‘We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm.”
The above quote from a poem by writer Damian Barr went viral in April 2020 when Mr. Barr posted it to Twitter. “Some are in yachts,” he continued, and “some have just the one oar.” The poem is about staying non-judgmental and being kind. It was retweeted a couple thousand times before it was shared widely by the Wall Street Journal.
If you were a large wine company with national brands distributed in chains and club stores in 2020, you were killing it and your ship was cruising.
The new Messina Hof Harvest Green Winery & Kitchen in Richmond, Texas
The Bonarrigo family (left to right): Karen Bonarrigo, chief administrative officer and wife of Paul M. Bonarrigo, chief executive officer and head winemaker; their children, Sophia and Paul Anthony; and Merrill and Paul V. Bonarrigo, co-founders of Messina Hof Wine Cellars.
When Paul V. and Merrill Bonarrigo first opened Messina Hof Wine Cellars in Bryan, Texas in 1977, they had one acre of vineyard planted with 50 different varieties of grapes. Over the years, the winery grew, and couple added two more locations. Messina Hof Hill Country Winery and Manor Haus in Fredericksburg, TX opened in 2011 and the Messina Hof Grapevine Winery in Grapevine, TX followed in 2014. This month, their son, Paul M. Bonarrigo and his wife Karen, launched the Messina Hof Harvest Green Winery & Kitchen in Richmond, TX, just outside of Houston.
February 03, 2021
In just 9 years, Drizly turned its alcohol-delivery business from a startup into a 1,400-city giant built on a model that follows all local laws a necessity with the thicket of state regulations in the U.S.
On Tuesday it agreed to be purchased by Uber for $1.1 billion 90 percent in stock, and the rest in cash. It s an interesting cultural fit because Uber has built its business into a global colossus by flouting local laws whenever they are inconvenient.
The deal does immediately give Drizly global reach, but it also raises questions about whether compliance will still be important to it.
February 04, 2021
When the Coppola family purchased Chateau Souverain in Geyserville, Calif., in 2006, Corey Beck was tapped to be the new property’s director of winemaking and general manager, helping to transform the property into a top destination for wine country tourists and film enthusiasts. Beck guided Francis Ford Coppola Winery into one of California’s largest wine companies it is regularly among Wine Business Monthly’s Top 50 and was promoted to the position of president in 2014, while also maintaining his role as director of winemaking. He was named CEO in 2016. In addition to his work at the winery, Beck is a past president of the Sonoma County Vintners, is active with several industry groups and has been named an industry leader by Wine Business Monthly.
February 02, 2021
SAN FRANCISCO California vineyards and wineries are encouraged to apply for the 2021 California Green Medal: Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards. Applications are now being accepted at www.greenmedal.org. The California Green Medal is presented by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), California Association of Winegrape Growers, Wine Institute, Lodi Winegrape Commission, Napa Valley Vintners, Sonoma County Winegrowers and The Vineyard Team.
California vineyards and wineries that participate in a sustainability program in California are eligible to apply in four award categories that recognize outstanding achievement in sustainability:
Leader Award, given to the vineyard or winery that demonstrates success and innovation in all of the below three areas of sustainable winegrowing and also inspires others.