"With so many constituents in the grape growing community, I am acutely aware of the challenges facing many growers in Lake and Mendocino Counties following this summer's tragic fires. I am working with my colleagues to pursue every avenue of federal assistance, including reauthorization of the 2017 Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program, for these growers who deserve relief in this difficult recovery period," U.S. Rep Mike Thompson said. ... Growers are also asking for an agreement on testing protocols for smoke compounds in grapes and would like to see changes on how harvest costs are estimated

Vintners in the burgeoning wine region report destroyed homes and wineries and scorched vines

Aquilini Red Mountain Vineyards, a holding of Aquilini Investment Group, will build a 170,000-square-foot wine production facility, tasting room and a home for the owners at its property in the Red Mountain American Viticultural Area, according to plans submitted to Benton County. When built, the winery and tasting room will employ about 30. Aquilini intends to grade 17 acres and take about four acres of vineyard out of production to accommodate the facility, according to a review under the State Environmental Protection Act.

Cultivating Albariño, Pinot Muenier, and St. Laurent ... The Carneros Wine Alliance (CWA) hosted "Unusual, Unknown and Aged Wines" seminar and tasting, showcasing some of the top wine producers making use of the region's climate and varied topography in unique ways ...

A GoFundMe Campaign has been launched that gives wine consumers across the country the opportunity to help fund a "Friend of the Court" Amicus brief in the upcoming Byrd v Tennessee Supreme Court case. The amicus brief will be entirely funded by wine consumers and will argue that state-based anti-consumer bans on wine shipping are not only unconstitutional but significantly harm consumers. The wine consumer GoFundMe campaign is accessed at: https://www.gofundme.com/wine-consumer-supreme-court-brief

Wine lovers, now is your chance to contribute to freeing up wine shipping in the US. Ever wanted to use your financial clout to influence the US Supreme Court? Now's your chance ...

The DTC Wine Symposium has announced its two final keynotes: Kristi Faulkner, President of Womenkind, and Bill Burnett, a New York Times best-selling author and Executive Director of the Design Program, and a Mechanical Engineering Adjunct Professor, at Stanford University. The national summit takes place on January 23-24, 2019, at the Hilton Concord Hotel in Concord, California.

Wine.com, the nation's leading online wine retailer, today announced the twelfth annual Wine.com 100. Reflecting the top wines purchased on the website during the first 10 months of 2018, the Wine.com 100 is the industry's only list based exclusively on consumer purchasing behavior.

The San Luis Obispo Wine Country Association (SLO Wine) today announced its search for a new executive director heading into 2019.

" ... consumer demand is there for innovative wine products that offer an attractive price-quality ratio. It would be nice if California's wine industry could sell its way out of its large inventory through price repositioning and innovation. Supply now potentially being available at a lower price should assist some buyers in being more creative with new wine brands, products, packaging and price positions in the marketplace. Innovation is a necessity to claw back market share from growing competition ...

The European Union's decision to regulate gene-edited crops as GMOs has prompted a joint statement for science-based rules by the U.S. and 12 other countries.

The Napa County Board of Supervisors this morning unanimously approved an extension of a temporary moratorium on commercial cannabis operations in the unincorporated areas of the county until December 2019. The temporary moratorium was set to expire this Dec. 4, but was extended to that date next year.

Vine Connections has uncovered a Japanese spirit unlike any other. The long-time importer of premium Japanese sake is pleased to present Rihei Ginger to the U.S., a meticulously handcrafted Honkaku Shochu that is uniquely single-distilled from 20% local Japanese ginger.

After wine country's devastating fires of 2017, Napa Valley vintners Ryan and Crystal Waugh wanted to find a way to help the people and communities who were affected. From this desire, Relief Wines was formed. A 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, Relief Wines will give 100 percent of its profits to three causes that are important to the Waugh family.

CHEP, the global leader in pallet pooling and supply chain management solutions, today appointed Jake Gilene to the role of senior vice president, sales and customer service, CHEP USA. This position was previously held by Dan Martin, recently named president, IFCO North America.

There is a growing body of research and evidence that shows that a company with more engaged employees achieves better business outcomes. There's also the human case to be made for improving the employee experience. PayScale Research has uncovered what matters most for creating a great employee experience, and several cost-free ways that you can improve engagement by making small changes in the way you communicate with employees about their value, your company's strategy and compensation.

Feast It Forward, a lifestyle networking brand located in Napa Valley, California, was the northern hub for this year's Napa Valley Film Festival. According to Feast It Forward's CEO and Founder, Katie Hamilton Shaffer, Feast It Forward has "been working with the festival since it's inception."

As an innovation-driven company, Lightweight Containers keeps developing. At Brau Beviale 2018 the company will reveal some of its latest innovations. Additional fittings for KeyKeg and UniKeg, global expanding of their production facilities and a clever tool for the home market are examples of these innovations.

ePac Flexible Packaging, a market leader in quick-turn, short to medium length run length production of flexible packaging, has announced that its next location will open in Austin, Texas in early 2019, with order taking now available.

River Terrace Inn, a luxury Napa Valley hotel offering a perfect retreat to guests with lavish accommodations, personalized services and a pristine riverfront setting, is pleased to begin celebrating its 15th anniversary beginning today until the end of the month with a host of special offerings. In honor of the occasion, the property will offer an exclusive 15th anniversary package along with specials at the hotel's signature restaurant ALBA to celebrate the milestone.

Maxime Toubart, chairman of the Champagne Winegrowers' Association (SGV) and Maxime Blin, rapporteur of the region's development committee, were ostensibly delighted as they presented the results of the Ipsos survey on marketing and PR activities launched in June 2018. Their gambit was daring and took the form of four simple visuals, showing a glass of Champagne alongside a hard-boiled egg, a sardine, an artichoke and a camembert cheese. The results of the Ipsos survey of 300 people aged 18 to 60 show that it has clearly paid off.

With four weeks remaining until the State Water Resources Control Board plans to take final action on a river-flows plan affecting the northern San Joaquin Valley, water users are working to negotiate voluntary agreements. After receiving requests from Gov. Brown and Lt. Gov. Newsom, the board voted last week to postpone final action on the plan until Dec. 12. The board originally set last week as the deadline to adopt the plan proposed by its staff, which would redirect flows in the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers for fishery purposes.

With one house of Congress set to flip to Democratic control next year, agricultural advocates focus on a post-election, "lame duck" session beginning this week as an opportunity to resolve lingering issues including farm policy and budget appropriations. Josh Rolph, federal policy manager for the California Farm Bureau Federation, notes that Congress will need to work immediately on appropriations bills. A current omnibus extension ends Dec. 7 and without a new one, the government will shut down.

Currently, employers seeking DOL certification to hire H-2A or H-2B workers must publish two print advertisements for domestic workers in a newspaper of general circulation in the area of intended employment. Lack of response can be cited as need for foreign workers, but employers must hire any able, willing and qualified domestic workers for those positions during the first half of an H-2A contract. Under the proposed rule change, employers would no longer be required to advertise in print media but would be required to post openings with state workforce agencies, the Chicago National Processing Center and then on a website of their choosing for 14 consecutive days. The website must be widely used and appropriate for use by domestic workers who are likely to apply for the jobs.

They seek to find the difference between current payments by the federal government and the actual taxable value of the land.

The odds of Congress passing a farm bill in the lame duck session may be better than many expect, as high as 65 percent, according to one speaker at the Southern Crop Production Association annual meeting, Nov. 13 in Asheville, N.C. Jay Vroom, recently retired president and CEO of CropLife America, puts farm bill passage at that high level, saying that most of the baseline issues have been all but resolved - crop insurance, CRP and funding for research.

The Wine Institute, an industry trade group based in California, notes that European Union tariffs on American wine exports are in some cases nearly double those of U.S. tariffs. The EU's import tariff on U.S. wine ranges from 11 cents to 29 cents per 750 ml bottle; the U.S. puts a 5 cent to 14 cent tariff on wine imports, according to trade data. The tariff range depends on the percentage of alcohol in a given bottle of wine.

Researchers at Geisenheim University in Germany surveyed more than 2,300 experts in the wine trade from 46 countries on a number of different issues including international wine markets, marketing trends, developments in online wine sales and the economic situation. The Top 5: China, Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia and the United States,

Willamette Valley Vineyards, a leading Oregon producer of Pinot Noir, generated income applicable to common shareholders of $385,199, or $0.08 cents per share, for the third quarter of 2018, down from $427,996, or $0.09 cents per share, for the corresponding prior year period, representing a $42,797 or 10.0% decrease in income ...

Winemakers discuss three ways to take environmental efforts to new heights

Vicki Lewis and her husband Don Hagge, a Ph.D., and former NASA physicist, purchased in 1999 what is now Vidon Vineyard (pronounced "VEE-dawn" - a contraction of their names) in Oregon's North Willamette Valley to pursue their love of Pinot Noir

Authorities on Tuesday reported six more fatalities from the Northern California blaze, bringing the total number of dead so far to 48. They haven't disclosed the total number still missing, but earlier in the week that figure was more than 200

If you don't know who Gary Vaynerchuk is, it's not because he's hard to find. Vaynerchuk has been creating daily content since 2006, when he launched his Wine TV series on YouTube. Because of his online marketing, he grew his family's wine business from $3 million to $60 million.

U.S. President Donald Trump is partly right but far from completely correct when he says that France's "big tariffs" make it hard for American vintners to sell their wines here: Wrong because customs duties on imported wines are applied not by France but by the European Union. Right because American tariffs are "globally" less than what Europe charges, the French customs authority says.