MAY 4, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Post Lock-Down Opportunity for Wineries
• Federal Court Blocks Wine Stores from Shipping into Michigan
• Data Measures Pandemic Effects On The Alcohol Market For Today And Tomorrow
• A $7 million fund for out-of-work bartenders could end up not helping most applicants. Why?
• Coronavirus Will Change Not Just How, But What, We Buy
• Too many wine ratings are just meaningless numbers
• Product-specific ads don’t sell very well right now. But here’s are 13 types that do.
• COVID 19: What Wineries and Distilleries Can Do In Next 60 Days, hosted by Sid Patel, CEO of Beverage Trade Network (Sponsored)

OBITUARIES

• UC Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology Professor Emeritus Dave Smart has died

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• USDA 2019 California Grape Acreage Report (PDF)
• Insurers challenged for denying business-interruption coverage during coronavirus economic lockdown
• Napa, Sonoma, Marin, Solano hotel occupancy in late April shows glimpse of stability amid pandemic
• Out of State Importer Seeks Appeal to 9th Circuit in Challenge to California Three Tier Law
• Sonoma County extends stay-home order indefinitely, but eases some restrictions
• Boutique winemakers: Save time and effort this harvest season with this new production app! Click now to learn more! (Sponsored)

COVID-19 OPENING UP

• Wine and spirits suppliers hopeful as US restaurants reopen
• Texas restaurants reopen today and it scares me to hell.

COVID-19 LEGAL & REGULATORY RELIEF

• 7 ways to check if coronavirus triggers ‘force majeure’ clauses in your wine business contracts
• PPP Forgivable Loans Will be Unforgiving for Many

COVID-19 SURVIVAL TIPS

• Wine businesses and smaller restaurants are getting creative to stay afloat, according to a master sommelier — but even as alcohol purchases boom the industry needs our support
• OZ: Wake me up when this harvest ends – Green Day cover by vintrace (video)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• US wine sales in stores up 14% in 5th week of coronavirus lockdown but tripled via e-commerce
• Bryant Family Vineyards owners win dismissal of consultant’s compensation case
• Special Premium Report: Industry and investor guide to Wine/Viticulture-relevant AgTech technologies and companies

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• NZ: Grape harvest ‘incredible’, even in a pandemic
• From overwhelmed to organized: See how well Vineyard 29’s first harvest went with Vintrace (Sponsored)

HEALTH

• Labels on Alcohol Bottles Increase Awareness of Drinking Harms, Guidelines
• WHO wants you to stop drinking NOW

WILDFIRES

• USDA teaming with wine industry on smoke taint research effort
• Drought makes early start of the fire season likely in Northern California

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Constellation Brands exercises warrants to acquire shares in Canopy Growth
• Depletion: Why and How To Build Your Brand Around It (Sponsored)

DROUGHT/WATER

• California and the West may be in a rare ‘megadrought,’ researchers say
• Sierra snow pack is 3% of May average: Here’s what that means
• Protecting California’s Aquatic Biodiversity in a Time of Crisis

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Strategic planning for climate change

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• No Oral Argument Yet in 8th Circuit Retail Shipping Case, State Files Supplemental Authority Notice With Court
• State of North Carolina Files Motion To Dismiss Retail Shipping Case
• Special wine, liquor orders can be sent directly to retailers, Pa. court rules

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

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

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• McKeon parts with Accolade
• Total Wine = Total Hypocrisy
• AB InBev wins latest legal battle against Molson Coors

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Liv-ex 100 declines 0.30% in April
• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – Italy in April

DATA & TRENDS

• The Most Admired Wine Brands are very different this year

MARKETING & SALES

• Building a Brand, Italy (video)
• Creating A Successful Brand Launch In The US *(Sponsored)

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• The Labels, with Neil Tully MW (video)

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Winery Photography – Why it’s so important

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• In the Wine Business, Can Women Easily Find Their Place?
• Oregon issues pandemic farming rules
• Judge stays on sideline, for now, on Washington farmworker rules

MEDIA MATTERS

• A Wine-Themed Pandemic Reading List

MATTERS OF TASTE

• A Wine Geek’s Guide to Chardonnay Clones Around the World
• Rediscovering the Comforts of the Dinner Table
• Why regionality is next step for New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc
• Champagne’s Workhorse Grape Steps into the Spotlight
• Ungrafted Vines: Wine from a Time Capsule
• Clean Power of Pisa Trumps Chianti

WINE PEOPLE

• Catching Up With Varinder Sahi of Copia Vineyards
• Judd Wallenbrock, CEO of Charles Krug (podcast)
• The California Winemakers Turning a Blending Grape into a Standalone Success
• Bruce Murray of Boundary Breaks: Leaving a life of tech startups for the allure of Finger Lakes Riesling
• In Conversation With David Bolzan, Managing Director Of Vignobles Silvio Denz And First-Growth Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey Revisited By Lalique
• Q&A: Andrea Sartori
• Michael White went from politics to pressing grapes
• Michel Chapoutier on Covid-19’s Impact on French Wine and Restaurants (podcast)

WINE PLACES

• LA’s Oldest Winery Survived Prohibition, the Great Depression, and World Wars, and Is Now Thriving During the Pandemic

WINE HISTORY

• Wine in the Time of Plague and War (video)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Wine-rich Yakima County, WA has the highest rate of coronavirus illness on the West Coast
• Maryland Wine and Grape Promotion Fund Accepting Grant Applications
• Grants aim to advance North Dakota’s grape and wine industry

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• The productive, economic, and social efficiency of vineyards using combined drought-tolerant rootstocks and efficient low water volume deficit irrigation techniques under Mediterranean semiarid conditions

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK consumers are drinking less despite surging sales, new survey shows
• The latest news from Italy’s wineries and wine groups

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Thailand to allow alcohol sales after three-week ban

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• New Survey Shows COVID-19 Creating Severe Financial Hardships for Craft Distillers
• New Study Shows Craft Distilleries Have Laid Off 40% Of Workers — Here’s What Could Help The Industry
• Tequila is the spirit of choice during coronavirus lockdown as consumers stock up ahead of Cinco de Mayo