NEWS FETCH – August 30, 2013

TOP NEWS

• NY Wine Schools Targeted For Lack Of Liquor Licenses
• NZ Wine Shipments To U.S. Jump Double-Digits
• China: Vineyards pour billions into chateaux
• 85% Jump In Wine Exports Boosts Chilean Economy
• Argentina’s wine industry takes a beating
• GAO Reveals Potential Farm Payment Snafus
• OR: Fire Destroys Bergström’s Equipment, Wine Collection
• OZ: Animal Liberation using a drone to spy on livestock producers.

HARVEST 2013/GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• China: Great River Hill doubling production in 2013
• WA Wine harvest starts with Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris
• Niagra Wine-grape crop needs to stay on the vine a little longer
• France Set For Quick Harvest
• Warm Calif weather good news for 2013 vintage
• French wine harvest kicks off

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Santa Barbara County winery ordinance changes unveiled
• Sonoma State Wine Business Institute Appoints New Board Directors
• Wine grape strategies improve Bien Nacido Vineyards
• Most Calif water utilities fail to submit ag water management plans
• Valley Fever symposium set for Bakersfield
• California’s Harvest Celebrations Ready To Roll
• St. Supéry teams up again with Michel Rolland

• The Cleanest Grapevine Material In The World Should Get Special Treatment [Sponsored Email Link]

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• US helps Pernod off-set Chinese slowdown
• Accolade: Growth opportunities for wine in travel retail

FINANCE, M&A

• LVMH-Backed L Capital Raises $950 Million for Asian PE Fund
• Sparkling giant buys stake in UK importer

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• The rise of wine pawning
• Margaux 2010 Bordeaux Slides to Record Low

• Investing in Liquid Assets: Uncorking Profits in Today’s Global Wine Market [Sponsored Link]

HEALTH

• A Wine a Day … Keeps the Shrink Away?
• Adolescent alcohol drinking linked to 13% higher breast cancer risk
• Alcohol breaks brain connections needed to process social cues
• 1 in 3 college students will burn through a smartphone, mostly in booze-related accidents

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Experts discuss future of Napa Valley wine, labor
• Labor Trends May Challenge Wine Industry
• Free Webinar on Employment Agreements and Facility Safety and OSHA Compliance
• Free Class for Wine Industry Finance Pros

• From Bubbles to Boardrooms: Act 1: Startups Are Such Fun By Michaela Rodeno [Sponsored Link]

MARKETING & SALES

• Increase Wine Club retention, decrease Credit Card declines
• Brangelina Wine: The $10 celebrity tax

• Wine Brands: Success Strategies for New Markets, New Consumers and New Trends [Sponsored Link]

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• How wine businesses can build an online audience
• Google Analytics – eCommerce Conversion Report
• How To Nail Pinterest For Brands
• How to Respond to Reviews on Google and Yelp

MATTERS OF TASTE

• No sympathy for premature predictions in wine tasting
• William Fèvre’s Didier Seguier on greatness in Chardonnay
• A Little Cork Makes A Big Difference

• The Wine Bible [Sponsored Link]

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Speed Harvest Results – 170 Tests/Hr – With New Analyzer
• Researchers develop alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation
• SurePure Signs Deal With Namaqua Wines

• Understanding Wine Technology, 3rd Edition [Sponsored Link]

LOW ALCOHOL WINE

• When is wine no longer wine?
• Will there be low alcohol wine drinkers one day?

OH CANADA!

• Ontario’s new wine region

U.S. REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• VA: Gov’s Family to Host Wine Summit in October

EUROPE & THE UK

• WSET announces sudden death of Chris Kelly
• High UK alcohol taxes lead to fake drink
• Will France lose out to climate change?

• Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure [Sponsored Link]

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Winemakers’ Federation targets return to profitability in new plan

SOUTH AFRICA

• Mindset change needed for SAfrica wine industry

AROUND THE GLOBE

• A tiny winery takes on the Rabbinate’s kosher monopoly
• The best toasts for 5774

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• From Pinot To Publishing: Trini Amador’s Wartime Novel “Gracianna”

• Wine For Dummies [Sponsored Link]
• 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die [Sponsored Link]

OLIVE OIL

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil May Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
• Uruguay Joins International Olive Council

RANDOM WINE REVIEW OF THE DAY

• From the Random Wine Review Generator

“The 2012 White Zinfandel from Chateau Rissacher brings us bitchin’ horseradish midtones with a mild pheremone essence.”