NEWSFETCH – December 28, 2010

• Australia’s CHAMP sees global wine cycle near bottom
• Small business economic confidence falls
• Retail Sales Rebound, Beating Forecasts
• Constellation Brands Scales Back Abroad, Stays “Local”
• Doctored wine pulled from Walmart shelves
• RI, MA: Two-state alcohol price rivalry rages on
• Champagne price outlook unlikely to sparkle on customers´ tongues
• OR: Plans for winery hit some snag
• Spirited Politics: Maryland direct wine shipping
• Wine auction sales top $350 mln; Champagne anyone?
• California Grapevine Merges With Sunridge
• Gallo headed back to the top
• No. 8 top story of 2010: The year the west end sizzled
• New Use for Napa Grapes: Vodka
• Wineries get the nod in Byron Township
• Business leaders urge loosening alcohol sales rules in Oklahoma

NEWS FROM ASIA

• ‘China’s Bordeaux’ in chemical scandal
• A Reaction to Wine Scandal in China: Chinese Wine Too Good to Be True
• South African wine strikes a pose in Heifei fare

ONLINE, TECH & SOCIAL NETWORKING

• A Call for Women (Speakers)
• HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Facebook Insights for Small Business
• Can the Canucks Save Winery Ecommerce?

LIGHTER NEWS

• Wine Beats Chocolate As National Food Fixation
• Italian Wine Museums Appeal to the Intellect, but Not the Palate
• The science of drinking bubbly
• Medicinal Wine Can Create Health Risks
• Krug-Bale marriage launches wine industry
• Drink Wine and Lose Weight?

HARVEST & VINTAGE NEWS

• MD: Growers report best harvest ever

WATER NEWS

• Farmers on valley’s west hopeful for more water

THE FOLLOWING MIGHT BE NEWS… This generally fails to pass the “Why should you care?” test thanks to a swamp of hyperbole, self-indulgence, poor writing, over-long, wandering, and/or ALL CAPS headlines.

• MYSUPERMARKET LAUNCHES UK’S FIRST ONLINE WINE COMPARISON WEBSITE