NOVEMBER 16, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Vintage Wine Estates DTC Up 37%, Revenue $56 million for FYQ1 2022
• Drizly Teams With 7-Eleven To Offer On-Demand Alcohol Delivery From Over 1,200 Stores
• The End of Gendering Wine
• For American collectors, Napa is still the only wine in town
• Job growth has recently been dramatically higher than federal government estimates
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Billion-dollar Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Sale A Tactic To Bid Up The Price Up From A Fraction Of That
• Upsized or downsized? Winc’s inflated statement on its IPO
• Rabbit Ridge Winery Properties Set for Over-Bid Auction

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Wildfire detection tech firm launches pilots in Napa, Sonoma, Lake counties

DROUGHT/WATER

• A once-in-a-generation investment in Western water
• Following record-wet October in NorCal, much drier & warmer conditions to persist for foreseeable future

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Calif: Short Crop in Step with Flat Market
• Ciatti California Report – November 2021
• Calif: Vintners report great quality from ’21 harvest

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Andy and Betty Beckstoffer Donate $1 Million to Center for Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly
• Get smart on Wine Chemistry with Clark Smith’s new online course – (Sponsored link)

DIVERSITY

• Deborah Brenner on driving diversity with Women of the Vine & Spirits
• WG Edge Partners with Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation to Create Opportunities for Women in Agriculture

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• The first sulphite-free organic wine by an 1855-classified Cru Classé
• OZ: Historic Victorian winery on track to be carbon neutral without offsets by 2025

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Vintage Wine Estates Acquires ACE Cider – Leading Brand Expands Product Portfolio and Launches Complementary New Sales Channel
• Diageo’s share price soars as it reveals future ambitions

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Chinese customs: Australian wine, the most rejected wine of origin to China

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• UK: BBR reports booming sales of en primeur
• How to Spot Fake / Counterfeit Champagne

MARKETING & SALES

• Three Things I Learned About Wine Marketing from Kevin Zraly
• How can drinks brands maximise the power of celebrity endorsement to drive purchase?

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The Marselan Wine Grape Gaining Popularity In Bordeaux, China And Napa Valley
• Why Martinborough Pinot Noirs Are New Zealand’s Best
• Champagne Vilmart & Cie
• Sherry: CVNE’s Secret White Wine Ingredient

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Replacing bentonites during clarification for protein stabilisation of wines

EUROPE & THE UK

• Spain suffers shortage of major drinks brands
• Ornellaia and Masseto to open office in Bordeaux

DOWN UNDER

• ASVO honours two members of the Australian wine industry
• With borders closed, Australian winemakers raise a glass to the home crowd [paywall?]