The San Diego Board of Supervisors approved a new ordinance making it easier for grapegrowers to open tasting rooms and establish small wineries. The ordinance sets up a system allowing property owners in agriculture-zoned areas to establish one of four operations, from growing and producing wine and selling off-site to full wineries. The county now has 58 wineries, many concentrated in Ramona and Fallbrook.

Saldivar elected ASEV president  
Viticulture consultant Patty Saldivar was confirmed as president for the American Society for Enology and Viticulture’s 2010-11 term, taking over from Christian Butzke, a Purdue University enology professor. Dr. Sara Spayd, North Carolina State University, is first vice president; Leticia Chacon-Rodriguez, second vice president.

Signorello has new operations director
Frank McCormick was named director of operations, a new position at Napa’s 6,000-case Signorello Estate. Previously, he handled direct-to-consumer sales at 100,000-case Dry Creek Vineyards.

Media mavens form Knowbodies  
PR/marketing veterans Jan Mettler and Barbara Bowman (Boss Dog Marketing) joined creative director/designer Chris Blum to form Knowbodies, a task force for wine brand differentiation, graphic design, publicity, website development and social networking. Contact: chrisblumdesign@comcast.net or jan@bossdogmarketing.com.

Dragoo is Gargiulo president
Justin Dragoo was appointed president and general manager at 3,500-case Gargiulo Vineyards, Napa. Previously, he was vice president of global technology services at IBM.

Urban wine village in Santa Rosa
Downtown Santa Rosa, Sonoma’s county seat, has a new Urban Winery Village tucked in a strip mall at 1301 Cleveland Ave. Sheldon Wines (1,000 cases) is developing the center with 1,200-case Krutz Family Cellars and 2,000-case MJ Lords Wine Cellars, next to 4,000-case D’Argenzio Winery.

Smith joins Weibel 
Weibel Famly Vineyards & Winery, Hopland, hired Owen Smith as director of winemaking for its Hopland and Lodi facilities. Smith was previously senior winemaker for the Toasted Head red wine program for Constellation Wines.

Turley building in Windsor
Cult winemaker Helen Turley plans to build a winery for her 500-case Marcassin Vineyard brand in Conde Business Park near the Sonoma County airport in Windsor. Turley has been making Marcassin in leased space at the Martinelli Vineyards & Winery since 1992.

Lincourt picks winemaker
Lincourt Winery, Solvang, appointed Leslie Mead-Renaud as head winery for the 12,000-case facility owned by Foley Family Wines. Previously, she was winemaker at 35,000-case Talley Vineyards, Arroyo Grande.

Janis MacDonald to head AVWA
The Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association (AVWA) appointed Janis MacDonald executive director, taking over from Kristy Charles. Charles has stepped down to focus on her family’s Foursight Wines in Boonville, while maintaining her position as president of the AVWA board.

Chronicle is in Henghold’s hands
Mike Henghold, who formed Chronicle Wines during his eight-year tenure at Luna Vineyards, assumed full ownership of Chronicle when he left Luna in July. Winemaker James MacPhail will make the 2010 vintage, expected to be less than 1,000 cases.

Larry Stone, managing director of Francis Ford Coppola’s 20,000-case Rubicon Estate, Rutherford, was named general manager of Evening Land, which makes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, California’s Sonoma Coast and Santa Rita Hills and in Burgundy. He’ll continue making his own label, 1,000-case Sirita.

Grant for Idaho wine
The U.S. Economic Development Administration has given a $100,000 federal grant to the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission. The funds will fuel a marketing campaign and a study of best practices in other winegrowing regions. The commission will also map the Snake River Valley AVA, the only one in the state, and study the feasibility of creating another AVA in north/central Idaho.

Haywire springs to life in B.C.
Marketing consultant Christine Coletta and her husband Steve Lornie are launching Haywire Winery in Summerland, British Columbia. The first release will be 2009 Pinot Gris sourced from their Switchback Vineyard.

Okanagan forms purchasing group
Twenty independent British Columbia wineries and consultants have banded to form Okanagan Purchasing Group, to manage purchasing of vineyard and winery equipment and supplies and business products and services. The shareholders collectively produce more than 150,000 cases of wine per year. Their goal is to streamline the administrative burden of purchasing and obtain bulk rate pricing from suppliers.

Washington to create sustainable guide
A $128,250 grant from the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program will help the Washington Wine Industry Foundation build a guide to sustainable winery practices. Dubbed “Winery Wise,” it’s modeled after the “Vinewise” guide to sustainable viticulture operated by the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. Details: washingtonwinefoundation.org.

New owner for Evesham Wood
Evesham Wood Winery Winery & Vineyard, Salem, Ore., was purchased by Erin Nuccio. The 6,000-case winery founded by Russ and Mary Raney comes with a 12.5-acre vineyard.

David Miller, long-time winemaker at 150,000-case St. Julian Winery, Paw Paw, Mich., has left to serve as visiting professor at Michigan State University and start his own winery, White Pine, in Lawton, with his wife, Sandy. Former associate winemaker Nancie Corum was promoted to winemaker at St. Julian.

Acequia opens in New Mexico
Acequia Vineyards and Winery opened in July in Corrales, N.M. Its first releases, all 2009, include Chardonnay, Riesling, Muscat and a rosé wine made from Leon Millot grapes. The 200-case winery is the third in Corrales, joining Corrales Winery and Milagro Vineyards.

Missouri has first certified green winery  
Jowler Creek Winery, Platte City, Mo., opened in July. It’s the first certified green-built winery in the state. The 500-case winery features natural daylight, 90% recycled steel siding framed with locally sourced lumber certified to requirements of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program, Energy Star cool roof certification, WaterSense plumbing features and low-flow nozzles. It’s now developing a solar array and hopes to be carbon neutral by the end of 2011.

Southwest winery marks 1 million bottles
Southwest Wines, Deming, N.M., bottled its millionth bottle of wine Aug. 2. Funded in 1981 by the Lescombs family, Southwest grows grapes in the Lordsburg area and currently produces some 85,000 cases per year.

Local wines at Colorado airport
A Subway sandwich shop in Colorado’s Grand Junction Airport now sells wine by the bottle. Travelers who’ve passed through security can purchase locally produced wines to enjoy there or take home.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, Hammondsport, N.Y., held a grand re-opening party in July for the auxiliary tasting room that was destroyed by an electrical fire in April 2009. The rebuilt tasting room is larger and has more bar space than the original.

Brooklyn Winery set to open
The new winemaking center will open in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y., this fall. The 8,000-square-foot facility will offer grapes-to-glass services, allowing consumers to produce barrels of their own wines under the guidance of winemaker Conor McCormack, formerly of Crushpad in San Francisco. Details: bkwinery.com.

Hauser expands with retail outlet
Hauser Estate Winery, Biglerville, Pa., opened its third location, a retail wine shop in Chambersburg. The 6,500-case winery also has a store in Gettysburg.

Blair has moved
Blair Vineyards moved its tasting room and production to a new gravity flow winery in Kutztown, Pa., in August. The 3,500-case winery grows vinifera grapes on 20 acres.

New to New York
Winery of Ellicottville opened in Ellicottville, N.Y., in August. The 1,500-case winery is in the Chautauqua region.
 

Melinda Elledge joined Encore! Glass, Benicia, Calif., bottle supplier, as account manager for Napa and Sonoma counties. Previously, she was with Saverglass.

Plastic-producer buys Neocork
Tasz Inc., producer of polymers and plastics, acquired Neocork, Napa-based supplier of synthetic corks. Tasz is installing a new extrusion line at its North Carolina plant to produce new materials and closures for Neocork. Details: neocork.com.

Waller named IBG VP
Stephen Waller was appointed vice president of operations for IBG, Napa, Calif., logistics and direct fulfillment provider. Previously, he was CEO at Midnite Express, Los Angeles. Details: ibgwine.com.

Ralston joins Wilson Daniels 
Greg Ralston was appointed vice president of portfolio development and strategic initiatives at St. Helena, Calif., distributor Wilson Daniels Ltd. Previously, he was managing director at Chateau Montelena.

Eco Series a hit for Saint-Gobain
Verallia, glass packaging brand of Saint-Gobain Containers, announced that sales of its Eco Series wine and beer bottles have topped 200 million. The bottles are 100% endlessly recyclable and are manufactured with reduced energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.

Earth & Turf ready for winter
Earth & Turf Products LLC, New Holland, Pa., introduced three new, easy-to-install clamp-on snow blades for compact tractors. The SC series is available in 60- and 72-inch wide sizes for tractors under 35hp. Details: earthandturf.com.

Nixalite tames deer 
Nixalite of America, East Moline, Ill., has expanded its humane wildlife control lineup with Deer Stopper and Plot Saver Ribbon & Repellent. Minty-scented Deer Stopper can safely be applied to flowers, shrubs and fruit trees to prevent damage from deer, moose and elk. It’s OMRI approved for organic growers. Plot Saver is a sensory barrier made up of Plot Saver ribbon and repellant. Details: nixalite.com.

Willmers goes solar
Raymond Willmers, a founder of Mendocino Cooperage and most recently consumer-direct national sales manager with Longboard Vineyards, Healdsburg, Calif., has joined the sales team at Westcoast Solar Energy, Rohnert Park, Calif. Details: westcoastsolarenergy.com.

See demo-scale Détente
Winesecrets and Della Toffola USA have implemented a demonstration-scale version of the Thermoflash Flash Détente thermovinification system to streamline red maceration. It will operate in Canada’s Niagara region during this harvest season. Details: winesecrets.com.

WS CEO wins lifetime award 
Terry Fulwiler, CEO of WS Packaging Group, Green Bay, Wis., received the 2010 R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Avery Dennison. Details: wspackaging.com.

Gusmer and OenoFOSS strengthen ties
Gusmer Enterprises, Fresno, Calif., and FOSS North America, Eden Prairies, Minn., announced that Gusmer will distribute the OenoFOSS analytical instrument and replacement parts in the U.S. and Canada. Details: gusmerenterprises.com.

Miller joins Nadalié 
Lee Miller was named director of operations at cooperage Nadalié USA, Calistoga, Calif. She began her cooperage career at Tonnellerie Radoux USA and had also worked at M. A. Silva Corks USA.