Industry veterans Dan Leese, Katy Leese and Pete Kight have launched a new Sonoma-based company called V2 Wine Group. According to Kight, the group plans to assemble "a strong international portfolio of exciting, highly differentiated wine products." General Manager Katy Leese says that the company plans to make use of the three-tier system while "building strong wine brands in the North American marketplace."

The first brand held by V2 is Steelhead Wines. The Dry Creek Valley winery, which donates some of its proceeds to Trout Unlimited’s creek restoration projects, makes dry-farmed Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc. The V2 founders didn't have to cast their line very far to hook Steelhead. The winery was previously owned by, and still appears on the website of, 585 Wines, a venture that the Leeses had co-founded. They left that company in January of this year after a tussle with investor Fred Franzia of Bronco Wine Company.

The Court of Master Sommeliers conducted an Advanced Exam on August 13 in Cincinatti. Advanced is the third level of official qualification for sommeliers. Thirty-three Certified Sommeliers took the exhaustive test. Eleven passed. They can now begin to pursue Master Sommelier certification, though only 105 people in North America have managed to pass those exams to date.

At this time last year, some North Coast wineries had already begun picking grapes. This year, all they can do is hope to start by the end of August. Makers of sparkling wines, which don't need grapes with high sugar levels, will be among the first to being harvest. In the end, they should be fine. [Press Democrat]

Less clear is what's in store for the grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon.On a Sunday trip through Napa, I noted that some of the top vineyards were still at very early stages of veraison. There's a lot of nervous joking about this summer's cold weather in the tasting rooms too — and open questions about how small the 2010 vintage may be.

The combination of massive revenue shortfalls for government and the increasing need of some politicians to appeal to conservative, abstinence-minded voters is leading to conflicting policies. On one hand, state and local governments see alcohol as a cash cow, through increased taxes or increased consumption at existing tax rates. Susan Carey, writing for the Wall Street Journal, cites examples where local governments in Chicago and Las Vegas are promoting more liquor shops and longer on-sale hours within airports, solely to increase revenue. Virginia is about to invest more than half-a-million dollars to help promote that state's wineries. Efforts will include creating synergy with popular tourist attractions, hosting the 2011 Wine Bloggers' Conference, other media-focused activities and pushing mid-Atlantic restaurants to feature more Virginia wines.

Constellation Wines U.S. has created new positions, include a VP slot, in order to better leverage their high-end California wines. The new vice president, Pierre Noique, comes to Constellation after nine years at Niebaum-Coppola/Rubicon Estate where he had most recently served as the National Sales and Marketing VP. He will be based in the company's San Francisco office and will lead a newly-formed sales group focused only on the luxury brands.

Constellation brands that fall into the luxury category include Robert Mondavi Winery, Franciscan Estate, Mount Veeder Winery and Simi.

Global Traveler released the results of their sixth annual Wines on the Wing International Business Class Airline Wine Competition today. Participating airlines submitted five wines each from among their business class offerings. The wines were tasted blind and judged by a long list of wine experts who gathered for that purpose at Delmonicos in New York City in May.

Guido Reni, c1623. Old Masters Picture Gallery, Dresden, Germany

The percentage of Americans who drink alcohol is now 67% according to a Gallup poll of U.S. adults. That is an increase from 64% the previous year. 1985 was the last time the drinking rate was as high as 67%. The highest rate since 1939 was 71% in 1977-78. The lowest rate in that period was 56% in 1990.