The pandemic has put the courts into slow gear with mostly no in-person courtroom appearances. Each specific judge is deciding on whether to hold sessions by phone, with videoconferencing still not accepted. With all that in mind, the following are brief summaries of some of the current cases we have previously covered in your premium […]

Years of bad blood between two prominent wine industry players is headed for a courtroom battle on June 25 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. Quick summary of the case Penrose Hill CEO Philip James and Emetry CEO Paul Mabray have a long antagonistic history and have publicly […]

With a number of Coronavirus re-opening plans varying widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, I thought it might be useful to send along the following links to pdfs that outline some best practices from Cushman and Wakefield. These are especially important both as regards health issues and to possible lawsuits from consumers and employees. The information […]

JaM Cellars’ “rich & buttery” federal lawsuit against The Wine Group’s Franzia brand heated up on May 15 when it filed a request for a preliminary injunction against The Wine Group in its trademark infringement case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco) Specifically, JaM seeks an Order […]

The long-running dispute between Constellation Brands (Robert Mondavi Winery) and The Vineyard House over To Kalon vineyard designation rights is scheduled for trial beginning August 31 in San Francisco U.S. Federal District Court for the Northern District Of California. Schedule Witness List due by 8/17/2020. Motions due by 8/12/2020. Opening Reports due by 7/17/2020. Rebuttal […]

Late word from a very reliable source tells us that Ferrari-Carano in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek area is being purchased by Bill Foley. This is not yet confirmed. O’Neill Vintners and Distillers (O’NEILL), and Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits (SGWS) have settled a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, over […]

Bryant Family Vineyards has won their lawsuit in New York Federal District Court (Southern District of New York) to dismiss the compensation claim by former consultant Lauren Ridenhour. According to the judgment by United States District Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr.: “The dispute stems from Defendants’ refusal to pay Plaintiff, their former employee, for her […]

While the pandemic has rattled global financial markets, it will not last forever. That’s why savvy investors and forward-looking winery and vineyard executives are seeking the new services, technologies and products that will increase operating profits and provide solid investments. To that end, Wine Executive News has ranked 13 promising AgTech companies which will facilitate […]

This is a draft article updating our previous article:Winc (Formerly Club W) comes in at #7 In WII’s Winetech funding survey. I normally would not send you a draft, but the various Cornonavirus disruptions put me way off my schedule and I need to get this to you quickly because the company has a SEC-registered […]