Low fruitfulness and poor fruit set...why choose just one? As the tallies are coming in this harvest, one thing across the board seems to be clear: there just isn’t very much fruit out there. Our own management company, which operates predominantly in West Sonoma, is clocking in around 50% normal yield. While that number is a little extreme compared to other areas, low yield seems to be a common refrain up and down the state. How do we get to final yield? In order to get to the bottom of this, I want to break up yield formation into three chapters: fruitfulness, fruit set, and sizing. Let’s work backwards in time: Sizing: Beginning with berry sizing, sometimes you get through fruit set only to have berries put on minimal weight. Excessive water stress, heat events or periods of high evaporative demand (VPD, vapor pressure deficit) can reduce vascular water potential needed for berry growth and/or increase berry water loss from sizing fruit during the period from fruit set to lag phase

The Vision Behind CALSECCO® Co-authored by Manveer Sandhu, Executive Director of Winemaking and Kim Kulchycki, Sr. Director Marketing, Rack & Riddleecutive Director of Winemaking and Kim Kulchycki, Sr. Director Marketing, Rack & Riddle Why California Needs Something Fresh & New Sparkling wine is increasing in popularity, filling more need states for consumers than almost any other type of wine. Once regarded as the primary celebratory beverage for holidays and special occasions, its market position has shifted dramatically in the last 10 years. Sparkling wine has now evolved into an everyday beverage enjoyed throughout the year. The popularity of Prosecco has made sparkling wine accessible and popular with a new and younger group of wine drinkers — the elusive Gen Z and Millennials. The ones who grew up drinking sparkling water, seltzers and other refreshing beverages from other categories but haven’t quite “gotten” wine. Well, they understand Prosecco! Given California’s

2026 Coombsville Cabernet from Flying A Vineyard Flying A Vineyard brings an established Cabernet history to this month’s Round Up. Its 2026 Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Clone 169 vines on 110R rootstock and is listed as organically farmed. Harvest timing is mid-September, with Grand Crew Vineyard Management overseeing the site. Previous buyers include Amici Cellars, Favia, and Far Niente—a useful piece of history for wineries evaluating the source. Price per ton is negotiable, leaving room for a direct conversation with the seller. If Coombsville Cabernet is already on your sourcing list—or this listing just put it there—the full vineyard details are ready on the Marketplace. View the Coombsville Cabernet listing → Have grapes, bulk wine, or shiners to move? Reach wine industry buyers by posting on the WIN Marketplace. Use promo code MARKETPLACE for 100% off your next listing. Explore the Marketplace Grapes Bu

Looking for Howell Mountain Cabernet? When harvest is this close, a vineyard's track record matters. Available for the 2026 vintage is Cabernet Sauvignon from Ponderosa Vines, a 1.9-acre vineyard sitting at approximately 2,000 feet on Howell Mountain. Planted in 2001, the vineyard features Entav clone 191 on 110R rootstock, with cane-pruned vines and tight 4x4 spacing. The grower reports an average harvest of approximately 6.5 tons, but there's another detail that stands out for wineries still evaluating fruit: 2021 and 2022 vintages from the vineyard are available to sample. At this point in August, sourcing decisions are becoming increasingly concrete. Having the opportunity to evaluate previous vintages can add valuable context to the vineyard specifications and help winemakers determine whether the site fits what they're looking for before making a 2026 commitment. For wineries still searching for Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a sourcing conversation worth having whi

Ulrich Willmes The Press as a “Quality Gate” Ten Practical Rules for Preserving the Grapes’ Potential in the Must The press is the critical juncture between vineyard and cellar. It is where it becomes clear how much of the grapes’ quality potential actually reaches the must. Anyone seeking to work in the premium segment with as few corrective interventions and additives as possible—and anyone aiming to produce wine as cost-effectively as possible—must plan precisely before the first pressure stage. Pressing Does Not Begin in the Press House Pressing is not an isolated machine operation. The condition of the grapes, harvest timing, outdoor temperature, weather, transport containers, waiting time, and route to the press collectively determine the quality that can ultimately be extracted. Even a good press cannot turn damaged, overheated, or microbiologically compromised grapes back into intact fruit. The most important practical consequence is this: The vineyard, harvest logis

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There is, for good reason, a lot of reporting right now on climate change and how it's affecting the grape harvest. Everywhere you look, wine regions are experiencing harsher-than-normal conditions. It would be easy to write a post about how hot it is and stop there. But, I want to pick out something else: this is a story of climate volatility, not just heat. A Cold Night in Bigfork, Montana This hit home for me in 2022, when I was asked to evaluate a future winery, and existing vineyard in the Bigfork area of Montana. Two years earlier, in 2020, the growing season had been warm, and the owners felt good about what climate change might mean for grape growing that far north. But, climate change isn't just hotter weather. It's climate volatility. In that same warm year, Montana got a sudden, early, catastrophic cold event. The weather through September and into early October 2020 stayed mild, highs in the mid-50s, with only two nights that dipped to freezing. Because of that, most of the

This harvest we’re lowering prices on the BioSelect granular pectinase line. For a limited time through September 30, 2026 or while supplies last, all BioSelect enzymes including Aroma Plus will be on sale. BioSelect® Noir Increase color extraction and improve color stability in premium red wines.  Aids in early release of anthocyanins, tannins, and polysaccharides during maceration. “We did notice an increase in color. Stability of the color is done really well considering that’s kind of a fight here in Texas since we are dealing with higher pH wines. We’ve noticed even with those higher pHs, the color stability is better with the BioSelect (Noir).” Christopher McIntosh, Winemaker Edge of the Lake Vineyard - Valley View, TX BioSelect® Blanc Purified to control cinnamoyl esterase activity and preserve delicate aromas in white wines. Varietal intensity is increased through the selective release of flavor and aroma compounds from the grape skin. BioSelect® Clear Set

Your Next Pinot Program Could Start Here Cool-climate Pinot Noir sourcing is already underway, and this 2026 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir offering stands out as a premium opportunity for wineries looking to secure fruit from one of California’s most respected Pinot-growing regions. Known for its coastal influence, fog-driven mornings, and extended growing season, the Sonoma Coast consistently produces Pinot Noir with vibrant acidity, layered red fruit, and elegant structure — a style highly sought after for premium programs and expressive vineyard-designate wines. As wineries continue planning future vintages and locking in vineyard sources, listings like this provide timely access to high-demand Pinot Noir fruit before availability tightens deeper into the season. View Listing Secure Sonoma Coast Pinot Before Harvest Nears As wineries continue planning for the 2026 vintage, early vineyard sourcing conversations are already gaining momentum — especially for high-demand varietals like Pino

What does that mean for the vintage? Budbreak came early to California this year, which by itself isn’t that strange. There are years when we’ve seen buds start to push by the end of February. But then what started as a warm February gave way to abnormally warm temperatures in March and early April. This accelerated phenological development even more. Traditionally, April 1st is the day when the count starts for growing degree days accumulation. But this year vines in many parts of the state already had more than a foot of growth by then, rendering this yearly measurement fairly useless as a comparison tool. By May 1st, I noticed bunch closure in a Central Coast vineyard…which in the words of the great Stephen Colbert, is just booboo banana bonkers. So what does a crazy early start mean for the vintage? What can we expect and why am I …cautiously optimistic? Water water everywhere… In truth, the growing season for grapes starts well before any buds push at all. I’m talking about winter