NEWS FETCH – SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

TOP NEWS

• South Africa Working toward being world’s #1 wine producer
• Restaurant consumers still trading down
• Calif Wine Execs Talk Optimism, Concerns
• Wall-Ye wine robot takes bow in Burgundy
• Glazer’s Goes Global Growth With Virgin Islands Deal
• Texas ranks second in direct wine shipments
• Olive Oil Prices Soaring
• Is Red Wine Really As Good As We Thought?
• Presidential Candidates Outline Ag Platforms
• French Vineyard Life Unchanged By Chinese Buy-Out
• Do You Need A Chief Customer Officer?
• When is a wine not a wine?

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• A California AVA: for what’s it worth
• David Lucas nominated for work in agriculture
• Tom Bennett Is New Visit Napa Valley VP Sales
• San Miguel winery hires sales manager

HARVEST 2012

• Moët forces grape prices up
• Bordeaux white harvest finishes 20% down
• The Gritty Truth about Harvest
• Great European wine grapes, just not many to harvest

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Ever Had A 16% Wine That Was Really Balanced?
• Wine Battles Launch De-Snobbifies Wine Tasting
• Oregon wine aging well
• Clashes of Wine Styles—Everywhere
• Yet More Cure For Dull Wine Descriptions
• Blind tasting sees English sparkling better New World but not Champagne

OH CANADA!

• Ontario wine. Can you feel the love?

PUBLIC COMPANIES, INVESTING & AUCTIONS

• Diageo revives talks for stake in India’s dominant spirits maker
• Wine Auctions Exceed $30 Million This Month Amid Burgundy Demand
• Acker Merrall chief notes internet bidding boom

MARKETING & SALES

• Wine Competitions: Nothing a Few Million Dollars Can’t Fix
• Consumers Clueless About Chenin Blanc
• How To Make a Long-term (Brand) Relationship Last
• Restaurants Should Lean on beverages to increase sales – wine not included
• What’s a winery’s responsibility to consumers?
• Infographics are not a Social Media Strategy: The need for social producers
• French wine makers want to lock US out of chateau
• The Label Project: Wine 1 Contest Clues

U.S. REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• AL: Repeal ban on home-brewing in wet counties
• NC: Durham ABC Board responds to audit findings
• TN:Winery crushes sweetest muscadines ever at Loudon plant
• VA: Fauquier wineries say county is stomping on their assets
• VA: Spurrier to headline wine summit
• WA: Walla Walla Vintners in the Wine Cellar/a>

SOUTH AFRICA

• Wineries need to build brand South Africa around world, says Accolade boss
• South Africa must not ‘copycat’ other wine regions
• Nelson Mandela’s daughter and grandaughter unveil Fairtrade range
• South Africa at forefront of environmental winemaking

EUROPE

• How Chinese Dedication to Excellence and Bordeaux Wine Can Create Something Special
• Older people drive German wine industry
• Spain, Portugal and Italy object to minimum pricing
• St Émilion wine classification ruling offers a good finish for all

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• A Note on Smoke Taint
• Smoke Taint

DOWN UNDER

• China wants Australia to ‘put a cork in it’
• OZ: The battle for riesling’s heartland

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• The Library of Congress Releases Free Jefferson eBook & Lectures on Copia
• Want That Wine Job! Sensory Analyst
• Ladies Who Drink
• Fear Not The German Wine Label
• Daniel: The wines of Catalonia