SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• The Lawrence Family, Heitz Cellar owners, acquire Howell Mountain’s Burgess Cellars
• 2020: The Year Climate Change Got Real for American Wine
• Nearly all missing people accounted for as at least 35 killed in fires in US west
• Snoop Dogg’s for-the-people label and an exclusive club mark extreme poles of the wine world (possible paywall)
• Winemakers Still Fighting the Clone Wars
• When It Comes to Gen Z’s Brand Preferences, the Most Important Influencers Are Their Parents
• Once more, how not to report a wine and health story
• Power shut-offs are in your future. Keep crush moving. Click to reserve your generator NOW! (Sponsored)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Wildfires Threaten OR & WA Wine Harvests
• TerrAvion Chapt 11: up to $50 million in liabilities, less than $50K in assets
• Streamlining a Large Custom Crush Operation for Clients and Cellar Staff (Sponsored)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Some California farmworkers haven’t had masks during wildfires. State investigating
• Wildfire north of Sacramento is largest in California history — and it may not be done growing
• OR: Washington County wine grower on climate change and wildfire: The grapes don’t lie
• Firefighters hope for progress on August fire complex
• August Complex fire threatens communities in ‘Emerald Triangle’ marijuana region (possible paywall)
• Creek Fire live updates: 200,000 acres burned, but evacuations ease as containment hits 10%

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Despite Unprecedented Fires Oregon Wineries Are On Track For An Epic 2020 Vintage
• South Australian Wineries Reflect On A Challenging 2020 Harvest
• Pinot Grigio celebrates good quality harvest, but yields down
• Champagne harvest smashed all records
• Winegrape Growers Face Unusual Season, California Farm Bureau Federation Reports
• Will wildfire smoke damage the 2020 Willamette Valley wine harvest?
• Wine Country Grape Growers Fear Significant Damage From Wildfire Smoke
• ‘Smoke taint’ threatens Monterey County wine grapes
• Washington winemakers hoping impact of wildfires on grapes remains minimal
• Sommeliers Choice Awards Announces 2020 Winners (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• New Alisos Canyon AVA Caps Five-Year Drive for Unique Recognition
• Economic look at Sonoma County predicts job losses, long recovery
• 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards Results Are Out (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• The Rise Of ‘Dark Stores’: Grocery Shopping In Covid-19

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Sonoma considers whether to join other cities in doing retail cannabis

DROUGHT/WATER

• California’s Water Crisis Hits Farmworkers Hardest, Maps Call Attention

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Sustainability in Action: The Many Ways Producers Are Going Green
• As the Climate Changes, California Winemakers Seek Cooler Sites for Cabernet Sauvignon
• Towards Australian grape and wine industry carbon neutrality… the possible dream

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• 3 Exciting Strategies You’ll Love to Sell Wine Online
• Grow Your Delivery and Curbside Pick Up Business*(Sponsored)

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• EU, China sign food protection deal ahead of challenging summit

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Sotheby’s notes increase in younger buyers
• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – September releases in full swing

DATA & TRENDS

• Worldwide patterns of wine consumption

PAYMENTS

• VINPay: new fast track payments for producers & 150 day terms for buyers

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• To Forge a Career in Wine, You Need a Mentor

MEDIA MATTERS

• Losh launches satirical drinks magazine
• A book review of “The Cocktail Dictionary”

MATTERS OF TASTE

• How Port Is Changing: Why It’s Become A Millennial’s Drink
• Sensory Double Standards

WINE PEOPLE

• These Latina Winemakers and Winery Executives Are Making a Splash in Sonoma County
• Navigating Holly’s Hill Vineyards with Josh Bendick
• Alastair Miller in Conversation with wine expert Bartholomew Broadbent (video)
• Peter Mondavi Jr. of Charles Krug Winery (video)

WINE TOURISM

• The Lalique Hotel & Restaurant Is Promoting High-End Wine Tourism In The Sauternes Region

WINE HISTORY

• Archaeologists say earthquake caused sudden disuse of Canaanite wine palace

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Permanent To-Go-Cocktails And Restaurant Bailout Funds May Come More Easily With More Muscle Behind Them

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Royal Slope becomes Washington State’s newest AVA
• BC Hospitality Industry Calls for Revised and Focused Covid Response Measures
• NY: After 43 Years, the Wine Sentinel of the River Café Stands Down (possible paywall)

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• ARS scientists seek answers from Spotted Lanternfly dispersal
• The past, present and future of wine lees valorisation

EUROPE & THE UK

• Champagne Grapples with COVID and Slumping Demand
• Portman Group hits back at report’s ‘radical’ suggestions, including minimum unit pricing for England
• Casella Family Brands reveals plans to tap into UK off-trade wine growth
• Why German wine has an exciting future
• Tuscan Wine Marks Pilgrims’ Progress

DOWN UNDER

• Digital Wine Ventures grows WineDepot management team across Australia-New Zealand market
• Key South Australian wine region leads push to remain GM-free

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• The Surprising History Of Chinese Wine

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Grassroots Campaigns and Educational Partnerships: The Black Women Elevating Craft Beer
• Whiskey’s Battle between Aspiration and Reality
• Hops have history in Sonoma County (possible paywall)
• Don’t Call It A ‘Comebock.’ Hard Seltzer And IPA May Threaten Lagers’ Oft-Ballyhooed Resurgence.