Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of LVMH, and Verallia, Europe’s leading and the world’s third-largest producer of glass packaging for food and beverages, announce their strategic research and development partnership dedicated to designing new glass solutions combining resource efficiency, circularity and performance. From left to right: Romain Barral, Operations Director at Verallia, and Frédéric Dufour, member of the Moët Hennessy Executive Committee and Deputy Managing Director of MHCS @James Bort This alliance between Moët Hennessy and Verallia reflects a shared conviction that major environmental, societal and regulatory shifts are accelerating and call for new, collective solutions at the intersection of innovation and industrial excellence. Glass packaging accounts for up to 30% of the wine and spirits industry’s carbon footprint. For Moët Hennessy, leader in the premium and super-premium category, reducing bottle weight and improving the energy mix, particularly th

Visitation is down across nearly every US wine region. Wine club retention is softening. Margins are getting squeezed by rising costs on top of it, according to SVB's 2026 State of the U.S. Wine Industry report. Overall DTC revenue is down. If you run a DTC-focused winery, none of this is news. You are living it. This is not a problem you are helpless against. It is not the same as a shrinking pool of visitors that no amount of skill can fix. It is a problem with conversion, and conversion problems are addressable. In fact, wineries have an advantage here that almost no other sales environment on earth has. Most of them just are not using it. Tasting Rooms are the best sales room in the world! This is not a new argument for me. I have made the case before. What you call a tasting room is actually a sales room, whether or not it is run like one. The argument is worth making again here, because the stakes are high. Think about what a salesperson in any other industry has to do before th

The global shift toward sustainability is palpable across nearly every sector. Within the wine and spirits industries, this movement has gained remarkable traction, driven by consumers’ increasing demand for environmentally responsible products. 2026 brings about more pressure for industry to put sustainability at the center of all operations, but also provides opportunities for businesses to flourish by staying ahead of the trends in innovative and sustainable advancements. Here are four sustainability trends to keep an eye on in 2026: Regenerative practices for wine and spirits Recent years have seen a boom in conscious agricultural practices through the philosophy that all aspects of agriculture are connected. This philosophy emphasizes the careful utilization of land management to restore and regenerate the ecosystems and land we use, leaving it in better health for future generations.  Regenerative principles are a push back against traditional industrial agriculture practi

Techniques available to winemakers, especially for those crafting fine white and sparkling wines, have continued to evolve through the years, providing more sophisticated options for fine-tuning the style and complexity of their finished products. Winemakers frequently use cross-flow filtration for clarification and microbial stabilization of wine. The tangential flow of juice across the filter’s membrane surface limits clogging and allows continuous cleaning of the membrane. This technology is well-suited for wineries seeking very fine clarification during post-fermentation processing.  However, its highly automated machinery can be too expensive for smaller wineries, and its high product loss level is more impactful for small batch processing of high-quality wines. “Today, these smaller wineries use cross-flows from mobile services or manual systems, very likely pad filters,” says Massimiliano Buiani, Chief Operating Officer for JUCLAS, USA. “Pad filte

The global shift toward sustainability is palpable across nearly every sector. Within the wine and spirits industries, this movement has gained remarkable traction, driven by consumers’ increasing demand for environmentally responsible products. More pressure for industry to put sustainability at the center of all operations but also provides opportunities for businesses to flourish by staying ahead of the trends in innovative and sustainable advancements. Here are four sustainability trends to keep an eye on: Regenerative practices for wine and spirits Recent years have seen a boom in conscious agricultural practices through the philosophy that all aspects of agriculture are connected. This philosophy emphasizes the careful utilization of land management to restore and regenerate the ecosystems and land we use, leaving it in better health for future generations.  Regenerative principles are a push back against traditional industrial agriculture practices which are respons

A draft Napa County Regional Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (RCAAP) has been released for public comment. The draft and related documents can be found at https://climateactionnapa.konveio.com/  Comments are due by September 30, 2025. This draft has been in development for many years, and covers the County of Napa, the Cities of American Canyon, Calistoga, Napa, and St. Helena, and the Town of Yountville. It includes Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets of up to 85 percent by 2045. At the same time, it aims to achieve “carbon neutrality” by 2045, primarily by reforestation of burned areas of the County to promote natural carbon sequestration and removing GHGs from the atmosphere. The draft discusses 21 GHG reduction strategies with 46 GHG reduction measures across seven emissions sectors, (though the draft only quantifies the impact of 17 of those measures). The seven sectors, in declining order of their listed percentage of GHG Emissions, are: On-Road Tr

Choosing Wine is an Emotional Decision Red, white, or sparkling – when reaching for a bottle on the wine shelf, it’s not just about the grape, origin or vintage. The chosen wine stands out from the crowd and makes an impression visually and to the touch. Labels make all the difference. They highlight the quality of the fine drop, tell stories, and reflect character. On just a few square centimetres, they give a brand a distinctive face in a world of standard bottles. Whether and how this is perceived can significantly influence the product’s success. If the packaging doesn’t appeal, even the best wine inside won’t help. First Impressions Count Let’s be honest. First: the initial impression – the “moment of truth” – is crucial. Second: even well-known brands need to prove themselves on the shelf. Third: the traditional wet-glue label is no longer the benchmark. Pressure Sensitive Labels (PSL) demonstrate that an attractive app

Businesses like wineries, breweries, and other manufacturers with high-strength wastewater streams generate specialized effluents. Since no two facilities or wastewater streams are exactly alike, they require proper treatment solutions tailored to their specific needs. Specialty Treatment Solutions (STS) is an industry leader in providing custom engineered wastewater treatment solutions for specialized commercial and industrial applications. We provide optimal wastewater treatment designed around the specifications of each client’s site and business needs while enhancing sustainability and meeting compliance standards. Why Is Custom Wastewater Treatment Important? Custom water treatment systems are crucial for effectively managing high-strength industrial wastewater streams with fluctuating loads and unique characteristics. They are designed around the specific treatment requirements, capacity needs, site layout, and sustainability goals of each facility. One-size-fits-all appro

A look at the trends influencing wine packaging design & innovation. Introduction U.S. wine total volume is expected to remain relatively flat for the next several years, while value will grow due to price increases and the persistence of the premiumization trend. In the crowded and increasingly challenging wine market, effective package design can help a brand get noticed and appeal to consumers. This report looks at several key trends impacting wine package design, from authentic storytelling to interactive engagement to environmentally and socially responsible solutions. Authenticity According to a recent GlobalData study, three out of four consumers consider product/brand authenticity essential or nice to have when making purchase decisions. This attitude is especially true among older generations and higher-income earners, a key demographic for wine sellers. Authentic brands are perceived as genuine, original, and transparent, providing quality assurance and trust. Euromon

Time to reflect on how we are doing our part in the whole packaging value chain to drive circular initiatives ♻️ and to decarbonize our operations. Here are a few selected highlights that underpin our ambition to be the label partner of choice when it comes to sustainability and responsibility. Our products are focused on reduce, reuse and recycle!  By 2025, all customers of CCL will be able to choose label products and solutions that will not hinder consumer-packaged goods to be recyclable, reusable or compostable.  We actively support reuse systems all over the globe  Our iconic WashOff labels have supported the reuse systems of our customers for years - mainy global beer and water brands. But we have much more to offer to reuse schemes - think RFID tags integrated in labels and sleeves and IML (inmould labels), aluminium containers for reuse packaging and now also the technology to make it all work...through our relatively recent acquisition of CCL eAgile Inc., IT