JANUARY 18, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Gallo, Constellation and the Impact of Corporatization in Wine
• Precept Sweetens Its Portfolio with Acquisition of Sheffield Cellars and Fairbanks Dessert Wine Brands
• IWSR announces acquisition of Wine Intelligence
• A fresh take on wine events could supercharge industry diversity
• Ganau launches EPIQ – Corks with threshold of ≤0.5 ng/L TCA backed by peer-reviewed science (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Williams Selyem deal aims to avoid a soulless private equity future (possible paywall)
• 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

• GenX consumption going nowhere. Gen Z and Millennials on the Rise.
• Selling Wine, Beer, And Spirits In America*(Sponsored)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Sonoma County wine grape pricing rises, partly stabilizes in early 2021, reversing oversupply
• Wine sales will keep rising after the pandemic, SVB report predicts — but maybe not for long (possible paywall)
• South African exports to UK rise 23%
• What’s new at the 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards and how that will help wine brands. (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• ‘Direct from cellar’ event to replace Auction Napa Valley
• Burgundy Comes Calling for Sonoma Pinot
• Napa supervisors grant Balloons Above the Valley more launches
• Four Corners Wine expands Cali portfolio with new trio
• Napa County looks for ways to balance housing, ag preservation (possible paywall)
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service. (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• A technique for regaining taste and sense of smell after Covid
• It’s Not Your Fault That Restaurants Are Going Out of Business During the Pandemic

DIVERSITY

• Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Scholarship Contest Promotes Racial Equality Education in High Schools
• MLK would be 92 today. Here’s how Twitter users honored him
• MLK Day: How Stevie Wonder’s ‘Happy Birthday’ propelled the movement

HEALTH

• One small alcoholic drink a day is linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation
• Can wine ever be good for you?

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Calif: Topsy-turvy weather pattern to bring record warmth and strong winds, but then big shift to colder/wetter conditions

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Sonoma County’s North Bay Credit Union chosen as ‘preferred’ California cannabis industry banking partner
• Canada: Give cannabis producers more packaging and labelling flexibility

DROUGHT/WATER

• Sonoma County flirts with drought as reservoirs recede in water-poor winter
• Managing Groundwater Overdraft – Combining Crop and Water Decisions (without salinity)

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Whitmer takes the path of least Constitutional resistance

AGRIFOODTECH

• Precision Ag Use on the Rise With More Fruit Growers

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – The Italian Stallions

DATA & TRENDS

• Wine trends 2021

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• How soon is wine consumed after purchase?
• Why top wine buyers want to take part in London Wine Competition

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Indicators on Supplier Closures and Trends in 2020
• The glass may not be greener

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• The Incurable Plague of Wine Influencers
• Matching Wine with Social Media

MEDIA MATTERS

• A book review of “Wine for Normal People”
• Anne Burchett publishes debut novel Tasting Notes

MATTERS OF TASTE

• How to Talk About the Body of a Wine
• What Miles Davis and John Coltrane taught me about wine

WINE PEOPLE

• Jarod Sleet Is Proving There Are Many Types of Wine Drinkers — ‘Not a Monolith’
• Matrot Burgundy: In the Sixth Generation, Daughters Take Charge
• Australian winemaker hits her stride in heart of Burgundy
• Creating A Legacy At Piazza Family Wines
• Winemaker Dan Petroski’s Pandemic Inspirations

WINE PLACES

• A Napa Winery Built On Persian Traditions (possible paywall)

WINE HISTORY

• The end of domestic wine in 17th century Japan

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• CT: Man charged with defrauding alcohol company investors

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Domestication of wild grapevines is still active
• Bill Gates: America’s Top Farmland Owner

EUROPE & THE UK

• Torres ventures into Cava
• Banking heir Benjamin de Rothschild dies at 57
• UK: WSTA sets out guidelines for low/no alcohol labelling

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: $2 million cash injection to boost regional economies
• OZ: New Chief Winemaker at Howard Park Wines

SOUTH AFRICA

• The South African wine industry is an engine of transformation, don’t switch it off
• S.Africa’s glass packagers face $100 million hit from alcohol ban

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• VA: Distillery hit with criminal charges over waste dumping