NEWS FETCH – DECEMBER 19, 2012

TOP NEWS

• Sale of Madera vineyard brings near record price
• Champagne market unlikely to pick up until 2014
• Gina Gallo tops list of most powerful women in wine
• Brunello Vandal “An Angry Man”
• Centennial Beverage files for bankruptcy
• Nielsen Explores Adult Beverage Consumer’s Mind
• Parcel Data Update On Wine Country Fracking Rights
• American’s income growth slowed in Q3
• Will B.C. Wine Laws Intoxicate Ontario?
• Pay-to-play and wine writer ethics
• Aussie Winery collapse heightens industry fears
• Desire for prestige damaging Bordeaux brand

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• California Table Grape Commission Court Dates Set
• Russian River blueprint focus of public meeting Thursday
• Calif Releases Fracking Regulations Draft
• Cal Delta tunnel plan doesn’t measure up

HEALTH

• Beer: A healthier choice than wine?

INVESTING & AUCTIONS

• Christie’s breaks records with Tour d’Argent sale
• Bordeaux Grabs 18 of Top 25 Lots at Acker Merrall Auction
• Sotheby’s far exceed pre-sales estimates for 2012

MARKETING & SALES

• 7 Tips for Better Age Verification for in 2013
• Restaurant Assn, Technomic To Offer Adult Beverage Expertise
• Prosecco leads new trend of using sparkling wines as mixers
• Significant Price Variance For Most Popular Wine Varietals by Glass
• Why Distributors All Win by Competing on the Same Platform
• All-New York Wine Boutique Opens In Niagara Falls
• Bollinger’s Bizot produces Salon equivalent in Australia

MATTERS OF TASTE

• AVA Designation tends to restrict the range of varieties grown there
• Grape Marc Acidification & the Aromatic Quality of Grappa

GOODBYE 2012, HELLO 2013

• The Top Wine Stories Coming in 2013
• Looking back on 2012 for the wine trade: part 2

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Winemaker Plans To Harvest Grapes In The Nude
• Forbes Food & Wine “30 Under 30”
• Read the fine print on champagne bottles to find the best bubbles
• No Evidence That The Old Days Of Wine Were So Wonderful, Says Author

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• NY: Eleven Cornell specialty crop projects receive almost $1 million
• Cordon heights critical to protecting vines from freezing?

EUROPE & THE UK

• Champagne slowdown blamed on Euro sippers
• New UGC pres calls for cooperation between chateaux and negotiants
• Virgin Wines announces record sales

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Good crop for Murray Valley wine grape growers
• NZ: Marisco Vineyards acquires 2,000 ha Marlborough estate
• OZ: Buller Wines collapse ‘a sign of the times’
• NZ: Winegrowers appoint marketing manager

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese rice wine giant buys into French wine franchiser
• Annual increase rate of China wine consumption reaches to 9%-16%