Hello Wine Press listeners! We’re trying out a new format of The Wine Press Podcast today that brings you more stories from the wine world every week. This will be more of a “Maria Reads The Trades” episode that pulls the news right from the source. If you have some thoughts on the new format, or you’d like to give us a shout, leave a comment here. Enjoy! And now, all the news that’s fit to drink… Today in Wine News Constellation is rumored to be selling off its wine portfolio and splitting it u...
Mar 06, 2025•20 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News The Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 2, celebrating the best in the previous year of film with the best food and wine the city has to offer. This Sunday’s ceremony represents the culmination of awards season in Los Angeles, which can be a make or break time for restaurants, sommeliers, and hospitality workers of all types as talent from all over the world descends on L.A. But this year has been a bigger struggle than expected, du...
Feb 27, 2025•11 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News The American Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has adopted production and labeling standards for a brand new category of spirits: American Single Malt Whisky. For the first time in 52 years, a new category has been added to the TTB, and American distillers are hoping to spark some growth in sales for a beverage that has continued to rise in interest from American drinkers over the past few years. With the United States and Japan both issuing new regulations for single m...
Feb 20, 2025•11 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News A report published by Wine Business on February 1 indicated that the number of wineries in California, Oregon, and Washington all took considerable dips in the past year. With 5% fewer wineries in Oregon and 4% fewer wineries in California - the two largest states for wine production - consumers can expect to see less options for American-made wine available on retail shelves and on restaurant wine lists. What does the decreasing number of wineries say about the state of the A...
Feb 13, 2025•11 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News On February 1, President Trump placed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods and a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, citing “an extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs” that constitutes a national emergency. Two days later, America’s neighbors to the north and south had both reached agreements with the Trump administration to reprieve Canada and Mexico for 30 days… but not without immediate repercussions for the American alcohol industry. So what does lie in store...
Feb 06, 2025•11 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Silicon Valley Bank released its annual State of the U.S. Wine Industry report last week, and while there was some expected news about the continuing slump of American wine sales, other numbers are starting to trend upwards. Notably, the current downturn in wine consumption was likened to a similar downturn in the early 1990s, when Baby Boomers started bumping up their wine spending and thwarting the anti-alcohol messages pushed by organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driv...
Jan 30, 2025•12 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Australian wine has historically fallen into public opinion as one of two stereotypes - Yellow Tail, the cheap bulk wine that is still one of the most highly imported wines in the world, and Penfolds, the classic, high octane Barossa Valley Shiraz blends that put Australian fine wine on the map. But with tariffs in China recently lifted, and Americans looking for delicious and affordable imported table wines, the Australian wine industry is due for a big surge of interest from...
Jan 23, 2025•10 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Think pieces about extraneous tariffs on imported wines started popping up mere hours after the 45th President of the United States became President-Elect for the second time. Americans have been heeding the call to stock up on their favorite French and Italian wines before January 20th, fearing accessibility issues on anything without a “Made in the U.S.A.” sticker on it. How will a proposed 10 to 20 percent tariff on imported goods affect the way Americans drink wine? And ho...
Jan 16, 2025•13 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News United States Surgeon General Doctor Vivek Murthy woke up to 2025 and chose violence against the alcohol industry when he released a new warning on the correlation between alcohol and higher cancer risks. In a twofold statement, the Surgeon General’s warning called for an update to the health risk labels on alcoholic beverages to include cancer risks, in addition to amended alcohol consumption guidelines. With a change at the Oval Office later this month and the Dietary Guidel...
Jan 09, 2025•12 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News In the last new episode for the 2024 vintage, we take a look back at a year of wine news through past episodes of The Wine Press. But before we delve into the stories that moved us and made us think throughout the year, there’s some big breaking news in an update to a recent feature story. The Federal Trade Commission has sued Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits for predatory pricing practices. In a lawsuit filed on December 12, the FTC claims that Southern Glazer’s has been vi...
Dec 19, 2024•10 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Recent vineyard acquisitions have been making wine news headlines over the past month. It seems that some of the most prestigious vineyards in California have changed ownership as of late, and it seems to be a trend that concerns an already weary crop of wine enthusiasts. What does this recent fit of vineyard sales have to say about the state of the American wine industry as a whole? And what can wine lovers expect to shift with new ownership of their favorite labels? Keep lis...
Dec 12, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News It’s the third Thursday of November, which means Beaujolais Nouveau can now make its way into the hands and glasses of eager consumers ready for the first taste of the 2024 harvest. Decades after Beaujolais producer Georges Duboeuf popularized the style and made it an unofficial wine holiday, producers from around the world are now starting to make young, easy drinking wines out of any and all colored grapes. Will today’s wine drinkers embrace Beaujolais Nouveau as much as pre...
Nov 21, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino recently announced some major changes to their evaluation system for new vintages of wines tasted during the annual en primeur event known as Benvenuto Brunello. By shifting away from the traditional five star rating and moving towards a short description of the wine’s character and key data points, the Consorzio is signaling to the rest of the wine world that the era of numeric wine scores is fading. How will the new classificatio...
Nov 14, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Rumors began circulating at the end of last week surrounding mass layoffs at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, the largest beverage distribution company in the United States. Unconfirmed reports say up to 3,200 Southern Glazer’s employees were laid off via Zoom, with many accounts claiming the fine wine division has been completely cut. With so much doom and gloom being reported about wine sales in the United States, are the layoffs at Southern Glazer’s a sign that the wine ...
Oct 31, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Crystal Springs of Napa Valley becomes the first new sub-AVA in Napa Valley since 2011, thanks to some boundary pushing and boundary-pushing bigwigs in the world of wine. Louis Vuitton Moёt Hennessy has inked a deal as a Global Partner for Formula 1, potentially restoring Moёt & Chandon champagnes to the top of racing’s most prominent podium. Alsace is keeping the marketing game alive and well with their new “Gewurz” campaign. And an accomplished New York City sommelier has di...
Oct 24, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News China has been proclaiming the positive effects of “soft power”, or cultural strength, for years. After years of government efforts to raise the country’s cultural capital, China rose from fifth place to third place in Brand Finance London’s Global Soft Power Index this year - its highest placement yet. How will China’s burgeoning wine culture affect the global perception of its soft power? In a globally dwindling wine industry, what role does Chinese wine - and Chinese wine c...
Oct 17, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News The Duckhorn Portfolio became the first publicly traded wine company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021, a major breakthrough for both the company and the wine industry on the whole. Earlier this week, it was announced that private equity firm Butterfly Equity had purchased The Duckhorn Portfolio for an all-cash bid that values the company at $1.95 billion dollars, a move that would automatically delist The Duckhorn Portfolio from public trading. How does Duckhorn’s return...
Oct 10, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Non-alcoholic options have been steadily increasing in popularity over the past few years, and more and more scientists have been commissioning studies on how much alcohol can affect a person’s overall health. The United States specifically has seen a new wave of teetotalers promoting neo-Prohibitionist rhetoric that has been scaring away wine drinkers present and future, at a critical point when wine is fighting an uphill battle to expand its audience while retaining the ligh...
Oct 03, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News: Harvest has already begun in some of the Northern Hemisphere’s warmer wine regions, but after a rainy spring in notoriously chilly Champagne, Le Comité Champagne has decided to wait until mid-September to start picking grapes for the world’s best sparkling wines. With a heat wave threatening to sweep through Champagne, how will the 2024 crop fare? And how much can Champenoise vineyard managers prepare for temperatures rising well above normal? Keep listening to learn more. Fu...
Aug 30, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News: Alsace recently approved a third Grand Cru vineyard specifically for Pinot Noir. In a major wine region that has thrived on the production and sale of prestigious white wines, Alsace has added three Grand Cru designations for Pinot Noir since 2022. Why would one of the world’s best destinations start to expand their most high end wine production to red grapes now after decades of specialization in white wines? Is Alsace the new Burgundy, or can wine drinkers expect to see mor...
Aug 23, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News: The United States will be holding its presidential election on Tuesday, November 5, but the food and wine industry is already bracing for change no matter who is elected president. In an age where more people are choosing to abstain from alcohol, how will farm workers and restaurants thrive over the next four years? Moreover, how would changes to farm policy and taxes on alcohol and other imports affect life for all Americans in the near future? Keep listening to learn more. ...
Aug 16, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News One year ago today, the deadliest fire in the United States hit Lahaina, a small town on the northwest side of the island of Maui in Hawaii. More than 2,000 buildings and 102 lives were lost when the fire tore through the historic resort town, leaving many hospitality workers in mourning. How has the hospitality industry changed in one of the most hospitable parts of the United States? And how can a small town rebuild its legacy of attracting tourists when the rebuilding proce...
Aug 09, 2024•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Important PSA: Your weekly dose of wine news is available wherever you get your podcasts, now dropping every Thursday . Substack subscribers are the first to know when a new episode hits the airwaves, so if you haven’t done so already, become a free or premium subscriber today. Today in Wine News: Over the last 10 years, the NBA has openly embraced wine culture, to the point where many notable players of past and present have made wine a part of their professional lives and a fun hobby. What sta...
Aug 01, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News Madeira has been celebrated throughout history, but a wide variety of influences - from climate change to tourism to bananas - have severely impacted yields and production methods. Now that fortified wines in general are starting to rise in popularity, how are vintners on the Portuguese island planning to uphold their winemaking traditions and continue bringing Madeira wines to international markets? Keep listening to learn more. In Other News Here are some additional highligh...
Jul 25, 2024•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News: Bulk wine is having a moment of crisis everywhere wine is made, but especially in California. Many states rely on California’s bulk wine grapes to flesh out their own blends, and “family-run” organizations like Gallo Wine depend on bulk grapes for their entry level wines. With vineyard managers unable to sell their grapes, how is the rest of the wine industry affected? Keep listening to learn more. It’s Wednesday, July 17. In other news, here are some additional highlights fr...
Jul 17, 2024•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thank you for your patience! We’ve busted through some technical difficulties to get this episode to your ears. It took longer than we had hoped, but we’re here and ready to party now. Thank you for listening to The Wine Press! Today in Wine News: Oregon’s Willamette Valley has long been a destination for premium American Pinot Noir, but climate change and consumer demands have started shifting the regional focus towards Chardonnay. Winemakers say that they’ve replanted some of their prized Pino...
Jul 11, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today in Wine News: California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed State Bill 1524 - The Consumers Legal Remedies Act. Effective as of July 1, the famous “junk fee ban” will be in place throughout California, with a few major exceptions specifically created for the food service industry. The amendment that provides the legal loophole for restaurants to charge service fees was just signed by Governor Newsom on Saturday, June 29, a last minute change after many restaurants had announced fee hikes and...
Jul 03, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some exciting news: Your weekly dose of wine news is now available wherever you get your podcasts! The Wine Press podcast will release a new episode every Wednesday. Substack subscribers are the first to know when a new episode drops, so if you haven’t done so already, become a free or paid subscriber today. Today in wine news: Millennials and Gen Z have been trolled by the media for their spending habits for a long time. But the wine world is starting to wake up to the buying power of its young...
Jun 25, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every year, the best of the best in the food world descend upon the Lyric Opera House in Chicago for the annual James Beard Awards. Presented by the James Beard Foundation, the “Oscars of food” present chefs, restaurateurs, and media figures with medals that represent the year’s finest contributions to the way Americans eat and think about food. But wait a second. Why are we talking about the Oscars of food on a wine-and-movies blog? Reason Number 1: Awards season is the best season. Moira Rose ...
Jun 11, 2024•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here are some highlights from the week in wine news: RIP Drizly (and possibly more alcohol delivery services). Drizly, the alcohol delivery app, will be shutting its doors by the end of March. In an unexpected move, Uber (who had previously bought Drizly for over $1 billion less than three years ago) announced that company restructuring would fold the Drizly name and bring the liquor delivery function into its current Uber Eats program. In addition, speculation is swirling that Drizly was suscep...
Jan 22, 2024•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
