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December 2015 WINES&VINES 41 THE BEST OF 2O15 Best-Read News of 2015 VALLEY FIRE DEVASTATES LAKE COUNTY by Paul Franson, Sept. 14, 2015 Bad news travels fast, and the most-read breaking news story of 2015 was a timely report about the 67,000-acre wildfire that claimed four civilian lives, forced the evacu- ation of 13,000 residents and destroyed nearly 2,000 structures including Shed Horn Cellars, a 3,000-case producer of Lake County wines in Middletown, Calif. In "Valley Fire Devastates Lake County," contributing editor Paul Franson wrote that the early harvest experienced in much of California's North Coast may have saved the wine grape crop in the county, since a large portion of the crop had already been harvested when the fire started Sept. 12. Lake County crushed 38,574.4 tons in 2014, according to the USDA's California Grape Crush Report. While most of Lake County's planted acreage was undamaged by the fire, Wines & Vines later learned that about 10 vineyards were impacted, with reports ranging from heat-injured leaves to trunk damage and vine charring. Vineyard owners also reported damage to infrastructure including irrigation systems, water pumps, trellising, fencing and trac- tors. (Read more on page 16.) Road closures restricted access for picking crews during harvest, and the area experienced wide- spread power outages. Most Pageviews at winesandvines.com GALLO, BAREFOOT DOMINATE OFF- PREMISE SALES by Wines & Vines staff, July 15, 2015 The July 15 story "Gallo, Barefoot Dominate Off-Premise Sales" attracted more pageviews than any other article published on wines- andvines.com during 2015. The item highlighted the growing divide between high-volume value brands and high-end wines with low pro- duction levels. According to the report, based on data from market- research firm IRI, five wine compa- nies account for an amazing 80% of off-premise wine sales in the United States. E. & J. Gallo Winery, which pro- duces the No. 1 off-premise brand Barefoot, posted sales worth $1.13 billion in the stores measured by IRI during the 52 weeks ending June 14—a 5% increase over the previ- ous 52 weeks. Gallo also produces Apothic, a red blend that launched onto the Top 20 list of off-premise brands with $128 million in sales during the same time frame. EDITORIAL Best-Read Vineyard News CALIFORNIA REPORTS EARLY BUD BREAK by Jane Firstenfeld, Feb. 2, 2015 As 2015 draws to a close, January may seem like a distant memory. But for some growers in California's coastal regions, the month was one for the record books. Fourth-generation grape- grower Jennifer Thomson saw several unpruned vines showing signs of bud break during the final week of January 2015—at least six weeks ahead of schedule. As Thomson led a crew of four to finish pruning her family's 90 acres in the Carneros AVA, she noted that seeing bud break in late January is "stressful for growers, labor and vines." Sandy Newman, owner of Cebada Vineyard in Lompoc, Calif., reported bud break on pre-pruned canes of Pinot Noir and Chardon- nay—more than two weeks ahead of schedule for that area. And Chris Hammell, vineyard manager for Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, said, "We had fairly widespread regrowth after harvest, primarily from the tops of the shoots/ canes. This is very unusual. We are seeing bud swell early, as of Feb. 1, in our warmest sites." In line with these developments, an early season followed for most California grapegrow- ers, with some noting their earliest harvest dates ever. CONCENTRATION AMONG THE TOP 20 Top Companies in Top 20 Brands for Off-Premise Sales Brands 52-Week Sales (Millions) E. & J. Gallo Barefoot, GFV, Apothic, Carlo Rossi, Livingston Cellars $1,126 Constellation Brands Woodbridge, Black Box Wines, Clos Du Bois, Robert Mondavi Private, Rex Goliath $740 Trinchero Family Estates Sutter Home, Ménage à Trois $511 The Wine Group Franzia Box, Cupcake $484 Jackson Family Wines Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve $198 Treasury Wine Estates Beringer $172 Source: . Wines Vines Analytics. All table wine in multiple-outlet and conve- nience stores, 52 weeks through June 14, 2015.