Newsflash from the Languedoc: The Corbières-Boutenac AOC has changed its name and will now be known as the Boutenac AOC. The wine producers of the Boutenac area submitted a proposal to change the name of the appellation back in September of 2022, and as of March 14, 2024, the EU has approved the modification. To understand the Boutenac region, we need to first look at the larger, surrounding Corbières AOC. For starters, Corbières is one of the largest appellations in the Languedoc (along with Minervois) in terms of overall size, vineyard plantings, and production volume. A prodigious prod ..read more

Base map via the TTB AVA Explorer (click to enlarge) On April 25 (2024), the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) of the United States announced the approval of the Yucaipa Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA). The new AVA covers an area within California’s San Bernardino County. The newly approved AVA is not located within, nor does it contain, any other viticultural areas. According to the original petition, the distinguishing features of the Yucaipa Valley AVA include its elevation  and climate—as described below. Elevation: The Yucaipa Valley AVA is comprised of rolling ..read more

Base map via the TTB AVA Explorer (click to enlarge) On April 8 (2024), the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) of the United States announced the approval of the Comptche American Viticultural Area (AVA). The new AVA covers a small area within California’s Mendocino County. The newly approved Comptche AVA is positioned within the boundaries of the existing North Coast AVA. However, it has been determined that the climate and soil of the area are distinctly different from those of the surrounding AVA. As such, the TTB has determined that the Comptche AVA is not to be considered a ..read more

On Wednesday, April 10, at 7:00 pm central time, we are pleased to offer one of our most popular webinars—The Insider’s Guide to the CSW Exam—presented by Jane A. Nickles, CSE, CWE: If you are currently pursuing the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Certification or considering the CSW as your next stage of professional development, this session is for you! This online workshop will cover all aspects of the CSW, including what to expect on the test, how difficult the test is, the type of questions included on the exam, the resources available to students, and how long SWE recommends for study ..read more

Spain’s comunidad autónoma of Castilla-La Mancha has announced yet another new Denominación de Origen Protegida  (DOP) for wine: the Vino de Pago Rosalejo! As of March 15, (2024) the EU has announced its approval of the new appellation, which follows rather quickly on the heels of the announcement of another new appellation for Castilla-La Mancha—the Campo de Calatrava DO—approved just over a month ago. The Vino de Pago Rosalejo is approved for red wines only. According to the Pliego de Condiciones, the wines are intended to be deeply hued with a ruby-red color, intense aromas of fru ..read more

On Saturday, March 23—at 10:00 am central time—we are pleased to offer one of our most popular webinars: A Spirited Discussion: The Insider’s Guide to the CSS Exam.  This is one for the spirits crowd!! If you are interested in pursuing the Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) Certification—or just a spirits lover-bartender-mixologist-beverage aficionado interested in learning more about spirits and the CSS, this one-hour session is for you! Join our Director of Education, Jane A. Nickles, and learn what to expect from the CSS! Note: this event is repeated several times a year, with our n ..read more

Base map via the TTB AVA Explorer (click to enlarge) On March 15 (2024), the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) of the United States announced the approval of the Contra Costa American Viticultural Area (AVA). The new AVA covers a portion of California’s Contra Costa County, located in the East Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. Along with the approval of the new AVA, the San Francisco Bay AVA and the Central Coast AVA have been expanded so that they encompass the entirety of the new appellation. In other words, the Contra Costa AVA is a sub-appellation of both the San Fr ..read more

It’s here! SWE is pleased to announce the agenda for our 2024 Virtual Conference—an online event scheduled for Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 (2024). We have two full days of conference programming for you—with one day (Friday) dedicated to wine and one day (Saturday) dedicated to spirits. These events are based around live, interactive webinars created by our highest-rated and most accomplished conference presenters. These sessions are offered free-of-charge to all members of SWE, and you are welcome to attend as many (or as few) sessions as you like. To secure your spot, please ..read more

Spain’s Tierra de Léon DO (Denominación de Origen) made some news back in 2019 when it officially changed its name to Léon DO. Since then, it has continued to make news by competing in—and winning—major wine competitions and by attracting the largest crowd ever (over 25,000) to attend the annual DO León Wine Fair. These days (February 2024) the DO is again making news by gaining approval from the EU for a range of updates and revisions to its wine rules and regulations. In short, the appellation has approved a new grape variety for use in its red wines and has added an additional wine type—swe ..read more

On Wednesday, February 7, at 7:00 pm central time, we are pleased to offer one of our most popular webinars—The Insider’s Guide to the CSW Exam—presented by Jane A. Nickles, CSE, CWE: If you are currently pursuing the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Certification or considering the CSW as your next stage of professional development, this session is for you! This online workshop will cover all aspects of the CSW, including what to expect on the test, how difficult the test is, the type of questions included on the exam, the resources available to students, and how long SWE recommends for stu ..read more