NEWSFETCH – January 24, 2011

• Jobs, Inflation Drive Pessimistic End to 2010 Global Consumer Confidence
• Foster’s loses CIO Leyden
• Wineries shrug off slump
• Wine Drinkers Picking Higher-Priced Bottles
• The TRUTH About Snooth Data
• Pesticides kill French winegrower
• Justin Vineyards owner settles Malicious Prosecution Case Involving Princess Diana Fund
• Decision on Jess Jackson’s request to rename Black Mountain delayed
• Napa vineyard appeal resumes next week
• Davos Says: Forget Great Recession, growth super-cycle ahead
• Certifying Wine Writers… Are you kidding me?
• It’s show time at World Ag Expo
• Groups sue EPA over pesticide use
• Winegrape Vineyards Can Yield More Dollars
• Viticultural area label changes OK with vintners
• Monterey Bay Wine Co. has grown into a statewide concern
• Napa: Agricultural burning must ‘spare the air’
• Sonoma’s First Certified Biodynamic Winery: what used to be a Pot Farm
• FindWine seeks new wine writing talent
• SABMiller Sorts Out Key Obstacles To Potential Foster’s Bid
• Constellation Brands sheds wineries
• Unaffordable land stunts new generation of small farmers in California
• Strength from the Inside: Rodney Strong Pushes On
• Retirement Brings A Winery Expansion In Temecula
• Napa Valley Wine Train Dedicates Bridge to Lovers
• New Salinas-area winery holds grand opening on River Road

POLITICS, TAXES & DIRECT SHIPPING

• Alcohol Regulation Roundup: January 24, 2011

AROUND THE STATES

• WA: Let’s put a cork on senseless state wine rules
• NC: Perdue Picks Poker Over Liquor
• MD: The corkage controversy — it popped
• IN: Local wine sales up in a down economy
• WA: Prosser’s Olsen family to focus on grapes, not wine
• PA: Hershey winery owner: Vines should be able to weather single-digit temps
• Oklahoma wine distribution laws leave revenue untapped
• NY: Crowds pack First Arena for Wine on Ice event
• TN: Proponents of Grocery Wine Try Again

EUROPE

• Austrian wine industry announces record value
• Edgar Bronfman Jr. to appeal French conviction in Vivendi insider-trading case

THE UK

• Wikio rates Bibendum wine blog as ‘most influential’
• $10m at Acker Merrall Hong Kong auction

CANADA

• WineAlign Reaches 15,000 User Milestone
• Rethinking Icewine in Niagara

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Winegrowers tipped to quit as profits dive
• Victorian Government says flood damage to farms worse than forecast
• OZ: Miller circles Foster’s brew
• OZ: Wineries look to a white knight
• OZ: Strong $A crimps Casella profits
• New Australia, NZ importer breaks new ground
• Australian and British operations of Constellation wines got sold
• Foster’s shares jump amid report SABMiller has cleared bid

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chateau Margaux: Toasting the tofu with fine wines as West courts East
• Dragon’s Eye hits the spot as world discovers Chinese wines
• Sotheby’s Sells Lloyd Webber’s Wines for $5.6 Million
• Washington wines served at Obama state dinner for China
• Grape wall of China cracks
• Chinese mop up Lloyd Webber wine
• Capturing China’s water needs
• China’s cup overflows for fine wine

SOUTH AMERICA, SOUTH AFRICA

• Argentina Lures Bankers Dreaming of Owning Their Own Vineyard
• SAfrica: Wine Industry Goes Ape for Baboons
• South Africa Farmers Demand Compensation After Floods
• Chile’s new cool regions triumph

ONLINE, TECH & SOCIAL NETWORKING

• Spirit companies that are embracing Facebook with great results
• Twitter Revenue Will Quintuple To $250 Million Next Year, Analyst Predicts
• Twitter Ad Revenue May Reach $150 Million This Year

LIGHTER & LESS “TRADE-ONLY”

• Growing Grapes as Part of a Real-Life Script
• Liv-ex Cellar Watch – for collectors and enthusiasts
• Michel Rolland stars in new wine film
• Grapes to try: Tannat red and Garganega white
• A whole meal with Sauternes: Can life be too sweet?

APPOINTMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Korbel funds SSU professor post
• Gill joins Napa Valley Grapegrowers

WATER

• Calif Water: Upbeat first assessment of year’s supplies
• California State Water Project allocation increases to 60 percent