DECEMBER 3, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• U.S. wine direct-to-consumer sales continue to climb even as pandemic lessens
• Fine wine prices continue to rise as markets react to new Covid-19 variant
• Winc Is One of the Most Popular Wine Clubs. It’s Also One of the Worst the NYTimes Tested.
• PG&E to pay $125 million in fines and penalties under Kincade fire settlement
• The Wine Industry Needs to View Vines as More Than Production Tools
• New Commerce7 and GINQO Partnership
• This year may prove even worse for the tourism industry than 2020
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Master of Wine Alexander N. “Sandy” Block has died

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Wine’s Green Efforts Aim at Wrong Targets
• California water districts to get 0% of requested supplies
• Future Drinks Expo Exhibitor registrations are now open. Take advantage of the early bird pricing. – (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Smoke-tainted California grapes find new life as vodka
• West Coast University Scientists Receive $7.65M Grant to Study Smoke Impact on Grapes and Wine (PDF)

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Looking Back at Beverage Alcohol Regulatory Change in 2021
• New Commerce7 and GINQO Partnership
• Add to cart: e-commerce activations to grow your wine and spirits’ online sales – (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• The New Emergence: Upcoming Wine Regions in the USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Slovang: Gleason Family Vineyards Buys Buttonwood Farm Vineyard & Winery
• Napa Valley Wine Library book sale [paywall?]
• How California Came to Define American Wine
• Get smart on Wine Chemistry with Clark Smith’s new online course – (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• China’s latest Covid surge corks two wine fairs

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Cover crops make vineyards more sustainable; strategy can be marketing tool

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Florida: House subcommittee unanimously approves bigger wine bottles

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Treasury Wine Estates supports employees experiencing domestic and family violence

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• UK: When in Rome raises £400k for future investment

AGRIFOODTECH

• Two robotic worker-assist cart manufacturers attract venture capital funding, seek niches in specialty crop production.

DISTRIBUTORS

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

DATA & TRENDS

• Evaluate and Track Wine Companies, View Company Insights for 1,000+ Wine Producers and Suppliers: BizVibe

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• How Natural Wine Shops Went From Fringe Hangouts to National Phenomena
• Seasoned Sommelier and Wine Buyer Thomas Brenner talks us through his focus while evaluating the effectiveness of a wine program – (Sponsored link)

MARKETING & SALES

• Using Digital Identity To Prevent The Sale Of Age-Restricted Products

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Sparkling wine is so much more than champagne. Here are other bubbles to consider.
• Wine Faults Beyond the Binary: When a Flaw Isn’t Really a Flaw
• In Search of the New Franciacorta
• The Super Tuscans Waiting in the Wings
• Greatness and the Intersection of Wine and Culture
• In which we get to try the world’s only (?) other Vaccarese

WINE PEOPLE

• Alex Holman, Winemaker Notre Vue Estate, Sonoma (video)

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Washington specialty crop farms eligible for new program with free consulting, deadline Dec. 15
• Northern Virginia’s Wine Scene is Thriving

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Removing Brett from barrels using just steam
• Vineyard Trial Demonstrates Effectiveness of Roguing and Replanting to Curtail the Spread of Grapevine Leafroll Disease [PDF]
• Retaining Tannins in Blends of Vinifera and Hybrid Grapes – Co-Ferment or Ferment, Separate and Blend?
• Newly Identified Powdery Mildew Resistance Locus (REN11) on Chromosome 15 Confers Stable, Non Race Specific Resistance

EUROPE & THE UK

• Greek wine producers fear loss of funding due to EU policy
• Caveat Emptor: Mislabeled Wine Is The Latest Bordeaux Wine Fraud [paywall?]
• UK: Are alcohol-free off-licences the future?
• UK: Isabelle Legeron MW launches online natural wine shop and wine festival ‘Alive!’

DOWN UNDER

• Fellows of New Zealand Winegrowers announced for 2021
• OZ: WISA announces new management committee members

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Dodoma grows into the wine capital of East Africa