MAY 16, 2022 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Global wine consumption recovers from pandemic-hit 2020, but remains down on 2019
• U.S. Still #1 In World Wine Consumption. France, Italy Also Ran.
• Sonoma’s Battle for the Vineyard Workers
• Has Treasury Wine Estates abandoned the China market?
• SF Bay Area has highest COVID rate in Calif. Masking advised indoors
• Webinar – Mastering alcohol ecommerce in 2022 – (Sponsored link)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Ukrainian Cyberwarfare Targets Russian Wine Market
• California North Coast wine grape season off to wild-weather start amid frost, water concerns
• Sommeliers Share Insight On Transforming The Restaurant Industry From Racial Awareness To Antiracism [paywall?]
• Embracing Technology In The Alco-Bev Industry – (Sponsored link)

UKRAINE

• Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing impact on Australian producers

WILDFIRES & WEATHER

• Frost sweeps through North Coast vineyards during bloom period [paywall?]
• May hail hits parts of Napa Valley, most vineyards avoid damage [paywall?]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Calif: State Water Board releases draft emergency water conservation regulation
• As water runs short in California, commission rejects $1.4 billion desalination plant

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• There Is No Public Support for Alcohol Anti-Shipping Laws
• Wine List & QR Codes: Wine Management with Digital Marketing – (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• OZ: Small export recovery provides glimmer of hope to struggling wine industry
• The New Emergence: Upcoming Wine Regions in the USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa Valley man buys Lagunitas’ stake in Santa Rosa’s Moonlight Brewing
• Sonoma County’s Dutton-Goldfield Winery hires new winemaker
• After fire, new Larson Family Winery retains historic feel [paywall?]
• Why attend the 2022 Future Drinks Expo? – (Sponsored link)

COVID-19

• The Restaurant Revitalization Fund refill is in danger

DIVERSITY

• ‘No longer hidden figures’: Association of African American Vintners celebrates 20th anniversary

NFTs, BLOCKCHAIN, & THE METAVERSE

• An NFT Wine Club with Exclusive Bottles and Perks

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Bioengineer Charles Denby is working to make beer and wine more sustainable

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands joins Responsibility.org

DISTRIBUTORS

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

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Vint Brings Wine Futures to the World
• Château Rayas 2007 elevates the Rhône’s weekly share of trade – Liv-ex
• Prince Robert of Luxembourg First Growth Bordeaux Wine Auction for PolG Charity [paywall?]

BORDEAUX EN PRIMEUR

• First en primeur releases – what value do they offer?

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• &Walsh disrupts the ‘stuffy’ wine landscape with a ‘non-snobby’ identity for Stompy
• Seasoned Sommelier and Wine Buyer Thomas Brenner talks us through his focus while evaluating the effectiveness of a wine program – (Sponsored link)

MARKETING & SALES

• (Let’s complain about some parts of) wine marketing

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Beyond the (Standard) Bottle: Wineries Are Embracing Greener Packaging
• Seeing clearly – alternative packaging

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Living My Best Life in the Age of Social Media

WINE CRIME

• Turns Out a Ponzi Scheme Involving Rare Wine Bottles Is Still a Ponzi Scheme

MEDIA MATTERS

• The subscription wine publications list

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Syrah or Shiraz: which camp are you in?
• How I Learned to Embrace the Science of Wine
• $100,000 Wine Gamble Turned Into 100-Point Scores From Top Wine Critics [paywall?]

WINE PEOPLE

• Charles de Bournet, Domaine de Lapostolle, Chile (podcast)
• Celebrating Grenache With The.Grenachista
• Nicolas Ottin of Ottin Elio on the Beauty and Uniqueness of Italy’s High Altitude Valle d’Aosta Vineyards
• Unfiltered: Szabolcs Menesi
• Unfiltered: Adam Pledger

WINE PLACES

• What’s the Most Underrated American Wine Region?

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Drinking is part of restaurant industry culture, but what do you do when it becomes alcohol abuse? [paywall?]

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• The Benefits of Cover Crops When It Comes To Vineyard Design
• Parts of the Grape Vine: Flowers & Fruit

EUROPE & THE UK

• Big Split in French Wine Region
• DO Penedès announces the first “Vi de Mas” wines
• Why Slovenian wine is the one to watch for 2022 and beyond

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Wine exporters welcome election commitment

SOUTH AFRICA

• Shining a Light on South African Wine

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Inflation’s Coming for Your 6-Pack, As the Price of Beer Jumped 5% Last Month