OCTOBER 20, 2020 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Two-thirds of US seltzer switching gains come from beer
• Sovos: What’s Working in DtC Wine?
• Domestic wine sales down 9% as growth moderates
• How smaller wineries can grab the attention of distributors
• 2020’s record West Coast fires have killed hundreds of the elderly because of smoke pollution
• Power shut-offs are in your future. Keep crush moving. Click to reserve your generator NOW! (Sponsored)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Many California wineries will make no wine this year because of wildfire smoke (possible paywall)
• Owner of Copa di Vino comments on Shark Tank wine scammer
• Read how Golden State Cider stays nimble and compliant. (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Champagne enjoys August bounce back
• 2020 Best wines list for on-premise sector is out (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Sonoma County farmers at the center of battle over Proposition 15 property tax referendum
• Berkeley wineries rally during uncertain times
• Lodi by the numbers & where it stands among the rest of the world
• Explaining the Lodi growers’ Save the Old campaign
• How Has The Role Of The Sommelier Evolved During COVID? (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• Post Covid Trends In The US Wine Industry
• USDA Farm Service Agency extends Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for grapes and other ag commodities
• California Wine Country counties aim for the next tier of coronavirus reopening
• Covid-19 vaccine could see travel recover in six months
• If your food tastes like these 2 things, you probably have the coronavirus

DIVERSITY

• Often Overlooked, Oregon’s Latinx Wine Community Thrives

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Napa’s Nights of Fire on the Mountain
• California’s fabled wine region is having ‘the most horrible, devastating and catastrophic year’
• How the West’s wildfires impact crops
• Wildfire Smoke Can Spread Toxics to Water, Soil, and Elsewhere

DROUGHT/WATER

• A La Niña winter is on the way for the US

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Organic Winemaking Is a Zoo With Armadillos, Falcons, and Pigs (possible paywall)
• How New Zealand’s Wine Industry Is Leading on Sustainability (podcast)
• Bordeaux: Cantenac Brown to build eco-friendly winery

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Drinks Pros Embrace Political Activism

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Selling Wine, Beer, And Spirits In America*(Sponsored)

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Treasury hits sustainability targets and sets sights on more
• Rémy Cointreau sales fall 16.4% in first half of 2020
• LVMH signals investment ‘selectivity’ as Tiffany court battle looms

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Three Bordeaux châteaux sold to Calon Ségur owner

BREXIT

• GI protection post-Brexit: What food and drink producers need to know

DATA & TRENDS

• TTB Approved 165.6K Products L12M through September 2020, A Decrease of -9K (–5.2%)

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Sommeliers can help improve restaurants’ profitability
• A More Wondrous Wine Atlas

MARKETING & SALES

• Celebrity sells: The power of wines backed by famous faces

MEDIA MATTERS

• Book review: Tales of a Vigneron by Barry Johns
• Book Review: Getting to Know Saké

MATTERS OF TASTE

• UV Light for Grapes? (podcast)

WINE PEOPLE

• Meet the man introducing internationals to German wine

WINE PLACES

• Wine Experts On How 2020 Is Highlighting New Wine Regions

WINE HISTORY

• Early Christians Might Have Been High on Hallucinogenic Communion Wine

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• A Looming Menace for Restaurants: Winter Is Coming

EUROPE & THE UK

• There’s More Than One Way to Beaujolais
• Vignobles Jeanjean moves into Pic Saint Loup

DOWN UNDER

• The AWRI, Obsfucation and Misdirection
• OZ: Wine businesses stand to benefit after expansion of instant asset write-off
• Riverland Wine, OZ: Where to in 2021?

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Be A Box Of Wine For Halloween To Reflect Your Inner Wino