JULY 28, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Foley Johnson winery in Napa Valley closes after worker tests positive for coronavirus
• Bill and Cheryl Swanson Donate $1 million to the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly
• Wine Australia reports 2020 vintage crop down but quality expectation high
• Gallo PR tries to distance winery and Gallo Cattle Co., but no proof available.
• Of Wine, Hand Sanitizer and Heartbreak (NY Times)
• Cooper’s Hawk Winery Leverages Its Unique Business Model
• COVID comfort with restaurants, other leisure activities stagnant for 5th week in a row. Dems & GOP continue to diverge
• Streamlining a Large Custom Crush Operation for Clients and Cellar Staff (Sponsored)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Iron Horse Vineyards co-founder Barry Sterling dies
• At least 244 California wineries and vineyards received between $145 & $328 million from Paycheck Protection Program

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• OZ: Wine’s bad year buoyed by good quality, prices and better water use
• Tablas Creek (Paso Robles): Veraison 2020 reflects our cool July and suggests a (gasp) normal start to harvest
• How To Really Send Your Samples To Prospective Distributors and Importers (Sponsored)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Why Cabernet Franc Is on the Rise in Napa
• Carbaryl products become restricted-use on Aug. 1 in California
• Coronavirus ravages California’s Central Valley, following a cruel and familiar path
• Veteran wine business leader John Grant named CEO of Sonoma County’s Cline Family Cellars
• Results Are Out For The First Edition Of Paris Wine Cup (Sponsored)

COVID & HOSPITALITY

• Wineries explain the fallout from Covid-19

DIVERSITY

• “We all belong here”: New scholarship program supports BIPOC brewers and distillers
• Sharing Black Voices: Wine Spectator Instagram Live Chats Will Spotlight Black Wine Professionals in August
• Black-Owned Wine Brands To Try Out

HEALTH

• Does drinking alcohol increase your risk for COVID-19? Two doctors explain

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• How To Build Your Online Presence To Drive Your Delivery & Curbside Sales? (Sponsored)

DROUGHT/WATER

• Zone 7 Water Agency to Buy Napa’s Surplus

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Château d’Yquem certified organic by 2022
• Amsterdam company creates new vegan trainers from ‘wine leather’

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• The Twenty-First Amendment Enforcement Act isn’t the boon for state enforcement of antiquated and Commerce Clause violating direct shipping restrictions that regulators might think it is. These Ohio alcohol shipping cases are about to show that.
• What Are The Best-Selling Wines Of The Pandemic?
• Grow Your Delivery and Curbside Pick Up Business*(Sponsored)

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• LVMH flags June turnaround after sales slump
• Campari takes 11.3% sales hit

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Prats family acquires Chateau d’Estoublon in Provence

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Nova Scotia pours out policy to support wine industry rather than risk crossing WTO
• 17 associations demand end to wine and spirits tariffs

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Reasons to cheer: the biggest risers year-to-date on Liv-ex
• Auction of Washington Wines takes Events Online, Aug. 11-15
• Nashville Wine Auction cancels in-person fall event, opts for online auction
• You Can Now Own This Championship Champagne, Signed By Michael Jordan Following The 1991 NBA Finals

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• The Future of Trade Tastings

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Dirty Truth About ‘Clean’ Wine (podcast)

WINE PEOPLE

• Rose Kruger: Stellekaya Winery’s Leading Light
• Raising a Glass to Katie Jones & her Instagram lockdown walks
• Penfolds’ Peter Gago video interview
• Guy Eshel, Dalton Winery (podcast)

WINE HISTORY

• How Volcanoes and Plague Killed the Byzantine Wine Industry in Israel

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Danny Meyer on the key takeaway for rescuing restaurants
• The Real Reason I Miss Restaurants Has Nothing to Do With Food

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Federal Excise Tax Exemption & Certain Provincial Preferences for Canadian Wine To Be Eliminated
• NV: Taps cease at Pahrump winery
• OH: Mask-hating customers who caused tension, vandalism at South River Winery are ‘anomaly,’ says owner

ACADEMIA

• MSU Researcher Studies Grapevine Care in Michigan Vineyards

EUROPE & THE UK

• Lacking Inventory Space, French Winemakers Experiment With Hand Sanitizer
• UK hospitality takes a £30bn tumble

DOWN UNDER

• Alternative Future: Australia’s emerging wines
• NZ: Funding to expand Blenheim’s wine research hub

LATIN AMERICA

• Why Argentina’s Malbec Miracle Offers Hope In A Time Of Crisis

SOUTH AFRICA

• South African wine businesses launch DTC platform