JUNE 25, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• EU wine tariffs have already cut U.S. wine imports almost in half. New higher rates are sure to increase pain
• Constellation to sell Nobilo Brands to Gallo & Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy to Sazerac
• Waking up to the whiteness of the trade
• ‘First conviction’ over fake Bordeaux wines in China
• Bayer Announced $10 Billion Settlement In Roundup-Cancer Claims
• Is it worth it to go wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma amid coronavirus? [POSSIBLE PAYWALL]
• Happy [Belated] 9th Blogiversary, The Academic Wino! (plus, a personal note)
• Streamlining a Large Custom Crush Operation for Clients and Cellar Staff (Sponsored)

OBITUARIES

• South Africa: Very sad news of Cobie van Oort passing

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Spirits still lead growth in Nielsen Off-Premise data; Non-West Coast wineries lead DTC growth
• Sommeliers Choice Awards: Special Pricing Ends on June 30, 2020 (Sponsored)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Grow Your Delivery and Curbside Pick Up Business (Sponsored)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Santa Barbara County to allow Los Olivos winery to ferment grapes grown elsewhere
• Grapes lead pandemic specialty crop losses in California

DIVERSITY

• Black Winemakers Report Boom in Sales—Here’s How to Keep It Going

COVID REDUX: RE-OPENING

• Chateau Montelena Winemaker Matt Crafton on Reopening Napa (podcast)
• NYC Bars and Restaurants Restricted by ‘Delinquent List’ During Phase Two of Reopening

COVID & HOSPITALITY

• Urban Wineries Confront The New Normal In The Age Of Covid-19

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Wineries are creating new channels to drive direct to consumer channels (Sponsored)

DROUGHT/WATER

• California’s 21st Century Megadrought
• As potential mega-drought looms, Stanford researchers explore desalination system
• Groundwater 101: The basics

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• 12 Sustainable European Wine Companies Offer A New Annual Family Business Prize

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Prosecco bosses block ‘Nosecco’ trademark for non-alcoholic fizz
• Wine Taxes in Europe

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Stone Vine & Sun’s Simon Taylor: How online sales have been our saviour
• Grow Your Delivery and Curbside Pick Up Business*(Sponsored)

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Majestic Sees Surge In Demand For English Wine During Lockdown

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• OZ: Tech start-up’s $1.25m tale to tell

AGRIFOODTECH

• Autonomous farm robot Burro assists human workers with grape harvest

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• US to consider additional tariffs on beer, gin and vodka

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Unreserved wine auction (Beverly, MA) – Collection of Edward G. Brown

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Not all Arguments Against Wine Scores are Coherent
• It’s not local wine when you’re buying grapes from another state
• The age of arrogance is over. Winemakers, please check your hubris at the (virtual) door!

MARKETING & SALES

• Consumer marketing research study is retracted for unexplained anomalies
• Wineries are creating new channels to drive direct to consumer channels*(Sponsored)

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Cork Supply comes close to eliminating TCA
• In an Upside-Down World, Is America Ready for Flat Bottles?
• Canned Wine Company Grows Exponentially During Pandemic

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Wine Paris and Vinexpo Paris to become a single exhibition

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Barolo Gets the Website it Deserves

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Other Terroir-Driven Treasures of the Columbia Gorge

WINE PEOPLE

• Interview With 26th Generation Leader Alessia Antinori: ‘Now Is A Great Time To Be A Woman In Wine’
• Christoph Künzli Leading A Wine Renaissance In Alto Piemonte
• How Former Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson Went From Aerospace To Winemaking

WINE PLACES

• Well Born, the origin of Bien Nacido Vineyard
• Wine Region Spotlight: Barossa
• A Community Preserving a Child’s Hope

WINE HISTORY

• South African wine history: Behind every great winemaker at Zonnebloem was Marie Furter

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Reinventing The Restaurant For The Coronavirus Era: Portugal Is Getting Creative

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• NM: Still closed by state, wineries struggle
• New Mexico winemaker may shut down for good amid COVID-19 pandemic
• MI: 8 possible COVID-19 exposure sites after infected visitors take wine, bar tours

ACADEMIA

• WSU: New degree in place for wine students

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Mid to late season control of downy and powdery mildew and bunch and sour rots in 2020
• How Dr Junqi Zhu of Plant & Food Research, Marlborough is helping to predict Sauvignon Blanc yields

EUROPE & THE UK

• Fewer wine producers and wine consumers in France, but more beer-drinkers
• Still boosts booming English wine sales

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Hundreds of workers stranded

SOUTH AFRICA

• South African Wine Producers Finding Ways To Thrive During COVID-19

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• NC: ‘It has been devastating:’ Craft beer production down statewide