SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Undocumented Farmworkers Toil in California Fire Evacuation Zones
• The New Strategies for Wine Retail Success
• Impact Databank: U.S. Wine Market To Increase By Volume This Year, Owing To Off-Premise Gains
• Wine’s New Alcohol Balancing Act
• Flashback to the Future? Wine & the Demolition Man Syndrome
• Slow, expensive U.S. mobile connections can hinder Wine DTC
• Power shut-offs are in your future. Keep crush moving. Click to reserve your generator NOW! (Sponsored)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• TerrAvion Chapt 11: up to $50 million in liabilities, less than $50K in assets
• To Kalon Trial lawsuit gets underway
• Harvard-controlled LLC in $120+ million deal with anonymous LLC connected with Canadian pension fund.
• Ruby Grapes sues Intercoastal Wine charging criminal pandemic profiteering.
• Streamlining a Large Custom Crush Operation for Clients and Cellar Staff (Sponsored)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Creek Fire grows to 162,833 acres, with 365 structures damaged or destroyed
• Oak Fire is at 700 acres with no official containment
• Oregon wildfires: Governor declares emergency, calls situation ‘dangerous’
• ‘Unprecedented’ wildfires continue to rage across Oregon as thousands are forced to flee
• Making Sense of Purple Air vs. AirNow, and a New Map to Rule Them All
• More than 2 million acres – a modern-day record – have burned in California so far in 2020
• The Wine Makers – Smoke (podcast)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Calif: Winegrape growers face unusual season
• Sommeliers Choice Awards Announces 2020 Winners (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• California Farmers Left to Battle Wildfires On Their Own
• PG&E trying a new tactic in power cuts to prevent wildfires
• 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards Results Are Out (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• Essential Workers: Drink Pros Bring Hospitality to the Pandemic Front Lines
• Marin County appeals California decision to push back easing of coronavirus restrictions

DIVERSITY

• Building an Inclusive Digital Drinks Community Requires Genuine Care and Commitment
• Wine Language and Diversity

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

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

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Delving into waste yields sweet results

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• September 9 Day of Action Planned to Urge Congressional Passage of Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act Before Year-End Deadline

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

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

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• AB InBev launches search process to replace CEO

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• China expects ag anti-dumping cases played by Beijing’s rules

DISTRIBUTORS

• Calabria Family Wines acquires Australian distribution of prosecco label Canti

DATA & TRENDS

• Recovery in spend levels on wine for at home occasions following significant dips in March
• The grape varieties that have increased and declined the most since 2000

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Wine competitions: quality signals or fruitless endeavours?

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• The Coming Fight Over Ingredient Labeling On Wine

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste at Association for Chemoreception Sciences

MEDIA MATTERS

• Blogging and Digital Communication in the Wine Biz (podcast)
• The Good Old Days

MATTERS OF TASTE

• What is a “Super Tuscan” and where did the term come from? The answer might surprise you.

WINE PEOPLE

• Javier Pagés, President of DO Cava, On Changing the Perception of Cava
• Why This Former LVMH Executive Left The Corporate World To Make Wine In Burgundy
• Sommelier Talk: Daniel Tucker Takes Over
• Behind the Wines with Elaine Chukan Brown: Jane Anson, Wine Writer and Author (video)

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Michelin delays 2021 restaurant guides
• James Beard would hate the awards that bear his name (possible paywall)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Vancouver-based company seeks to revolutionize wine industry one barrel at a time

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Robots shed light on grape powdery mildew
• Barrel racking systems: time for a rethink?

EUROPE & THE UK

• Revolution comes to Burgundy
• EU General Court rejects Slovenia’s suit over teran wine label

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• How a Start-Up Distillery Generated Six-Figures in Sales During a Pandemic
• The ‘Crushing Impact’ of Covid-19 on Craft Spirits, From Liquor Stores to Private Parties