FEBRUARY 28, 2022 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Global wine consumption has been declining for a long time
• California Growers Left High and Dry
• There is good news to talk about! – SVB
• Bidders Worldwide Vie For Napa Valley’s Most Innovative Wines at 2022 Premiere Napa Valley Wine Auction
• DtC Alcohol Shippers Cannot Contract Their Way Out of Compliance
• Wine Tasting in the Metaverse
  
• Wine crime is soaring but a new generation of tech savvy detectives is on the case
• EPA denies objections, bans chlorpyrifos use on food crops [paywall?]
• Restaurant Spending Largely Unaffected By Inflation
• Webinar: Alcohol marketplaces and delivery apps: Current regulatory issues – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• African American Winemakers Are Changing the Face of the Wine Industry
• Wine’s BIGGEST Unanswered, Market-Killing Question: Why?
• Wine is healthy. Wine is dangerous. All studies on both sides of this are totally inconclusive.
• Bye, Bye Wine Direct: The Quick Books of wine DTC has launched! – (Sponsored link)

UKRAINE WINE

• Russian Invasion Prompts EU Wine Worries
• Ukraine Is A Small But Mighty Market For Wine [paywall?]
• Raise A Glass To Ukraine’s Wine History [paywall?]
• Macron tells French farmers: Ukraine war will weigh on you, and it will last [paywall?]
• Financial sanctions on Russia will rock international drinks trade
• Russian Top Sommeliers Sign Anti War Petition

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Freezing temps prompt Sonoma County winegrowers to protect early buds [paywall?]

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Illinois wine industry pushes to change Prohibition-era law
• We Choose Our Source of Joy and I Choose Illinois
• Add to cart: e-commerce activations to grow your wine and spirits’ online sales – (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Spirits vs. Wine: Boom vs. Doom?
• French wine & spirits exports to China surge in record-breaking 2021
• The New Emergence: Upcoming Wine Regions in the USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• New California rules aim to lower property insurance rates
• Walt Ranch mitigations returns to Napa Board of Supervisors on Tuesday [paywall?]
• Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance Announces 2022 Board of Directors at Annual State of the Alliance
• A wealthy family’s plans for a Napa vineyard have exploded into controversy. The outcome could define the valley’s future [paywall?]
• Wineries are luring top chefs with better work conditions — competing with Wine Country’s finest restaurants [paywall?]
• Leadership academy starts for Sonoma County vineyard workers [paywall?]
• Get smart on Wine Chemistry with Clark Smith’s new online course – (Sponsored link)

DIVERSITY

• Theopolis Vineyards Diversity Fund Created for Viticulture and Enology Students
• Our Legacy Harvested Is Diversifying the Wine Scene

HEALTH

• ‘It’s Growing Every Day’: The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Bottle Shops and Bars

NFTs & BLOCKCHAIN

• NFTs And The Future Of The Alcoholic Beverage Industry [paywall?]
• What Does Future Look Like for NFTs and Wine?
• Every restaurant operator should care about NFTs and the metaverse

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Beset By Cannabis Industry Woes, Renowned Farmer ‘Just Squeaking By’

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Alliance Wine sets out is sustainability strategy for the business
• Italy says arrivederci to biodynamic bill
• Sicily’s longstanding commitment to sustainability shines through
• DOC Sicilia invests in the future with sustainability, promotional campaigns

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Darren Plewes Appointed Vice President, Wholesale at Winc

DISTRIBUTORS

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

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Premiere Napa Valley auction tops $2 million in online and in-person event [paywall?]
• 2022 Napa Valley Premiere Auctions Off 111 Unique Wine Lots, Featuring 2019, 2020 And 2021 Vintages [paywall?]

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

• Are Flat Wine Bottles the Net-Zero Future of Vino?

MEDIA MATTERS

• Natalie MacLean, author, wine educator, and host of the Unreserved Wine Talk Podcast (podcast)

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Why Some White Wines Age So Beautifully
• Furmint: a misunderstood grape with a bright future

WINE PEOPLE

• Michel Rolland: ‘Blending is my cardio’
• Unfiltered: James Lloyd
• Andrea McBride John’s postcard from San Francisco
• The Journey of Vaughn Duffy Wines
• From ‘demonised’ White Lyan to international entrepreneur – how Ryan Chet grew an empire
• Terroir and the Noösphere – How a French Jesuit paleontologist and a Russian-Ukrainian scientist named Vladimir set the stage for a rising wine culture
• Henrik Poulsen, Owner & Winemaker, Release Winery, Napa Valley (podcast)

WINE HISTORY

• From Silk Worms To Prosecco: Snapshot Of Northern Italian History [paywall?]

WINE TOURISM

• Think of visitors as ‘wine tourists’ – not wine consumers

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Bill to create Washington wine license plate moves to state Senate

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• The closest we’ve come to GM vines: the Colmar trials looking to defeat fanleaf virus
• Little to be gained by the addition of glutathione before or during fermentation
• ‘Smart’ slasher prototype developed
• Ultimate taste test for Pinot Noir
• Using data to inform vine management
• The relationship between grape ripening rate and wine quality

EUROPE & THE UK

• Portugal: Azores to get own regional vine and wine institute
• Austria Introduces New Qualifications for Still and Sparkling Wine
• Chianti DOCG’s plans for upper tier and new sub-zone
• New Cava tiers set to premiumise Spanish fizz, says regulatory council

DOWN UNDER

• Criminal celebrities help Australia’s biggest wine producer fill Chinese void [paywall?]

SOUTH AFRICA

• The Cape’s fighting spirit
• Wine Consumer Focus: Predictive Insights or Reactive Opportunism