Winefeed

Restaurant beverage directors adapt pricing and sourcing amid wholesale upheaval

• Republic National Distributing Company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy, tariffs, and inflation have raised wine and spirits costs dramatically, forcing beverage directors to substitute lower-priced alternatives or adjust markups.
• Amanda Reed at E3 Co. Restaurant Group in Seattle and Felipe de Assis Villela at Bluepoint Hospitality Group in Easton, Maryland buy in bulk where storage allows and moderate markups to balance guest experience with profitability.
• Johannus Grevelink, beverage director for José Andrés Group, and Will Jones at The Hope Farm in Fairhope, Alabama report that staffing, training, and menu-printing costs now compound procurement pressures on already-overextended beverage programs.

Hungarian dry wines gain US traction, but face distribution and awareness gaps

• US imports of Hungarian wine totalled $3.04 million in 2025, down from $5.95 million peak in 2022 but up from decade-ago levels, per UN Comtrade data.
• Specialty importers Palinkerie, Credo Imports, and Danch & Granger report strong sales of dry Furmint, Kadarka, and Kékfrankos; sommeliers increasingly request Hungarian wines as alternatives to mainstream varieties.
• Lack of national distributor reach and consumer awareness remain obstacles; importers and producers call for coordinated marketing behind flagship grapes like Furmint to expand on-premise placement.

Seven US regions seek AVA status to define wine identity and quality

• Seven proposed AVAs from California to New Jersey are in early stages of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approval, a process that can take several years.
• Annapolis-Sea Ranch in Sonoma will be 26,637 acres with 651 planted acres; fog filtering and Ohlson Ranch soil favour Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with redwood spice notes.
• Deschutes River in central Oregon and Hunterdon Hills in New Jersey represent first recognized winegrowing regions in their areas, with Oregon experimenting with hybrids and New Jersey focusing on high-acid aromatics.

Cruise lines become growth channel for US wineries seeking brand loyalty

• Cooper's Hawk Winery chartered Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady for wine club members in 2024, sold out the cruise, and saw over 30 percent sign up for a second sailing in February 2027.
• Four Feathers Wine Services developed a custom brut for Holland America using Columbia Valley fruit, launched fleetwide in 2024, and now produces its most-served adult beverage across the cruise line's fleet.
• Eleven Eleven Wines, a Napa boutique, sailed aboard Scenic Eclipse II with 60 guests and achieved a 33 percent conversion rate among non-wine club passengers to repeat purchases and club membership.

Constellation Brands acquires SpikedAde for $75 million

• Constellation Brands acquired SpikedAde, a vodka-based sports drink founded by Jason Cohen in New Jersey in 2025, for $75 million upfront plus up to $278 million in performance payments.
• SpikedAde ranks in the top 25 RTD brands by NielsenIQ and is the number-two player in the 'Ade' segment behind Super Lyte, which holds 65 percent off-premise market share.
• The 'Ade' category exceeded one million cases in 2025 as consumers seek zero-sugar, lower-calorie alcoholic drinks; Constellation's acquisition gives SpikedAde national distribution beyond its current East Coast footprint.

Eleven sommeliers name overlooked Napa wines worth seeking out

• Eleven US sommeliers named Napa wines they believe deserve wider attention, ranging from Cabernet Franc to sparkling méthode traditionnelle and lesser-known producers like Pilcrow and Enfield Wine Co.
• Chardonnay from western Napa producers like Stony Hill and Staglin was cited as underrated, offering aged quality at a fraction of white Burgundy prices.
• Sommeliers highlighted wines with restraint and terroir-driven character as overlooked alternatives to Napa's dominant high-alcohol, oak-heavy Cabernet Sauvignon style.

Jameson releases single pot still whiskey inspired by 1826 archive recipe

• Jameson launched Distiller's Batch, a single pot still Irish whiskey at 46% ABV and $49.99 SRP, departing from the brand's grain-spirit blend.
• Master distiller Kevin O'Gorman drew the recipe from a handwritten mashbill dated 1826 by John Jameson II, found in the Midleton archive.
• The spirit won gold at the 2025 International Spirits Challenge and double gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Arnaldo Rivera, a top tier of wines from the overperforming Terre del Barolo cooperative

• Terre del Barolo cooperative, founded in 1958, produces 12% of all Barolo from 240 hectares of the appellation's 2200 hectares.
• Arnaldo Rivera is the cooperative's top tier (10% of production) launched in 2017, featuring vineyard-designated wines from 35 of 300 growers paid by potential yield.
• Terre del Barolo rejected modernist small-oak trends, using large-format wooden casks; Arnaldo Rivera uses smaller vessels with vapor-bent, non-toasted oak staves for small plot vinifications.

Arizcuren, Rioja low & high

• Arizcuren is Rioja's most urban winery, located on Calle Santa Isabel in central Logroño, producing 30,000 bottles annually from a micro operation.
• Owner Javier Arizcuren, an architect by training, sources grapes from hillsides south of Quel village in Rioja Oriental, where Grenache historically dominated before Tempranillo.
• Arizcuren and Palacios Remondo are working to rebalance Rioja's grape varieties, rectifying the shift to Tempranillo-dominance that climate change has exacerbated.

Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 10/4/26

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I

How Can You Train to Recognise Wine Faults?

• Sietze Wijma founded The Art of Tasting in 2021, using synthesized flavor compounds to train wine professionals and enthusiasts to recognize faults like brettanomyces, oxidation, and volatile acidity.
• Wijma studied psychology at Groningen University and earned a Masters in sensory science before working at a UK laboratory producing aroma compounds, which inspired his wine education business.
• Wijma demonstrated that mousy taint cannot be smelled at normal wine pH but becomes detectable when pH lowers post-bottling, requiring only one compound (ATHP) for perception.

Red and White and Roero All Over

• Roero, north of Alba across the Tanaro River, produces white Arneis and red Nebbiolo with different characteristics than neighboring regions due to sandstone terroir.
• Roero growers cultivate 1,000 planted hectares of Arneis versus 360 of Nebbiolo, giving white wines a market advantage as fashionable Piemonte D.O.C.G. whites.
• U.S. prices for Roero reds range $25, $45 and whites rarely exceed $25, making them affordable alternatives to Barolo and Barbaresco.

Meet Your Robo-Somm

• Wine pairing AI apps vary significantly in quality; some confuse rosés with reds, recommend only generic brands, and suggest Champagne indiscriminately, while others trained by industry professionals perform better.
• SommPal, a new food and wine pairing app, allows users to photograph menus and wine lists to receive ranked pairing recommendations with explanations, positioning itself as a tool for novice drinkers when sommeliers unavailable.
• Developer Marc Lewin stated SommPal is designed to support human engagement in wine rather than replace sommeliers, emphasizing the importance of who develops AI tools for the wine industry.

What I Learned at a Conference on Drinking

From the invention of moderation to the return of temperance