Rombauer Acquires Sonoma Vineyard, Carriger Two - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Rombauer Acquires Sonoma Vineyard, Carriger Two


Rombauer’s Carriger Two in Sonoma Valley (Courtesy of Rombauer)

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

Steven Soderbergh partnered with Casa Real to create Singani 63 in 2014. (Courtesy of Singani 63)

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 in the vineyard. (Courtesy of Viñedos Veramonte and Viña Neyen de Apalta)

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

From left: Madeline Puckette of Folly Enterprises with The Roots Fund founders Tahiirah Habibi, Carlton McCoy, Jr and Ikimi Dubose-Woodson at last year’s gala. (Photo: Kyle Huey)

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 Associate Editor and Spirits Critic at Wine & Spirits. She is also a sommelier at 71 Above 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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