MAY 20, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• Lawsuits Looming for Online Wine Retailers
• The Annual SVB Direct to Consumer Webcast is Tuesday May 25th
• Why Wineries Should Consider Making More Sweet Wine, According To New E&J Gallo Study
• Are indigenous N.American vines Calif wine’s answer to climate change? (possible paywall)
• Optimism continues as restaurant sales climb amidst labor shortage
• Restaurant traffic nearing pre-pandemic levels & exceeding them in some areas
• The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Rabbit Ridge Winery property scheduled for bankruptcy auction in June.
• Frequency of wine consumption increasing compared with 2019 levels
• North Bay vintners raise concerns about new wine brokering/consulting firm run by failed entrepreneur and convicted felon
• The Path To Netflix-Quality Wine Recommendations Leads Through The Doors of Perception
• America’s Top Wine Buyers to Judge USA Wine Ratings 2021 – (Sponsored link)
• Pandemic pricing: Are we trying to buy less expensive wine?– Premium Paywall

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Bob Paulinski MW: Why I Want to Be a Judge in USA Wine Ratings –  (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• How USA Wine Ratings Judges Wines in the Same Way Consumer Do – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Craft beer’s #MeToo moment hits Humble Sea, Modern Times, Original Pattern and other Bay Area breweries (possible paywall)
• Original Pattern fires assistant brewer as accusations of misogyny shake Bay Area breweries
• Wildfires and Climate Change Are Spoiling California Wine
• Napa Board of Supervisors Re-Affirms Approval of Mountain Peak Winery in Split Vote
• Wine.com Appoints Dawn Willoughby, Former Clorox Executive, to Board of Directors
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service.

COVID-19

• The Restaurant Revitalization Fund application portal is closing on May 24
• Free wine at 9 N.J. vineyards, state park season passes join list of incentives to get vaccinated

HEALTH

• Is that Glass of Wine Good for Your Mind and Heart?

DROUGHT/WATER

• As drought worsens, water conservation front of mind ahead of Napa Valley’s tourism rebound (possible paywall)
• Dr. Dan Howes on irrigation considerations in a dry year

REAL ESTATE

• Price Drops Below $1M On 8-Acre Temecula Wine Country Spread

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• TWE’s turnaround

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Australia looks into delays to 20% of grape exports to China

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Blockchain Technology, Fraud Prevention and the Future of Wine

BORDEAUX EN PRIMEUR

• Lafon Rochet 2020 En Primeur – “appetising and ground-breaking”
• Suduiraut 2020 En Primeur – “full of pleasure” but the biggest increase so far

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Why it’s smart to order the second-cheapest wine on the menu

MARKETING & SALES

• Simi Winery Created a Hollywood-Caliber Homage to Its Pioneering Female Leader

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Aussie partnership develops sustainable sparkling bottle

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• First digital LWF “exceeds expectations” though numbers fall

MEDIA MATTERS

• Book Review: The New Wines of Mount Etna by Benjamin North Spencer
• A better translation for “sperone cordonato.” Film yeast, false friends, bad translations. Italian wine glossary updated

MATTERS OF TASTE

• If you’re looking for rosé, don’t forget the Pays d’Oc
• Wine Traditions, Authority, and Authenticity (Part 2)

WINE PEOPLE

• Remembering James Alexander Clendenen
• The Argentine Winemakers with Rock Star Appeal
• Unfiltered: Sarah Helliwell
• 12 Questions for Terry Theise
• By the Bottle: Raffaella Guidi Federzoni
• From dorm room moonshine to wine makers, meet the two guys behind Echo Park’s Wonderwerk

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Big Dreams For Missouri’s Augusta Wine Region From Investor With Local Ties

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Wine on the rise with younger consumers as on-trade returns
• George Clooney’s purchase of Domaine du Canadel is being challenged in court
• Alavesa Rioja producers appeal to EU for dispensation to ditch the Rioja name

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese wine explained