Derek

• • •

[Derek @derekengles]

Coffee is gaining structural strength, not merely replacing alcohol. USDA projects record global consumption of 173.9 million bags in 2025/26, while alcohol volumes fell 2% across markets representing roughly 75% of global demand...

#coffee #business
https://t.co/3bkdiqalpM

[Derek @derekengles]

The wines of Santa Barbara County are dynamic and diverse...

https://t.co/27ZSKkUW88
#wine #wineeducation #articles

[Derek @derekengles]

What's your archetype?

https://t.co/vUREXhbHBs
#sommelier #winepairings

[Derek @derekengles]

Where ancient vines and pioneering spirit converge to create powerful wines that redefined New World winemaking while honoring Old World traditions.

#wine #australia #sommelier
https://t.co/omT1Fdtorm

[Derek @derekengles]

The Coffee Shop ☕️

https://t.co/csIQVdQeGI
#beverages #coffee #espresso

[Derek @derekengles]

One of the ways wine producers are combatting climate change: a new selection of wine grapes.

#wine #wineeducation #winetime
https://t.co/y8fXxW456x

[Derek @derekengles]

The lodging industry is splitting into two worlds, one quietly adding comforts and one quietly removing them. What happens to the traveler when the middle of the market disappears?

#hospitality #articles #fyi
https://t.co/xyXmNoNCP7

[Derek @derekengles]

Tucked between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, a wine region with one foot in Spain has quietly preserved what other places forgot. Its old vines and Catalan soul make it one of the most compelling unfinished stories in the #wine world.

https://t.co/QQyhXNjNww

[Derek @derekengles]

#wine #wineeducation #winearticle #article #hospitality #sommelier #somm #watersomm #watermelonstar

[Derek @derekengles]

"The disappearance of the sommelier has been one of the quieter casualties of the post-pandemic restaurant economy."

https://t.co/OmHTWqHw9b

[Derek @derekengles]

The wine windows of Florence, known as 'buchette del vino," were small openings built into palaces during the Renaissance so noble families could sell wine directly to the public.

#wine #hospitality

[Derek @derekengles]

"The destinations that dominate summer travel lists endure because they are genuinely beautiful and because the marketing infrastructure around them is enormous. No one is arguing that the Amalfi Coast, Saint-Tropez, or Mykonos lack merit. But iconic and enjoyable are not always the same thing, particularly when the experience has been optimized to extract maximum revenue at the expense of what made the place worth visiting."

https://t.co/Uar8j7qleH

[Derek @derekengles]

https://t.co/4lVp6bOJoo

[Derek @derekengles]

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗞𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗟𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲.

From arrival and check-in to content creation to post-event follow-up. Meetings. Weddings. Conferences. All of it.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁.

The highest-end operators in the world are not debating whether AI belongs in hospitality. They are deploying it at scale, in guest-facing environments, across the most high-touch, detail-intensive experiences in the business.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.

They are using it to make their teams sharper, faster, and more focused on what actually matters: the guest.

This is the part of the conversation the industry keeps getting wrong.

AI in #hospitality is not robots replacing servers. It is a concierge team that has real-time guest preferences before the guest arrives.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗽.

If Four Seasons is telling you AI belongs in #luxury hospitality, it is time to stop questioning whether it belongs in yours.

[Derek @derekengles]

https://t.co/mEiV07LvYL

[Derek @derekengles]

Malbec is one of the great stories in wine.

From its origins in Cahors to its rise in Mendoza, this grape has evolved into a global benchmark for richness, depth, and character.

It offers everything from vibrant, fruit-driven wines to complex, high-altitude expressions that continue to push the category forward.

If you enjoy bold reds with a real sense of place, #Malbec is a grape worth exploring!

New article is live, take a look. Link in the comments.

[Derek @derekengles]

𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗤𝟭 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

If you step back and look at the global wine business through the first quarter of 2026, a few clear trends are emerging... and they are not small ones.

𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲:
France is paying growers to rip out vineyards. The EU is rewriting wine policy. Exports are getting harder.

𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀:
Tariffs are changing wine lists. Restaurants are replacing European wines. Consumption continues to soften.

𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮:
Oversupply, financial pressure, and extreme weather are hitting producers at the same time.

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮:
Wine consumption continues to decline and shift away from luxury banquets toward casual drinking at home.

𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 & 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮:
Consumers are drinking less, but spending more... #premiumization is real.

When you put this all together, one conclusion becomes hard to ignore:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

Less volume.
More premium.
Fewer wineries in the middle.
More pressure on everyday #wine.
More competition from other beverages.
More climate risk.
More #government intervention.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨?

Wine is becoming less of a commodity and more of an experience product.

[Derek @derekengles]

𝗖𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁.

Most people think of it as a sweet, mass-produced alternative to beer. That perception could not be more wrong.

Cider has been made for over 𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. Roman historians documented Celtic tribes fermenting apples as early as 55 BC.

Medieval monasteries across Normandy and Asturias cultivated heritage orchards, perfected grafting techniques, and developed more than 65 named apple varieties by the 16th century. In colonial #America, cider was the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the country before Prohibition wiped it off the map.

The global cider market is valued at over $14 billion. While most alcohol categories are declining, craft cider is growing. And the diversity is staggering.

→ In Asturias, sidra natural is poured from above the head into a glass held at the hip.
→ In the Basque Country, sagardoa is served straight from the barrel in communal cider houses alongside grilled steaks and salt cod.
→ In Normandy, farmhouse cidre is made from bittersweet apples using wild yeast fermentation.
→ In Herefordshire, tannic, full-bodied ciders rival the complexity of natural wine.

Barrel-aged ciders. Single-variety pressings. Terroir-driven expressions classified by orchard and soil type. This is not what most people picture when they hear the word #cider.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀.

That is exactly why https://t.co/vuJw1A7ZVr and https://t.co/5wPZkfF2Sp exist. To tell the stories that no one else is telling. Watch the full video to see what we mean.

. . . . . . . . .

[Derek @derekengles]

Napa Valley Went From Farmland to Global Wine Icon

The modern wine history of Napa Valley began in the 19th century when European settlers planted the first vineyards and recognized the region’s agricultural potential.

The industry suffered major setbacks during Prohibition in the 1920s, when most wineries closed and vineyards were removed or replanted to other crops.

Napa’s global reputation was cemented in 1976 at the Judgment of Paris, when California wines defeated top French wines in a blind tasting.

This moment helped establish Napa Valley as one of the world’s premier wine regions and changed international perceptions of New World wine.

#NapaValley is known for Cabernet Sauvignon, luxury wine tourism, and some of the most valuable vineyard land in the world.

[Derek @derekengles]

Discovering Sonoma County wine is about exploring a patchwork of microclimates, where coastal fog, mountain elevation, and sun-soaked valleys create wildly different expressions just miles apart.

From world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Russian River Valley to bold Zinfandel and Cabernet in Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, the range keeps every tasting fresh and surprising.

Add in laid-back tasting rooms, scenic vineyard drives, and a less commercial feel than neighboring regions, and Sonoma becomes as much an experience as it is a destination for great wine.

More on https://t.co/vuJw1A7ZVr ↓

https://t.co/4s0VISAlsF