MARCH 30, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• For First Time, Beer Imports Topped Wine Imports In 2020 (possible paywall)
• More than 10% of U.S. restaurants have closed permanently
• Wine Aerators: $336.9 Million Worth of Bullsh*t
• Coronavirus Was Supposed to Drive Bankruptcies Higher. The Opposite Happened. (So Far).
• Did independent convenience stores and small grocers do better during the pandemic than traditional wine retailers? (Sponsored link, premium paywall)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Treasury Wine faces 175.6% duty rate for Australian wine exports to China
• Ratings & reviews are useless for wine and movie recommendations, so Netflix killed them and embraced Big Data
• Duckhorn eyes potential for more winery acquisitions following IPO
• Sommeliers Choice Awards launches Shelf talkers and Tasting notes for entrants – (Sponsored link)

DIVERSITY

• Caroline Gilby MW on the many women winemakers of Tokaj
• Lift Collective Presents a More Inclusive Hospitality Industry (podcast)‬

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Mississippi bill would allow home delivery of alcohol
• Becoming a Master Sommelier in the midst of a global pandemic (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Sparkling wine sales down in 2020 but quick recovery forecasted
• What is the Future for Burgundy Wines in the U.S.?
• Argentine wine sales boosted by pandemic, but vineyards still wary
• Australian wine sales exceed supply for third year
• Grow Your Wine Brand In USA with 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• San Diego County 2021 Economic Impact of Wineries Report (PDF)
• San Francisco may have a wine thief. And it looks like they’re into fancy Italian bottles (possible paywall)
• Calif: New orders, loosened restrictions revive local beverage industry
• Napa Valley winery Rombauer names new ops, winemaking execs; other North Bay professionals news
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service.

COVID-19

• NY: Covid tasting room changes prove popular
• Covid puts paid to independent winegrower fairs in France this spring

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• New York Lawmakers Legalize Recreational Marijuana

DROUGHT/WATER

• Northern California farmers turn to ‘regenerative agriculture’ for conserving water, growing healthy crops

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Montrose undertaking ‘first of its kind’ climate study

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Musical chairs in the wine world

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Australian wine industry pivots to new and developing markets as tariffs make Chinese market unviable

DISTRIBUTORS

• Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits Denounces Discrimination and Acts of Hate Against People of Asian Descent

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance announces virtual auction

DATA & TRENDS

• Wall Street analysts use Instagram to track upcoming drinks trends

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Has Bulk Wine Balanced? What Does a Buyer Want? What’s Next for the Central Coast? Central Coast Insights 2021 is Today.

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Greater Influence on Our Palates: Taste or Smell?

WINE PEOPLE

• Erica Stancliff, Winemaker Pfendler Vineyards, Petaluma Gap (podcast)
• The Peter Liem interview
• Meet Julien Fayard, the French Winemaker Bringing Skill and Emotion to Napa Valley
• Scott Kirkpatrick, Mountain Tides Wine (podcast)
• 30 Minutes with David Keck MS, wine director at VT Wine Shepherd
• Scientist Turned Vintner Honors Late Father With World’s First Natural Blue Wine

WINE PLACES

• I’ll Drink to That: All About Lake Garda (podcast)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• ‘Let the Grapes Speak for Themselves’: Texas High Plains’ Wine Country Contains Multitudes
• MN: How the Pandemic Shaped Wine Drinking in the Twin Cities
• 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Mexican Wine (possible paywall)

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Foliar symptoms of mineral nutrient problems

EUROPE & THE UK

• Barefoot wine achieves 32% sales boost in British grocery channel

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Wines In India hopes to help producers break into the UK
• Japan alcohol rules: Local brewery giants tread cautiously as government pushes for alcohol content by gramme labelling

LATIN AMERICA

• Chilean winery MontGras undertakes ‘strategic redefinition’

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Back to the Future of Armenian Wine

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Courage and stupidity: The real-life story behind winemaking game Hundred Days
• Here’s how you can repel fruit flies from your home using wine corks

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Black-owned distilleries take on barriers to Kentucky bourbon industry (possible paywall)
• Brew Like an Egyptian: 5,000-Year-Old Brewery Reveals Ancient Secrets