Campaign Chaos The past two weeks have been some of the most tumultuous and consequential in American presidential history. About a week after President Biden turned in a stunningly poor debate performance, former President Trump was nearly assassinated at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania, further boosting his popularity and polling lead over Biden. Then, … Read more

1798 was the year the first grapes were planted in Kentucky, starting earlier than most of its midwestern neighbors. But, like them, the wine industry that had developed over the next century was wiped out by Prohibition. Today the state has a growing wine industry and acreage in two AVAs, the Indiana Uplands, and Ohio … Read more

Modest Good News While Congress has done very little recently (or this entire year), last week there was some modestly positive news for the wine industry, thanks to the House Appropriations Committee passing the USDA funding bill. One of WineAmerica’s priorities since 2022 has been authorization and funding for a national vineyard survey conducted by … Read more

Like many states, Kansas was a significant wine producer in the 19th Century along with neighboring Missouri, populated by German immigrants who brought the wine tradition with them.  However, it was also the home of Carrie Nation and the early temperance movement, and, in 1881, the first state to pass statewide prohibition. That didn’t totally … Read more

Sweeping Legal Changes Late June is always when the Supreme Court issues its final, and usually most controversial, decisions, and this year was no exception. While the question of presidential immunity may have been the most awaited (and handed down Monday, July 1), the “Chevron” ruling will have far more potential impact on the wine … Read more