NEWSFETCH – January 31, 2011

• Half of Australian Hunter Valley vineyards ripped out
• Champagne supply tight as corks pop again
• Wine drinkers trust merchants over bloggers
• Korbel pledges river garbage dump cleanup
• Treasury pulls support from Wine Australia
• Copyright, Fair Use, and Wine Blogs
• Foodservice industry forecast revised upward
• Supermarket As Trendy Wine Bar
• Western legislators call for withdrawal of Secretarial Order on Wild Lands
• Domestic wine sales growing more strongly than imports
• Offal News Releases: Is There A Pony In Here Somewhere?
• Emerging markets: The conditions that support the stellar performance of the luxury goods sector
• Factoring risks for crop insurance in 2011
• Plan to list calories on wine and beer labels is hard for some to swallow
• Red wine pill goes on sale in the UK
• Red Wine Nutrient Resveratrol to be Investigated in a 4 Year Human Clinical Trial
• Get Expert Winemaking Advice on Web
• Twin taints in wine: Simultaneous determination of cork taint and Brett character
• Unified Symposium – Making Your Direct-To-Consumer Work
• UC Davis opens futuristic wine and beer facility
• Newly opened UCD food facility fully funded by private donors
• KJ owners donate $3 million for UC Davis facility

POLITICS, TAXES & DIRECT SHIPPING

• MD: Direct Shipping bill introduced today
• Could MD wine drinkers taste freedom this year?
• Marylanders for Better Wine Shipping Laws
• NJ: For wineries, court ruling leaves sour taste
• Wineries in NJ say court may sour sales

AROUND THE STATES

• MA: Repeal of alcohol sales tax spurs sales
• IL: Ruling could mean tens of millions in tax refund to Wirtz wine, spirits distributorship
• WA: Bank seizes, shutters Walla Walla winery
• NY: Finger Lakes tourism study results to be released Tuesday
• VA: Wine Makers Ready For Tax Credits
• CO: CSU to establish winery for students
• WA: UW students turn wine into water
• TX: Sunday liquor sales could get look as state aims to raise revenue
• UT: State-store cuts will mean more closings
• GA: Sunday alcohol proposal on table
• NE: Wineries show resiliency during recession

EUROPE

• Mouton and Haut Brion drive First Growth trade
• Alsace needs sweetness code

THE UK

• Hillebrand and Waitrose sign new deal

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Crushing blow for Hunter winemakers
• Damn Tough To Be A Farmer in Oz
• Queensland braces for worst ever cyclone
• OZ: Flood waters pour into Swan Hill
• NZ: Push to tag alcohol with health alert
• OZ: Winetitles launches new wine trade journal: Wine & Viticulture Journal
• OZ: Liquor Brands squeezed as Consumers tighten belts
• OZ: Lion Nathan agrees to Labelling Reform

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Technology can thwart Chinese liquor counterfeiting
• Chinese wine production expanding rapidly
• Wine & Spirits Industry Fight Chinese Counterfeiting
• The BRICs: Two Faces of Chinese Wine
• Red China wine
• Chinese whispers: 8 secrets
• US consulate visits wine company in Guangzhou
• From Oz, Answers For Ailing Aussie Wine Trade

SOUTH AFRICA

• Distell’s Smarter Use Of Water

ONLINE, TECH & SOCIAL NETWORKING

• The Star of Wine Social Media – Hardy Wallace
• What ever happened to the VinTank 8?

APPOINTMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• SJV Grape group names new leaders
• EXHIBITIONS: 2011 trade fair listings
• WJ Deutsch To Rep Three Vintage Wine Estates Wineries
• Beringer Vineyards Signs 4-Year Extension with PGA

WATER

• ECONOMIST: Drying of West brings new era of water wars
• The laws of economics – and water
• Groundwater Management
• Sierra snowpack good, but dry spell still a threat

LIGHTER & LESS “TRADE-ONLY”

• US: The drinking show binge – they get paid for that?!
• Some wine regions still lie undiscovered or forgotten
• Where have all the medals gone? Given the ubiquity of point ratings, do wine competitions still matter?
• Artisanal Wine: Five Talented Wine Professionals, Five Points of View
• Calif. winemakers bottle exclusivity
• Bedrock Wine Co. – where past heralds the future