Winefeed

Seven US regions seek AVA status to define terroir and boost wine sales

• Seven proposed AVAs from California to New Jersey are in early TTB approval stages, seeking legal designation to establish regional identity and market value.
• Annapolis-Sea Ranch in Sonoma (26,637 acres, 651 planted) emphasizes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay shaped by coastal fog and Ohlson Ranch soil; Lake Hennessey in Napa (4,495 acres, 355 planted) highlights Cabernet and Petit Verdot ripened by air drainage.
• Deschutes River in central Oregon (723,760 acres, 77 planted) experiments with hybrids alongside traditional grapes; Hunterdon Hills in New Jersey and Niagara Lake Plain in New York leverage elevation and lake effects for premium white varieties.

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, integrating its wines across bars and restaurants; the sailing sold out and 30 percent of members booked a follow-up cruise in February 2027.
• Four Feathers Wine Services, a Washington-based producer, developed a Columbia Valley brut for Holland America that launched fleetwide in 2024 and became the cruise line's most-served adult beverage.
• Boutique Napa winery Eleven Eleven Wines hosted 60 guests on Scenic Eclipse II in the Mediterranean and achieved a 33 percent conversion rate among non-wine club passengers to repeat purchases or memberships.

Vineyard managers adopt idling strategy to cut costs amid weak grape demand

• A 2025 study of 19 northern Willamette Valley vineyards found idling reduced annual management costs by an average of 38 percent per acre, with some sites halving expenses.
• Vineyard idling, a temporary pause in production lasting one to three years, allows producers to avoid permanent removal while waiting for market recovery and grape demand to improve.
• Proper idling requires careful management including minimal but consistent irrigation, aggressive pruning, and pest control to ensure vines can return to quality production when markets stabilize.

Southern Glazer's pays $12.5 million to resolve DOJ bribery investigation

• Southern Glazer's reached a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ and TTB on Thursday, paying $12.5 million to resolve a bribery investigation spanning 2016 to 2024.
• Former employees allegedly gave cash, gift cards, luxury goods, golf trips, and resort stays to California retailers for better shelf placement; the company used false invoices to conceal payments.
• Southern Glazer's must strengthen compliance and audit measures over the next two years under undisclosed obligations tied to the settlement agreement.

US tariff lift and India trade deal boost Scotch as premiumization fatigue shifts focus to affordable bottles

• US lifted 15-month tariffs on Scotch in July 2026, reversing a 15 percent export decline to one of Scotland's largest markets.
• UK-India free trade agreement signed July 2026 could expand access to the world's largest whisky market through more affordable Scotch.
• Distilleries are moving away from premium-priced releases toward sub-$100, well-aged bottles as consumer appetite for expensive 'clickbait' whiskies wanes.

Trump bans Canadian alcohol imports effective September 29

• President Donald Trump announced a ban on Canadian imports of wine, spirits, and beer, effective September 29, escalating tariff disputes.
• The ban follows Canada's retaliatory levies on $20 billion of U.S. goods that began Tuesday, after U.S. tariffs took effect August 22.
• Canada's earlier alcohol ban in 2025 already reduced U.S. wine, beer, and spirits export revenue significantly; both nations say negotiations remain possible.

Nine sommeliers pick best-value Chardonnays under $35 retail

• Nine US restaurant sommeliers named affordable Chardonnays they recommend to diners, citing unoaked Sonoma Coast, Willamette Valley, and White Burgundy options ranging from $25 to $35 retail.
• Picks include Lioco Sonoma Coast Chardonnay around $25, On Wine Hill Millerandage 2024 from Oregon, and Domaine des Terres de Chatenay Mâcon-Villages 2025, emphasizing bright acidity and minerality over oak.
• Sommeliers highlighted California coastal and high-elevation sites plus Oregon's Willamette Valley as delivering complexity and terroir-driven character at fraction of prestige Burgundy pricing.

Jameson releases single pot still whiskey inspired by 1826 recipe

• Jameson Distiller's Batch is a single pot still Irish whiskey matured in five cask types, bottled at 46% ABV, and priced at $49.99, launching fall 2025.
• The expression revives a recipe John Jameson II handwrote in a pocket notebook dated 1826, held in Jameson's Midleton archive.
• Distiller's Batch won gold at the 2025 International Spirits Challenge and double gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

AriZona Iced Tea launches artist residency at Woodbury headquarters

• AriZona hosted three six-week artist residency cohorts at its Woodbury, N.Y. headquarters starting July 2025, providing stipends, housing, materials, and studio access to up to four artists per session.
• Participants including Eleanor Dexter and Lucas Carlo Monasterio created works ranging from paintings and stained glass to laser-cut leather and sculpture, often incorporating AriZona's Southwest aesthetic and cherry-blossom motifs.
• The program extends AriZona's 33-year commitment to distinctive in-house design, showcasing resident art in exhibitions and adding pieces to the company's permanent collection.

Argentina Reloaded! A tasting by Paz Levinson showing the cutting edge of Argentina’s wine offering

• Argentina has 47,000 hectares of Malbec from 200,000 total vineyard hectares, with Mendoza accounting for 76% of national production.
• Argentine winemakers are moving beyond traditional oak-heavy Malbec, experimenting with wild yeasts, skin fermentation of Torrontés, and reviving Criolla varieties native to Argentina.
• A masterclass by sommelier Paz Levinson showcased modern Argentine wines including Pinot Noir from Patagonia, Grenache from Mendoza, and fresh, mineral-driven Malbecs from Gualtallary and Uco Valley.

Vinography Unboxed: Week of 9/20/26

Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep, asking

Boycott Wines Grown With Herbicides

• Adam Huss launched a boycott campaign in August against all wines produced with herbicides, arguing they degrade soil health and decrease wine quality.
• Luís Patrão from Vadio in Bairrada, Portugal reported 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 non-herbicide wines from 556 offerings.

The Pluralism Of Wine Writing

• A winning entry in the Pall Mall awards' short-form writing competition faced allegations of AI use; organizers defended it by stating the work is "not 100% AI-generated.".
• Tim Atkin argues wine writing encompasses journalism, criticism, and travelogues, but most wine journalists lack investigative reporting and primarily write marketing-oriented content.
• Atkin contends wine writing's pluralism, its diversity of voices and openness to outsiders, is both its defining characteristic and strength despite quality inconsistencies.

Heading Out

• Editor Meg Maker travels to Piemonte next week to tour Roero and taste wines with handmade foods; a group of eight American journalists will spend 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily with no breaks.
• Sarah Marsh MW challenges the notion that all old vines are superior, noting many carry viruses and young vines can match old vines in health and climate resilience.
• Michelin Guide released its first wine producer ratings for Burgundy in July and a second set for Bordeaux this month, according to Master Sommelier Dustin Wilson.

Of Substack & wine

• Substack created a Wine & Spirits subsection within its Rising and Top lists, separating wine writing from the broader Food & Drink category to improve discovery.
• Miquel Hudin updated the Wine Substack List (WineStack), now requiring paid subscriptions and human-written text only, removing 'Thirst Behavior' by Bodhi Landa for AI-generated content.
• Wine writing on Substack has grown significantly; Hudin compiled the list because few other ways existed to find wine writers on the platform.

What I Learned at a Conference on Drinking

From the invention of moderation to the return of temperance