AUGUST 16, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Right-wine extremist from L.A. who turned a Lodi vineyard into a shooting range cops a plea with Feds
• How climate might be affecting Napa Valley wine grape quality
• The Magical Powers of the Three Tier System
• US retail ecommerce sales continue to climb toward $1 trillion
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• California Faces Another Dustbowl Vintage
• 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.
• 2021 USA Wine Ratings Winners Announced – (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Calif: Possible ‘wind event’ could lead to PG&E power shut-offs across 16 counties [paywall?]
• Cal Fire unable to determine cause of 2020 Glass Fire in Napa, Sonoma counties [paywall?]
• Monitor fires in Sonoma, Napa and Lake counties in real time with new app
• Seattle Now: Wine lovers, prepare to be crushed (podcast)

DROUGHT/WATER

• California Drought: Maybe the State Actually Has Enough Water [paywall?]

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

• Drought, frost, heat blamed for light Mendocino County wine grape crop
• TTB Approved 176.8K Products L12M through July 2021, An Increase of 1K (+0.6%)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa Valley Farmerworkers Foundation celebrates 10 years [paywall?]
• New winemaker announced at Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga [paywall?]
• LA’s Winemaking History Dates Back 200 Years, And It’s Still Alive Today

COVID-19

• Bay Area restaurateurs feared backlash for requiring vaccinations. In reality, it’s been totally fine [paywall?]
• China’s COVID port shutdown raises shipping slowdown fear [paywall?]
• Moms with young kids increased drinking by 323% after start of pandemic: study

HEALTH

• Don’t be made to feel guilty about drinking wine
• Red Wine and Longevity

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Where on earth are the organic vineyards?
• Climate Change, Fermented Blueberries and Wine’s Existential Quandary
• Sustainable Wines of Great Britain announces first accredited wines
• Climate Change on Long Island: Fears of Flooding and Pierce’s Disease

RECYCLED WASTEWATER

• Napa County recycled water used at record levels amid drought [paywall?]

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Texas man wins $5.5 million in lawsuit claiming bar overserved him alcohol
• Biden administration targets Big Booze as part of antitrust probe [paywall?]

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• NZ: Indevin buys Villa Maria

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• European And Chilean Wines Gain As Anti-Dumping Duties Hit Australia’s Sales To China [paywall?]

WEBINARS/ONLINE MEETINGS

• The right way to do business webinars (it involves wine)

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – The first Spanish wine listed on La Place de Bordeaux

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Some readers hate my ‘flowery’ wine descriptors. Here’s why I use them.

MARKETING & SALES

• Your Wine Is Toxic and Poisonous

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• The Evolution of Wine Labels, and What We Can Learn From Them

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Central Oregon Winegrowers schedule summer summit

MEDIA MATTERS

• 5 Must-Have Books for Every Wine Lover’s Library

MATTERS OF TASTE

• A Walk on Wine’s Wild Side
• Do Low-Yield Vines Really Make Better Wines?
• Wine and Cuisine: Craft or Art?

WINE PEOPLE

• Meet Manhattan’s New Guard of Wine Pros
• Adam & Nick Franscioni Talk Santa Lucia Highlands Wine
• Jillian MacLean on Drake & Morgan & stepping up for The Drinks Trust
• Bouncing Back Q&A: Andrew Bewes, Hallgarten Wines
• Chrissy Wittman: How ‘The Prisoner’ Hopes to Expand Beyond Its Iconic Red Blend (podcast)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Mexico’s wine industry bears fruit in revival of tradition
• Colorado’s Ghost Towns Are Taking Over Instagram Thanks to Its Booming Wine Scene, Chic Bars, and Charming Hotels

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Latest GDP figures highlight importance of hospitality in economic recovery
• Ireland: Estimated 95% Of Wines Sales Took Place In Off-Trade Sector In 2020
• 250 Wine Grape Growing Families In Austria Produce Excellence By Banding Together [paywall?]

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: ASVO launches a new scholarship for the AWRI

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China: 1919 raises US$31m funding from property developer

LATIN AMERICA

• Chile: Beavers almost scupper vineyard experiment

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Tanzania: Govt to Boost Grapes Production

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Craft beer is found scientifically unique in University of Queensland study