Business
Company strategy, M&A, finance, regulation, and the economics of the wine business.
California's Wine Slump Is Pushing Growers Into Agave. The Payoff Is Years Away
Facing groundwater limits and a grape glut, growers from Huron to Lake County are planting a crop that takes the better part of a decade to mature, in a state with just seven agave spirits producers and a federal rulebook that forbids calling the result tequila.
October 14, 2026
- Business
California's Premium Wine Surplus Is Filling Private Labels. Napa Valley Is in the Middle of It
Retailers from Costco to Grocery Outlet are bottling declassified premium wine under their own labels. Turrentine Brokerage estimates only 1October 14, 2026 - Analysis
Napa's Hangover, by the Numbers: What the Downturn Data Actually Says
FT Magazine gave the downturn a vivid name. The data underneath it, half of California wineries unprofitable, 28 million gallons of bulk winOctober 11, 2026 - Airline Channel
Delta One Puts Napa at the Center of Its Relaunched Wine Program
Thirteen wines from eleven producers, narrowed from roughly 1,600 candidates, with Napa Valley icons anchoring the pour list. What the airliOctober 1, 2026 - DTC Report 2026
Direct-to-Consumer Wine Shipping Posts Worst Year Since 2010, New Report Finds
The 2026 Direct-to-Consumer Wine Shipping Report finds 2025 was the worst year since tracking began in 2010, with volume down 15 percent andOctober 1, 2026 - Water & Regulation
Napa Groundwater Fees Land on Growers in the Middle of a Downturn
Napa County's groundwater fee of $98.74 per irrigated acre lands on December tax bills, with the county absorbing half the first-year cOctober 1, 2026 - Tasting Room Economics
Napa's $79 Question: Tasting Rooms Discount as Visitors Thin
The average Napa tasting fee held near $79 in 2025 even as nearly a third of wineries trimmed prices, a sign of how tightly the region'October 1, 2026 - Fine Wine Markets
Fine Wine Market Returns to Growth in First Half of 2026, Led by Italy
Liv-ex's benchmark indices turned positive in the first half of 2026, with Italy's blue-chip wines leading and American buyers re-October 1, 2026 - Industry Outlook
Silicon Valley Bank Sees Wine's Rock Bottom in 2027-2028, Urges Wineries Not to Wait
SVB's 25th annual report estimates 2025 sales at 329 million cases and $74.3 billion, sees the market bottoming in 2027 to 2028, and adOctober 1, 2026 - Earnings
Treasury Wine Estates Posts A$1.08 Billion Loss as US Division Is Written Down
A non-cash impairment of the US division drove a A$1.08 billion statutory loss, while underlying earnings beat guidance and the board paid nOctober 1, 2026 - Appellations
2026 AVA Roundup: Columbia Hills Approved as Tennessee and Massachusetts Gain New Appellations
The TTB finalized Columbia Hills in Washington in August and brought Nine Lakes of East Tennessee and Nashoba Valley into force in April, wiOctober 1, 2026 - Labor
Rodney Strong Labor Dispute Escalates as Workers Allege ICE Intimidation
Rodney Strong workers, organizing with the Teamsters, say a company-hired consultant invoked ICE in a worker meeting; the company says it waOctober 1, 2026 - Labeling Rules
TTB's Alcohol Facts and Allergen Labeling Rules Still Await a Final Decision
More than a year after comments closed on TTB Notices 237 and 238, no final rule on Alcohol Facts panels or allergen disclosures has appeareOctober 1, 2026 - Acquisitions
Maya Dalla Valle and Partners Buy Fire-Damaged Cain Vineyard Estate
Maya Dalla Valle and Coastal Vineyard Care Associates bought the 500-acre Spring Mountain estate from the Meadlock family; 15 of 87 pre-fireOctober 1, 2026 - Acquisitions
Kelsey Itämeri Acquires Devona, Uniting Two Walla Walla Wineries
Kelsey Itämeri has acquired Devona from founders John and Molly Abbott, continuing the two Walla Walla brands as sister wineries with the exOctober 1, 2026 - Acquisitions
Treasury Sells Seppelt to Stonier's Aaron Drummond as Portfolio Pruning Continues
Treasury Wine Estates will sell the 1851-founded Seppelt brand, Great Western winery and Drumborg vineyard to Stonier's Aaron DrummondOctober 1, 2026 - Business
U.S. Wine Tariff Map, Late September: Canada Shut Out, EU at 10%, U.S. Wine at 39% in China
Packaged Canadian alcohol is barred from the U.S. as of September 29 while European wine enters at 10 percent and American wine faces a 39 pSeptember 30, 2026 - Finance
Constellation Brands Lines Up $300 Million Delayed-Draw Term Loan
The beverage giant's September 18 credit agreement adds two-year borrowing capacity for general corporate purposes, including debt repaSeptember 30, 2026 - Law
Ohio Asks the Supreme Court to Save Its Retailer Shipping Ban
After the Sixth Circuit struck down Ohio's ban on out-of-state retailer shipments in Block v. Canepa, the state filed for certiorari inSeptember 30, 2026 - M&A
September Deal Roundup: Boisset Buys Artesa, Avennia Takes Gramercy, Stoller Expands Chehalem
Four transactions closed or were announced in September, from Carneros to Walla Walla to Virginia, as buyers bet on estates and direct-to-coSeptember 30, 2026