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Aug 20, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell |Carl Giavanti
Steven LaineNovelist Steven Laine has an international background in hotels and was fortunate enough to study hotel operations in Switzerland, gain an MBA in hospitality with the University of Guelph in Canada and round out his hotel management studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He first developed a passion for wine as a sommelier and beverage director working in luxury hotels in London and has since visited wineries in all the major wine growing regions.
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Jun 3, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell |Laura Ness
Advertisement“We’ve done enough carbon dating, now may be the time to break up.” —Randall GrahmGlass is heavy, resource intensive to produce and costly to ship. It’s the biggest contributor to the wine industry’s carbon footprint. It will be a while before large-scale glass making can be converted to all-electric furnaces, although that is a promising trend. In the meantime, let’s give credit to the folks who figured out the many benefits of boxed wine years ago.
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May 28, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell |Kathleen Willcox
Wine Industry Network (WIN) founder and CEO George Christie recently received the Innovator Award at the 10th Anniversary Sonoma County Barrel AuctionInnovation is a cousin of invention. It doesn’t entail creating a completely new product out of whole cloth. Instead, it requires taking a current thing, method or idea, and improving it. Without inventors, we wouldn’t have cars. Without innovators, we wouldn’t have race cars, SUVs, electric vehicles or hybrids.
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May 7, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell
Marketing professionals join together for classes, networking and industry discussions Last week, 30-year wine industry marketing veteran Michael Wangbickler (Balzac Communications) announced Appellation Academy, a place for wine and spirits marketing professionals to join forces, advance their skills, share ideas and work toward industry-inclusive solutions.
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Apr 11, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell
Interim CEO Robin Mackie addresses rumors of the company’s demise. “I hate for the truth to ruin a good story, but we’re still here, we’re still working and we’re still developing new technologies,” says Robin Mackie, interim CEO of Solectrac, the electric tractor manufacturer that has been in the news this week for its eviction from a Santa Rosa development facility.
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Mar 20, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell
Now is the time for bold action and new ideas. Liz Thach, Wine Market CouncilWine Market Council gathered members yesterday for its first in-person Research Conference in five years. President Liz Thach welcomed the crowd warmly before jumping right into the data. Wine shipments are down — but so is the entire alcohol category, she pointed out — which means now is the time for bold action and new ideas.
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Jan 31, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell |Randy Caparoso
When it comes to wine choice, consumers have always been more sophisticated than industry professionals. I started out on Burgundy but soon hit the harder stuff. Not really. But I always loved that line from Bob Dylan’s song, “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues.”As it were, after more than 45 years in the wine business, wines made from Pinot Noir, the black-skinned grape of Burgundy in France, remain some of my favorites. Why? Because Pinot Noir usually produces a soft, silky, fragrant, spiced red wine.
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Jan 29, 2024 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell |Christopher Hanson
The result of Napa Valley V. Lindsay Blair Hoopes Et al could have a significant and lasting impact on “small wineries” in the Napa Valley — and influence whether they can survive. David vs. Goliath, or simply the County of Napa attempting to ‘protect the public’ by bringing a sharp dealing lawyer/winery owner to task for a host of alleged code violations? Each side, in trial briefs filed last week, spun their case differently.
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Dec 13, 2023 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell |Kathleen Willcox
Is there a way for brands to meet the lofty expectations of guests without scaring them away with sky-high fees? In 2019, wine tasting fees and experiences ran the gamut from bare-bones to over-the-top. We all know what happened next. Since the pandemic, a potent cocktail of wanderlust, FOMO and social media-driven one-upmanship has seemingly infected both wine lovers and makers, transforming expectations of what a “normal” wine tasting should include.
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Dec 11, 2023 | 
wineindustryadvisor.com | Alexandra Russell
Five years ago, Wine Industry Advisor debuted Turning the Tables, a monthly series of interviews that shined a spotlight on the journalists and storytellers within the wine world. Developed and spearheaded by industry publicist Carl Giavanti, TtT has become a readers’ favorite, introducing the people behind the headlines. For this anniversary installment, WIA is turning the tables on Giavanti himself.
