NEWS FETCH – December 18, 2013

TOP NEWS

• China wants negotiations on EU wine dispute
• Treasury Wines’ New $250 Million, US Private Placement (pdf)
• Fake Montrachet A “Urology” Specimen
• AgCredit plans 120,000 SqFt Sonoma ag center
• Restaurant spending to grow in 2014
• Court to decide key Delta tunnel battle
• Ste. Michelle To Sell California Grapes In New Brand
• Int’l research to benefit global wine industry (pdf)

• Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa’s Bounty Hunter Announces Strategic Financial Partnership
• Ag ‘Takings’ lawsuit comes up short on appeal
• Why Staten Island is key to opposition to Delta tunnels
• Rack & Riddle Leases Murphy Family Winery In Alexander Valley
• Wine Industry Symposium Names Lisa Adams Program Director

• The New California Wine: A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• The “Psychic Rewards” Of Collecting Old Wines

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

RUDY, RUDY, RUDY

• Koch Brother Crusades Against Fake Rare Wine
• 100 Points for Chutzpah
• Kurniawan’s magic cellar filled with lies
• Fine background probing by Mike Steinberger

HEALTH

• Diageo launches Grumpy Gorilla responsible drinking ads
• Grumpy Watchdog Group Slams Social Responsibility Campaigns

• The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

MARKETING & SALES

• How wineries can be more like Amazon
• Case Study: Lynch Wines Logo
• ‘Light’ wines make progress
• Wine experts say holiday champagne recession is over

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

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Small/Medium Biz Focus on Increased Online Presence
• What Facebook’s News Feed Changes Mean for the Wine Community
• Why Do Web Site Visitors HATE Shockwave/Flash?
• UK online wine market worth £800 million

• Global Brands: The Evolution of Multinationals in Alcoholic Beverages (Cambridge Studies in the Emergence of Global Enterprise) [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

MEDIA MATTERS

• The wine community divide
• Wines by the Book

• The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Rioja’s fame has a dual edge
• The Top 5 Wine Types of 2013
• Wine, Oil and Family: the Three Stories of James Ontiveros
• La Garagista: Real Vermont Wine

• The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert: Take a Whiff of That [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

OH CANADA!

• BC: Skaha Hills launches winery and vineyard in Penticton
• Support wine industry, but mind the costs

• Canadian Wineries: The story of Canada’s entry into the world of world-class vintages [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Could a New Tool Prevent Oxidation in Winemaking?

• Postmodern Winemaking: Rethinking the Modern Science of an Ancient Craft [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK ​Wine industry stalwart Rodney Densem dies suddenly
• No fakes – another advantage of Loire wines

• Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

AUSTRALIA

• Further criticism levelled at Wine Australia
• Wine Australia demonstrates China focus

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Cultivating India’s wine region

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• What Would You Say Today to Your Younger Wine-Self?
• A Phononic Chiller For Beer And Wine
• Wish list for all who drink, serve, produce and regulate
• For value in wine, avoid the familiar
• Wine and warfare part 3: Pedro Ximénez

• Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch, and Irish Whiskey [Sponsored Holiday Shopping Link]

JUST CAN’T MAKE STUFF LIKE THIS UP

• Man tries to barter live alligator for beer