APRIL 27, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• US Wine Sales Set to Skyrocket
• Wasatch ups investment to $128 Mil in Vintage Wine Estates SPAC Deal
• The Complex Science of Assessing California’s Fire-Damaged Vines
• Wells dry up, crops imperiled, farm workers in limbo as California drought grips San Joaquin Valley
• The Transformation of Alcohol Distribution
• Fancy French Winemakers Buying Big Vineyards from Americans Ready to Sell (possible paywall)
• Half of U.S. Voters Now Characterize Climate Change as a ‘Critical Threat’
• The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Denis Williams obituary

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Calif Wine Grape Acreage Continued to Decline in 2020: USDA
• Why a “Netflix of wine” is impossible with current recommendation methods
• Wine’s best known right-wing extremist among FBI’s record number of domestic terror arrests
• Final Call To Enter In The 2021 Sommeliers Choice Awards. Submission closes on April 20, 2021 – (Sponsored link)
• Is Gallo about to change the idea of winery tasting rooms forever?– Premium Paywall

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Out Of The Box, a New DTC Wine Shipping Business, Opens in St. Helena
• Top sommeliers on why they take part in Sommeliers Choice Awards (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• OIV paints a chequered picture of the global wine market in 2020
• NZ: Boost to UK wine sales on the cards
• Retail sales of sparkling wine rise as UK lockdown eases
• Which will be the best restaurant wine in the USA? (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Martinez Orchards Selected to Propagate, Sell Baldocci Zinfandel Clone 29 Grapevines
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service.

HEALTH

• A 14-Time Ironman Triathlete Explains How Drinking and Exercise Can Co-Exist

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• How a Central California winery uses worms in wine production
• Wine making waste could have a health-boosting second life
• Lodi Rules when it comes to sustainability
• How Chile’s Wine Industry Is Leading the Way in Sustainability (podcast)

REAL ESTATE

• Another Italian town is selling houses for $1.50
• Legacy Family Vineyard, Howell Mtn AVA – Ultra-Premium Cab & Zin, Winery Potential, 2 residences. 33 acres + water. – (Sponsored link)

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• IN: Bloomington’s Oliver Winery acquired by New York investment group
• Garçon secures £670K investment

AGRIFOODTECH

• First Fully Electric ‘Smart’ Tractor Makes Debut

BREXIT

• Brexit, climate change nothing to ‘wine’ about, say French growers

MARKETING & SALES

• Katie Jones on why she’s allowing her customers to “Adopt an Old Vine”
• Drinks companies report return to growth in 2021

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• RAVE Highlights: Part 1

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• NZ: Find-a pest – new biosecurity app can help identify and report vineyard pests

PAYMENTS

• Wine Craft Releases First Cryptocurrency Blockchain for Wine

MATTERS OF TASTE

• We Are All Terroirists Now
• Marselan: Why it could be a ‘signature grape’ of Chinese wines

WINE PEOPLE

• John Siletto Talks San Benito County Wine
• 20 Minutes With: Santa Rita Hills Winemaker Greg Brewer
• Blair Guthrie & Joel Burt (podcast)
• Mike Sullivan, Co-Owner & Winemaker, Benovia Winery, Sonoma (podcast)
• Lindsay Hoopes, proprietor, Hoopes Family Vineyard & Winery
• Lauren Wong, vice president for sales and marketing, Aperture Cellars
• Mia Stornetta, winery relations manager, Atlas Vineyard Management
• Lisa Howard, co-owner and winemaker, Tolenas Winery
• Margaret Leonardi, winemaker, Fetzer Hopland,
• Natalie Owdom, general manager, Muscardini Cellars
• Ella Hoban: A sparkling future in wine

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Police seize large volume of ‘illegal’ communion wine in Quebec

EUROPE & THE UK

• Melissa Draycott named MD of González Byass UK
• In England, Varied Soils Meet Cool-Climate Winemaking
• Breaking new ground in Champagne and England
• UK: The Drinks Trust opens new emergency fund
• French winemakers try desperately to save crops by warming their vines

DOWN UNDER

• How is Australian wine facing up to the crises of 2020/21?
• Vivino launches commercial operations in Australia

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Ao Yun’s Winemaker Maxence Dulou On Producing Wine In China

OLIVE OIL

• California Wine Country women entrepreneurs pursue premium olive oil ventures