The cover story for December takes a new approach to reviewing the past year in the wine industry. It’s our first Best of the Year report. In it, our editorial staff and the Wines Vines Analytics team crunch numbers to measure the Best of 2014 in terms of the best-selling wines, fastest-growing regions, most-read stories and more.

This collection of short pieces about the winners (and a few losers) of the past year is designed to be an easy read that is based on solid metrics. The “Best Of” report will help you better understand where the industry stands now, so you can be better prepared for the future.

Speaking of the future, the first big event on the wine industry calendar for 2015 is also the biggest event every year—the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium. The dates are Jan. 27-29. Look for the Unified sessions preview coverage, which will give you a good idea of what to expect. We like that the Unified program planners are continuing some new ideas instituted this past January and looking to improve upon them.

W&V Oak Conference
For our staff—and we hope for you—the next big event will be a brand new one, the Wines & Vines Oak Conference. This is a one-day meeting and trade show in Napa, Calif. set for Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in the contemporary setting of the building formerly known as Copia.

The program is modeled on Wines & Vines’ first Packaging Conference held this past August (and planned again for Aug. 19, 2015), but with an entirely different content focus. The program will blend sessions about oak tannin research and oak flavor compounds with practical, hands-on guidance about managing your barrel program and ensuring seismic safety for your staff.

The speakers include Dr. James Kennedy of California State University, Fresno, and respected Sonoma County winemaker David Ramey, along with other knowledgeable researchers and enologists who can help you improve your wines and manage your barrel budget.

A trade show focused on oak barrels, oak tanks, oak add-ins, barrel maintenance equipment and other supplies and services related to wood in winemaking will accompany the conference sessions. Two tasting sessions will allow attendees to evaluate the effects of stave selection and add-ins. For details and to register, go to wvoak.com.

Drought
It is raining in the San Francisco Bay Area as I write this in mid-November. Is it just a fluke, or will there be dozens more rainy days in California to replenish the vineyards that supply more than 90% of U.S. wine production?

No one knows. 2014 was the third year of below-normal rainfall here. Large parts of the state felt the pinch during this growing season, especially in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast. Most of the North Coast and Lodi were saved, however, by late spring rains that were big enough to fill reservoirs, or by groundwater that remained at high levels.

So 2015 may be the first time that the entire California wine industry has to go thirsty. For the details, read Paul Franson’s piece about the state’s new water bond and looming regulation of groundwater.

Immigration
Another big topic for our industry in 2015 is immigration. U.S. President Barack Obama is pushing the issue in advance of the new Republican-controlled Congress. He is apparently prepared to sign an executive order that would grant legal status to some residents who entered the country illegally. Republican leaders chided him not to play with these matches, unless he’s ready to get burned by their reprisals on this and other issues.

Immigration is a tough challenge. Many otherwise conservative growers and vintners do not agree with the Republican leaders on this one, since they rely on migrant and in some cases illegal immigrant workers to harvest their grapes. If this issue is a test for whether Democrats and Republicans are willing to compromise during the next two years, it’s not a promising start.

Growth and prosperity
Despite the two unresolved issues of drought and immigration, 2014 has been a very good year of growth and prosperity for the wine industry. Here’s hoping that abundant crops and healthy sales will continue in 2015. Wines & Vines will keep you posted with the latest news every month in these pages, and every business day on winesandvines.com.