NEWS FETCH – January 8, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Ladue investment firm buys Winetasting Network
• Constellation Profit Up 93% on Higher Beer Shipments
• Reknowned Sonoma Vintner Leo Trentadue Dies
• China Poised to Challenge Europe in Wine Exports
• Cal Court says consumers can’t sue for organics violations
• Calif’s lack of rainfall major threat to winemakers
• Sonoma State Wine Business Institute Gets New Home

• Growth Strategy 2014 – Where to sell? Whom to sell? What to sell? How to make it all happen? [Sponsored Link]

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• One Year To Paso Robles groundwater basin district?
• Alderbrook Winery Sold, Now Closed
• Leah Carlton is Whitehall Lane’s new Sales Chief
• Calif Drought brings statewide agricultural impact
• With Succession Plan in Place, B.R. Cohn Moving Volume Up the Price Ladder

• The Wine Savant: A Guide to the New Wine Culture [Sponsored Link]

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Campari Revamps Global Bix, Names New N. America MD
• Penny Stocks on the Move – LVMH
• Majestic Wine like-for-like UK store sales up 2.8 pct

FINANCE, M&A

• Chateau Dassault Acquires Chateau Faurie de Souchard

• When the Money Runs Out: The End of Western Affluence [Sponsored Link]

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Third year of decline for fine wine leads to ‘healthier’ position
• The Truth About Old Wines
• Cristal tops December rises as index falls

• Breakfast at Sotheby’s [Sponsored Link]

HEALTH

• British Medical Journal attacks UK for shameful alcohol pricing
• Shhhh – Don’t talk about the alcohol

MARKETING & SALES

• Keep it Fresh: Inspiration for Wine Advertisers
• 4 Rules for Using QR Codes on your Next Wine Label
• NZ: Wairarapa wineries spurn low-alc marketing push
• Marketing myopia in the wine world
• Argentine Wine: BMW Quality VW Prices
• California Winery May Change Way Indian Hotels Promote Wines
• Gay wine lovers stomp grapes. hunt best vintages on safari

• Planning Wine Trade Show Participation [Sponsored Link]

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• How to be an absolute douchenozzle at conferences

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• 5 eCommerce Site Design Tips
• Selling social media clicks becomes big business
• If a tweet worked once, send it again

• Writing on the Wall: Social Media – The First 2,000 Years [Sponsored Link]

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• H-2A minimum wage drops in Washington, Oregon

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

MEDIA MATTERS

• Heimoff: Respectful reply to review criticism

• The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking [Sponsored Link]

THE RIEDEL RIDDLE

• Riedel: Does It Make A Difference If The Glass Makes A Difference?
• Wine: Can the glass make a difference?
• Riedel becomes official glassware for IMW

MATTERS OF TASTE

• A sommelier tastes all the TJ’s Two-Buck Chuck
• Are wine lists stupid because customers are stupid?
• Riffing On Hugh Johnson and Steve Heimoff
• The Skinny on Stainless
• Wine: Can the glass make a difference?

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

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• MN: Grape growers brace for possible damage
• NY: 5 Questions with Alexandra Doniger, Hector Wine Co
• PA: Vineyard Plans for Major Expansion
• WA: How privatization drove up the cost of liquor

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

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Key Technology Exhibits new VitiSort Wine Grape Sorter
• Screw cap no panacea
• Ste. Michelle selects label with barrier coating

WATER, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

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

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Wasp seen as solution to invasive stink bug
• Tracking Frost Protection With Monitoring System
• AK-47 rifle was agriculture’s giant loss?

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

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Cider sparkles, Champagne lacks lustre
• Taittinger appoints new UK director
• Former Direct Wines director joins re-branded closure company

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

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Peking Parker returns to Beijing next month

• How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World’s Most Dynamic Region [Sponsored Link]

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• The UN-Meal: Plated delivers ingredients and prep instructions
• Rats! Wine Snobs!
• Wine and Warfare part 10: Rum and blood

• The Science of Cheese [Sponsored Link]

OLIVE OIL

• Spanish Olive Oil Jump to Compensate for Tunisia

CRAFT BEER & SPIRITS

• Boston Beer Eyes More Aged Brews With PA Plant Investment
• Thieves steal 16,000 bottles of BrewDog prototype beers