The Spill: Cline Cellars brings home two gold medals

The Spill brings you wine news such as a Sonoma Valley winery gold medal win, and where to go to learn what experts report on the industry’s past year and future.

Two golds

Cline Cellars Winery brought home two gold medals in the USA Wine Ratings global competition held by Beverage Trade Network.

The winery’s 2018 Cline Los Carneros Syrah earned 93 points, and its Cline Sonoma Coast Merlot earned 91 points in a competition where judges awarded medals to wines from across the globe including Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Australia.

Judges included master sommeliers, wine directors, and other professionals in the food and beverage industry. Some are from the Sonoma and Napa wine regions, such as Barry Herbst, wine director at Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa; Anthony Donahue, lead sommelier at Carneros Resort and Spa; and JT Garczynski, sommelier at Compline Wine Bar in Napa.

The competition looks to spotlight wine brands that appeal to consumers through quality, value and packaging.

State of the industry

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) will deliver its 20th annual report on the wine industry in a live videocast on Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Rob McMillan, executive vice president of the bank’s wine division, will report on the results of the Annual SVB Winery Conditions Survey and predictions of what’s to come. Other topics will include the consumer of the future, wine sales channels and post-COVID strategies.

Speakers include: Amy Hoopes, president of Wente Family Estates; Erik McLaughlin, CEO of Metis, which provides strategic consulting, financial planning, and other services to the adult beverage and hospitality industries throughout the Pacific Northwest; and Devin Joshua, a 20-year wine industry veteran who has held leadership roles at wineries such as Judd’s Hill Winery and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

Contact Anne at anne.ernst@sonomanews.com.