On January 23, 2024, Willamette Valley’s Raptor Ridge Winery announced Benjamin DiCristina as the new winemaker, joining founder and winegrower Scott Schull. DiCristina is a Certified Oregon Master Gardener, holding degrees both in horticulture and oenology, with experience at Sine Qua Non, Evening Land and Argyle.
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 23, 2024
Domaines Barons de Rothschild Acquires William Fèvre
On January 12, 2024, Domaines Barons de Rothschild, whose estates include Bordeaux’s Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Duhart-Milon and Château L’Evangile, acquired William Fèvre from Artémis Domaines. William Fèvre is known for its Chablis, with 90 parcels and over 177 acres, covering village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards. This is Domaines Barons de Rothschild’s first estate in Burgundy.
CEO of Domaines Barons de Rothschild Saskia de Rothschild said, “We are lucky to have the chance to write a new chapter of William Fèvre’s story with Didier Seguier and the team. We have a lot in common, may it be in terms of viticulture with an organic and sustainable approach. Chablis is a magical territory, with an atypical terroir and a family, vigneron spirit that we have long admired. We cannot wait to progress together.”
January 9, 2024
Practical Magic
WineAmerica, the national association comprised of more than 400 American wineries, has just released a new web-based resource, The Magic of Wine. As it turns out, it’s much more pragmatic than magical. This is, in fact, a valuable compilation of wine facts and quotes, toasts in different languages, tasting profiles, agricultural aspects and economic benefits, an education tool for the trade as well as for wine drinkers. Click on the link to explore this new resource: https://wineamerica.org/the-magic-of-wine/
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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