In 2018, 3.85 million people visited Napa County. Each of them visited an average of 3.7 wineries according to survey research conducted by Destination Analysts on behalf of Visit Napa Valley. That makes for an estimated 14.25 million winery visits. However, Napa County Use Permit data indicates that the number of verifiable permitted visits tops […]

For more than two years, the the Suisun Valley Vintners and Growers Association (SVVGA) has been working to put some distance between its wine grapes and those of the eastern Solano County. They have now begun to put their words into action with a formal request to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) […]

Our News Fetch link from yesterday:”Amazon applies for license to sell wine online in San Francisco” Brian Roemmele’s Tweet Yesterday that prompted WII to grab more license details. According to the ABC, the licenses are still pending under a Form 220 Hold ABC License Links Type 85 License Details Type 21 License Details These documents […]

Bryant Family Vineyards sued their financial consultant on July 31. The action came just one day after the consultant filed an amended complaint in the case. As first reported by Wine Industry Insight on June 3, the consultant — Lauren Ridenhour — alleged that the winery may be experiencing financial problems. Her original complaint, filed […]

Previously in Wine Industry Insight: Triumph Wine Group Crowdfunded Financial Offering Marred by Inadequate Disclosure, Misleading Language, Flawed Business Plan WII article prompts Triumph Wine Group to amend SEC filings & web site, but lacks vital state permit to legally make wine Triumph Cellars (formerly Calistoga Cellars) seems to have gone all “404” along with […]

  Today’s Wine Industry Insight News: Starmont Carneros Winery Facility Sold to Private Investor – Brand to remain with Schlatter Family Buyer is Prominent entrepreneur and SF Bay Area charitable benefactor The buyer of the Starmont facility is Bernard “Bernie” Orsi according to multiple high-level sources with detailed knowledge of the transaction. Those sources also […]

While the name “Napa” has come to represent pinnacle of American ultra-fine wine, in reality, 45% of the permitted production is vested in two companies with budget wine reputations — Gallo and Bronco. Those two companies account for approximately 45% of all permitted wine production in Napa County, according to Wine Industry Insight’s preliminary analysis […]

NOTE: To-Kalon has variously been written as To Kalon and ToKalon. We have chosen to use the version with a hyphen because that is the style used by the U.S. National Park Service in their Historic Landscapes Survey. Jeremy Nickel’s federal lawsuit against Constellation/Robert Mondavi Winery over its To-Kalon trademar was dismissed by a federal […]

NOTE: The text below is redacted and reformatted for improved non-lawyer readability. Among the changes are the elimination of various legal references, shortened paragraphs etc. The full original document can be found at this link (for premium subscribers) Attorneys are consistent in recommending that agreements be captured in written contracts, state laws offer a specific […]