NEWS FETCH – February 5, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Calif drought: More foreign wine imports, higher bulk wine prices
• Farm Bill: What’s In It For Wine?
• Russian Vodka Billionaire Aims to Beat Diageo
• Destructive cork tax could cost NY wine growth
• UN Says Alcohol & sugar laws needed to stem cancer tidal wave

• A Stellar Sales Pitch Starts With Only One Thing? [Sponsored Link]

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Feds announce $20M for California drought relief
• Moldovan delegation visiting Lodi

• Introduction to Water in California [Sponsored Link]

MORE FARM BILL

• What Ag Interests Have to Say About the 2014 Farm Bill
• The farm bill is bad news for taxpayers
• WineAmerica Celebrates Passage of Farm Bill

• Markets and the Environment [Sponsored Link]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Severe Drought Has U.S. West Fearing Worst
• Drought leaves dark cloud over California ranchers, growers
• Water issues dominate 2014 grape outlook
• Drought creates hardships for SLO County fruit and vegetable farmers
• USDA offers $20 million in drought aid to California

• Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource [Sponsored Link]

DISTRIBUTORS & REGULATION

• The power grab behind New York’s proposed “at rest” legislation

FINANCE, M&A

• US fund Wellington buys up Treasury Wine shares as other bail out
• Denz Acquires Wine Estate Lafaurie-Peyraguey From GDF
• When it’s time to sell the dream

• The West without Water: What Past Floods, Droughts, and Other Climatic Clues Tell Us about Tomorrow [Sponsored Link]

HEALTH

• Google Ad(non)Sense, wine blogs, and Joe Camel
• Alcohol intake may lower the risk of developing multiple sclerosis
• CVS to stop selling tobacco products

• Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization [Sponsored Link]

MARKETING & SALES

• Organic Wine Faltering In The U.S. But Booming In Europe
• Craft beer boom emerges as threat to wine sales
• The Loss of Loyalty

• Facebook Marketing for Wineries and Tips on How To Engage [Sponsored Link]

INSURANCE & EMPLOYMENT

• Congressional Budget Office delivers Obama game-changer
• Why Obamacare Will Mean Fewer Hours Worked and (Mostly) Lower Incomes

• Managing Water Resources: Methods and Tools for a Systems Approach [Sponsored Link]

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Oregon symposium expands bilingual program

• Planning Wine Trade Show Participation [Sponsored Link]

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Microsoft is just the sugar mama Foursquare was looking for
• Why Canada just might be the future of U.S. mobile payments

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

MEDIA MATTERS

• Copywriting for Your Winery Website: Do’s & Don’ts

• Beyond Chinatown: The Metropolitan Water District, Growth, and the Environment [Sponsored Link]

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Ongoing thoughts on the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignons
• The beauty and brawn of Chilean wine
• The decidedly unknown (yet fantastic) Charbono grape
• Bo Barrett: New oak “kills” flavour

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

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• NY: Farm-based beverages surge
• UT: Flagged Bill: HB 285 – Alcoholic Beverage Service Amendments

• Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water [Sponsored Link]

WATER, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Changes sought for Endangered Species Act

• Chinatown (DVD) [Sponsored Link]

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Vine-devouring Italian weevil caught at US customs

• Blue Future: Protecting Water for People and the Planet Forever [Sponsored Link]

EUROPE & THE UK

• Vines flooded after heavy rain hits Bordeaux
• Austrian wine exports reach record high

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

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Ban on glasses would ‘damage’ wine festival

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Crown Holdings expects to become the leading beverage can producer in China

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

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Wine Snobs—Apply Here
• What’s the link between classical music and fine wine?

• The Control of Nature [Sponsored Link]

OLIVE OIL

• More Misconceptions About Olive Oil
• Lawsonia inermis leaves extract against olive knot and crown gall diseases
• Tunisia wants Italian Coratina olive cultivar for excellent olive oil quality

ALMONDS & OTHER TREE NUTS

• Global markets are nuts for almonds
• Three almond diseases to watch out for this spring

CRAFT BEER & SPIRITS

• Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers [Sponsored Link]