NEWSFETCH – March 1, 2012

TOP NEWS

• MAJOR UPDATE: American Wine Distributors To Close After Losing Lawsuit & Biggest Client
• Restaurant Performance Index down, operators still optimistic
• McWine! McDonalds Has Wine on the Menu in South America
• New Zealand’s Marlborough touted as next big Pinot region
• Calif. delta tunnel plan would increase pumping
• How US farmers’ markets reach out
• U.S. Wine to Overtake Italian Wine in Korea
• Lamberto Frescobaldi Q&A: Why New World wines are the future
• Trademark Scams: Don’t Trust Unknown Correspondence
• Aldo Sohm, Le Bernardin’s Wine Director: A Week In The Life

THE RUSH TO CHINA

• Mediterranean wines eye joint push into Asia
• South African producer signs major Chinese deal
• Wine exports jump as vintners aim for China
• Western Australia sets its sights on Asia

PUBLIC COMPANIES & INVESTING

• Schwartz Will Head Diageo North America
• Fine wine investment posts double digit returns
• Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 rises 1.16% in February
• Fine wine market operates in a structural market shortage
• 2009 Cos D’Estournel Good Buy for Wine Investors
• Altia post 7.6% net sales growth
• CEDC explores options after US$1,291m loss

HEALTH

• Alcohol Helps Prevent Type-2 Diabetes, Especially for the Overweight

MARKETING & PROMOTION

• How to Sell Riesling
• Millennials suffer due to ‘always-on’ lives

ONLINE, TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Build Brand Loyalty Before Worrying About SEO In The Age Of Social Media
• US e-commerce platform Lot18 set for UK launch
• Flash & Heavy Graphics = BAD: Impatient Web Users Flee Slow Sites
• How important is wine on the internet for the French?
• Majestic wins e-commerce award

MEDIA MATTERS

• QUESTION: Why are tasting notes so bad? Can anything be done?
• ANSWER? Use Computer-Generated Stories Instead of Writers
• In-Depth Interview with Antonio Galloni, Part 3

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Upscale Calistoga resort would replace older resort
• Relocation of Lodi winery brings up old issues
• Santa Ynez Wine Country Still Economically Strong
• Cool Reflections On Howell Mountain

AUSTRALIAN 2012 HARVEST

• Rains threatens Riverland recovery
• Lucerne growers hope to avoid rain damage
• Drenching hampers wine harvest
• Riverina communities watch flooding closely

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Wine reviews seem to rate bottles only in the 80- to 100-point range – why?
• Wine experts’ ratings may be a wash for many consumers
• Talking Natural Wine: A Real Discussion
• What Wine Drinkers Can Learn from Leonardo Da Vinci
• Speed Tasting, What’s Your Opinion?
• Noble Rot Affects Quality of Amarone Wine
• New Beer by Dogfish Blurs the Line Between Wine and Beer

U.S. REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• CT: State’s minimum liquor price law focus of battle
• PA: Liquor Control Board Alerts Customers to Credit Card Processing Error
• PA: Dangerous Wines Launches
• UT: Wine Sampling Bill Clears Committee

EUROPE

• Champagne ships 323m bottles in 2011
• Much Ado About Sulfites, French Wines, and Organic Regulations
• Romania’s Lacerta Winery sold 40,000+ bottles of premium wine in 2011

THE UK

• Laithwaites buys Bordeaux vineyard
• M&S to stock Lebanese wines
• Penfolds outrages merchants with ‘slap in the face’ price hikes
• Tesco Looks to Fresh Food to Reverse Decline

DOWN UNDER

• Another victim of supermarket duopoly: Anzac maker collapses
• OZ: SA set to produce best wines of this century
• OZ: Wine continues to reel from the Euro crush
• OZ: Wine producers hope worst is over
• OZ: Chinese consultant fan of WA drop

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Ag Reclamation Dept working with HK company on wine castle construction
• Success of Wine Inc has come at a price
• Nanhai found counterfeited Lafite wines
• Karnataka to brew more wine for global markets

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Drive-Through Wine Market?
• International wine of mystery and intrigue
• Pop goes the wine uncorking record
• Super Tuscan Seconds
• In a Pinot Noir frame of mind
• Young Sonoma winery one to follow

YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!

• TastingRoom.com Introduces the First Ever Luxury Wines by the Glass With … – MarketWatch (press release) – NOTE: “First ever” is redundant. Kind of like “most unique.” First is first is first. And if it is first, then it it first ever … And on the other hand, this long, wandering headline is simply incorrect. Wine has been available by the glass for millennia. And Silver Oak for decades at many venues.

• Southern Wine & Spirits’ Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits Division Announces … Something or another. Probably. Maybe. Or not. Hard to tell with this long, boring headline that doesn’t seem worth the time to click on.