AUGUST 19, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Fires Finally Reach California Wine Country
• Wildfire ash and smoke are a toxic chemical cocktail
• Treasury Wines back in control after tumultuous year
• Chlorpyrifos Will No Longer Be Allowed on Food Crops [paywall?]
• From Screaming Eagle to Sine Qua Non, The History of Cult Wines in the U.S.
• TTB Still Accepting Comments for Report on Competition
• Young Adults Are Enthusiastic About Returning to In-Restaurant Dining
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Rabbit Ridge Winery Bankruptcy Trustee Hires Farm Operator for 2021 Harvest; Most Grapes Still Unsold
• 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

• Wildfires pose a burning problem for wines and winemakers

DROUGHT/WATER

• First-Ever Declaration of Colorado River Water Shortage Will Affect Agriculture First
• First-ever restrictions from Lake Mead hit Arizona, Nevada

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• DTC Helps Lift US Wine Sales 6%
• Be part of the biggest gathering of Bulk Wine, Bulk Spirits, and Private Label professionals in the US. –  (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Vibrancy shines through in South America harvest report
• Ciatti Global Market Report August 2021

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Sonoma County Wine Auction Announces 2021 Vintner Honoree
• Foundation Plant Services at UC Davis Announces New Director, Maher Al Rwahnih
• Tonnellerie Radoux USA, Inc. Hires Ryu Yamamoto as Regional Sales Manager
• Ocean floor wine company withdraws permit application amid Coastal Act violations

DIVERSITY

• Support Black-Owned Businesses: 181 Places to Start Online
• Black wine bar owner focused on sustainability, paving way for underrepresented entrepreneurs

STARTUPS & NEW BRANDS

• Heineken Launching Canned Sparkling Wine in Select Markets

HEALTH

• Scientists discover ‘brain switch’ that can cause or prevent binge drinking
• Wine is not healthy. Period. [paywall?]
• When it comes to no and low, one size does not fit all
• I Became A Pandemic ‘Wine Mom.’ Here’s What I Learned.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Everyone will be organic in the future, it’s just a matter of time

RECYCLED WASTEWATER

• Managed correctly, recycled water has a place in vineyards

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• WSWA comments on TTB’s request for information on competition in the alcohol sector

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Treasury Wine loses revenue over COVID and China

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• OR: Sokol Blosser Adds Kalita Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton AVA to Willamette Valley Vineyard Holdings
• Zell Founders Fund Announces $100,000 Investment in Just Enough Wines

AGRIFOODTECH

• Tractors Finally Get the Tesla Treatment

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Bordeaux en primeur 2020: Value picks for the collector
• V Foundation Wine Celebration Raises $12 Million for Cancer Research

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Those online quizzes that match you with your ideal wine are worse than horoscopes [paywall?]

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Taking Kegged Wines To The Next Level [paywall?]

MEDIA MATTERS

• Wine Media at the International Food Blogger Conference

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Putting all this wine geeky talk about “balance” to bed (once and for all!)
• Grenache back in the spotlight

WINE PEOPLE

• Jodie Newman on setting up her own design agency
• By the Bottle: Eric Asimov
• Finding Love (and Professional Rivalry) Among the Vines
• Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers of 2021
• The Man Waking Up Burgundy’s Elite
• Bouncing Back Q&A: Nik Darlington, Graft Wine

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• VA: Dinwiddie board approves agritourism laws to allow 300 person events amid a controversy over an incoming winery

EUROPE & THE UK

• Wine Taxes in Europe
• Languedoc producers ‘need to stop compromising on price’
• Harnessing Germany ‘undiscovered’ potential

LATIN AMERICA

• Chilean fine wines are being taken seriously now
• Orange wine could be the next big thing from Argentina

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Online Wine Giant Winc Makes A Play For Saké [paywall?]