JANUARY 12, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Interstate shipping takes a blow as the Supreme Court passes up the chance to settle it
• Wine 2021: The Good News is the Bad News Could Be Much Worse
• 87% of Americans Aren’t In The Spirit for Dry January
• The demographic history of the U.S. alcohol consumer
• Grape compounds may block a key enzyme in the Covid-19 virus says in vitro study
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service. (Sponsored link)

IN MEMORIAM

• Howard G. Goldberg: An Appreciation

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Wine’s Bubble Ready to Burst…Or Not?
• Crimson Wine to restate 3+ years of financial results after independent review of “unreliable” accounting errors
• 2020 USA Wine Ratings Winners Announced (Sponsored link)

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Supreme Court Denies Review of Lebamoff Challenge to Michigan Retail Delivery Laws
• Selling Wine, Beer, And Spirits In America*(Sponsored)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• What’s new at the 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards and how that will help wine brands. (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Federal small-business coronavirus relief loan period opens Jan. 11, while California grant deadline is now Jan. 13
• Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute Celebrates 25 Years
• Closed restaurants stacking up in Healdsburg as ‘buyer’s market’ attracts investors
• 2021 Lodi Grape Day Agenda Announced

COVID-19

• Wine Industry Leaders Discuss The Cultural Implications Of The Pandemic (possible paywall)

DIVERSITY

• Promoting diversity & inclusion through Latinas Wine Club
• Be the Change Initiative inspires social change in the wine industry through diversity and inclusion efforts

HEALTH

• Dry January is easier during COVID for some in the Bay Area. For others, it’s just another stressor (possible paywall)
• Switching from beer and spirits to drinking wine with food dramatically lowers risk of disease, says study
• Review backs role of grape polyphenols in sports performance

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Napa’s Burning Problem: A Napa Valley Register series taking an in-depth look at Napa County’s vulnerability to wildfires (possible paywall)
• Grapes, Wine and Smoke Taint: How to deal with the ashtray in your grapes or bottles
• Calif: Dry weather pattern comes on heels of one of the driest, warmest falls on record

AMAZON

• Amazon Is Now America’s Favorite Grocer, Annual Survey Says

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Soil scientists at UBC Okanagan are digging into the challenge of making plants more resilient to environmental change

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands ramps up hard seltzer capacity; increases push into ecommerce
• What next for Constellation after Gallo deal?
• UK: CMA launches investigation into Diageo’s purchase of Chase Distillery

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• France pushes EU Commission on winemaker support fund after U.S. tariffs
• Cognac And French Wine Sales Are Set To Suffer From A New Round Of Trump-Imposed Tariffs (possible paywall)

BREXIT

• Importing & exporting fine wine in the post-Brexit world

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Liv-ex 2020 Power 100: Leroy regains the top spot
• Bordeaux Index sales top $125m

MARKETING & SALES

• WG&S: ‘Decentralisation of luxury consumers present unique challenges for luxury brands’

MATTERS OF TASTE

• No sulphites added wine: the great debate
• Why Clos du Rois is a case for upgrading Coulanges-la-Vineuse
• Nic Clerc: how Bourgogne’s “Regional appellations are a genuine steal”
• Why You Should Be Drinking Petite Sirah Right Now, California’s Most Misunderstood Red
• Riedel me this!

WINE PEOPLE

• New Horizons Q&A: Michelle Brampton, Treasury Wine Estates

WINE HISTORY

• After 2,000 Years, Pompeii Wine Bar to ‘Reopen’ this Spring
• Exploring the Changes in the Wine World During the Past Quarter Century

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• This chart shows how the restaurant industry’s recovery stumbled in December
• Why don’t we know how many SF restaurants have closed in 2020? It’s complicated.

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Broadlands Drinks adds Clem Yates MW as consultant winemaker
• New rules on alcohol sales in Ireland introduced

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Innovative digital solution launches to help wineries expand premium quality export sales
• OZ: Digital Wine Ventures dominates McLaren Vale wine region as orders surge over holiday season

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Police bust biggest fake Penfolds operation in China

SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa: Adjusted Level 3 extended with the alcohol ban still in place