JANUARY 16, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Premium winery 2019 sales grow, but margins, pretax profits decline
• Prohibition failed, so why are we voluntarily embracing Dry January?
• Smoke taint fears are making Aussie winemakers nervous, but new detection tech is on the way
• ‘Fire clouds’: After Australia, scientists warn the erratic weather phenomenon could become a new reality
• Boutique winemakers: Save time and effort this harvest season with this new production app! Click now to learn more! (Sponsored)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Hard Times Ahead for US Wine
• Breaking the doom loop: Wine desperately needs AgTech to get out of its slump.
• 7 proven ways to boost wine restaurant sales (Sponsored)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• The Dry Januarians Are A Threat That Need A Response

TARIFFS

• This retailer ordered 35,000 cases of French wine to brace for possible tariffs
• Tariffs On European Booze Will Hurt American Consumers

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa Valley Vintners donate $1.3 Mil to Early Childhood Health and Development
• How migrant farm workers created Napa Valley’s Llamas Family Wines, an inspiration for entrepreneurs
• Napa County warns residents against phone scammers impersonating PG&E
• Scheid Family Wines Reports Third Quarter Results
• West Berkeley just became California’s hub for natural wine
• This insider look at distributor Friday meetings can spotlight your wine (Sponsored)

HEALTH

• Forget Dry January — drinking alcohol in moderation may be linked to a longer lifespan
• Quercetin in onions, teas, apples and red wine can reduce blood pressure
• Share a pint or glass of wine between three to drink safely, says expert
• When Coca Cola takes over Dry January, the wine industry gets hot under the collar
• How to reduce phthalate levels in wine

WILDFIRES

• OZ: Fortune favouring Mudgee region wine during harsh conditions

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• What’s driving SLO County’s erratic marijuana oversight?

DROUGHT/WATER

• Strong and cold NorCal storm Thursday, then a less active late January pattern to follow
• Notice of preparation of environmental impact report for the Delta conveyance project *Updated with DWR press release*
• Briefing on the 2019 update to the State of the Estuary Report
• City of St. Helena faces $57,000 fine for wastewater discharge

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Are Wine Marketers Contributing to Climate Change?

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• A documentary on Prohibition reminds us that regulations from 100 years ago still vex local wine biz today

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• US and China sign Phase One trade deal

DISTRIBUTORS

• Get Actionable Insights For Your Import and Distribution Business Here. (Sponsored)

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Fine wine prices in 2019: merchants’ predictions vs reality
• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – Bordeaux ’09 still strong
• Fine wine investment: Diminishing uncertainty

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• After Parker: Wine in the ‘Age of Re-Discovery’

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Ramondin and Janson Capsules finalize joint venture deal
• Bordeaux’s ‘first’ wine with augmented reality label unveiled

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Vinexpo CEO confident ahead of Hong Kong 2020 show

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Labor bill puts burden of proof on accused Washington farmers

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Burgundy 2018: Smaller AOCs coming into their own

WINE PEOPLE

• Remembering Harold Olmo: The ‘Indiana Jones of viticulture’

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• A new device for stabilisation of white wines throughout a continous flow system (PDF)
• Rapid sensory profiling methods for wine : workflow optimisation for research and industry applications
• Technology to transform vineyard management

DOWN UNDER

• Randall wine empire moves into Australia’s Riverland
• BlackRock ramps up Australian wine investments
• NZ tasting: alternative styles playing expanding role in export growth

LATIN AMERICA

• Exploring Chile’s outer limits

SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa: Roodezandt and McGregor Join Forces to Form Super Winery

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• 2019: The Year Bourbon Went Ballistic
• For Ethiopian-style honey wine, dock at San Francisco’s Ferry Building