AUGUST 18, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

 

• Rabbit Ridge Winery Bankruptcy Trustee Hires Farm Operator for 2021 Harvest; Most Grapes Still Unsold
• Consumer confidence in wine steady as drinkers’ knowledge decreases & category “democratises.”
• Auction of Washington Wines Raises More Than $2.2 Million During First-Ever Hybrid Auction
• Here’s how restaurants can prepare for vaccination mandates
• Labs for Smoke Exposure Testing of Wine and Winegrapes
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Wildfire trends indicate Northern California is in ‘a deadly situation’ [paywall?]
• Right-wine extremist from L.A. who turned a Lodi vineyard into a shooting range cops a plea with Feds
• Constellation Wins $2.3 Million For Legal Fees In To Kalon battle with Vineyard House
• Tobacco giant finally divests Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
• 2021 USA Wine Ratings Winners Announced – (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• ‘Like drinking an ashtray’: Why scientists and winemakers are fighting smoke taint from wildfires
• Sonoma County air quality set to drop as more smoke from Northern California wildfires approaches [paywall?]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Berryessa Estates faces major drought woes [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)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• A Maverick Vintner and Mega Wine Brand Collaborate
• Ragtag opens its doors in downtown San Luis Obispo and hopes other wineries will follow suit
• Bread & Butter Wines Opens New Tasting Room in the Napa Valley

DIVERSITY

• Mags Jango: My career in wine & Gerard Basset’s MW Scholarship
• How Wine & Culture Fest Is Amplifying Unheard Voices (podcast)

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Jackson Family Wines aims to slash carbon footprint in half by 2030
• Climate Change in South Africa: Wine industry has little room to hide

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Deutsche Post to Buy Logistics Firm Hillebrand for $1.8 Billion [paywall?]
• Ukraine: State-owned Odesavynprom wine producer put up for sale

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• NZ: Upping exports to South Korea could reduce our reliance on the Chinese market

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Live wine auction coming to Sonoma County in September [paywall?]
• Italian releases on La Place: what to expect?

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• OZ: WineEng 2021 shifting online due to COVID lockdowns

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Why French winemakers never reply to emails

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Can We Taste Colour?

WINE PEOPLE

• Bouncing Back Q&A: Tom Smith, Accolade Wines

WINE PLACES

• G.D. Vajra the quiet achiever

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• This opulent new Silicon Valley restaurant comes with a surprise: a virtual reality private dining room [paywall?]

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Vermont wine industry shows room for growth
• FL: Community Comes Together To Help Harvest Local Vineyard Grapes After Injury

ACADEMIA

• UK: Plumpton announces new winemaker

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Slowing the sugar rush to yield better grapes
• Pre-veraison and veraison canopy management in the vineyard
• Critical timing of fungicide application for pruning wound protection to control grapevine trunk diseases

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Spirits boost drinks sales recovery while wine trails behind

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Group chief winemaker resigns from Foley Wines

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Love Hard Seltzer? Have We Got a Wine for You! (podcast)