DECEMBER 7, 2021 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Alcohol ecommerce set to grow 66% across 2020-2025: ‘Ecommerce has clearly become engrained for many consumers’
• Tomorrow – December 8 — is last chance to bid on Rabbit Ridge Winery Property and Vineyards
• Dawn of the Ganjier: Wine’s Latest Challenge?
• Gearing Up for the 2022 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium
• Wine Drinkers Leading The Surge In Ready-To-Drink AlcBev Purchases
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Trailblazing Italian Producer Andrea Franchetti Dies
• Farewell Andrea Franchetti (1949–2021)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• 39% of wine drinkers drinking less
• Inflation’s Hitting Wine
• Future Drinks Expo Exhibitor registrations are now open. Take advantage of the early bird pricing. – (Sponsored link)

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• The US is ‘top dog’ in drinks e-commerce
• Add to cart: e-commerce activations to grow your wine and spirits’ online sales – (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• South Africa celebrates ‘small but high quality’ 2021 harvest
• Vintage 2021 A Microscopic View — both close and narrow
• The New Emergence: Upcoming Wine Regions in the USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Historic Santa Barbara County Wine Properties Change Hands
• Santa Barbara’s Fiddlestix Vineyard Sold
• Why An International Wine Importer Put Down Roots In California [paywall?]
• Why Northern California businesses aren’t bubbly about shortage of CO2
• Napa County ponders a new question – how small can a winery be? [paywall?]
• Get smart on Wine Chemistry with Clark Smith’s new online course – (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• Britain suffers record rise in alcohol deaths during COVID pandemic

DIVERSITY

• NBA star Dwyane Wade: ‘I got into wine to be a voice for black makers’

ONLINE PRIVACY

• ‘This is scary stuff’: Cookie compliance efforts continue to fall short even three years after GDPR

HEALTH

• Antioxidants in Wine: The Health Debate Continues

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Does the Use of Cover Crops Make Vineyards More Sustainable?

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Charlois Group Acquires the Doreau Group

AGRIFOODTECH

• Check out these 11 wine business technology innovations of 2021

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• UK: Defra (finally) publishes draft legislation that will axe VI-1 forms

DISTRIBUTORS

• Insider Tips for Choosing the Right Distributor
• The Free Spirits Company Announces Distribution Agreement with Republic National Distributing Company to Accelerate Non-Alcoholic Spirits Growth in the US
• How Wineries Can Boost Their Restaurant Distribution – (Sponsored link)

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• How Fine Wine In The NBA Spells New Opportunities For The Industry
• Chesapeake Bay Wine Classic Foundation Raises $2.3 Million for Aspiring Students
• Fine wine market breaks records in 2021, says Liv-ex

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• AI connoisseurs are shaking up the prestigious wine industry
• 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

• Miller Lite releases Christmas baubles you can drink beer out of

MEDIA MATTERS

• The Best Wine Books of 2021

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Mountain Majesty— Why Mountains Can Make Great Wine
• After Napa, another favorite “misunderstanding”: Zachary Sussman takes a fresh look at Franciacorta

WINE PEOPLE

• Marchese Antinori’s First Female Winemaker, Alessia Antinori, Talks Tradition and Innovation in Chianti

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Consumers Eager to Wine and Dine, According to Restaurant Data

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Massive fire destroys part of Three Brothers Wineries & Estates in the Finger Lakes
• Six Myths About Washington Wine (And The Truth)

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• There is no such thing as terroir yeast, contrary to what winegrowers think
• Cover crops in vineyards mitigate erosion, boost soil nutrients [paywall?]

EUROPE & THE UK

• Gonzague Lurton: New generation Bordeaux at Château Durfort-Vivens
• The Amphora Project in Emilia-Romagna Channeling the Region’s Roman Roots

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Indevin buys Thornhill
• OZ: New president for the Swan Valley Winemakers
• Digital marketplaces connecting Australian wine globally

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• AB InBev sets first profit growth target under new chief