On November 2, 2023, Ana María Cumsille will start as winemaker for Viña Carmen, the Chilean winery established in 1850 in the Andean foothills town of Alto Jahuel. Cumsille’s experience includes Altair Winery in Cachapoal and Cucha Cucha in the Itata Valley, the southern district where she has since developed her own portfolio of wines working with local growers.
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.
September 8, 2023
Two New Master Sommeliers
On September 6, 2023, the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, announced its two newest members: Jonathan Eichholz from New York, New York and Mark Guillaudeu from Phoenix, Arizona. The Master Sommelier examination consists of three parts: verbal theory, deductive blind tasting and a practical focus on hospitality, beverage service and salesmanship. Thirty-four candidates from sixteen states and three countries passed theory before attending the practical and tasting portions in Houston, Texas, on September 4th and 5th. Eichholz currently works with the education platform GuildSomm, and Guillaudeu as a sommelier at Phoenix’s *Wrigley Mansion.
August 28, 2023
Two New Masters of Wine
The Institute of Masters of Wine welcomes Erin Jolley and Andrea Lonardi as its newest Masters of Wine. There are now 414 MWs across 31 countries; Jolley is the 59th from the US and Lonardi is the second from Italy. MW candidates compete in both theory and practical exams followed by a research paper on a wine-related topic. Jolley, who began her career in wine sales in Washington, DC, and now owns Drink the Rent, an import company in Miami, Florida, wrote a study of wine references in the lyrics of Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead from the 1960s and ’70s. Lonardi started his career in marketing and sales at Gruppo Italiano Vini before becoming COO of Angelini Wines and Estates in 2012. His research paper focused on pergola and VSP training in Valpolicella and how labor demand and challenges impact training system choices.
August 24, 2023
The Fladgate Partnership Expands into Table Wines
On August 18, 2023, The Fladgate Partnership (TFP)—after more than 330 years dedicated solely to Port production with wineries including Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca, Croft and Krohn—has acquired three estates from Ideal Drinks, a producer of Portuguese table wine managed by Carlos Dias. The three properties are all located outside of the Douro: Quinta da Pedra in Vinho Verde, Quinta de Bella in Dão and Quinta Colinas de S. Lourenço in Bairrada. This marks The Fladgate Partnership’s first entry into the table wine market. The new project will be led by Pascal Chatonnet, a wine consulatant for Ideal Drinks, and TFP intends to maintain the current teams at each of the quintas.
August 14, 2023
Molson Coors Establishes Coors Spirits Co.
On August 8, 2023, Molson Coors acquired Blue Run, a whiskey company in Georgetown, Kentucky. Molson Coors, the beer company that produces Coors, Miller, Blue Moon and Leinenkugel, entered the whiskey space with the launch of their Five Trail Blended American Whiskey in 2021 and Barmen 1873 Bourbon in 2022. Blue Run’s founders Mike Montgomery, Tim Sparapani, Jesse McKnight and Andy Brown will remain with the brand, and Montgomery will take on the role of Vice President of Coors Spirits Co., a new division established to continue spirits expansion within the company.
July 13, 2023
Echolands Winery Appoints Brian Rudin as Winemaker
Brian Rudin is the new Winemaker and General Manager at Echolands, in the Walla Walla Valley. Rudin has made wine at Cadaretta, Buried Cane Vineyards and, most recently, worked for nine years with Duckhorn Wine Company, where he helped launch their Red Mountain label, Canvasback.
July 10, 2023
Ryan Pennington joins L’Ecole No 41
L’Ecole No 41, based in Walla Walla, Washington, announced that it has hired Ryan Pennington as the winery’s Chief Operating Officer. After an early career position as the Communications Director for the Washington State Wine Commission, Pennington has spent the last decade with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as VP of Communications and Corporate Affairs.
“I’m really excited about Ryan joining L’Ecole,” says Marty Clubb, who has run the winery since 1989, and now brings a veteran into the fold with years of experience with the state’s wine scene, and the national marketplace. Clubb’s daughter, Melissa, will report to Pennington as brand manager. –Patrick J. Comiskey
June 19, 2023
Shafer Vineyards Purchases Napa Valley Altimeter Vineyard
On June 5, 2023, Shafer Vineyards purchased the 10-acre Altimeter Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Atlas Peak AVA. The vineyard is planted to cabernet sauvignon and brings Shafer’s current vineyard holdings to 250 acres. Shafer has been producing wine in Napa Valley since 1978, when the family worked with the original Hillside Estate’s 40 acres. Winemaker Elias Fernandez joined the team in 1984 as assistant winemaker—becoming winemaker in 1994—and marks his 40th vintage this year.
June 2, 2023
Maison Joseph Drouhin Acquires Properties in Saint-Romain and Saint-Véran
Established by Maurice Drouhin, who acquired the family’s first parcels of Clos des Mouches in 1921, the Drouhin estate expanded in the 1960s when Robert Drouhin added 99 acres in the Côte d’Or and Chablis. Now, the maison has added another 49.50 acres with the purchase of Château de Chasselas in Saint-Véran and the Rapet estate in Saint-Romain. Drouhin has partnered with Millésime, the hotel group, to convert Château de Chasselas into a hotel, scheduled to open in 2025; David Fink, of California’s Mirabel group, is partnering with Drouhin to open Maison 1896, a hotel and restaurant in Beaune, in the Fall of 2023.
May 31, 2023
Foley Family Wines Expands into Spirits
On May 23, 2023, Sonoma Valley–based Foley Family Wines announced its expansion into the spirits business. The wine company, founded in 1996, acquired an American whiskey and white spirits distillery in Minden, Nevada, from the Bently Family. Foley Family will produce both white and brown spirits from locally sourced grains. Foley Family also acquired the existing inventory of Bourbon, Single Malt Whiskey and rye, and will begin operating the Minden facility immediately.
May 22, 2023
Le Tenute del Leone Alato Acquires Duemani
On May 15, 2023, Igor Boccardo, CEO of the Italian wine group Le Tenute del Leone Alato, announced the acquisition of Duemani, a Tuscan winery with 32 acres of vineyards in Riparbella and Castellina Marittima. Duemani was founded in 2000 by Elena Celli and Luca D’Attoma, and planted with cabernet franc, merlot, syrah and grenache in 2001. D’Attoma will continue to be Duemani’s winemaking consultant. Le Tenute del Leone Alato’s other wineries include Torre Rosazza, Costa Arènte, Bricco dei Guazzi, Tenuta Sant’Anna and V8+.
May 17, 2023
Patz & Hall Names James McCeney as Winemaker
On May 16, 2023, Patz & Hall appointed James McCeney as Winemaker. Founding winemaker James Hall, who has made every vintage of Patz & Hall since the winery’s opening in 1988, had worked with McCeney as his Assistant Winemaker in 2012 and 2013. McCeney has worked at Donum, Dutton Goldfield, Acacia and, most recently, Lewis Cellars. He will take the reins in 2024 when Hall moves into his new role as Winemaker Emeritus.
May 17, 2023
Sonoma-Cutrer Announces New Director of Winemaking
On May 11, 2023, Sonoma-Cutrer announced that Director of Winemaking Michael “Mick” Schroeter is retiring after 13 years in the role. Cara Morrison, who has been Chardonnay Winemaker since 2005, will succeed Schroeter, making her the first female Director of Winemaking since the winery’s launch in 1981. Pinot Noir Winemaker Zidanelia Arcidiacono—who started at Sonoma-Cutrer in 2007 as Harvest Enologist—will be promoted to the newly created role of Sonoma-Cutrer Senior Winemaker, overseeing both chardonnay and pinot noir.
May 11, 2023
Rochioli Promotes Fourth Generation Rachael and Ryan Rochioli
On May 9, 2023, Rochioli Vineyards & Winery announced the promotion of Rachael Rochioli to General Manager and Ryan Rochioli to Assistant Winemaker. The family-owned winery was established in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley in 1938 with the first vineyards planted by Joe Rochioli Sr. and his son, Joe Rochioli Jr.; Tom Rochioli runs the estate today. His daughter, Rachael, received her Business Management degree from the University of Arizona, as well as her Wine Business Management certification from Sonoma State. Tom’s son, Ryan, has obtained his certification of viticulture and winemaking through the UC Davis extension program and has previous experience at Williams Selyem, Landmark and Dutcher Crossing.
March 10, 2023
Marchesi Antinori Takes Full Ownership of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars
After 16 years of collaboration with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Marchesi Antinori is taking over full ownership of Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Marchesi Antinori has been active in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley since 1985, with the 1210-acre property on Atlas Peak once called Antica, now Antinori Napa Valley. The latest move, to add the historic Stags Leap District property to Antinori’s holdings in the valley, is expected to close by the end of June.
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.
April 20, 2023
Dr. Laura Catena Appointed WSET’s Honorary President
On April 19, 2023, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) held its annual graduation ceremony at the Guildhall in London, England. WSET CEO Michelle Brampton hosted the event, announcing Dr. Laura Catena, Managing Director of Bodega Catena Zapata, as the new Honorary President. Brampton was joined by previous Honorary President Paul Symington CMG, Executive Director Dave Rudman and Regional Director Rachel Webster.
The organization also welcomed 587 new WSET Diploma graduates from 20 countries—including 131 from the USA. The Outstanding Alumni Award, sponsored by JancisRobinson.com for outstanding contribution in the drinks industry, was awarded to New York’s Alexandra Schrecengost. Schrecengost created Virtual With Us in 2020 and Culture With Us in 2021, platforms designed to bring teams together within remote work models.
April 14, 2023
Cantina Kurtatsch Names Erwin Carli as New Winemaker
Cantina Kurtatsch, a cooperative centered around the Alto Adige village of Kurtatsch, named Erwin Carli as head winemaker in March of 2023. Carli takes the helm from Othmar Donà, who has made the wines at Kurtatsch since 1992 and who had mentored Carli for ten years.
April 7, 2023
Ruffino Extends Vineyard Holdings into Bolgheri
On March 29, 2023, Ruffino, a winery in Italy’s Tuscany, acquired 37 acres of vines across two Bolgheri subregions, with 9.9 acres in Via Bolgherese and 27.2 in Sondraie. The first vintage made from the new estate will be 2023, with the intention to release the first wine in 2025. Ruffino plans to build a winery and tasting space on the property over the next few years.
April 5, 2023
Alfred Scheid Passes Away at 91
Alfred “Al” Scheid of Scheid Family Wines passed away last month at the age of 91. Born in Bridgeport, Ohio, in 1932, Scheid came to wine late in his professional life, after successes in the biotech industry. He settled in Monterey County in 1972, where Scheid Family Wines quickly became one of that region’s most important growers—at the time of his death the family’s vineyards well exceeded 4,000 acres, one of the region’s largest growers.
Scheid Family established a winery in 2005, first as a custom-crush facility; Scheid went on to found several brands, including their eponymous label. Scheid, who knew little about grapegrowing when he entered the business, was a founding member of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) in 1974 and served on its board and as its chair during the organization’s early years.
He was also a founding member of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, as well as the first grower to join the Wine Institute in the mid-’70s, when growers’ voices were still very much in the background, and became a leading advocate for sustainable winegrowing. In fact, the California Grape Acreage Report, an invaluable resource for viticultural statistics for winemakers, grapegrowers, forecasters, not to mention historians and journalists, was started at the urging and under the guidance of Scheid in the early 1970s. —Patrick Comiskey
April 4, 2023
Axel Heinz is Named CEO of Château Lascombes
On March 24, 2023, Gaylon Lawrence Jr. of Lawrence Wine Estates and CEO Carlton McCoy, Jr., MS announced the appointment of Axel Heinz as Chief Executive Officer of Château Lascombes, a second-growth in Margaux. Most recently, Heinz was the Estate Director of Masseto and Ornellaia in Tuscany—he started as winemaker at Ornellaia in 2005. He has previously worked in Bordeaux at Château La Tour Carnet in Saint Laurent du Medoc and studied oenology at the University of Bordeaux. Lawrence Wine Estates also includes Heitz Cellar, Haynes, Burgess, Ink Grade, Brendel and Stony Hill Vineyards.
March 9, 2023
Angelo Clement Sangiacomo Passes Away at Age 92
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.
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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