DECEMBER 22, 2022 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Deadline Looms For Bids To Buy Winc Assets. Creditor Group Objects, Wants Postponement, Rules Changes
• Champagne makers pop corks on record $6.5B in sales despite inflation
• Leading Wholesalers On The Outlook For 2023 [paywall?]
• Ninth Circuit condemns EPA’s approval of chemical that kills bees — but allows its continued use [freewall?]
• Wildfire Threats Not Commonly Disclosed by U.S. Firms Despite Risk to Economy
• Low-Alcohol Wine, Ready-to-drink Cocktails Top Holiday Choices
• Hate filling out the CA Grape Crush Report? Now There’s help! – (Sponsored Link.)

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Rising demand for Bordeaux and Champagne ahead of Christmas
• Third of long COVID patients suffer persistent smell loss, study finds
• NAS Funded to Review Grapevine Virus Research Needs
• COVID’s Economic Impact Now Outweighs Health Issues
• Grow your wine brand awareness in restaurants and bars of USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Garagiste Wine Festival Returns to Santa Ynez Valley: February 10th and 11th

WILDFIRES/SMOKE TAINT

• California Fire Map
• Oregon Wildfire Tracker

DROUGHT/WATER

• Fourth year of drought brings extreme limits to water supply
• California Water Agencies Collaborate on Groundwater Digital Platform to Help Address Dry Wells and Water Supply Shortages

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• A Wine Seller, A Greek and a Consumer Walk Up to the Bar…

HEALTH

• Wine and Tea Polyphenols Can Reduce Cognitive Decline

NFTs, BLOCKCHAIN, & THE METAVERSE

• The Blind Horse Winery, VaporFi: Launch first NFT-labeled wine in the industry

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Wholesalers Want TTB and Treasury to Investigate How Soft Drink Companies Market New Alcohol Crossover Products

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Return Trends At Treasury Wine Estates (ASX:TWE) Aren’t Appealing
• Naked Wines: Strong Competitive Advantages, Margin Of Safety [freewall?]
• India’s largest winemaker Sula Vineyards drops 5% in market debut [freewall?]
• The Fate of Luxury Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci Rests on China Once More [paywall?]

AGRIFOODTECH

• The ‘elegant’ yeast-based technology solution vowing to disrupt the global beverage industry

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Sotheby’s Auction Sales of Wine and Spirits Hit Record $150 Million in 2022
• The most traded wines on Liv-ex in 2022  – Liv-ex

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• How Cognac decanters became a work of art

WINE CRIME

• €2m of ‘fake Champagne’ confiscated from producer
• Hong Kong seizes 9,000 smuggled wines destined to China

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Murrieta: The White Star of Rioja

WINE PEOPLE

• Aaron Lieberman,Oregon Winemaker On His Life and Winemaking
• Total devotion to her craft and colleagues sets local winemaker Justin Trabue on a path to icon status
• Rajat Parr’s new venture: Phelan Farm – Wines of the Pacific [paywall?]
• Meet the maker: Patrick Leger, Grand Marnier

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Alcohol duty freeze provides ‘certainty for the months ahead’
• Marc Hoellinger is appointed CEO of Champagne Deutz

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Riverina grape growers at centre of new profitability initiatives