MARCH 16, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Wine in an Alcohol-free Future
• Climate Change and the Wine Business
• How the Suspension of EU Tariffs Is Helping American Wine Importers, Retailers and Restaurants
• Why the Alcohol Industry Is Betting Big on Cannabis
• Why E-Premise Revenue is so Important for Wine & Spirits Distribution
• Wine’s Global Greenhouse Emissions are among the lowest foods
• Does wine compliance make you cry? We’re here to help with that but need your input!(Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Wine writer and doctor who pioneered first open-heart surgery in Singapore dies at 93

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Vintage Wine Estates Merger With Bespoke Capital Acquisition Corp: SEC Documents Filed Today
• Vintage Wine Estates readies their SPAC-tacular public offering
• Treasury Wines to offload several US budget brands to The Wine Group in $100 million deal
• Canadian SPAC punts on pot, pivots to premium US wine in last-minute hunt for quality (Then becomes US citizen!)
• Sommeliers Choice Awards launches Shelf talkers and Tasting notes for entrants – (Sponsored link)

DIVERSITY

• ‘I don’t think I’ll be the last:’ Meet Florida’s first Black female winemaker

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Becoming a Master Sommelier in the midst of a global pandemic (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Grow Your Wine Brand In USA with 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Historic Geyserville Winery Announces New Name And Wine Brand
• Why & How the Lodi Winegrape Commission Really Works: A Recent Example
• Wine cellar worker training is focus of new Santa Rosa Junior college program
• Healdsburg’s Banshee Wines Announces New Winemaker
• Falkner Winery recovers after fire
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service.

COVID-19

• New COVID Relief Act Helps Restaurants and Wineries
• Coronavirus to contribute to polarisation of trade shows
• The Pandemic’s Impact on Finger Lakes Wine Country
• French winemakers want priority status for Covid-19 vaccinations
• Nearly all of Italy on lockdown through Easter weekend

HEALTH

• Is it good or bad for you? Experts are split on role of alcohol in diet.

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Willamette Valley Vineyards Posts a Profit for 2020

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• 2021 sees spate of new drinks industry acquisitions

DISTRIBUTORS

• Breakthru Beverage Group Announces President and CEO Greg Baird’s Plan to Retire at the End of 2021

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Automation helps fuel rising trade post tariffs

DATA & TRENDS

• What is the Sweet Spot for Low Alcohol Wines?

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Pop culture wines 2021

MARKETING & SALES

• Will a Dollop of Gossip Help the Wine Industry?
• De Négoce Flips the Script: “We Will Sell Most of the Wine Before Its Time”

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• The Copper Crew on creating a premium wine can brand in lockdown

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The anonymous wine taking on Bordeaux’s classed growths
• Who are the true innovators in the world of wine?

WINE PEOPLE

• Remembering Steven Spurrier: A tribute
• Napa Wine Producer Honors Mexican Grandma For Inspiring Him To Live His Dream (possible paywall)
• Churchill and Champagne Pol Roger: charting an extraordinary connection
• Q&A: William Lowe MW, Cambridge Distillery
• I’ll Drink To That: Geologist Françoise Vannier (podcast)

WINE HISTORY

• Cognac, Bordeaux and Beyond: How Irish Immigrants Changed the Wine and Spirits Industry
• Major new study shows ancient international trading routes between Exeter and Europe
• Bronze Wine Vessels That Date Back To 3,000 Years Ago Could Fetch A Collective US$5m

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• OR: Nicolas-Jay project invests in new winery

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Cold plasma at atmospheric pressure for eliminating Brettanomyces from oak wood
• Comprehensive Epigenome Map Details Gene Regulation in Yeast
• NMR spectroscopy in wine authentication: An official control perspective

EUROPE & THE UK

• Have Italian Wine Laws Become A Counter-Productive Farce? (possible paywall)
• UK: The Drinks Trust’s networking platform goes live

DOWN UNDER

• Tariffs hit South Australian bottler

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Portuguese wines vying to crack China market

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• American whiskey makers face ‘more harm’ if tariff issue not resolved
• Brewery wants their Carolina Reaper beer certified as world’s hottest