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California wine exports to Canada dropped 78% between 2024 and 2025 after a year-long Canadian boycott of U.S. alcohol tied to the trade war, the Wine Institute reported. The strain has brought layoffs and closures: the McManis family put its winery and roughly 3,500 acres up for sale, Sonoma's Gundlach Bundschu filed for Chapter 11, and Monterey's Chalone Vineyard shut down.
KCRA Channel 3 |
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Beer trends stayed relatively consistent through August and into early September, with declines persisting across most segments, per Circana's latest monthly report. The convenience channel showed some potential.
Brewbound |
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Gundlach Bundschu Winery, which says it is California's oldest continuously family-owned winery, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday to restructure more than $39 million in liabilities.
Law360 |
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Bacardi-Martini's North America sales dropped 14% over the past two years even as the company's wider profits rose, Bloomberg reported, in another sign of the sector's broader downturn.
Bloomberg |
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Jean-Charles Boisset has bought Artesa Winery, the Carneros property he plans to convert to organic farming and turn into a creative destination.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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The Macallan grew 2.8% to 229,000 cases in the U.S. in 2025, reversing declines from 2022 through 2024 and landing 20,000 cases above its 2020 position, per Impact Databank. Edrington, which draws the bulk of its $1.1 billion in revenue from the brand, is also supporting Highland Park with its "Different by Nature" campaign and The Glenrothes with releases like The Glenrothes 51 and a new Private Bottlings program.
Shanken News Daily |
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Representatives of the Agave-Tequila supply chain met with US members of the Congressional Tequila Caucus at the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) in Jalisco, agreeing on seven action points including keeping tequila's recognition as a distinctive product under the USMCA, preserving its tariff-free access to the US market, continuing the bilateral memorandum of understanding on tequila trade, and strengthening technical cooperation between CRT and TTB labs on authenticity and quality. Per the CRT, tequila generates more than 200,000 jobs and over $1.4 billion in federal and state tax revenue in the United States.
Yahoo Noticias en Español |
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U.S. Chief Judge Brenda Sannes let the Cayuga Nation's Commerce Clause claim against New York's liquor regulators move forward, finding the tribe plausibly alleged the agency relied on preferences for New York-made alcoholic beverages. Sannes dismissed the Nation's tribal-law and civil-rights claims.
Law.com |
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Eastern Light Distilling raised $60 million to build a 50,000-square-foot contract distillery in Morehead, Kentucky, combining $23.1 million in private investment with USDA-backed financing from Magnolia Bank and C-PACE funds via Avrio CleanFund. Founded in 2024 by former Kentucky Peerless staffers Cordell Lawrence and Caleb Kilburn, the site is expected to begin production in late 2027 with initial capacity to fill more than 125,000 barrels a year.
The Spirits Business |
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The Beverage Regulatory Parity Act (H.R. 10079), which would regulate hemp-derived THC drinks like alcohol, gained a fifth cosponsor on September 21 as Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) signed on, bringing backing to two Republicans and three Democrats. The bill would cap the beverages at 5mg of intoxicating THC per serving, restrict sales to those 21 and older, put them under a TTB three-tier system with FDA food oversight, and levy an 8-cent federal excise tax per milligram of intoxicating THC.
The Marijuana Herald |
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Treasury Wine Estates has agreed to sell the Seppelt brand, its Great Western winery, and the Drumborg vineyard to Aaron Drummond, chief executive and co-owner of Victoria's Stonier winery, and partners, with the deal expected to close next month and terms undisclosed. The sale is part of TWE's plan, set out at its June investor day, to cut its brand count from 76 to fewer than 30, following its earlier sale of a California winemaking facility to co-packer Mercenary Premier.
foodbusinessmea |
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The parent company of Hoplark, which makes sparkling water, tea and alcohol-free beverages, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. It also teased a "potential lawsuit against Brooklyn Brewery."
Charlotte Observer |
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Zwack Unicum lost the tender to distribute Diageo's brands in Hungary and will stop selling them on January 1, 2027; the products account for about 20% of Zwack's net sales. The company expects the loss to cut profits by 15% from fiscal 2027-28 and plans to offset it with new brands, while Diageo's two representatives on Zwack's board and supervisory board will leave on December 31.
Xpatloop |
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Tilray Brands UK, which bought BrewDog in March, said former CEO James Watt has "no role in, connection with, or affiliation to BrewDog," stressing that BrewDog and Watt's Second Best Beer are entirely separate businesses that share no staff, suppliers, or commercial information. Watt stepped down as CEO in May 2024, and Tilray said its plans center on returning the Scottish brewer to its craft roots with investment in beer, employees, and community partnerships rather than reinventing the brand.
Beer & Brewer |
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The New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement takes effect October 20, 2026, gradually cutting India's 150% wine import tariff to 25% or 50% over a decade depending on a wine's CIF value, though bottles valued below US$5 per 750ml stay subject to the full 150% duty. State-level taxes and rules remain a hurdle: Maharashtra imposes a 40% VAT on wine, Delhi levies 65% excise on imported wine up to 1,000 rupees wholesale, and states including Bihar and Gujarat ban or heavily restrict alcohol sales.
Vino Joy News |
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Meier's Wine Cellars, the Greater Cincinnati operation billed as the oldest distilling facility in Ohio, sold for $6.25 million at a Vintage Wine Estates bankruptcy auction. The buyer is a Florida-based contract distiller that has long been Meier's largest customer.
winebusiness |
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New Zealand Winegrowers reported export value edged up 0.5% to NZD2.11bn (US$1.21bn) in the 12 months to June, while volumes grew 6% to 306.2m litres. Top market the US fell 5.4% in value and the UK rose 4.3%; the association flagged "standout growth" in South Korea without figures, and noted a 15% drop in this year's harvest versus 2025.
Drinks Intel |
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Vineburg, LLC, a Sonoma, California winery and vineyard operator, filed for Chapter 11 on Sept. 23 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, reporting $17.2 million in assets against $39.1 million in liabilities. The filing indicates funds will be available for distribution to unsecured creditors.
bondoro |
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Instacart has added on-demand convenience store Gopuff to its platform through a new promotional partnership that also expands Instacart's advertising capabilities.
Brewbound |
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Front-of-house staff at Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams Boston Brewery and Taproom in Jamaica Plain voted 18 to 3 on Tuesday to join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328, the roughly 30-person unit citing slow wage increases, lack of training, and unsafe conditions. Workers filed their intent with the NLRB in August and plan to seek higher pay first in contract talks; bartenders currently earn $10 an hour before tips, and Boston Beer said it will bargain in good faith.
The Boston Globe |
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Anheuser-Busch is investing $23 million in its Fort Collins, Colorado brewery to raise production capacity, add 25-ounce can capability, increase rail capacity, and fund a technical skills training center for current staff, part of a larger $600 million spread across its U.S. operations in 2025 and 2026. The 1988 facility, which employs more than 400 people and makes over 48 brands including Michelob Ultra, Busch Light and Budweiser, will see training expanded to existing employees rather than added jobs, per Senior General Manager Nate Murphy.
The Coloradoan |
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Nutrabolt has added All Hopped Up, a "beer-inspired" energy drink tasting of "light beer with a splash of orange," to its C4 Energy line, fronted by NFL player Saquon Barkley. It debuts on TikTok Shop from September 23 at an SRP of US$14.99 per six-pack of 47cl cans, and reaches the brand's website on September 30.
Drinks Intel |
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Heaven Hill Brands has appointed Earthbound Brands as its exclusive licensing agency. Heaven Hill is the largest independent, family-owned and led spirits company in the U.S.
BevNET |
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Heineken ranked as the "most considered alcoholic beverage brand" among U.S. adults in YouGov's 2026 survey of more than 13,190 respondents, with 18.4% saying they would consider buying it, edging Baileys (18.3%), Jack Daniel's (18.0%), Smirnoff (17.0%) and Guinness (16.7%). No light beer cracked the top five for most considered beer brands, and Don Julio posted the largest year-over-year consideration gain at 2.7 points.
Yahoo |
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Molson Coors has signed on as an official sponsor of MLB Players, Inc., a deal negotiated with support from OneTeam Partners that gives its brands access to player group rights, including names, images and likenesses, for localized campaigns across multiple U.S. markets. The first campaigns rolled out during the current MLB season, with more activations planned.
Sports Business Journal |
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Fingers' Dave Infante examines the "third place" community role bars are asked to play against the reality of making payroll, using Last Ditch, a queer bar and arts venue in Greenfield, Massachusetts, reported by The Boston Globe to be on its last legs. Infante argues that while online critics may have hastened its decline, the venue's real problem was a flawed business model.
Fingers |
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Chapel Down CEO James Pennefather told Just Drinks the English sparkling wine producer saw momentum in the first half, citing millennial demand and export growth, and is pushing to capture 1% of the Champagne market.
Just Drinks |
