OCTOBER 19, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Riboli drilling test water wells for possible Rabbit Ridge Winery Purchase
• Wine, Stagflation, and the Risks of the Bottleneck Economy
• RTD alcohol volume share set to double over next five years
• Two wine superstars just bought 162 acres of what some consider California’s best Syrah vines [paywall?]
• Ohio is open for DTC business for large wineries
• COVID Comfort: 6 in 10 Current Remote Workers Would Feel Comfortable Returning to the Office
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Barbara Dvorak Winiarski has died
• 2021 will be the best year ever for a lot of wineries!
• The existential terror of choosing wine & how consumers will soon be able to avoid it
• Court filing alleges Hugh Reimers conspired with Langtry Farms insider in illegal scheme to sell smoke-tainted wine
• 2021 USA Wine Ratings Winners Announced – (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Containment Grows to 87 Percent on Alisal Fire

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• DTC Shipment Value up 15% to nearly $360 million
• How Vintner hopes to make buying wine online as easy as possible
• Be part of the biggest gathering of Bulk Wine, Bulk Spirits, and Private Label professionals in the US. –  (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• UK surpasses China as top buyer of expensive Australian wine
• Australian wine exports reflect challenging year
• Australian bulk wine soars, causing prices to drop
• Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc shortage ‘not going away any time soon’, UK retailer warns
• Britons Swap Cheaper Wines for Higher Quality Australian Product [paywall?]
• Harvest in Monbazillac in full Swing after a difficult year
• According to Joseph Helfrich (Les Grands Chais de France), “France will be short of wine, especially white”
• Spring Mountain District Harvest Report – 6 October 2021

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Registration and Housing for 2022 In-Person Unified Symposium Opens October 19
• Tokay fine sandy loam, part 1 — the Mokelumne River’s defining natural feature
• Get smart on Wine Chemistry with Clark Smith’s new online course – (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• How Pandemic Profits Are Driving Consolidation in the Alcohol Industry (podcast)

DIVERSITY

• UC Davis Announces New Viticulture and Enology Executive Leadership Board Members
• The newest diversity recruiter for UC Davis’ prestigious wine program? Dwyane Wade [paywall?]
• California Wine Advocate Maryam Ahmed Finds Innovative Ways to Zoom in on Diversity

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• The climate crisis: Floods, lakes, and subsidies
• How Napa And Sonoma Vineyards Are Going Beyond Sustainability To Embrace Climate-Positive Goals
• As Oregon’s Wine Industry Adapts to Changing Climate, Imbibers May Need to Adapt Too
• Can Colorado’s climate woes be solved with a bottle of wine?

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Innovative Gifting Platform Buys Equally Innovative Wine Start-Up [paywall?]

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Chinese trade war tariffs drive Aussie wine exports off cliff, but new markets emerge

DISTRIBUTORS

• VSPT Wine Group signs IDFG partnership to distribute wines in the East
• Want To Become Your Driver’s Favorite Customer? Here’s What You Need to Know

NFTs

• Neldner Road Winemaker Dave Powell’s “vintage of the century” to be sold via NFT

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• TikTok creators with mid-level reach may be the most effective for brand partnerships

MEDIA MATTERS

• A book review of “Wines of the Roussillon”

MATTERS OF TASTE

• How Wine Brought Me In From the Outside

WINE PEOPLE

• Jane Anson: Bordeaux’s Honest Broker
• Karen Trippe Mannix: Napa Valley Wine
• Paetra Wine champions dry riesling for the Willamette Valley

WINE PLACES

• Clos Rougeard – can its iconic status be maintained?

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Online retail BWS sales continue to buck downward trend
• UK: Sparkling wine premium could be scrapped in alcohol duty overhaul

DOWN UNDER

• Australian wineries consider teaming up with Chinese wine producers
• Wine wētā: NZ native insect a vineyard headache
• Wine Australia thanks outgoing marketing GM Stuart Barclay
• OZ: Wine innovation driving growth

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Bordeaux opens representative office in China