APRIL 20, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• To Industry Insiders, The Immediate Future For Wineries Is Grim
• COVID-19 could permanently reshape the business of wine in Napa Valley
• Bryant Family Vineyards owners win dismissal of consultant’s compensation case
• USDA Announces $19 Billion Aid Package to Farmers and Ranchers
• Lousy margins are the real reasons restaurants are sinking
• Small wineries and businesses: Consumers will trust you more if you promote your size
• U.S. Economic Confidence Shows Record Drop
• COVID 19: What Wineries and Distilleries Can Do In Next 60 Days, hosted by Sid Patel, CEO of Beverage Trade Network (Sponsored)

OBITUARIES

• Liz Berry MW RIP
• Denis Irwin, a great NZ wine pioneer, has died
• Don Hewitson, a friend of Australian and New Zealand wine, has died
• Ward Burnett Thompson has died

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Why Napa’s Top Winemakers Take to the Hills to Craft Their Cabernets
• Larry Saarloos Survives Horse Accident
• Boutique winemakers: Save time and effort this harvest season with this new production app! Click now to learn more! (Sponsored)

COVID-19 LEGAL & REGULATORY RELIEF

• Covid-19: small businesses face a dim outlook as aid runs out
• Shake Shack Received, Then Returned, $10 Million in Stimulus Funding
• CARES Act

COVID-19 SURVIVAL TIPS

• COVID-19: Initiatives From the Wine Sector
• Save the Small Importers and Retailers
• What will it take for historic SF bars like Specs’ to survive coronavirus? Crowdfunding
• New online tool helps US restaurants to sell fine wines

COVID-19 DELAYS/CANCELLATIONS

• Chengdu Wine Fair postponed until further notice

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• US Wine Losses from COVID-19 Could Reach $5.94 Billion
• Special Premium Report: Industry and investor guide to Wine/Viticulture-relevant AgTech technologies and companies

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• No Safety in Numbers for Wine Grapes
• 6 ways we will end up as ‘Post Corona Consumers’
• Saint-Emilion Hit By Hailstorm, Vine Damage
• Argentine Vintner Dr. Laura Catena Discusses Harvest During a Crisis
• French wine’s defeat to Australia in figures
• One billion litres of wine at risk in Europe, MEP says
• UK adults drink less alcohol during lockdown
• Canadians up alcohol intake during coronavirus lockdown
• From overwhelmed to organized: See how well Vineyard 29’s first harvest went with Vintrace (Sponsored)

HEALTH

• Great news for mice who drink too much! Study IDs Key Brain Region Involved in Bingeing
• Why WHO says you should avoid alcohol during pandemic

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

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

DROUGHT/WATER

• Dry season with summer fast approaching renews drought threat in Sonoma County

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Greenwashing, wine, and Earth Day
• Grape harvest dates and year-to-year climate variability (global climate change)

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• TTB Publishes Final Rule Modernizing Labeling and Advertising Regulations for Alcoholic Beverages

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Kentucky Opens to Winery Direct Shipping
• Strategies to help you grow your Sales: Grow Your Beverage Business with Sid Patel *(Sponsored)

REAL ESTATE

• What it Takes to Sell a Wine Estate

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Campari to buy majority stake in Champagne Lallier
• Overproof, AI-driven business intelligence and strategic planning platform for the beverage alcohol industry, raises $1.25M in fourth seed round
• Grasshopper farming firm Hargol FoodTech secures $3m in funding (time to start thinking about new wine pairings?)

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Bardolino and Chiaretto: an antidote to ‘tariff tiffs’?

DISTRIBUTORS

• Longhouse Wines Signs With Scout Distribution, Continues Expansion Throughout San Diego and Orange County

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – Bordeaux share hits another record low

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Debating Terry Theise on Wine and Food Pairing
• How Stefan Neumann MS gets guests to discover ‘new’ wines

MARKETING & SALES

• Don’t cut ad spend in this crisis – build share of voice
• Talking about Millennial consumers today on The Real Business of Wine
• Creating A Successful Brand Launch In The US *(Sponsored)

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Dead Weight — Are heavy wine bottles a good idea?

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Tofanelli Case Study: social media

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• H-2A minimum wage reduction under consideration
• Washington farmworker unions sue state over pandemic housing guidelines
• Is protecting farmworkers a national security issue? Fresno-area farmers say yes

MEDIA MATTERS

• Delivering Non-COVID Wine Announcements When the Media Isn’t Covering Wine

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Subtle Symphony of the Winery
• Ropiness in wine

WINE PEOPLE

• Franck Duboeuf recalls his father’s early years in Beaujolais
• David Graves on The Taste with Doug Shafer (podcast)
• ‘Wine can be McDonald’s, wine can be Michelin’ | Q&A with Wang Shenghan aka Lady Penguin
• Duncan Savage and the Charisma of South African Old Vine Blends
• Lenz Moser on life after the coronavirus
• I’ll Drink to That: Winemaker Christopher Howell (podcast)
• SA Wine Trailblazers:  Wade Sander
• Interview with Frank Morgan, DrinkWhatYOULike (podcast)

WINE EDUCATION

• Court of Master Sommeliers Certifications & What Makes a Wine Classic (video)
• WSET ramps up digital learning in response to Covid-19

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Predicting the post-bottling sulfite concentration evolution and wine shelf-life

EUROPE & THE UK

• European wine v covid-19: Problems and solutions
• How France’s wine industry came to the figure of 3 million hl and €80/hl for crisis distillation
• UK: Jeroboams’ Hugh Sturges – retail is key to getting through Covid-19
• UK: Vagabond Wines denied ‘valid’ insurance claim for covid losses
• Produttori del Barbaresco: the worlds best wine cooperative?
• Letter from Italy: “Issues in our hospitality industry that need to be addressed as we rebuild” by Francesco Bonfio.

DOWN UNDER

• ‘Responsible’ West Australians help lift takeaway alcohol limit

SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa’s wine trade rallies support for vulnerable communities
• South African wine industry puts cost of ban on exports at R650m so far
• The future of Franschhoek

EXTENDED CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 COVERAGE

• Beer may lose its fizz as CO2 supplies go flat during pandemic
• Coronavirus a ‘9/11 moment’ for hospitality sector
• What grocery workers say stores have done wrong amid COVID-19