MARCH 24, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Off-Premise wine sales drop for first time since start of pandemic
• Ratings & reviews are useless for wine and movie recommendations, so Netflix killed them and embraced Big Data
• Rodeo, Breast Cancer And A $690 Million IPO For Vintage Wine Estates: Terry Wheatley’s Whackadoodle Career (possible paywall)
• Does wine compliance make you cry? We’re here to help with that but need your input!(Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• DEADLINE EXTENDED: Silicon Valley Bank DtC Winery Survey NOW ends March 26
• Climate Change Risks: Reading Between the Wines
• Duckhorn eyes potential for more winery acquisitions following IPO
• Sommeliers Choice Awards launches Shelf talkers and Tasting notes for entrants – (Sponsored link)

DIVERSITY

• Natural Action Aims to Change Wine World

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• NielsenIQ Shows On-Premise Spirits with no growth since end of pandemic. Beer off -2.2%; Wine down -8.1%
• Becoming a Master Sommelier in the midst of a global pandemic (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Burgundy wines buck general downward trend
• Provence and Burgundy only French regions to increase exports during 2020
• Slight export losses for Italy
• Grow Your Wine Brand In USA with 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa Opens the Online Cellar
• Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars: 50 years of iron and velvet
• An Update from Paloma Vineyards
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service.

COVID-19

• Employer Focused Summary of American Rescue Plan Act and California COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Act

HEALTH

• Drinking Wine is Risky and That’s One Reason We Drink It

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• How Did 2020’s Wildfires Impact California Wine?
• This new tool could identify ‘smoke taint’ in wine early in the process
• Calif: Judge considers requiring PG&E to turn off power more frequently

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• France’s champagne capital wants to experiment with the legal sale of cannabis

DROUGHT/WATER

• Calif: State Water Project and Central Valley Project allocations updated
• March 2021: Lodi Drought Conditions

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Delicato Vineyards Sues Vina Concha Y Toro for Alleged Trademark Infringement

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• L-GAM to take a majority stake in Vinventions alongside Noël Group, Patrick Mathieu to become the next chairman
• VA: Hartland Sells 35 Acres To Old Farm Winery At Hartland

DISTRIBUTORS

• Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Refreshes Online COVID-19 Resource Hub to Assist Customers with Recovery

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• On Reviews And Scores

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Bottle design – how much does it matter?

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Sommeliers Use Social Media to Connect Communities and Advance the Industry

MEDIA MATTERS

• Chasing Crush: Hollywood’s Next Great Wine Country Film?

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Petrus revealed as Bordeaux wine aged in space
• Why Penfolds’ Expressive White Wines Have Remained Consistently Popular
• Not finding fault
• The Value of Disagreement
• Raul Diaz on best food recipes per grape variety: Part 1 – Pinot Noir

WINE PEOPLE

• Hilary and Megan Cline Are All in on the Petaluma Gap (podcast)
• Inside the Career and Cross-Country Moves of 4 Top Somms
• Paul Giusto, Highway 12 Winery (podcast)

WINE PLACES

• Where the Wild Things Are: Welcome to Sardinia

WINE EDUCATION

• How mentors can turn beverage enthusiasts into professionals

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Ste. Michelle Wine Estates announces appointments to winemaking team
• Vintners Logistics hires Lisa Petersen as Chief Operating Officer

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Label free DNA-based optical biosensor applied to wine authenticity

EUROPE & THE UK

• Fairtrade is a strong purchase driver of wine in the UK
• Ireland: a post-COVID wine renaissance?
• BIVB appoints Frédéric Drouhin as President

DOWN UNDER

• How Tannat went down under
• NZ: ‘World’s first’ winemaking method ships globally from North Canterbury

LATIN AMERICA

• Chilean winery Ventisquero reveals details of new premium projects

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Largest champagne/sparkling wine fight: The Cotnari Winery sets world record