The games are far apart and the ticket prices astronomical, so while the United States gets to play co-host with Canada and Mexico to this summer’s FIFA World Cup, most of us will be watching the matches from home. Four years ago, 1.5 billion people watched the final between Argentina and France. This time should be poised to bring in even more viewers.  This year’s tournament will involve 48 teams from around the globe, the largest ever number to compete, growing from what used to be 32. That means lots of games to take in, with 12 groupings of 4 countries each kicking things off on June 11 for what is known as the Group Stage.  The United States is in Group D and will play each team in its group to qualify for the Knockout Stage. It plays Paraguay June 12 in Los Angeles; Australia June 19 in Seattle; and Turkey June 26 in Los Angeles.  Eventually, that 48 number goes down to 32 – the Knockouts start June 28. The pace quickens from there, with that Round of 32 dwindling

Domaine Della 2023 Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Takes Top Prize  November 18, 2025 — Winners have been announced in the 2025 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging, Domaine Della 2023 Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir took the top prize. It was also awarded Best of Show Red Wine and Best of Monterey County AVA. Coming in at 98 points, judges praised the wine as “warm and spicy” with “fig and nutmeg.” Other descriptors included “meaty,” “prosciutto,” and “dried rose petal.”  With entries from across the globe, the Harvest Challenge bases judging on a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions and grapes that combine to give personality to the wine.  In other competitions, this terroir is ignored. At the Harvest Challen

Spending a weekend sipping superb wines while savoring the perfect food pairing sounds like heaven. Add in breathtaking scenery and the relaxing ambiance of Sonoma County’s Wine Country, and now you have paradise perfected! This magical wine and food weekend becomes reality on November 1st and 2nd as the Wine Road hosts the 27th annual Wine & Food Affair. A Sneak Peek at the Food Pairings With 50 wineries to select from, there are too many food pairings to list, so here are just a few highlights. If you love Italian-based comfort food, check out: Mushroom and Winter Squash Risotto at Pedroncelli Winery Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Sauce at Pech Merle Winery Tatiana’s Famous Lasagna at Colagrossi Wines If you’d rather pair Mexican, French or Cajun with delicious wines, here are some options: Roger’s Colorado Pork Green Chili at J. Cage Cellars Creamy Mushroom Chicken Facon Grand Mère at GC Lurton Vineyards Alison’s Jambalaya at Mat

Two K Farms Cidery and Winery 2022 Bubbly Riesling Takes Top Honors November 15, 2024 — Winners have been announced in the 2024 Harvest Challenge Wine Competition. After two spirited days of judging,Two K Farms Cidery and Winery 2022 Bubbly Riesling took the top prize. It was also awarded Best of Show Sparkling Wine. Coming in at 97 points, judges praised the wine for its “Mouth watering citrus and honeysuckle”; “Lingering tropical finish”; and “Perfect bubbles.” They also called it “Well balanced.” With a record number of entries from across the globe, the Harvest Challenge bases judging on a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions and grapes that combine to give personality to the wine. In other competitions, terroir is ignored. At the Harvest Challenge, judges taste wines alongside other wines of the same appellation. W

Jameson Humane’s 11th Annual WineaPAWlooza Wine Auction Raised $1.1M for the Animals!

Jameson Humane raises $1.1M including $200,000 for Fund-A-Need to provide community programs and services to help thousands of animals. (Napa, Calif.) — June 25, 2024 — Jameson Humane is thrilled to announce […]

BottleRock Napa Valley Announces 2024 Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage Lineup

Chefs Alton Brown, José Andrés, Andrews Zimmern and Aarón Sánchez, celebrities Bradley Cooper, Stephen Curry and Cameron Diaz, along with musical headliners Tommy Lee, The Offspring, Nelly and T-Pain to headline alongside dozens […]

JaM Cellars Further Expands Bestselling Butter Brand with Two New Easy-to-Love Butter Wines

Super-popular Butter wines take over the wine aisle adding NEW Butter Sauv Blanc and Butter Pinot Noir to the Butter lineup  Napa, CA (April 23, 2024) – JaM Cellars, the […]

Afternoon Brief, April 23rd

Wine Industry Makes Sustainability Push with New Packaging Alliance: A new alliance of wine brands is launching a push for sustainable packaging solutions across the US wine industry...

Afternoon Brief, February 22nd

Former Employee Arrested in Nov. Vandalism of Woodinville Winery and Draining 24K Bottles of Wine: Detectives arrested a former employee suspected of breaking into and draining roughly 24,000 bottles of wine at a Woodinville winery in November 2023...