The 2026 vintage did not seem easy for many DGW clients, and I wonder if that is the case for you, as well. In some regions, harvest demanded a lot of careful deliberation. In others, it called for quick, decisive calls to keep pace with a compressed, intense picking window. Compared to 2025, 2026 was […]
Cellar Tools
After the Freeze: How Wineries Can Manage Extreme Crop Loss
Throughout April, most of the Eastern seaboard and parts of the Midwest experienced a series of frost and freeze events that will likely have an impact on the 2026 wine grape supply. The most extreme of these events was through the April 21st morning in which several states experienced record low temperatures for several hours (Vigna […]
3 Pre-Bottling Habits That Will Immediately Improve Your Wine
Better wine doesn’t always require better grapes. Sometimes it just requires a better process. For many wineries across the U.S., pre-bottling operations are exactly where quality is won or lost, and small adjustments to this stage can make a significant difference in what ends up in the bottle. Pre-bottling steps typically include: These steps may […]
5 Tips for Succeeding at Harvest this Year
It’s hard to believe another harvest season is sneaking up on us. While there is probably TONS of work to be done in the vineyard, it’s also time to start preparing the winery for harvest. Do not let cellar preparation get away from you. Any good winemaking team will tell you that one of the […]
5 Things To Learn About Oak Barrels
Can we talk about oak for a minute? And by talk, I mean literally. If you haven’t been listening to our “Voices of the Vine” podcast, Virginia and I just took several episodes to cover all-things-oak. From oak history to how oak is manufactured for wine barrels, we looked at it ALL. Here are some […]
Avoid Filtration Frenzy
Have you previously experienced difficult-to-filter wines? Are you sure it was the wine that was difficult? Or, could your production practices lead you into a higher prevalence of filtration problems? Let’s find out together. Components in Wine Most of us are familiar with the possibility of microorganisms in the wine. Wine harbors various yeasts and […]
