MARCH 26, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Why is Silicon Valley Bank so Optimistic about 2021?
• Pa. Supreme Court upholds ruling that the PLCB illegally restricted wine shipping
• Ag Labor Case Reaches the Supreme Court
• Tennessee, we have a constitutional problem
• People Who Should Never Drink Wine, According to an Expert
• Restaurants showing vigorous “V-Shaped” Recovery
• Did independent convenience stores and small grocers do better during the pandemic than traditional wine retailers? (Sponsored link, premium paywall)

OBITUARIES

• Curtis Phillips (1964-2021)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Ratings & reviews are useless for wine and movie recommendations, so Netflix killed them and embraced Big Data
• Off-Premise wine sales drop for first time since start of pandemic
• Duckhorn eyes potential for more winery acquisitions following IPO
• Sommeliers Choice Awards launches Shelf talkers and Tasting notes for entrants – (Sponsored link)

DIVERSITY

• Importer Laine Boswell Owes Her Career In Wine To Inspirational Women (possible paywall)
• ‘Wine Country Women’ Founder Shares Motivation For Her Books And Podcast (possible paywall)

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

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

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• US demand for blue chip Burgundy sudden and significant says UK merchant
• Calif: Grape crush, prices show downward trend
• Washington Wine Grape Harvest Pt 3 (podcast)
• Storica Is Bringing The Armenian Wine Renaissance To The United States (possible paywall)
• Grow Your Wine Brand In USA with 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Wine industry pros offer reflections, predictions
• Wine presents growth opportunities in 2021
• Heroes of the Valley: A tribute to Napa County’s farmworkers (possible paywall)
• The Lovall Valley experiment: A remote Napa region produces an exceptional Sauvignon Blanc (possible paywall)
• Veteran Phelps employee Tino Corro retires (possible paywall)
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service.

COVID-19

• If you’re headed to Northwest wine country, you may need an appointment

HEALTH

• Do flavonoids really benefit the brain?

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Sonoma County taps up to $4 million for wildfire prevention (possible paywall)

DROUGHT/WATER

• Napa Valley’s grape growers chart course in the face of an emerging statewide drought (possible paywall)

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• France: Pesticide residue-free trust mark gains traction

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Spring Employment Law Update Webinar April 7th

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Majestic wine expands store footprint in UK

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• China locks in five more years of tariffs on Australian wine industry

BREXIT

• Brexit: ‘Huge relief’ as wine import papers delayed

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• New app opens door to fine wine investing

DATA & TRENDS

• Numerator Launches COVID Buyer Habit Index Quantifying Stickiness Of New Consumer Behaviors

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Jumilla wines get new certifying back label

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Stevie Kim on Clubhouse: what it is & why you should sign up

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Ecosystems Behind Three Common Wine Descriptors
• ‘It’s time we judged Italian wine on its own terms’
• Interpreting Chenin Blanc
• Frasca Hospitality Group Wine Director Carlin Karr talks all things Sangiovese (podcast)

WINE PEOPLE

• The Varietal Show Visits Joel Aiken in Napa Valley (video)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• US man who ran illegal ‘winery’ inside sewage plant is sentenced
• New York Extends Takeout and Delivery Alcohol

EUROPE & THE UK

• New Marketing Director in Tuscany

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• German wine chateau sees great potential in Chinese market

SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa’s Restaurant Mosaic Closes, Wines from Grand Award–Winning Cellar to Be Sold

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• We’re constantly fooling ourselves — and that’s (mostly) okay