SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Feds charge man with using Woodbridge vineyard as right-wing militia training camp
• Surprising silver lining to COVID-19 in US on-premise
• Playing Favorites with Wine Allocations
• Food kits, crop protection are now top Foodtech/Agtech VC investment trends
• Power shut-offs are in your future. Keep crush moving. Click to reserve your generator NOW! (Sponsored)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• COVID boom is still boosting off-premise AlcBevs
• TerrAvion Chapt 11: up to $50 million in liabilities, less than $50K in assets
• How two winemakers organized four brands from grape to bottle at two facilities. (Sponsored)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Napa Valley’s Somerston Estate forgoes 2020 vintage due smoke damage from wildfires
• Creek Fire now the largest single wildfire in California history
• Notes of smoke and ash: Wine grapes tainted by West Coast fires
• ‘Lemonade out of lemons’: Distillery turns smoke-tainted wine grapes into purposefully smoky grappa (possible paywall)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Strawberries and wine grapes make up over half of SLO County crops in 2019
• The Pandemic is One of Many Forces Upending the 2020 Champagne Harvest
• Illinois grape harvest season underway
• English winery experiences earliest ever harvest
• Sommeliers Choice Awards Announces 2020 Winners (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• First Virtual Livermore Valley Wine Auction Raises $85,000 for School Meals
• California regulators identify violations after Rodney Strong wine spill, but no fine yet
• Paso Robles winemaker accepts plea deal for shooting ‘threatening’ neighbor’s golf cart
• Veteran Local Winemaker’s Donation Supports SRJC Wine Program
• 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards Results Are Out (Sponsored link)

DIVERSITY

• One in a Thousand Winemakers Is Black. These Men Are Working to Close the Industry’s Gap.

HEALTH

• Examining The Bioavailability of Health-Benefitting Polyphenols in Wine

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• What to learn from fitness apps; how to do DTC well
• Grow Your Delivery and Curbside Pick Up Business*(Sponsored)

REAL ESTATE

• $2.3M Danville Estate Is Slice Of Wine Country

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands Continuing To Leverage Its High-Value Portfolio Through The Pandemic

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Special report – The changing nature of fine wine buying
• Buying demand: Asia in focus
• Rothschild name still holds sway in Asia

DATA & TRENDS

• Big data a big boon to growers

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• We Should Get Rid of Typicity as a Criterion of Wine Quality

MARKETING & SALES

• Is Black Friday Dead? Not Just Yet
• Apparently the WWE is in the wine business now

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Gut Hermannsberg Shows A New Face For German Rieslings
• The gentle art of spitting

WINE PEOPLE

• James Hocking: California’s UK ambassador for premium wines
• Frederique Boudouani Brings Natural Wine to America’s Heartland

WINE PLACES

• The Vineyards of the Canary Islands Are Covered in Volcanic Ash

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• AZ: Southwest Wine Center promotes hands-on viticulture, enology
• Washington Wine Struggles Pt 1 (podcast)

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Should You Drop Unsold Fruit or Leave it on the Vine?
• How to Stop the Spotted Lanternfly
• Genetic markers are the future of viticulture

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Former winery owner denied appeal bid and must pay $3.3million to US investors

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China Says It Wants Less Aussie Wine, But Drinkers Say More Please