On February 27, 2023 Angelo Clement Sangiacomo passed away at his home in Sonoma, CA. Sangiacomo helped pioneer some of the first California vineyard-designated wines, like the 1979 Gundlach-Bundschu Sangiacomo Vineyards Chardonnay, and aided in the creation of the Carneros AVA in 1982. Sangiacomo Family Vineyards is a third-generation family business, now run by Sangiacomo’s children Mike, Steve and Mia.
This page is regularly updated as Wine & Spirits’ News In Brief section, where we publish news from around the wine world. A new thread of this section is published annually.
February 27, 2023
Two New Masters of Wine
On February 24, 2023 the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) announced Poland’s Wojciech Bońkowski and the USA’s Joshua Grainer as Masters of Wine. There are now 416 MWs—267 men and 149 women, from 31 different countries. Bońkowski is a wine writer who founded the wine website Winicjatywa and wine magazine Ferment; he is also the first MW from Poland. Grainer is the managing director and winemaker for Virginia’s RdV Vineyards. The MW exam consists of a theory and practical exam as well as an in-depth research paper on a wine-related topic. 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the first Master of Wine examination, held in 1953.
IMW also welcomed the Catena Institute of Wine as its third academic and research associate, alongside the Australian Wine Research Institute and Wine in Moderation. The Catena Institute was founded by Laura Catena, the Managing Director of Bodega Catena Zapata, to advance Argentina’s winemaking regions through scientific research. Catena will be the closing keynote speaker at this year’s international symposium in Wiesbaden, Germany.
February 14, 2023
ASI Announces Best Sommelier of the World
Raimonds Tomsons of Latvia earned the title of Best Sommelier of the World at the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale’s competition held in Paris on January 12, 2023. France’s Pascaline Lepeltier placed fourth; China’s Reeze Choi was second runner-up and Denmark’s Nina Jensen first runner-up. The three finalists competed in a series of challenges to test their knowledge, including a guessing game in which the contestants were asked to identify a wine based on a sequence of five photographs, with the most points going to a correct guess from the fewest images. They were judged for their grace under pressure and their accuracy in describing and identifying several wines blind; they were also judged on their knowledge and service skills, not only for wine, but for all elements of a diner’s experience over the course of a meal.
This page is regularly updated as Wine & Spirits’ News In Brief section, where we publish news from around the wine world. A new thread of this section is published annually.
February 2, 2023
Rombauer Acquires Sonoma Vineyard, Carriger Two
On January 25, 2023, Rombauer Vineyards acquired Carriger Two, with its 54 acres planted to vines. The Sonoma Valley vineyard has been a primary source for Rombauer’s sauvignon blanc—a wine they added to their portfolio in 2014—and is adjacent to Carriger One, a vineyard they purchased in 2022.
This page is regularly updated as Wine & Spirits’ News In Brief section, where we publish news from around the wine world. A new thread of this section is published annually.
January 26, 2023
The TTB Officially Recognizes Bolivian Singani
On January 17, 2023, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) recognized Bolivian Singani as a unique type of Brandy. The spirit must be distilled from Muscat of Alexandria and grown at a minimum altitude of 5,250 feet in specified regions of the country. Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh led the eight-year campaign lobbying the TTB; he had partnered with Bolivia’s Casa Real to create Singani 63 in 2014. In exchange for U.S. recognition of Singani, Bolivia will become the 44th country to legally recognize Bourbon Whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey as distinctive products of the United States.
January 16, 2023
González Byass Appoints New Winemaker in Chile
Gonzalo Bertelsen has been named head winemaker for González Byass’s two Chilean wineries Viñedos Veramonte in Casablanca (including Ritual) and Viña Neyen de Apalta in Colchagua (including Primus). Bertelsen’s resume includes experience at TerraMater, Caliterra and Finca el Origen.
January 10, 2023
The Roots Fund’s Second Annual Auction Gala
The Roots Fund, a non-profit dedicated to addressing diversity within the wine industry, will partner with Zachys Wine Auctions for the second annual Roots Fund Auction Gala on March 5, 2023 in NYC. The gala includes a dinner and both in-person and virtual auctions of wines. Selections include wines from Domaine Dujac and Heitz Cellars, as well as experiences, like trips to South Africa and Champagne, donated by wineries from all over the world. The 2022 auction raised over $400,000, used to fund education, mentorship and job placement opportunities for the BIPOC community within the wine industry. For information, visit RTF’s website. [https://www.therootsfund.org/auction-donations]
This page is regularly updated as Wine & Spirits’ News In Brief section, where we publish news from around the wine world. A new thread of this section is published annually.
Based in Los Angeles, California, Alissa Bica is the Spirits Editor and Critic at Wine & Spirits. She is also a Certified Sommelier and co-runs the home wine tasting company, Côte Brune and Blonde. In any rare moments of free time, she writes about obscure grape varieties in the blog Off the Beaten Wine Path.
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