AUGUST 12, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

TOP NEWS

• As Travel Surges, Wine Country Resorts Grapple with Labor Shortages and Limited Capacity
• Infrastructure proposal mandating alcohol detection devices could maroon you in a parking lot
• Could California handle another year of drought? State officials weigh in on current situation
• One of the few public wine companies just added a new perk: wine discounts for shareholders [paywall?]
• NFTs and wine: What could they mean for collectors?
• Spirit New Product Registrations Surge 112% Over Last Year: Wine and beer new product registrations also see positive growth in Q2 2021
• Online Personalization Can Go Too Far: Most consumers are creeped out by ads that follow them across devices
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Mark Tarlov, Hollywood Producer Turned Oregon Vintner, Dies at Age 69
• South Africa: Very sad news of Duimpie Bayly passing

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• FTC investigating Uber’s partnership with Gopuff and its deal for Drizly: report
• Constellation Wins $2.3 Million For Legal Fees In To Kalon battle with Vineyard House
• 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.
• Shottesbrooke Reserve Series ‘Eliza’ Shiraz Wins Best Wine Of The Year– (Sponsored link)
• 2021 USA Wine Ratings Winners Announced – (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Fires Threaten Greek Wine Revival
• Testing for wine smoke ‘taint’ drives California lab expansion, new entrants into market

DROUGHT/WATER

• Calif: District’s farmers will still get water despite curtailment

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

• (Don’t) Give us each our daily red
• Grape harvest kicks off at Sebastopol winery, signaling start of season in Sonoma County [paywall?]

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Inside California wine’s growing avant-garde: the ‘zero-zero’ winemakers [paywall?]
• Natural wine is niche, but its signature styles are becoming mainstream in California [paywall?]
• North Bay winemaker adds American twist to classic European spirit [paywall?]
• Rhone Rangers to Honor Gary Eberle with Lifetime Achievement Award

COVID-19

• Oregon’s indoor mask mandate takes effect Friday

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Six Environmental Threats to the Booze Industry

AGRIFOODTECH

• No drivers needed with new tractor technology

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Easy growth drives NZ’s risky reliance on China

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Wine Could be Your Next Great Investment

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• The Science Supporting Holistic Wine Tasting

MARKETING & SALES

• Every Sip is Another Vote

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Five Takeaways from the Wine Media Conference

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Australia Combats Fake Wine With New Label Database
• A Short, Unexpected History of the Wine Glass

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Small businesses are bearing the brunt of the US labor shortage

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Enduring Appeal of Buttery Chardonnay
• White Zinfandel, the Acid-Washed Jeans of Wine
• Sweet Visciolata and the Fleeting Joys of Summer
• Effects of Umami in Wines and Foods

WINE PEOPLE

• How a Football Player Saved a Nearly Extinct Portuguese Wine Grape
• Rising Restaurant Star Charles Puglia Chats About Dashed Hopes, Deft Career Sidesteps, and the Shadowy World of Grey Market Wine
• Bouncing Back Q&A: Jay Wright, Virgin Wines
• By the bottle: Anthony D’Anna

WINE PLACES

• Hidden Giants: Villa Maria

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Delaware’s Burgeoning Wine Industry is at a Precipice

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Beyond the vigour map: having identified the degree of variability in the vineyard, it is essential to identify the most suitable management method

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Why are restaurants’ cheapest bottles of wine becoming so expensive?
• Pol Roger Portfolio adds Domaine Vacheron to stable

LATIN AMERICA

• Mountain viticulture is Chile’s next frontier

SOUTH AFRICA

• Museum Wines’ MD Daniel Grigg shares his passion for South Africa

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Azerbaijan breaks into wine tourism