NEWS FETCH – MARCH 5, 2012

TOP NEWS

• In Test Run, Friendly’s Looks To Put Wine On The Menu
• Beringer mass-market, high-end wines enjoy growth
• Russian River water conditions now declared critical’
• Foley plans ambitious projects for NZ winery
• The Lo$t Decade: U.S. Economy Living In 2002
• California water bill now flows to uncertain future in Senate
• Wine and marijuana. Are they alike?
• Fighting fakes
• Wine Historian William F. Heintz Dies
• Charmer Sunbelt, Glazer’s merge MS, AL brokerage ops
• Beijing restaurants to host Napa Valley charity wine dinners
• The Primum Familiae Vini clearly regard themselves as the elite of the wine world

PUBLIC COMPANIES & INVESTING

• Liv-ex: Bordeaux 2009 trade powers on
• 2012 is the best time to invest in fine wine since 2009

2012 AUSTRALIAN HARVEST

• Vintage lost in New South Wales floods
• Red wine grapes at risk of rotting in north east Victoria
• OZ: Riverina farmers watch on as crops are flooded

MEDIA MATTERS

• Immediate reaction to Parker scores
• Christophe Hedges is changing the face of wine ratings
• Do wine descriptions enlighten or confuse consumers?
• NorCal Wine Wraps Up Antonio Galloni Interviews
• Do we really need wine writers?

MATTERS OF TASTE

• There is no such thing as an “Asian palate”
• Wine critics more sensitive to flavors buyers can’t taste
• The Art—and Science—of the Swirl
• The Unnatural Stink Over Natural Wines

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Mendo Grower “offended’ by frost protection regs
• Vintners shifting grants from Auction Napa Valley
• Thirvin International Launches Proprietary Brand, Stateside Wine

MARKETING, SALES & PROMOTION

• Real men drink beer, not wine
• Raising Prices…While Maintaining Sales
• The Secrets to Great Wine PR
• Wine Rep Wants Electric Car. Or Horse-Drawn Cart. Or Ruby Slippers.
• SLO Down Wines breaks mold with Sexual Chocolate

ONLINE, TECH & SOCIAL MEDIA

• Insider Wine Sleuth Rimmerman Seeks Bargains for Internet Sale
• Identikit of the wine-tourist: young and passionate about web 2.0

U.S. REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• NH: Bill would let food stores sell liquor
• SC: Wineries Could Benefit From Changes to State Law
• PA: Wine & Spirits Customers Double Billed
• PA: PLCB Stars in Magnum P.U.!
• WA: Senate budget includes money for WSU wine center

EUROPE

• Portugal prays for rain as drought adds to crisis
• Champagne exports near ‘peak’ of 2007
• Chinese Bordeaux translations ‘not official’
• Lurton sells Portuguese properties
• German wine exports to UK fall by one fifth
• Prowein: Organic viticulture under the spotlight

THE UK

• Alcohol discount ads could be banned in UK
• UK wine buying requires “major mindset shift”
• Chilean wines growing fastest in UK independents
• Accolade launches mid-tier Australian wines

DOWN UNDER

• In Australia, Why the rich don’t want to wine ?
• NZ: Wine Options is signing off
• OZ: SA grape growers vote to continue paying levy
• Accolade launches premium Hardys wine

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Are there wine clubs worth joining?
• A Guide to Wine Faults – Bubbles.
• Rejecting wine
• Corkage costs leave bitter taste
• An Introduction to Wine in New York’s North Country
• The Self-Aerating Wine Bottle
• Screwcaps, Jars, and the Curative Process: Interview with Chapoutier
• Wine rich-lister has eye on environment

CELEBRITY VINO

• Lady Gaga to make own wine