DECEMBER 2, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Wine’s Green Efforts Aim at Wrong Targets
• California water districts to get 0% of requested supplies
• Sotheby’s Predicts Luxury Sales Will Top $1 Billion for First Time
• Notorious 100-point system is here to stay at Wine Advocate, even with new editor [paywall?]
• The Court of Master Sommeliers Is Expelling Six Members. Is It Enough to End a Culture Many Call Toxic?
• Natural Wine Causes More Headaches For Wine Drinkers and Natural Wine
• COVID Comfort With Socializing Declines. Plummets Among Boomers.
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Provence Winemaking Iconoclast Eloi Dürrbach Dies at 71
• New Jersey wine’s Tom Cosentino has passed away

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• The Covid accelerated shift to local wine is set to continue
• Demographics and Wine’s On-Premise Decline
• Future Drinks Expo Exhibitor registrations are now open. Take advantage of the early bird pricing. – (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• S.F. startup uses AI to detect wildfires before they become catastrophic [paywall?]

DROUGHT/WATER

• No state water for California farms
• Will California sink the West over water?

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Pennsylvania wine and liquor sales set another record, annual report shows
• Add to cart: e-commerce activations to grow your wine and spirits’ online sales – (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• This year’s Lodi wine grape harvest exceptional despite smaller yield
• Champagne shortage has Australian sparkling wine makers ready to nab some of the market
• The New Emergence: Upcoming Wine Regions in the USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• CAWG Elects New Board Officers and Directors; Tom Slater Assumes Role as Chair
• Get smart on Wine Chemistry with Clark Smith’s new online course – (Sponsored link)

HEALTH

• UK: Alcohol should face same marketing restrictions as high fat and high sugar products, say campaigners

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Fearing market collapse, Sonoma County cannabis industry seeks cultivation tax removal

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Fighting climate change: is planting trees the answer?
• Worldwide Pesticide Use Holds Steady

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Carneros Winery Ownership Is Focus Of Lawsuit
• FTC Investigating Major Retailers Over Supply Chain Backlog

DISTRIBUTORS

• How Wineries Can Boost Their Restaurant Distribution – (Sponsored link)

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Should You Insure Your Wine Collection? (Maybe.)

DATA & TRENDS

• Australia was the drunkest country in 2020 reveals new data

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Seasoned Sommelier and Wine Buyer Thomas Brenner talks us through his focus while evaluating the effectiveness of a wine program – (Sponsored link)

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Drinking Is as Old as Time. Turns Out, Glassware is Too.

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Franciacorta: Italy’s star sparkling wine
• Terroir Reflects Culture as Well as Geography

WINE EDUCATION

• IMW welcomes thirteen new Masters of Wine

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• California vineyards use barn owls to control rodent populations

EUROPE & THE UK

• Bordeaux negociant faces time in prison. But not yet
• Portugal receives Brazilian investment in wine sector, injects hope
• How Lanchester is navigating through global wine shortage
• UK: Chapel Down makes changes to executive leadership team

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: New executive team for ABA
• Wine Australia announces new board
• OZ: Howard Park expands viticulture team as it grows vineyard holdings

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• India: Maharashtra to get new wine policy after 20 years

AROUND THE GLOBE

• How IXSIR is rolling with the punches in devastated Lebanon