Category: Wine, Cider, and Mead
News ‘Bubble Bill’ Introduced in US Senate to Lower Taxes on Carbonated Fruit Ciders
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York has introduced the Bubble Tax Modernization Act to the Senate (S.5442) to amend the Internal Revenue Code to remove the differentiation between mead and low alcohol wine for purposes of the tax imposed on wines. The bill will help cider makers avoid paying a much higher tax if their cider reaches a certain carbonation level.
(more...)
News CEO of American Cider Association Michelle McGrath to Step Down
American Cider Association (ACA) CEO Michelle McGrath has announced that she will step down from the position she has held for eight years. The Board of Directors is currently seeking a replacement with the intent to hire by the end of the year.
(more...)
News American Cider Association Announces the 15th Annual CiderCon February 4-7 in Chicago
The American Cider Association has announced the 15th annual CiderCon will take place in Chicago, Illinois from February 4-7, 2025. The theme this year is “Cider’s Balanced Future: Planet, People, Profit” and the conference will emphasis sustainability, people management, and financial health.
(more...)
News Wineries Sue Utility Company Over Smoke Taint During 2020 Fires
This is a case to watch. A group of 30 wineries in Oregon’s Willamette Valley are suing the energy company PacifiCorp over smoke taint to grapes in the region during the 2020 fire siege. The suit claims that PacifiCorp was negligent for not shutting of power despite warnings from fire officials of a strong north wind event and extreme fire conditions.
(more...)
News Kendall-Jackson Becomes First NBA Wine Partner
Winemaker Kendall-Jackson has reached a deal with the National Basketball Association to become the league’s first official wine partner. It is another signal that the wine industry is making moves to capture consumers who are moving away from drinking beer.
(more...)
News American Cider Association Announces Recipients of Excellence Awards
The American Cider Association (ACA) has announced the recipients of their annual Cider Excellence Awards at CiderCon 2024 in Portland, honoring individuals, businesses, and organizations from around the country for their achievements in, and contributions to, the U.S. hard cider industry.
(more...)
News Beer is Clear Favorite Over Wine and Spirits in the Non-Alcohol Category
According to a recent poll, 58% of Americans participating in Dry January chose a low-alcohol or no-alcohol beer to help them achieve their goals. 55% of the respondents say that the quality of non-alcoholic beer has improved over the past few years.
(more...)
Sponsored Add Wine Making Equipment to Your Beer Brewing Business – A Case Study: Odell Brewing Adds Wine Making Equipment to their Brewery
Posted sponsored by Marks Design and Metalworks
Odell Brewing is now the 23rd largest independent craft brewery in the country, distributing beer to 19 states. The company is 100% employee-owned. Odell has its roots in innovation and creativity that meets balance, consistency, and quality in each brew. This balance is not just a philosophy for the beers Odell Brewing crafts. It’s a foundation for the company as a whole. Odell Brewing recently announced the introduction of a winery in 2020 to its portfolio. Learn why they decided to diversify the brewery and find out about some of their challenges and opportunities in the process of adding wine making equipment to their beer brewing business.
(more…)
News Ackley Brands Winery Buys Mac & Jack’s
There are a lot of craft brewery owners who are ready to exit the industry and are quietly looking for a buyer. But who is buying craft breweries in this new era of slow growth? The wine industry may be one avenue to look at. Ackley Brands, a family-based, Pacific Northwest company that owns several Northwest wineries announced that it has acquired Mac & Jack’s Brewing of Redmond, Washington.
(more...)
News Quality Beverage in MA Purchased by Wine & Spirits Wholesaler Martignetti
Martignetti Companies, the sixth largest distributor of wine and spirits in the United States has announced that they will acquire Quality Beverage in Massachusetts. The deal is another indication that wine and spirit wholesalers are blending into the beer distribution side as the middle-tier continues to consolidate.
(more...)
News California Bill Would Allow Spirit-based RTD’s to be Sold Alongside Beer and Wine
A bill in California supported by the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUSS) would allow retailers with a beer and wine license to also sell spirit-based RTD’s, a move which would further blur the line that has traditionally existed between spirits and beer and wine.
(more...)
Expert Topic Michelle McGrath on Hard Cider – What’s New and Happening in the Category
Among the major alcohol categories hard cider can often be overlooked. This is a mistake as the beverage, an agricultural achievement, has deep roots in America and continues to surprise and delight regular consumers. Michelle McGrath the executive director of the American Cider Association spoke with Beer Edge editor John Holl about all that is new and happening with cider.
(more...)
Expert Topic Mitch Ermatinger on Natural Wine – Is It a Fit For Your Brewery?
To hear wine folks tell it, craft beer and natural wine are kindred spirits. Both are quirky offshoots of the traditional beverage order, expand the flavor ranges beyond the ordinary, and remain a little difficult to define. In pushing beverage alcohol to new frontiers and places, there is an interplay between craft beer and natural wine, especially as beer increasingly mimics the flavors, aromas, and aesthetic of wine through barrel and wood aging, fruit and mixed culture fermentation, and other techniques.
(more...)
News Chris Jackson of Seismic Brewing to Purchase Golden State Cider
Chris Jackson, founder and president of Seismic Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA has announced that he and his wife Ariel will purchase Golden State Cider of Healdsburg. The cidery was founded 10 years ago and uses locally grown apples for its production.
(more...)
News Brewers Not the Only Ones Diversifying – Wine Makers Getting Into Cider and Beer
It’s well-known that many brewers these days are diversifying into a variety of other beverage products, chasing the ever-changing consumer tastes. But its not just brewers who are looking across the beverage spectrum – wineries are diversifying as well.
(more...)
News Odell Brewing Expands into Wine with Opening of OBC Wine Project’s Taproom
Posted by Tom McCormick
Odell Brewing Co. is diversifying into wine with the opening yesterday of The OBC Wine Project’s Taproom, located adjacent to the Fort Collins brewery.
(more...)