APRIL 9, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Will Covid-19 Change Online Wine Forever?
• March ecommerce sales offset 70% of lost tasting room sales: WineDirect
• Aussie wildfires impacts on its wine industry — Lessons for Calif
• Treasury Wines splitting off Penfolds is a ‘distraction’, Citi says
• Naked Wines to take on new customers again
• Social engagement with alcohol brands up 327% following coronavirus donations
• From overwhelmed to organized: See how well Vineyard 29’s first harvest went with Vintrace (Sponsored)

OBITUARIES

• Alan Steen, co-founder of St. Helena’s Whitehall Lane Winery, dies at 91
• Lester Eber passed away at the age of 82 from complications of Covid-19

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Judge Denies Bid to Close Gates on Federal Water Grab in California Delta
• California farm values largely stable in 2019
• CEO of Napa winery Domaine Carneros to step back from the role
• Chappellet Vineyard Promotes Mitch Boyd to Director of Sales
• California Winegrape Growers Reminded to Vote
• Boutique winemakers: Save time and effort this harvest season with this new production app! Click now to learn more! (Sponsored)

COVID-19 SURVIVAL TIPS

• Ross Sleet: we’ve all been rocked – it’s time to prepare for a different future
• Leadership In Crisis – What To Do
• Sommelier Erik Segelbaum on How to Help Furloughed Wine Professionals (podcast)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Treasury Wine weighs Penfolds demerger, U.S. cutback to cope with virus
• DTC merger shakes up industry, creates US’s largest AlcBev logistics provider

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Germany’s 2019 vintage below ten year average as searing summer temperatures take their toll
• Loire UK exports reach previous levels
• Burgundy Winemakers Say ‘The Vine Continues’ This Spring, Despite Social Distancing
• IBWSS San Francisco moves to Oct 28-29, 2020. (Sponsored)

HEALTH

• Resveratrol may contribute to brain ageing reversal by as much as ten years

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Depletion: Why and How To Build Your Brand Around It (Sponsored)

DROUGHT/WATER

• The battle over the raising of Shasta Dam

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Wine Rewards Startup Commits to 1% Donation to Environment, Invests in Sustainable Future

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Off-Premise Wine Sales Boom Weakening
• Kentucky’s New DTC Shipping Rules Become Law
• Let’s Give the Post Office a Drink — NOW
• Minibar Delivery Hits All-Time Sale Highs While Helping Mom And Pop Shops Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
• Strategies to help you grow your Sales: Grow Your Beverage Business with Sid Patel *(Sponsored)

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands provides update on Mexico brewery operations in the midst of COVID-19 outbreak
• Diageo withdraws forecast, halts buyback programme
• Diageo hires TWE boss as Australian managing director
• Naked projects revenue in excess of £200m
• Treasury Wine’s posh-plonk split calls for a toast
• Is the Treasury Wine share price a buy after its Penfolds bombshell?

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Jane Anson: the ‘Inside’ track on Bordeaux and the En Primeurs

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Wine scores are as unreliable as a browser test
• One more post on the wine-food pairing argument

MARKETING & SALES

• Commerce7 launches “Commerce7 NOW” – instant websites for small wineries
• Creating A Successful Brand Launch In The US *(Sponsored)

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Drinks brands should “radically rethink” B2C social media messages

MEDIA MATTERS

• Jancis Robinson MW reaches out to hospitality workers

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Five Virtues of a Wine Lover

WINE PEOPLE

• Winegrower Chad Melville (video)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Pennsylvania wine retailers can’t get the Liquor Control Board to replenish their best bottles
• Updated COVID19 Analysis for the Canadian Wine Sector

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Winemaking Q&A with Jim Duane (podcast)

EUROPE & THE UK

• Italian MEP accuses Prosecco vending machine of breaking EU law
• Reluctance by insurers to provide cover forces Cognac growers to equip themselves against frost damage
• Germans still to drink too much alcohol
• French milk and wine makers need EU help in crisis
• Brits aren’t really drinking more during lockdown

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Ningxia region continues to grow

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Six leading sommeliers in Russia share their plans for survival

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Beer Slated for Now-Cancelled World Beer Cup Will Become Hand Sanitizer

EXTENDED CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 COVERAGE

• Coronavirus’ Continued Brutal Impact On The Wine Business: Richard Siddle
• Beer, Wine, & Spirits Producers Are Stepping Up During The Pandemic, Aided By Government Standing Down
• Is My Takeout Risking Lives or Saving Restaurants?
• Key trends emerging from Covid-19 crisis identified by IWSR
• The coronavirus wine diaries, volume 2