JULY 29, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Winegrape Oversupply Compounds Issue of Smoke Exposure
• US Wine Volume Projected To Decline In 2021 [metered access]
• NFTs, emoji apps, Instagram magazines: Will wacky projects help winemaker Dan Petroski sell wine? [paywall?]
• NY Celebrity Sommelier Ganzer Has Been Moonlighting as an Arsonist: FDNY
• American Thirst For Low Alcohol Wine Continues [paywall?]
• Consumer trust in grocery stores is lower than retail as a whole.
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Wine looks to be losing its grip on younger adults in US, UK.
• Tobacco giant finally divests Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
• Scathing legal analysis of smoke taint rejections by wineries finds vague, inadequate and possibly illegal contracts.
• Were smoke-impacted grapes & wine laundered? Lake County Court Battle Highlights Taint Ambiguities & Winery-Grower Tension
• Unlock new opportunities in the bulk wine, bulk spirits, and private label business.— (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Fires? Drought? Heat? California Wineries’ Biggest Challenge Might Be Getting Insurance
• Working outdoors in the heat? Here’s what Californians need to know about their rights
• China: Zhengzhou floods cause significant losses to local distributors

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Be part of the biggest gathering of Bulk Wine, Bulk Spirits, and Private Label professionals in the US. –  (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• South Korea: Wine imports hit all-time high in H1 amid pandemic
• Champagne battles mildew to protect 2021 vintage
• Ningxia wine exports reach new high

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa’s Meritage and Vista Collina resorts for sale; price could top $500 million [paywall?]
• Santa Barbara wine tasting rooms in the Funk Zone are opening, closing and moving

COVID-19

• Harry Crowther: what the on-trade can learn from Covid off-trade boom
• How the Pandemic Changed the Daily Lives of Industry Workers and Influenced Wine Sales

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• What We Learned From a THC Wine Tasting

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• AOC Médoc, Haut-Médoc and Listrac-Médoc to enforce mandatory environmental certification in two years’ time

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Diageo’s net sales exceed estimates due to strong US demand

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Dusky Goose Winery Acquires New Production Winery in Downtown Carlton, OR
• MA: Amherst Farm Winery for sale, includes 3-bedroom farmhouse, wine production room, vineyards and more
• French Cointreau family member selling historic wine estate near Stellenbosch, South Africa

BREXIT

• Optimism and relief over VI-1 but nervous anticipation of detail and timing remains

WEBINARS/ONLINE MEETINGS

• Registration Open for WAVEx Webinar: What’s in Your Brett Toolbox?

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• 2021 Sonoma County Wine Auction Spotlights Iconic Alumni Honorary Chairs

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Two + Two = Trouble

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Studies Confirm the Unique CO2 Balance of Natural Cork Closures

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Finger Lakes Riesling: FLXcursion 2021 International Expo

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Understanding Brett and Its Divisive Impact on Wine
• Sulfites, Legs and Other Misinformation Campaigns in Wine
• Franciacorta: The hidden gem of Italian sparkling wine
• What is Good Taste, Revisited

WINE PEOPLE

• By the Bottle: Walter Speller

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Spotted lanternfly spreading in New York state
• Invasive Insect That Harms Wine Grapes, Fruit Trees Spotted In Indiana

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Mt Difficulty winemaker resigns

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese customs banned 34 batches of wine from entering country this year

SOUTH AFRICA

• South African wine history: Was Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel really our first bottle-fermented bubbly?

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Lebanese Winemakers Fight Poverty With Sustainable Practices