Liquor Industry News

Liquor Industry News 08-11-25

Franklin Liquors

Liquor Industry News

The Wonderful World Of Wine (WWW)

By: Mark C Lenzi

CSW, CSS, CWAS, FWS, IWS*, SWS, OWE, IWM*

08-11-2025

Liquor Industry Week In Review

The Wonderful World Of Wine (WWW)

This Weeks Highlights:

New Products

What Winemakers Don’t Tell You About Making Wine

What Exactly Is Port Wine?

Your ‘sulfite-free’ wine is lying to you

Buffalo Trace Found a New Way to Use Its Whiskey Waste — By Turning It Into Food

Thanks to advanced biotechnology, bourbon stillage is now a source for “multifunctional alternative proteins.”

https://www.foodandwine.com/buffalo-trace-whiskey-stillage-alternative-protein-source-11774665

13 Genius Hacks For Better Tasting Whiskey

The world of whiskey is a vast space steeped in history and craft, with numerous styles and flavor profiles to suit all tastes.

https://www.chowhound.com/1911667/hacks-better-tasting-whiskey/

Don’t Overlook This Important Tip For Getting Your Hands On The Rarest Bourbons

One of the rules of buying bourbon is that you should consult store staff if you’re looking for a particular bourbon, or just seeking advice in general.

https://www.chowhound.com/1914211/befriend-liquor-store-employees-rare-bourbons/

The Headwinds of a Wine Merchant

Despite these challenging times, we know that pockets of America are craving sustainably made, wild and scarce wines and food from around the world.

https://verovino.com/vero-blog/2025/07/19/wine-merchant-importer-navigating-tariffs

New Bourbon

Brown-Forman has announced this year’s iteration of Old Forester1910 Extra Extra Old, part of the brand’s 117 series of limited releases. The whiskey is bottled at 46.5% abv and is given a two-year second maturation in a heavily charred new oak barrel. It’s named for the 1910 Old Forester distillery fire that forced the brand to re-barrel aging whiskey held in flame-damaged casks. Priced at $65 a 750-ml., it’s available at the Old Forester distillery, select Kentucky retailers, and for online ordering in Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and North Dakota. Old Forester rose 3% to just over 500,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank.

Your ‘sulfite-free’ wine is lying to you

All wine has sulfites.

https://www.vaildaily.com/entertainment/food-drink/carpe-wine-your-sulfite-free-wine-is-lying-to-you/

How many calories are in beer, wine and their alcohol-free alternatives?

There is now a huge array of low- and no-alcohol options on the market, from beers and wines to alcohol-free spirits and RTDs.

https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/07/20/how-many-calories-are-in-beer-wine-and-their-alcohol-free-alternatives/

In France, they are adapting wine to the market – making it non-alcoholic

In new wine, alcohol molecules are removed while preserving the wine’s aromas, using a special process developed to accommodate the growing appeal of a different product.

https://en.vijesti.me/svijet/evropa/767414/u-francuskoj-prilagodjavaju-vino-trzistu-prave-bezalkoholno

Why Alcohol Consumers 20-to-40 are Drinking Less Wine

Value Perception, Pricing, RTDs Taking Share

https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/305790

Texas Hill Country

Wine Country Guide

Bask in the rugged beauty of Texas Hill Country, America’s third largest AVA, where sun‑soaked plateaus and cool limestone canyons craft distinctive Mediterranean‑style wines.

https://texashillcountry.guides.winefolly.com/

Whatever Happened to Bargain Wine?

Should wineries invest more in the value segment of the market to try to recapture something of the Bargain Wine Phenomenon?

https://wineeconomist.com/2025/07/22/bargains/

Napa winery sues neighbor over redwood trees

Quantum Limit has filed a lawsuit against Okell Holdings for planting redwood trees, which Quantum’s owner says is like “dropping a bunker buster bomb” into its Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. Sarah Neish investigates.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/07/napa-winery-sues-neighbour-over-redwood-trees/

New Buffalo Trace

Sazerac-owned Buffalo Trace Distillery has launched Sazerac Rye 100 Proof, a new, higher-abv variant of the company’s Kentucky rye. The new release carries a suggested price of $30 a liter and is available in select states across the U.S. Sazerac Rye 100 Proof is made using the same recipe as the company’s flagship 45% abv Sazerac bottling. The newcomer will also join the Sazerac Barrel Select program, allowing on- and off-premise businesses to select their own barrels of the higher-proof rye.

The Easiest Way To Tell If Your Sparkling Wine Has Gone Bad

You can tell if sparkling wine has gone off “the same way you can tell if a still wine has gone off: “You will smell it,”

https://www.chowhound.com/1918384/how-tell-sparkling-wine-gone-bad/

E&J Gallo to close SLO County winery, lay off workers. Why?

The closure comes roughly a year after Gallo sold its Edna Valley Vineyard and Winery property on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo — but elected to keep producing wines under the Edna Valley labe

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article311344440.html#storylink=cpy

What’s the Correct Glassware for a Gin & Tonic?

Depends on Where You Are.

https://vinepair.com/articles/gin-and-tonic-best-glassware-regional-debate/

Study Finds TFA in Juices and Wine in Canada

The HFO byproduct trifluoroacetic acid was detected in multiple beverage samples at levels similar to previous studies.

https://naturalrefrigerants.com/study-finds-tfa-in-juices-and-wine-in-canada/

What Is a Corked Wine and Why Does It Happen?

An exploration of one of the wine world’s most unwelcome guests: TCA.

https://www.foodandwine.com/what-is-corked-wine-11776893

BuzzBallz makes a splash with inflatable pool

Ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail brand BuzzBallz has created a giant, limited edition inflatable pool shaped like its packaging.

https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/07/buzzballz-makes-a-splash-with-inflatable-pool/

Champagne restricts yields to lowest level since Covid

The region of Champagne has just announced the yield limit for this year’s harvest, setting it at the lowest level this century, aside from 2020, when the first Covid-related lockdowns led to a sharp decline in sales.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/07/champagne-restricts-yields-to-lowest-level-since-covid/

What Exactly Is Port Wine?

Part of what makes port wine sweeter (and more alcoholic), is the fortification process, where an additional spirit is added to the original grape liquid. In this case it’s brandy, or specifically, aguardente

https://www.chowhound.com/1917117/what-is-port-wine/

‘Easy’ 2025 vintage in Champagne follows ‘difficult’ 2024

The contrast could hardly be greater as Champagne producers benefit from an “easy” vintage this year following one of the most “difficult” ever faced in 2024, according to a leading cellar master in the region.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/07/easy-2025-vintage-in-champagne-follows-difficult-2024/

Use of Portuguese oak on the rise

Gone are the days of vintners automatically turning to French or American oak to age their wines. With terroir becoming ever more hyper-focused, Portuguese producers are increasingly housing their wines in barrels made from local wood. Sarah Neish reports.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/07/use-of-portuguese-oak-on-the-rise/

I Asked Five Sommeliers the Best Wine to Pair With Pizza, and They All Said the Same Thing

Chefs, somms, and other wine pros share their top pick—and it might just surprise you.

https://www.realsimple.com/sommeliers-favorite-wine-to-pair-with-pizza-11776106

The 6 Best Bottled-in-Bond Whiskeys, According to Bartenders

First introduced to protect drinkers from counterfeit spirits, bottled-in-bond whiskey remains a benchmark of craftsmanship.

https://www.foodandwine.com/best-bottled-in-bond-whiskey-11778545

Welcome to the World, Cirò Classico DOCG!

Wine students of the world, heads up!

https://winewitandwisdomswe.com/2025/07/25/welcome-to-the-world-ciro-classico-docg/

More vineyards, fewer fads. The new era of Italian Metodo Classico sparkling wines

The numbers don’t lie: in the world of wine, sparkling wines are holding strong.

https://www.gamberorossointernational.com/news/more-vineyards-fewer-fads-the-new-era-of-italian-metodo-classico-sparkling-wines/

Why alcohol-free has a crucial role to play for beer in the US – Consumer Intel

As the beer market in the US continues its structural decline, the dynamic no-alcohol segment provides a much-needed bright spot, with robust growth set to continue in the years ahead.

https://drinks-intel.com/beer/why-alcohol-free-has-a-crucial-role-to-play-for-beer-in-the-us-consumer-intel/

Viniculture’s New Frontier: Regenerative Agriculture

More than a buzzword, regenerative agriculture promises healthier soil, smarter farming, and—if winemakers are right—better wine in your glass.

https://worth.com/regenerative-agriculture-wine-industry/

The Average Income Of A Restaurant Sommelier Might Make You Pause

Zip Recruiter shows a range of pay for wine sommeliers — from $15,500 to $86,000 – with an average of $21 an hour or $43,449 annually,

https://www.moneydigest.com/1921267/how-much-does-a-sommelier-make-on-average/

In Northeast Portland, You Can Take a Bath in Wine (Sort Of)

Hey, it’s cheaper than a trip to Bordeaux.

https://www.pdxmonthly.com/health-and-wellness/2025/07/portland-oregon-wine-spa

Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Is ready to conquer the future.

Here’s what the new vintages are like

https://www.gamberorossointernational.com/news/cerasuolo-dabruzzo-is-ready-to-conquer-the-future-heres-what-the-new-vintages-are-like/

Is there a difference between non-vintage and multi-vintage Champagne?

Vintage Champagne is an expression of a single harvest, but when it comes to blending wines from different years, some producers use the term non-vintage, others multi-vintage. So, is there a difference?

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/07/is-there-a-difference-between-non-vintage-and-multi-vintage-champagne/

What Winemakers Don’t Tell You About Making Wine

The role of winemaker is romanticized. It conjures up images of daily wine tastings, schmoozing with VIPs, and tranquil vineyards

https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/what-winemakers-dont-tell-you-about-making-wine/

A Wine Lover’s Guide to Oregon

Oregon has long been a darling among wine lovers, celebrated for its incredible terroirs, world-class food scene, and gorgeous landscapes with rolling vineyard-lined hills and groves of towering old-growth trees

https://vinepair.com/articles/jackson-family-wines-wine-lovers-guide-to-oregon/?utm_source=The+Drop+by+VinePair&utm_campaign=4090c215ce-JULY_31_2025&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b653fb8c99-4090c215ce-38937345&mc_cid=4090c215ce&mc_eid=d42ed911dc

Is social media dampening hospitality’s creativity?

In a world dominated by image-heavy platforms, we’ve become trapped in a cycle of repetitive ideas and copycat campaigns. At this year’s Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans, three drinks industry experts shared why social media and AI are hindering originality within the hospitality sector, and how taking creativity offline can foster genuine ideas.

https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/07/is-social-media-dampening-hospitalitys-creativity/

New Wine

Delicato Family Wines’ Gnarly Head has released two new wines celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. The wines—an Old Vine Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon—both retail for $12 and show off the band’s iconography on their labels. The Zin is sourced from 35- to 85-year-old vines and is from the 2023 vintage, while the Cab is from 2024. Both wines will be available across the U.S. Last year, Gnarly Head was at 180,000 cases in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Named Best Winery Tour in America by USA TODAY

In a win for one of New York’s most iconic wineries, Dr. Konstantin Frank has again been ranked #1 as the Best Winery Tour in America by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

https://wineindustryadvisor.com/2025/07/30/dr-konstantin-frank-named-best-winery-tour-in-america-by-usa-today/