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14 WINES&VINES September 2016 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS O'Neill Vintners buys Robert Hall Winery O'Neill Vintners & Distillers an- nounced its purchase of Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles. The sale in- cludes the Robert Hall production facilities, hospitality center, inventory, vineyards and brands. Robert Hall Winery was established by Robert and Margaret Hall in 1999 and has grown to become one of the largest in the Paso Robles, with annual pro- duction at 70,000 cases, according to the Wines Vines Analytics winery database. O'Neill Vintners, which is based in Parlier, Calif., did not dis- close its purchase price but char- acterized the deal as a "significant expansion" for the company that produces 1.9 million cases per year. Defoliating moths found in Anderson Valley The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) identified two European gypsy moths caught in pheromone traps in the Ander- son Valley grapegrowing region of Mendocino County. The CDFA calls the species "one of the most destructive pests," adding that it favors trees but has been known to defoliate the leaves of 500 types of plants. During the caterpillar stage, the gypsy moth consumes a large amount of leaves, which can render agricultural products susceptible to sunburn and unable to complete photosynthesis while destroying the habitat for other animals. Huneeus purchases VML winery Huneeus Vintners of Napa, Calif., inked a deal to acquire the VML Russian River Winery property and tasting room in Healdsburg, Calif., from Bill Hambrecht. VML's wine- making and tasting room will move to Truett Hurst's Dry Creek Estate Winery. Huneeus Vintners also owns Faust and Quintessa Vine- yards in Rutherford (Napa Valley) as well as Flowers Vineyard & Winery in western Sonoma County. Oregon wine grapes triple value in a decade The production value for Oregon wine grapes shot up more than 300% between 2005 and 2015, according to an Oregon Depart- ment of Agriculture report created with the USDA's National Agricul- tural Statistics Service. Production value in 2015 reached $147 million, a 308% jump from a decade earlier, when the figure was $36 million. Liana Estates opens in Carneros The owners of Peju Province Winery in Rutherford, Calif., opened Liana Estates in the Carneros AVA. The 25,000-case winery is set on a 100- acre property formerly occupied by Acacia Winery. A transparent glass wall separates the wine production and hospitality areas. Grapevine certification program to test for red blotch The California Department of Food and Agriculture will begin testing nursery vine material for grapevine red blotch-associated virus start- ing Oct. 1. The California Office of Administrative Law approved the change to the voluntary Grapevine Registration and Certification Pro- gram, which includes more than 31 nurseries. Louisiana updates direct-shipping rules The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control has issued a direct shipping permit for wineries at atc. la.gov. The new permit negates the requirement that consumers must appear at the winery to be eligible for direct shipping. Wineries must register all wine labels they in- tend to sell, and wines being sold through state wholesalers are not eligible for direct shipping. Report- ing and payment of excise taxes will occur quarterly. Williams Selyem buys vineyard John Dyson, the owner of Williams Selyem Winery in Healdsburg, Calif., purchased a 33-acre vine- yard property in the Russian River Valley AVA from the Saitone family. Twenty-six acres of the site is under vines, with much of the Saitone Vineyard planted to old-vine Zin- fandel. The 14,000-case winery already produces Zinfandel from the Bacigalupi Vineyard as well as single-vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and late-harvest dessert wine. Organic wine gets better ratings After studying ratings printed in leading consumer wine publications for nearly 75,000 California wines, researchers from the Kedge Busi- ness School in Bordeaux and the University of California, Los Ange- les, determined that organic wines earned higher scores than their traditionally farmed counterparts. Their study, published in the Jour- nal of Wine Economics, revealed that wines made with certified or- ganic and Biodynamic grapes were awarded scores 4.1 points higher on a 100-point scale. USDA offers climate change grants The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture is offering $8.4 million in grant funding to study ways to mitigate the effects of cli- mate change on agriculture. The deadline for applications is Nov. 17. For details visit nifa.usda.gov. Domestic impact of California wine industry up 19% in past seven years The California wine industry supports nearly 450,000 full-time jobs and contributes $57.6 billion to the state's economy, according to a new report. The findings are part of an extensive study that examines direct, supplier and induced economic impacts. See page 15. Harvest for the 2016 vintage gets under way Months of planning and vineyard management produced the first yields in late July and early August, when harvest began in parts of Califor- nia's North Coast and Central Coast regions. Grapes for sparkling wines were picked first, and wineries reported slightly below average yields and disease pressure going into the season. See page 16. LATEST NEWS More detail on the news at winesandvines.com Top Stories The month in perspective Mumm Napa was the first Napa Valley winery to harvest grapes for the 2016 vintage. European gypsy moth