NEWSFETCH – February 13, 2012

TOP NEWS

• Calif. 2011 Wine Grape Crush: 3.3 Million Tons, Down 7% From 2010 (Scroll down for more)
• Artesa’s controversial timber-to-vineyard Plan nears approval
• Steve Pitcher … RIP
• Modesto winemaker’s chocolate wine weds two holiday favorites
• Marketing tools when selling top end wines
• The Barefoot Advantages of Being a Small Start-Up – Part 4
• Consumer Wine Awards Offers Outreach and Research Opportunities
• Bitter Cold May Destroy 50% of Russia’s Vineyards
• Sherry-Lehmann Projects Revenue Growth Of 7% For Its Fiscal 2012
• UK Fraudsters jailed over £50 million alcohol duty scam
• Rosemont awarded $300,000 matching USDA grant
• Research and Markets: Wine in G20 to 2015: Market Guide
• Merlot out as UK consumers get adventurous
• Cattle Call! Dear Wine Rep: a rebuttal
• Gadget to detect fake alcohol invented
• Q&A: SSU economist Dr. Robert Eyler
• International Delegates Learn About the US Wine Market As We Learn About Them
• The HoseMaster’s 2012 Top Ten Most Influential People in the Wine Business

2011 CALIFORNIA WINEGRAPE CRUSH ROUNDUP

• San Joaquin Valley wine grapes in demand as crop shrinks
• SLO County wine grape production hurt by weather in 2011
• Napa winegrape crop worth lowest since 2008
• North Coast grape crop shrinks again
• Turrentine 2011 Calif Winegrape Crop Comments On
• CAWG Comments on 2011 California Crush
• Ciatti Comments on 2011 California Crush

PUBLIC COMPANIES & INVESTING

• Wine investment dip ‘was healthy’
• Diageo targets new consumers
• Diageo’s UK sales fall 2% after declining to offer big Christmas discounts
• Fine wine as an alternative investment
• Find Value In SAP, Diageo , Says FPA Fund Manager
• The World’s Two Best Sin Stocks: Diageo (NYSE: DEO) and Philip Morris
• Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee Fetches $265,200 at Christie’s Sale

MATTERS OF TASTE

• “There’s a lot of boring, crap, industrialised organic wines on the market, and if the industry’s going to implode, it’s because of that.”
• Corked wine, and some dodgy lenticels
• I Say 95 Points—You Say “Amen”
• Wine is Multi-Faceted – Really!
• “A terroir wine is a wine for the mouth and not for the nose,” Chapoutier says.

ONLINE, TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Americans’ Evolving Taste for Booze-Infographic
• How Customers Use VinTank Social Connect

WATER, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Congressional Democrats say California water bill is brewing in the dark
• Work on California water bill exposes DC divide
• NZ: Winery water under scrutiny

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Bigger budget raises Napa Destination Council’s profile and importance
• Feinstein Urges Protection of Napa Valley Opposes New Casino Development

U.S. REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Locapour message still getting muddled
• Binge drinking belt’ stretches across Northern Plains
• ID: House Considering Alcoholic Beverage Control Bill
• KS: Session flooded with alcohol bills
• MO: Creating the best grapes for area wineries
• NE: Wineries and grape growers can learn more about their trade
• NJ: Ex-mayor named acting ABC director
• NY: Wine importer finds White Plains home
• NY: Mohegan Lake winery gets long-awaited OK
• NY: No consensus on wine in grocery stores
• NY: Finger Lake winery pioneers watch and welcome changes
• OR: Sokol Blosser Extends Evolution Brand With Red Blend
• TN: Show up to get wine in grocery stores

EUROPE

• Poor Organisation of 2012 Salon des Vins de Loire and Loire Stars
• Motörhead wine banned in Iceland
• Czech wineries happy with Europe’s deep freeze
• Czech wine tax wins undiluted condemnations
• Paris wine makers seek recognition for grape growing renaissance
• Georgian Wine Returning to Russia

THE UK

• Wilmers buys Haut-Bailly neighbour
• ‘eBay for wine’ drives bumper internet sales for Berry Bros
• Abandon tax hike to give drinks an Olympic boost: WSTA
• LIWF to host UK Sommelier of the Year final

OH CANADA!

• BC: Doors to wine sales could open wide

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Storms hold up Hunter grape harvest
• OZ: Fire impact has far reach
• OZ: We’ve scraped bottom of the barrel
• NZ: Glass still half full in Marlborough’s wine industry
• NZ: Bulk wine export figures up
• OZ: Quality runs in the McLaren Vale family
• OZ: Shiraz shaping up as Central Ranges star
• NZ: Pisa Range Estate ‘Black Poplar’ Block Pinot Noir Elevated To ‘Classic’ Status
• NZ: Workers fined for freedom camping

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Hong Kong fine wine auction sells every lot
• China wine moves: Jebsen to add Bollinger, Ayala, Chanson Pere et Fils

LATIN AMERICA

• Brazil opportunities beckon

MARKETING & PROMOTION

• Wine retailers encourage customers to sample their products
• Choices bloom to taste wines before buying
• 2012 International Wine Label Contest Accepting Submissions
• A Killer Resource for Wine Pros: How to Develop a Photographic Story

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Shun $2,000 Bottles of Geriatric Vintages, Go With Younger Wine
• Happy birthday, Two-buck Chuck
• Is pink champagne worth the extra cost?
• For sale: Napa Valley’s most exclusive estates
• Vintners Hall of Fame induction tickets still available