July, 16, 2015 Former Winemaker Pleads No Contest in California Court

(NYTimes) - Jeffry James Hill, a former Napa Valley winemaker and vineyard manager who was accused of stealing grapes and misrepresenting the origin of wines he sold to consumers and to other winemakers, pleaded no contest on Tuesday to one count of grand theft. Mr. Hill’s plea in Californ...

July, 15, 2015 Napa County: Ag committee considers toughening winery rule compliance

(NVR) - What should Napa County do to ensure that its 450-plus wineries follow wine production and visitation limits? Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee members on Monday explored having all wineries submit data to the county annually to demonstrate they comply with their use permits. Me...

July, 15, 2015 Kurniawan Wine Fraud Case Takes Another Twist

(Wine-Searcher) - The never-ending story of Rip-off Rudy continues. A United States Attorney has rebutted claims made by wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan in an appeal against his conviction, saying that the original conviction, prison term and fine were all perfectly correct, according to papers fi...

July, 15, 2015 NY bill could ease online wine dispute

(PressConnects) - A bill headed to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's desk could curtail an ongoing dispute that wine retailers say has stifled their online sales. If approved by Cuomo,  the legislation  – which lawmakers passed last month – would prevent the New York State Liquor Au...

July, 14, 2015 California Vineyard Values Continue Rise

(Wines&Vines) - At the annual North Coast meeting of Allied Grape Growers last week, Tony Correia of The Correia Co. reported about California vineyards and land prices, correlating those to a dramatic jump in crop value in Napa and Sonoma counties from 2011 to 2012. They doubled for Sonom...

July, 14, 2015 BIG BRAND WINE OPPORTUNITY GREATER THAN EVER IN CHINA

(TDB) - The opportunity for branded inexpensive New World wines in China is bigger than ever before, according to Wine Intelligence. Following the release yesterday of its  China Wine Market Landscape Report , Richard Halstead, who is co-founder and COO at Wine Intelligence, told&...

July, 14, 2015 Terlato losing flagship wine, Santa Margherita

(ChicagoBusiness) - Wine importer Terlato Wines is losing its flagship brand, Santa Margherita, to the new U.S. marketing arm owned by the winemaker, Santa Margherita USA, an executive confirmed this morning. Vincent Chiaramonte, SM USA's Miami-based chief executive, said his firm will begi...

July, 14, 2015 New York Wine's 'Overnight' Success

(Wines&Vines) - The wine industry in New York state is recognized today as a major player in the world of wine. While the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area (AVA) often gets much of the attention, especially for its Riesling wines, there are four other AVAs in New York: the Hudson River re...