JANUARY 29, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Why Netflix says its recommender is worth $1bil/year (Wine needs one too)
• Here’s how DTC Sales channels have shifted dramatically to accommodate COVID realities
• Spirits take market share from beer and wine in US
• Bad Year Turns Good for California
• COVID’s Impact on Ecommerce: Three Real-World Visualizations
• Ganau launches EPIQ – Corks with threshold of ≤0.5 ng/L TCA — below level of human perception. Process backed by peer-reviewed science.(Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• How A Netflix-Style Recommender Is Vital to Reversing Wine’s Market Marginalization
• Cabernet on the Decline in the US?
• 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

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

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Global Wine Market Roiled by Trade Fights, Market Changes
• In 2021, Cognac can plant 2,306 ha of vines versus 1.5 ha for Bordeaux and 0.1 ha for Alsace
• What’s new at the 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards and how that will help wine brands. (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Coalition of Napa Valley businesses drops lawsuit against Gov. Newsom (possible paywall)
• Sonoma County economy poised to recover faster than California: UCLA Anderson Forecast economist
• Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Younger sells out online within 5 minutes
• How vintners who use custom crush can avoid being caught between creditors
• James Conaway, author of the Napa trilogy, donates his papers to UC Davis Library
• MEI Renewables Building New Solar And Storage Project At Vintage Wine Estates’ Ray’s Station Production Facility In Mendocino County, California
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service. (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• Wineries explore new ways to sell wine during the pandemic (possible paywall)
• COVID vaccines slow to reach farmworkers

DIVERSITY

• Oregon man would like to see more African Americans in the wine industry (video)
• The Bronx Brewery and Beer Kulture Announce Internship Program for BIPOC Craft Beer Communities

STARTUPS & NEW BRANDS

• Dysfunctional Family Winery launches in Sonoma

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Atmospheric river storms can drive costly flooding – and climate change is making them stronger

DROUGHT/WATER

• Calif: Screening process for eligible water storage projects; Commission continues conveyance conversation

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Tom Wark, three-tier reform, and buying wine on Amazon (podcast)
• Global alliance unites for safe online alcohol sales

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Farmers Down Under Face ‘Watershed Year’ as China Risks Stack Up (possible paywall)
• New wines relieve the headaches of getting them here

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• 72-year-old Scotch whisky fetches over $54,000 in auction

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• 4 Tips for Virtual Wine Tastings Done Right: An Update (possible paywall)

MARKETING & SALES

• Vranken-Pommery Monopole : 2020 Revenue – €244 millions

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Crown to build new $145m beverage can plant in Virginia

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Washington farmers: Overtime pay lawsuits could sink us (possible paywall)

MEDIA MATTERS

• Wine bottle “product photography” using only natural light (even an amateur like me can do it).

MATTERS OF TASTE

• How Chris Wilson’s Gutter & Stars wines are going to be adored
• Good News for Every Day Wine (possible paywall)
• The Old Vines of Lodi (possible paywall)

WINE PEOPLE

• Judy Jordan’s second act: From vintner to mentor (possible paywall)

WINE EDUCATION

• Why you should take an online wine education class (possible paywall)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• New grapes developed in Arkansas lead to “Dazzle” and “Indulgence” wines

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• St-Emilion to get hail defence ‘launch’ system

EUROPE & THE UK

• Ribera del Duero campaign for wineries seeking distribution

DOWN UNDER

• Low carbon wine: a marketing edge to drive the pivot away from China?

LATIN AMERICA

• Deep roots steady Argentina’s small producers amid economic uncertainty

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Spirits boomed in the US last year despite on-trade losses
• Achel brewery runs out of monks to make its beer