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BEAULIEU VINEYARD OPENS NEW HOSPITALITY CENTER, MARKING A NEW ERA FOR ONE OF NAPA VALLEY’S FOUNDATIONAL WINERIES

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Opening on July 13, Beaulieu Vineyard welcomes guests into its restored historic winery buildings, where elevated hospitality experiences, culinary storytelling and immersive wine education bring more than a century of Napa Valley history to life.

RUTHERFORD, Calif., July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Founded in 1900 by Georges and Fernande de Latour and later guided by the pioneering vision of André Tchelistcheff, Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) played a defining role in establishing Napa Valley’s reputation for world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and elevating California wine on the global stage. Today, the winery reveals its new hospitality center ahead of welcoming guests on July 13, ushering in a new era for one of Napa Valley’s most influential estates.

Following a landmark, two-year renovation, BV’s historic stone winery buildings have been restored and transformed into welcoming hospitality spaces designed to connect visitors more deeply with the wines, vineyards, and people behind one of Napa Valley’s earliest wineries. The project represents the most significant transformation of the visitor experience in the winery’s modern history, introducing seven distinct tasting spaces, Beaulieu Vineyard’s first dedicated culinary program, immersive education, and expanded areas for dedicated club members.

“Few wineries have had a greater influence on Napa Valley and American winemaking history than Beaulieu Vineyard,” said Ben Dollard, President, Treasury Americas, a division of Treasury Wine Estates. “From helping establish Cabernet Sauvignon as Napa Valley’s signature variety to inspiring generations of winemakers, BV has played a defining role in shaping the region we know today. This opening marks a new era for Beaulieu Vineyard—one that honors our history while ensuring this iconic winery continues to inspire wine lovers for generations to come.”

Since 2016, Beaulieu Vineyard has invested significantly in viticultural advancements to continually elevate wine quality. With this renovation, that commitment expands to the guest experience, establishing a thoughtfully reimagined destination for the next generation of wine enthusiasts and Napa Valley visitors.

“As we continue elevating the quality of our wines, it was equally important to create a guest experience that reflects the same commitment to excellence. Our new hospitality center allows visitors to engage with every world-class wine we make. I think André would be very proud of this new space and our continued commitment to excellence,” said Nate Weis, Senior Winemaker and General Manager.

A REIMAGINED EXPERIENCE ROOTED IN HISTORY

More than a renovation, BV Director of Hospitality Luke Magnini says the team envisioned a new approach to hospitality. “At Beaulieu Vineyard, our guests can walk through the same historic winery buildings where generations of winemakers worked, discover stories that helped shape Rutherford and Napa Valley, and gather around food and wine experiences inspired by the traditions established by Georges and Fernande de Latour. It’s an experience that connects the past and present in a very tangible and personal way.”

Designed by Signum Architecture with interiors by San Francisco-based firm BAMO, the new BV Hospitality Center beautifully blends old and new. Historic stone winery structures dating to the 1880s were carefully restored, while contemporary design interventions such as floor-to-ceiling glass enhance light, openness, and connection to the surrounding Rutherford landscape. Reclaimed redwood from former winery tanks and salvaged Douglas Fir featuring signatures and musings from generations of winery workers were incorporated in the property, creating a dialogue between the winery’s past and present.

A welcoming arrival journey guides visitors into a reception area, where a timeline highlights the winery’s most important contributions to Napa Valley and American wine, to the light-filled Rutherford Atrium and the open-air 1885 Courtyard, a nod to the year the stone building was constructed. From there, the dual-level facility transitions into the flagship Georges de Latour Private Reserve Wine Library, tailored for collectors, and the Founders’ Garage, where guests can view Georges de Latour’s Cadillac up close—the same car he drove to San Francisco in 1938 to pick up André Tchelistcheff upon his arrival from France.

Upstairs in the historic building, the expansive André Tchelistcheff Hall features flexible seating for events framed by panoramic vineyard views. A glass jewel box called The Rarity Room at the end of the hall showcases the estate’s Rarity Cabernet Sauvignon, of which only six vintages have ever been released. A dedicated club member bar, called the Maestro Lounge, and the outdoor Madame de Latour Terrace give special recognition to longtime devotees of the brand.

Historical artifacts and custom artwork created by two Bay Area artists are thoughtfully integrated throughout the experience, creating an immersive journey and a new discovery in every corner.

FIRST-EVER CULINARY PROGRAM

Among the most significant additions to the winery is the launch of Beaulieu Vineyard’s first dedicated culinary program led by Winery Chef Sam McKenzie. For the first time in the winery’s history, culinary has been fully integrated into the guest experience, creating new opportunities for visitors to engage with BV’s wines, hospitality traditions, and storytelling.

The culinary program offers a contemporary interpretation of the estate’s rich history. Guests will encounter dishes inspired by archival menus and the entertaining traditions established by Madame de Latour that evolved through the generations, thoughtfully reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. In many ways, the culinary program offers a modern expression of the hospitality that helped define Beaulieu Vineyard from its earliest days.

For Chef McKenzie, the philosophy begins not in the kitchen, but in the glass. “At Beaulieu Vineyard, the starting point is always the wine,” said McKenzie. “Our role in the kitchen is to create dishes that complement and elevate what is in the glass so that each element works in harmony, and the wine completes the experience. When it all comes together, the food isn’t separate from the story; it’s part of it.”

The culinary program extends across multiple experiences, from introductory tastings starting at $50 per person to the Time Traveler Experience at $300 per person.

SUSTAINABILITY

Just as Georges and Fernande were guided by a deep appreciation for the beauty and potential of Rutherford, BV’s renovation balances preservation with progress. The project adopted an adaptive reuse approach that preserved the historic stone winery buildings while reducing environmental impact. Ninety-nine percent of removed construction materials were recycled or repurposed. Sustainably focused improvements include a new solar array generating more than 30 percent of the winery’s electricity needs, EV charging infrastructure, an all-electric commercial kitchen, and water-wise landscaping. These investments support the winery’s commitment to carbon neutrality in its operations by 2030.

For Carl Evans, Sr. Vice President of Consumer Experience at Treasury Americas, the new hospitality center reflects a broader ambition to ensure Beaulieu Vineyard remains one of Napa Valley’s most compelling wine destinations for generations to come.

“Beaulieu Vineyard helped shape Napa Valley into one of the world’s great wine regions, and we believed its guest experience should reflect that. We kept that in mind as we considered every detail and decision along this journey. As a result, we have created something that is relevant, engaging and distinctly BV, and we are excited to share it.”

Reservations for the new hospitality center are open, and guests can book their visits online at bvwines.com, with public tastings and tours commencing on Monday, July 13.

About Beaulieu Vineyard
Established in Rutherford, Napa Valley, in 1900, Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) is one of California’s most historic wineries and a standard bearer for Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Guided by the original vision of founders Georges and Fernande de Latour and the lasting influence of legendary enologist André Tchelistcheff, BV has helped shape the reputation of Napa Valley wine for more than a century. Today, Beaulieu Vineyard continues its commitment to craftsmanship and innovation. For more information, visit bvwines.com or follow @bvwines on Instagram.

Media Contacts: 
Tia Butts, PR Director, Beaulieu Vineyard
tia.butts@tweglobal.com, (707) 721-2082

Nike Communications
tweluxury@nikecomm.com

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SOURCE Beaulieu Vineyard

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Strengthening the Foundation for Mass Production: Lead Intelligent’s Warm Isostatic Pressing Machine Accelerates Solid-State Battery Industrialization

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WUXI, China, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Solid-state batteries are at a critical stage of transition from pilot production to large-scale manufacturing. To address key challenges in densification and solid-solid interface contact, Lead Intelligent has developed a horizontal warm isostatic pressing machine that delivers uniform three-dimensional pressure of up to 600 MPa across a wide temperature range from room temperature (RT) to 150°C. The machine achieves temperature control accuracy of ±2°C and pressure control accuracy of ±2%. Integrating automatic loading and unloading with precise, coordinated temperature and pressure control, the machine can increase cell density to over 95%, accelerating the industrialization of solid-state batteries.

As solid-state batteries move toward mass production, two major challenges remain: high impedance caused by insufficient solid-solid interface contact, and the limitations of conventional unidirectional pressing, including uneven density and pronounced edge effects. Based on Pascal’s principle, isostatic pressing applies isotropic pressurization within a sealed chamber to achieve multidimensional material compaction and densification. It is a key processing route for addressing solid-solid interface contact challenges in solid-state batteries.

For the practical requirements of large-scale solid-state battery manufacturing, warm isostatic pressing offers an effective balance between densification performance, production efficiency, and manufacturing cost, making it a highly cost-effective option for mass production. As construction of solid-state battery capacity accelerates, warm isostatic pressing machines are becoming core incremental machines for battery manufacturers’ next-generation solid-state production lines.

Core Technology: Precise Temperature-Pressure Coordination for High-Precision Process Control

Building on its R&D system, Lead Intelligent’s horizontal warm isostatic pressing machine overcomes the “black box” limitations of traditional warm isostatic pressing process by enabling real-time monitoring of temperature and pressure inside the chamber. The machine upgrades from conventional unidirectional pressing to precise temperature-pressure coordination to promote closer contact between electrodes and electrolytes, making it well suited for solid-state battery mass production.

Pressure system: It delivers uniform three-dimensional pressure of up to 600 MPa, with pressure control accuracy ≤±2%. Automatic pressure compensation and emergency depressurization functions keep pressure fluctuations within ±2% during a 30-minute pressure holding period, ensuring process stability and repeatability.

Temperature system: The working temperatures can reach up to 150°C, and can be adjusted within a wide operating range from room temperature (RT) to 150°C, with temperature control accuracy of ±2°C. The initial heating time to 150°C takes no more than three hours, balancing process adaptability with mass production cycle-time requirements.

Chamber specifications: The working chamber inner diameter is ≥400 mm, the effective length is ≥4,000 mm, and the volume is around 500 L. It accommodates batch processing of workpieces in various sizes and meets the capacity requirements of GWh-scale production lines.

Designed for Mass Production: Comprehensive Optimization for Large-Scale Manufacturing

For GWh-scale manufacturing, warm isostatic pressing machines must do more than meet core process specifications. They shall also coordinate with whole line cycle time, logistics systems, and upstream and downstream processes. To meet these requirements, Lead Intelligent has optimized machine structure, automatic operation, and safety systems in parallel.

Horizontal Design for Continuous Production Lines

The horizontal working chamber and automatic loading and unloading design significantly reduce factory height requirements while seamlessly integrating with automatic logistics systems to meet the needs of continuous production and material transfer between upstream and downstream processes, adapting to takt-based operation on large-scale production lines. Electrodes and solid electrolytes can be stacked and assembled before being loaded into the chamber for pressing and densification, simplifying process flow.

Full-process Automation to Minimize Manual Intervention

The machine enables unmanned operation throughout cell pretreatment and material box circulation. It integrates four key functions: cell hot air preheating, cold air drying and cooling, automatic fixture loading and unloading, and material box automatic circulation. The machine covers the entire workflow including loading, pretreatment, isostatic pressing and unloading, minimizing manual intervention and improving production efficiency and process consistency within each batch.

Multi-Layered Safety Controls for Reliable Operation

The machine incorporates a comprehensive multi-layered safety assurance system. At the foundational level, the machine is equipped with dual pressure and temperature monitoring for the chamber, together with pipeline pressure-relief ports to safeguard machine operation. In addition, an innovative triple deformation monitoring system provides real-time monitoring to enhance operational safety and maintain process precision.

As a world-leading provider of intelligent manufacturing solutions for the new energy industry, Lead Intelligent has completed the full-process layout for solid-state battery manufacturing, covering key stages including dry electrode processing, high-precision stacking, warm isostatic pressing, and formation and grading. The company has the capacity for batch delivery of GWh-level solid-state battery whole line solutions.

Looking ahead, Lead Intelligent will continue to strengthen its intelligent manufacturing equipment capabilities, accelerating the industrialization of solid-state batteries and other advanced battery technologies and contributing LEAD power to the global new energy industry.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/strengthening-the-foundation-for-mass-production-lead-intelligents-warm-isostatic-pressing-machine-accelerates-solid-state-battery-industrialization-302921699.html

SOURCE LEAD Intelligent

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Ascendion Expands AI Advisory Community with Four Global Business and Technology Leaders

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Former Global CTO of Banco Santander, former Group CIO of Currys, former CEO of IBPAP, and former Microsoft CVP and CTO of AI join the advisory community

Advisors will provide guidance on AAVA platform innovation, AI strategy, C-suite alignment, and enterprise adoption across Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and the UK

The growing community of advisors will bring practitioner perspective closer to Ascendion as enterprises move AI from experimentation to governed, production-scale outcomes

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ascendion, an AI-native software engineering company, today announced the appointment of four global business and technology leaders to its AI Advisory Community: Andy Gamble, Jack Madrid, Julieta Ross, Ph.D., and Joseph Sirosh, Ph.D. 

The advisors bring perspectives rarely found in one group: executives who answered to Boards, regulators, and C-suites for what technology actually delivered; a builder of AI and data platforms at global scale; and a leader who shaped one of the world’s largest technology-services and talent ecosystems. Their experience spans banking, high-tech, media, and retail. Each will work directly with Ascendion’s regional and engineering leaders, so their counsel reaches the decisions it is meant to shape. 

“We are changing how software gets built. Enterprise leaders have moved past experiments. They want AI that delivers outcomes boards can measure and risk they can manage. Andy, Jack, Julieta, and Joseph have the experience and know where transformation succeeds. They will challenge our thinking, raise our ambition, and help us navigate a period of intense — and exciting — change,” said Karthik Krishnamurthy, CEO, Ascendion.  

Each advisor will map to a different part of the business, strengthening Ascendion’s alignment with leadership communities across the globe. 

Julieta Ross, Ph.D., former Global CTO of Banco Santander, brings two decades of leading technology inside global banks, along with public-company board experience. She will work with Ascendion’s leadership on executive relationships, go-to-market strategy, and growth, and will help the company meet the governance, regulatory, and risk expectations that banking and financial services leaders place on AI. 

Andy Gamble, former Group CIO of Currys plc, has spent nearly three decades as a technology buyer and transformation leader across consumer electronics, industrial, and retail businesses. He will advise Ascendion’s work across Europe and the UK, with a focus on consumer goods, manufacturing, and retail, and will share what executive teams and Boards expect from a technology partner. 

Joseph Sirosh, Ph.D., former Microsoft CVP and CTO of AI, has spent his career building and scaling machine learning platforms in the high-tech industry. He will advise Ascendion’s engineering leadership on the evolution of AAVA and its broader platform strategy as AAVA becomes an orchestration and harness layer for enterprise AI. 

Jack Madrid, former President and CEO of IBPAP, spent five years leading the industry association behind one of the world’s largest technology and business-services ecosystems, centered in the Philippines. He brings robust experience working across industries, including banking, high-tech, and media, and will advise Ascendion on Asia-Pacific markets and on how AI is reshaping global delivery, skills, and workforce models. 

Together, the advisors give Ascendion an outside perspective on the full spectrum of enterprise AI, from agentic platform strategy and product engineering to industry alignment and delivery. They will add capacity to Ascendion’s ongoing work on AI governance, helping ensure trusted impact from AI-native software engineering, and their practice-based insight will inform how Ascendion applies its Engineering to the Power of AI™ approach to commercial models, platform design, service execution, and workforce development. 

About Ascendion

Ascendion is a global AI-native software engineering company delivering trusted business outcomes – capital unlock, innovation velocity, lower risk – to 250+ enterprise clients. The company delivers business outcomes at scale by combining expert engineers, AI agents, and AAVA, Ascendion’s agentic AI platform. Together, they design, engineer, and operate production-ready software that improves everyday work and life. Learn more at www.ascendion.com.

Engineering to the Power of AI™, Engineering to Elevate Life™, and AAVA™ are trademarks or service marks of Ascendion. AAVA™ is pending registration. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.

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Canara HSBC Life Insurance Earns ‘Leader’ ESG Rating from NSE Sustainability Ratings & Analytics

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Achieves ESG score of 71, with strong performance across environmental stewardship, governance and stakeholder well-being

NEW DELHI, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited (“Canara HSBC Life Insurance”) has been recognised in the ‘Leader’ Rating Category in the FY2026 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) assessment conducted by NSE Sustainability Ratings & Analytics Limited. The Company achieved an overall ESG score of 71, including an Environment score of 79, Governance score of 75 and Social score of 63, reflecting its continued focus on sustainable business practices, stakeholder welfare and strong corporate governance.

The assessment highlighted the Company’s environmental performance, including greenhouse gas emissions from direct operations and energy consumption that are below industry averages, significantly lower energy and waste intensity compared to peers, and strong waste recycling and recovery practices.

On the social front, the assessment recognised the Company’s focus on employee well-being and workplace safety, including a lost-time incident rate of zero, no employee fatalities during the year, and 100% employee coverage under health and safety training. The assessment also noted a balanced workforce, with women accounting for 36.69% of employees, and customer complaint frequency below relevant benchmarks.

The governance assessment recognised Canara HSBC Life Insurance’s robust oversight framework, including Board independence levels exceeding regulatory requirements, strong independent representation across key Board committees, and comprehensive anti-corruption and sustainability governance policies.

Anuj Mathur, MD & CEO, Canara HSBC Life Insurance, said, “Being recognised in the ‘Leader’ category is a strong affirmation of our belief that sustainable growth and responsible business practices go hand in hand. At Canara HSBC Life Insurance, ESG is not a standalone agenda but an integral part of how we create long-term value, manage risk, strengthen stakeholder trust and build organisational resilience. As we continue to grow, we remain committed to embedding these principles across our business and delivering meaningful outcomes for our customers, employees, shareholders and communities.”

The FY2026 ESG assessment was conducted by NSE Sustainability Ratings & Analytics Limited using a structured, sector-specific framework that evaluates companies across environmental, social and governance parameters. The assessment considers an organisation’s performance, policies, disclosures, governance practices and management of material ESG risks and opportunities. It is based on publicly available information, including annual reports, Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reports (BRSR), stock exchange filings, company disclosures and other public sources, and benchmarks companies against relevant industry peers.

About Canara HSBC Life Insurance

Incorporated in 2007, Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited is a public listed company co-promoted by Canara Bank (36.5%) and HSBC Insurance (Asia-Pacific) Holdings Limited (25.5%), with the remaining shareholding held by public shareholders, including Punjab National Bank (13%). As a bancassurance-led insurance company with its corporate office at Gurugram, Haryana and 107 branch offices as of September 30, 2026, pan India, Canara HSBC Life brings together the trust and market knowledge of public and private banks.

For more than 18 years now, Canara HSBC Life Insurance has sold insurance products to customers through multiple channels and a well-diversified network of Canara Bank, HSBC Bank and its other bancassurance partners located in multiple Tier 1, 2 and 3 cities across the country. Canara HSBC Life Insurance has a vast portfolio of life insurance solutions and offers various products across individual and group spaces comprising of life, term plans, retirement solutions, credit life and employee benefit segments through partner banks and digital channels.

With an aim to provide simpler insurance and faster claim process, Canara HSBC Life Insurance intends to keep the promises of their customers alive with their ‘Promises Ka Partner’ philosophy.

For further press queries email us on prateek.sharma@canarahsbclife.in

 

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