JANUARY 13, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Premium Wineries Sustain Pre-Tax Profits Despite Lower 2020 Sales Growth: SVB Wine Industry Report
• Impact Databank: Spurred By Off-Premise Surge, U.S. Wine Market Rises By An Estimated 2% In 2020
• Wine.com sales surpass $300 million in 2020
• Wine packaging and the rise of e-commerce
• Jack Daniel’s Not Amused by Dog Toy Decision
• Bordeaux-ver the moon: French wine to return from space station after 12 months
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service. (Sponsored link)

MORE SVB REPORT COVERAGE

• Live videocast and release of the 20th annual State of the Wine Industry Report
• Silicon Valley Bank Predicts the Wine Industry Will See a Spike in Demand When Consumers Celebrate Postponed Life Events in 2021
• Highlights From The 2021 State Of The U.S. Wine Industry (possible paywall)
• West Coast fine wineries see sales slip 7% in pandemic, but profits rise equal amount: SVB report

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Interstate shipping takes a blow as the Supreme Court passes up the chance to settle it
• 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

• Proportion of wine drinkers who would consider buying wine online in the future
• Selling Wine, Beer, And Spirits In America*(Sponsored)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Washington: Grape stats for 2020: good, bad and ugh-ly
• What’s new at the 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards and how that will help wine brands. (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Sonoma County in settlement talks with Skipstone Ranch Winery after record land-use fine
• Allied Grape Growers Hires Michael Haddox as Manager of Central Coast Operations
• Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners Appoints Michael Cerio as Vice President of Operations
• Napa Valley Vintners provides grant for Queen’s emergency department (possible paywall)
• Napa Valley tourism industry’s 2021 resolutions (possible paywall)
• Wineries struggle during closures of tasting rooms

COVID-19

• Inside the C-suite: Rich Bouwer of Sonoma’s Free Flow Wines talks surge in canned wine during the pandemic, rebound for restaurants
• Calif: COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards Frequently Asked Questions

HEALTH

• Drinking Alcohol May Reduce Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Drinking one small glass of wine a day is linked to heart problems, study finds

DROUGHT/WATER

• Climate change vulnerability assessment looks at climate impacts to Delta as a place, agriculture, recreation, and infrastructure

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Biodynamic group respekt-Biodyn adds new members

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• The Glory of Mississippi Direct Wine Shipping

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Constellation Brands Completes Series of Transactions to Premiumize Portfolio With Sale of Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy to Sazerac

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• France’s hopes lift as US freezes tariffs over tech tax
• A new wine tariff could make French wines 25% more expensive in the Bay Area (possible paywall)

BREXIT

• Brexit deal offers boost for wine but concerns linger

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Burgundy in 2021: an industry debate featuring Liv-ex’s Justin Gibbs (video)

DATA & TRENDS

• Predictions for the wine industry in 2021
• After COVID: The Top Ten Trends Shaping The Adult Beverage Market In 2021 (possible paywall)
• 5 Insights from Drizly’s December Sales

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• When is a wine corked

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Bourgogne Leaders Debate: Driving the region through 2021
• Prince Robert of Luxembourg: why Bordeaux needs to open up, and Château Quintus deserves more respect
• What is the Philosophy of Wine?
• Anchors

WINE PEOPLE

• Remembering Howard Goldberg

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• TX: Pflugerville approves 33-acre annexation for future wine distribution site

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• A tunnel shelters vines from 80% of plant protection products

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK Portraits: Adventurous Explorers have increased their share of wine volume in the UK since 2018, whilst some drinkers have moved from bargain hunters to kitchen casuals

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: What’s your biosecurity bubble?
• OZ: New chief winemaker at Howard Park

SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa’s drinks industry seeks tax relief after new sales ban
• Alcohol ban: Defeating Covid-19 requires a pragmatic approach, not scapegoating
• Coronavirus and South African wine: Mike Ratcliffe of Vilafonté

AROUND THE GLOBE

• A Crucial Moment in Lebanon’s 7,000-Year Wine History

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• The Hard Seltzer Market Is Getting More Crowded (possible paywall)