MAY 27, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• California tells hundreds of landowners in Sonoma, Mendocino counties to halt Russian River water diversions (possible paywall)
• More small wineries are looking for exit, but ‘expectation gulf’ separates buyers and sellers
• Northern California winemakers embrace fire fighting in early wildfire season
• More Women And Younger Consumers Breaking Into The World Of Fine Wine, Study Shows (possible paywall)
• Research underway to help Napa Valley’s wine industry understand impact of wildfire smoke on wine (possible paywall)
• Wine clubs have a serious retention problem: The average member bails out after 2.5 to 3 years
• The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Living Legend winemaker defined by Sherlock Holmes deerstalker

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Deadlines and dueling appraisals set up Rabbit Ridge Winery property for an existential turning point in mid-June
• Denied property insurance, Napa Valley wineries ‘extremely vulnerable’ this fire season (possible paywall)
• America’s Top Wine Buyers to Judge USA Wine Ratings 2021 – (Sponsored link)
• Yes, we were drinking less during the pandemic– 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

• French vineyards hit by frost start to show signs of life in Burgundy and Provence
• Bourgogne exports to HK reach record high in 2020
• How USA Wine Ratings Judges Wines in the Same Way Consumer Do – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Richard A. Ward Fellowship created to honor late UC Davis alumnus in viticulture and enology
• Scheid Family Wines Announces Winners of 2021 Scholarship Program
• Wine influencer denies involvement in Chauvin witness’ house pig’s blood vandalism
• Premiere Napa Valley Wine Auction takes place next week
• See how Phase 2 Cellars streamline systems and provide exceptional customer service.

DIVERSITY

• Corinne Chevrier on leading the way for female winemakers in Bordeaux
• Black-Owned Urban Grape Gives Back To Community With New Scholarship
• Liquid Icons announces 12 new scholarships for BAME/BIPOC students

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Promising technology to combat smoke taint being developed through new partnership
• Cain Vineyard & Winery In Napa Valley Confronts Loss And A Future After Fire (possible paywall)

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Wine, weed, water and us

DROUGHT/WATER

• California Orders Water Cuts to Wine Country Growers and Ranchers
• Federal government slashes water deliveries to farms, cities as California drought worsens

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• 2018 Vintage Notes: One in Eight Acres of California Wine Grape Vineyards Sprayed With Paraquat, the Poisonous Pesticide Causing Parkinson’s
• How climate change is messing with nature’s timing

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Bayer announces five-point plan to effectively address potential future Roundup™ claims

BORDEAUX EN PRIMEUR

• Bordeaux 2020: “Third outstanding vintage in a row” says Suckling
• Cantemerle 2020 En Primeur: “really pretty”

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Postponed: Interwine Fair in Guangzhou

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Effect of Ambient Light Brightness on Intensity of Flavor Perception
• Recent advancements in the light-struck taste in white wine
• Is Hyperspecific Wine Stemware Worth It?
• Hidden gems making their mark
• Minerality: If We Can’t Explain It, It Doesn’t Exist
• Going Lo and No: Is This a Sustainable Trend?
• Love Gamay? Here’s Why You Should Be Paying Attention to Carignan

WINE PEOPLE

• By the Bottle: Patricia Guy
• “Crusty Shit” Nick Goldschmidt, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Sonoma (video)

WINE EDUCATION

• Association of Wine Educators announces new chairperson
• ProWein joins forces with WSET on education initiative

ACADEMIA

• Cabernet and Merlot ‘space vines’ take root on earth

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Chitosan a multifaceted aid in winemaking
• Yeast holds key to reducing wine’s sugar content
• Maturing wines in amphorae produced with a 3-D printer

DOWN UNDER

• Australia’s new markets?

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China: Ningxia targets 100,000 ha, 600 million bottles, USD14 billion revenue

LATIN AMERICA

• Chile’s diversity deserves more delineated DOs

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Pandemic Triggers US Sake Slump