Jessica Adams and Jessica Byrd recently stopped by Kefi Estate Winery in Monroe, NC – and took some well-composed photos for their blog and Instagram account along the way.
Photo courtesy of Wine Mouths

by Courtney Llewellyn

Back in 2010, two good friends with a passion for good wine decided to embark on a mission – to visit every winery in North Carolina. “It was not an original idea,” laughed Jessica Adams, one of the two Jessicas involved in the project. But from that idea grew something a little bigger and a little more influential. (more…)

Hops growers are re-emerging throughout the country, helping to regenerate small craft beverage production, focusing on local ingredients, short supply chains and regionally-adapted varieties. Properly identifying both powdery and downy mildew, learning how to treat them, and most importantly taking preventative measures, is key to the success of local and regional hop supply chains in many of these historic growing regions. (more…)

Whether your business is seasonally-driven or you are evaluating a new quarter of operation, developing and utilizing an expectation checklist is key to a successful venture. This type of checklist spells out what you plan to achieve throughout the year, how the plan will unfold, who is responsible for each part of the plan and how, eventually, you will evaluate its success. The checklist evolves through four sectors: MECE – Mission, Expectation, Crisis and Evaluation. (more…)

by Courtney Llewellyn

SYRACUSE, NY – The National Association of American Wineries, better known as WineAmerica, deals with a lot of issues on a much larger scale than any one winemaker – or even one viticultural area as a bloc. They work with lawmakers to help make the changes that benefit those who focused on creating quality American wines. Michael Kaiser, vice president of WineAmerica, recently presented an overview of the group’s various projects at the Eastern Winery Exposition. (more…)

Brewery design includes tanks in an isolated room for Brett and other strains.

by Sally Colby

The Leedy family isn’t new to the business of serving people. Brothers Wade and Drew Leedy are third generation owners of the popular Tommy’s Pizza on a busy corner in Gettysburg, PA. (more…)

The Recycling and Sustainability Panel was comprised of Wendy Worley, NCDEQ; Bill Clark, Strategic Materials Inc.; and Chad Beane, Moore County Public Works.
Photos by Tina L. LaVallee

by Tina L. LaVallee

In March the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild teamed with the Ardagh Group to present a sustainable brewing and packaging workshop on the grounds of the Ardagh glass manufacturing plant in Wilson, NC. Panels from local and national craft breweries joined with recycling representatives and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) to give brewers insight into the development of their own sustainability and recycling programs. (more…)

In another Oregon State University experiment, former research assistant Topher DeBoer uses an instrument to measure the photosynthesis of vines receiving different amounts of water.
Photos courtesy of Alexander Levin

by Aliya Hall

Oregon State University has specialists available for a variety of subjects, and one of its areas of expertise is irrigation. Each Extension agent brings their own focus, from irrigating wine grapes to the policies that surround irrigation. (more…)

There’s gold in that thar brewery!

by Enrico Villamaino

Historic Lead, SD was founded in 1876, shortly after prospectors struck substantial veins of gold. A small but vibrant mining town rapidly sprung up in Lead, located in the heart of the Black Hills Mountain Range, as those caught up in the excitement of the gold rush relocated to the edges of the map to seek their fortunes. By the first half of the 20th century, after the gold supply had been exhausted, Lead became another of the many ghost towns scattered across the openness of the American West. (more…)

Fainting Goat Spirits is the brainchild of father-son team Bill and Andrew Norman. The name Fainting Goat Spirits comes from the fact that even if they fall down, they get back up. The distillery is also known locally as Greensboro Distilling. Photo by Karl H. Kazaks

by Karl H. Kazaks

GREENSBORO, NC – In Greensboro’s south end, in an old warehouse which once served as part of a commercial laundry, a distillery was founded in 2016. (more…)

The current expansion project at Two-EE’s focuses on expanding the winery’s production space and tasting room. The outdoor patio space will be looked at in phase two of the project. Photo courtesy of Two-EE’s Winery

by Courtney Llewellyn

Winter has passed, the ground is thawed and so construction season is upon us once again. Two-EE’s Winery hit the ground running this spring with their planned expansion project. (more…)

While rice is the well-known base for such alcohols as sake, the Japanese rice wine, only a few distilleries worldwide make vodka from rice. Photo courtesy of Frugé Spirits LLC

by Enrico Villamaino

When you’re in in Acadia Parish in Louisiana, the very heart of Cajun country, and you find yourself with an abundance of surplus rice, the obvious question presents itself: Should you use the rice to make gumbo or should you use it to make jambalaya? (more…)

Food waste has been a headline – and a real concern – for several years now. Ways to reduce this waste and utilize as much of the food grown as possible have included efforts to promote “ugly” produce, to reduce portions served in restaurants, to recycle food scraps into feedstock for bioenergy and to glean unsold produce from fields and direct it to hunger relief programs. (more…)

The clerk handed me the receipt and pointed to instructions at the bottom. “Please fill out our customer survey,” she said, “but only if you have good things to say about our store. We don’t want to hear any negative comments,” she quipped, and then quickly added, “Remember – if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!” (more…)

by Michael Wren

ALBANY, NY – Thursday, March 7 kicked off the second year of the NYS Craft Brewers Conference at the Desmond Hotel in the Empire State’s capital. Brewers and suppliers came together to exchange ideas and conversation about the craft beer market in New York.

Experts speak on disease defense and pest populations at Grape Expectations Conference

by Richard Skelly

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ – Dr. Peter Oudemans, a Rutgers University plant pathologist who specializes in blueberries and grapes out of Rutgers’ Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research, spoke recently on disease management and new threats vineyard owners may face in 2019. Oudemans spoke at the 21st “Grape Expectations” Conference, held annually in New Jersey the first Saturday in March.

by Courtney Llewellyn

Chemistry can be so much more than a class in high school in which you have to (try to) memorize the periodic table of elements. It can also be a very useful field of study when it comes to the safety of craft beverages.

by Richard Skelly

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ – Lucie Morton, a Virginia-based international viticultural consultant, spoke in early March at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service’s “Grape Expectations” annual conference for Garden State wine makers and grape growers. The conference is a massive celebration of New Jersey wines.

by Sally Colby

Josh Brewer started brewing beer in his mother’s basement in 1995 and hasn’t stopped yet. After spending time at breweries in various locations, he served as the assistant brewer at Moon River in Georgia.

by Enrico Villamaino

Anyone who didn’t sleep through U.S. history class knows Prohibition was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages. For most of the United States, this ban lasted from the adoption of the 18th Amendment in 1920 to its repeal with the passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933.

by Courtney Llewellyn

Much like Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day seems to only exist for certain people as an excuse to drink – which is a shame, because both holidays have much richer meanings.

Where are hard cider consumers purchasing your product? In a 2015 Mid-Atlantic survey, more than 50 percent of consumers reported purchasing product at bars, restaurants and tasting rooms. Tasting room assistants, bartenders, pouring experts and waitstaff – those who work directly for you and those who do not – are, in many cases, your sales force. How well do they know your product, how often do they recommend it and are they attuned to your sales goals? Who, behind the scenes, are you depending on to champion your business?

by Tamara Scully

Kombucha, in certain circles, is the go-to drink for providing health benefits. For thousands of years, kombucha, a fermented tea, has been revered for its healing properties, called “the tea of immortality.” With today’s focus on probiotics and functional foods, kombucha has once again joined the mainstream, found in major grocery stores – not just health food or specialty stores. A minority of kombucha brands fall instead into the category of alcoholic beverage.

by Sally Colby

The Mid-Atlantic region is home to numerous wineries and breweries, and distilleries are joining the list of places people deem worthy of their leisure time. Wycombe Vineyards is a popular stop on the Bucks County, PA, wine trail, and is also home to Sator Square Distillery.

by Tina L. LaVallee

Every new business prays for a breakout, but few have their prayers answered by an actual prison. Southern Grace Distillery in Mt. Pleasant, NC, has seen their production and reputation bloom exponentially since moving from their 2,000-square foot startup in a former textile plant to the grounds of the former Cabarrus County Correctional Facility.

by Courtney Llewellyn

Competition in the wine industry is horrible – so says David Bower, enology instructor and winemaker at Surry Community College in Dobson, NC. Raised and schooled in the industry, he also runs his own wine consulting business, helping both newcomers and those entrenched in the wine business make a mark.

by Karl H. Kazaks

DURHAM, NC – Everyone has moments in their life they weren’t expecting but they will never forget.

For Scott Russ, co-founder of Graybeard Distillery, one such moment occurred in April 2017 at the 74th Annual WSWA Convention and Exposition.