NEWSFETCH – January 3, 2012

TOP NEWS

• Paul Walsh Diageo departure rumours mount
• 12 Ways to Sell More Wine Online in 2012
• Champagne sales surged in 2011, booze headed for 2012 boost
• For 2012, Signs Point to Tepid Consumer Spending
• Observers expect slow growth for Sonoma County economy in 2012
• Barefoot wines see big rise in sales
• 2012 could bring more grape contracts, vineyard sales
• Wineries Fight Direct To Consumer Regulations
• Look beyond economics when deciding to convert winegrape blocks
• Croatia, Home of Zinfandel, Prepares to Join World Wine Battle
• QR codes catch on with grands crus
• OregonPinotGris.org is Born
• A map of world alcohol consumption
• Will China buy more foreign wineries? 20 wine questions for 2012
• Spotlight on the Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak AVA

PUBLIC COMPANIES & INVESTING

• Hedge Funds Prefer Beer Investments
• Constellation Q3 Earnings Sneak Peek
• Drinks Americas Revenue Exceeds $2.4mil from KAH Tequila Sales

HEALTH

• Giving up alcohol for January? Your liver may not thank you for it, say experts
• New Research on How Drinking Changes Personalities
• Letting your teen sip alcohol at home: Good idea or not?
• Vodka health claim on the rocks
• How I Moderated My Drinking
• Wine in moderation – a balanced approach to reduce harmful drinking

MEDIA MATTERS

• Suffering from the torment of Obsessive Galloni Disease? Take this!
• Natural Wine: The Ugly Underbelly

WATER & SUSTAINABILITY

• Which is better for the planet, beer or wine?
• ‘Green’ wines less popular with consumers, says Berry Bros
• EPA Awards Jackson Family Wines Green Power Leadership Award
• Calif. Water year off to a slow start

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Suggestions for oenology refrigeration
• Effect of Soil Management on Erosion and Nutrition Loss
• Leaf removal can influence vine performance

U.S. REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Growing the Central U.S. Wine Industry
• IL: Surveys to examine Illinois wine industry
• MI: New wineries, tasting rooms taking root across Michigan
• NJ: Bill to allow direct wine shipping would bolster wineries, expand buyer choices
• OR: Is OLCC pushing true reform or half-measures?
• VA: Governor’s Cup changes coming
• TX: Dallas winery to close after three years in business
• VA: New winery opening in Albemarle County
• WA: 2011 grape harvest promises subtle, food-friendly wines

ACADEMIA

• UC Davis says it has $6.9 billion impact on region’s economy
• Kent State University’s winemaking degree: Whatever happened to …?

EUROPE & THE UK

• Can Italy be Roused in 2012?
• Drinks industry must resist David Cameron’s meddling on prices
• Business failures in UK eating out sector to increase, expert warns
• Scottish parliament prepares for minimum pricing legal challenge
• Ancient Croatian Grapes Revive Wineries in Home of Zinfandel
• Boom is over for biodynamic wines at UK’s Berry Bros
• Biodyvin tasting: biodynamic event 10th November 2011

CANADA

• Three new wineries coming to area

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Visitors flock to Margaret River and wineries

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Private wine cellars ‘to become more popular’ in China

LATIN AMERICA

• Augusto Pulenta: a family legacy

SOUTH AFRICA

• SA wine farmers feel the pinch
• Number of Black Wine Consumers Growing in South Africa

ONLINE, TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• 10 Best Practices For Alcohol Brands On Facebook
• The Top QR Code Fails of 2011
• Google May Have Violated Its Own Paid Link Policy With Chrome Promo Campaign
• Google+ just had its biggest traffic month of all time, up 55% from November.

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Book of the Year, Wine Wars Tour & Top Posts of 2011
• Sonoma winemaker debuts as ‘The Bachelor’ tonight
• The State of California Pinot Noir
• Out with Bordeaux, In with the….?
• Ready or Not, 2008 Médocs
• Winebits 210: Cheap wine edition
• Hip-hop help sees Moscato sales soar in US
  
• Sweet Moscato pops with celebrity props