SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Rise in Deaths Spurs Effort to Raise Alcohol Taxes [paywall?]
• Crumbling Napa Valley Resort Bought For Estimated $25 Mil
• The US still a beer country despite expressed preferences
• IWSR: how smaller markets drive non-alc innovation
• Why many Bay Area residents are no longer visiting Wine Country [paywall?]
• These Are The Top 10 Cyberthreats To Your Business
• Does Anyone Still Care About Wine Certifications? — (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• French vigneron and winemaker Jean-Marc Astruc has died
• Portuguese President pays homage to Antonio Guedes, who helped transform recognition of Vinho Verde region
• Washington Winemaker Ross Andrew Mickel Dies

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Economic tensions are high. What does this mean for premium beverage alcohol in the US?
• Why Ste Michelle bought A to Z and Rex Hill, how it happened, and what it means for Northwest wine
• Retailers Weigh In On One Of Wine’s Growth Segments: Sauvignon Blanc [paywall?]
• You want weigh tags, not a TTB summons. Click Now To Get Your Harvest Regulatory Training – (Sponsored Link.)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• California wine growers move to over-night harvesting during heat wave
• Heat Wave Causes Early Wine Harvest Season in Bay Area
• China’s wine and spirits imports lose steam in H1
• Grow your wine brand awareness in restaurants and bars of USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa’s Neighbor to the North: Continues to Elevate Wine
• North Bay becomes hub of B Corp. companies that promote progressive values [paywall?]
• Urberg joins Purple Brands in Petaluma to lead winemaking team [paywall?]
• Sonoma’s Cline Family Cellars names new CFO, marketing executives
• St. Helena’s Vineyard 29 announces a change in leadership
• Ancellotta, Assyrtiko, Chardonnay Rosa, Macabeo, Parellada, Prieto Picudo and Xarleo are among the lastest grapes of Lodi
• Can Cutting-Edge Technology and Character Coexist in Winemaking? — (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES/SMOKE TAINT

• Oregon wildfire quadruples in size, forcing more than 2,000 homes to evacuate
• California Fire Map
• Oregon Wildfire Tracker

WEATHER

• Europe Weathers Various Storms
• Forecasting Success: How weather affects the coming vintage

DROUGHT/WATER

• California drought raises red flags for agriculture
• SLO County vineyards look for more drought-tolerant plants
• Lingering California Drought, Water Restrictions and Record Heat Force Tough Decisions for the State’s Farmers
• Megadrought in the American south-west: a climate disaster unseen in 1,200 years

CLIMATE CHANGE

• How climate change is tweaking the taste of wine

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• RNDC and LibDib Launch LibDib@RNDC Oklahoma
• Time to get your visitor pass for USA Trade Tasting and meet the world Chicago – (Sponsored link

UKRAINE WINE

• Letters from Kyiv

DIVERSITY

• Our Legacy Harvested internship program is in full swing
• Women at Work
• KPBS Show Features Women and Minorities Building Wine and Beer Businesses

NFTs, BLOCKCHAIN, & THE METAVERSE

• Can drinks brands monetise the metaverse?

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Staying compliant amid new beverage alcohol industry regulations: On demand – (Sponsored Link.)

REAL ESTATE

• $35M vineyard estate could be Napa’s biggest deal ever
• Sonoma County Warehouse Goes on Market After Amazon Bails

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Pernod Ricard Scotch whisky chief on the outlook for the consumer

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• 2022 is a year of expansion, not acquisition
• UK: Cadman Capital acquires Alder Ridge Vineyard
• Gérard Bertrand buys organic wine estate in Cahors

DISTRIBUTORS

• A Primer for the New President of the Wine & Spirits Wholesaler’s Trade Organization [paywall]

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Tignanello is the top growing Italian wine on the Liv-ex over the last five years
• Cardinale 2019 released – Liv-ex
• Château Figeac sets new trading highs following promotion – Liv-ex
• The Saint Emilion Classification passes its credibility test

DATA & TRENDS

• The Cocktail, Wine and Spirit Trends That Will Shape This Fall

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• All about blind tasting

MARKETING & SALES

• An Iowa Store is Letting Customers Drink Wine While They Shop

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• How Interpunkt wants to shake up wine brands with its paper bottle wine

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• UK: SITT date change announced after Queen’s passing

MATTERS OF TASTE

• How Come No One Talks About Red Blends? (podcast)
• A World Without Italian Wine
• Croatian wine varies in type and tradition
• Is the Wine Industry Stuck in the Past?
• In Sparkling Memory: A Toast to the Queen’s Bubbly

WINE PEOPLE

• Looking Backwards and Forwards With Bob Lindquist
• John Terlato, Vice Chairman at Terlato Wines International (podcast)
• Sam Baxter, Owner & Winemaker Terra Valentine, Spring Mtn, Napa Valley (podcast)
• Novak Djokovic’s Uncle Goran Djokovic On Djokovic Wine And His Nephew’s Unshakable Spirit

WINE PLACES

• Greenest Wine Region In Europe And Its White Wine, A Favorite Among Sommeliers [paywall?]
• Anacréon Winery extends a seat at their family’s table

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Chardonnay Gaining Ground in Oregon
• PA: Logan’s View Winery announces its closure
• PA Liquor Control Board returns more than $2.2 million in licensing fees to communities

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Biopesticides to Manage Pierce’s Disease Trialed at UC Davis
• Adapting Wine Grape Production to Climate Change through Canopy Architecture Manipulation and Irrigation in Warm Climates

EUROPE & THE UK

• Languedoc producers furious at ban on Vermentino
• Barolo Wrestling with Tourism Trials

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chateau Fukushima? Japanese winery tries to shake off negative image
• Rethinking the ancient origins of Japan’s wine industry
• Japan liquor businesses turn to non-alcoholic drinks to attract Gen Z

LATIN AMERICA

• Chile’s winemakers exit Casablanca

SOUTH AFRICA

• Heineken gets green light for Distell takeover – with conditions