pluralism Of Wine Writing

• A winning entry in the Pall Mall awards' short-form writing competition faced allegations of AI use, with organizers defending it as 'not 100% AI-generated.'.
• Tim Atkin argues wine writing encompasses journalism, criticism, and travelogues of varying quality, with no single definition or standard.
• Atkin contends that wine writing's pluralism, allowing diverse voices and styles, is both its defining characteristic and greatest strength.

Heading Out

• Meg Maker travels to Piemonte next week for a press tour of Roero, tasting wines alongside handmade foods including cheese, truffle, hazelnut, and honey.
• Sarah Marsh MW argued at the Old Vine Conference in Napa that old vines are not universally superior; many carry viruses and can be less resilient than young vines.
• Michelin issued its first wine producer ratings for Burgundy in July, followed by Bordeaux ratings this month, prompting analysis from Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson on the brand's motives.

Of Substack & wine

• Substack created a Wine & Spirits subsection within its Rising and Top lists, separating wine writing from the broader Food & Drink category for better discovery.
• Miquel Hudin updated the Wine Substack List (WineStack) to require paid subscriptions in active use and human-written text only, excluding AI-generated content like 'Thirst Behavior' by Bodhi Landa.
• Matthew Jukes, a traditional wine media writer, passed away last month.

What I Learned at a Conference on Drinking

From the invention of moderation to the return of temperance