NEWS FETCH – February 6, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Mendo Winemaking Giant John Parducci Dies
• Making Sense of the 2014 Farm Bill
• Grapevine Gene Bank Under Threat
• Drought’s impact on farmers worries equipment vendors
• USDA Invests in ‘Climate Hubs’
• New VA Gov Nixes State Wine Mansion Exclusive: “there’s some finer options”
• Power Grab By NY Liquor Middlemen Condemned by Wine Consumer Group

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

CONNECT THESE DOTS

• Only 5 Percent Of Americans Buy Wine Over $20
• Fast-casual restaurants lead traffic growth again in 2013
• January job cuts surge 47 percent

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Political oars flail at California’s water woes
• Mendocino targets water-stealing pot farmers
• Drought: Rainy days ahead, but little relief
• Decent rain, snow expected from storms
• Calif town’s water shortage stokes fears of future
• Calistoga imposes mandatory water restrictions
• Napa water supplies looking good … for now

• Introduction to Water in California [Sponsored Link]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Corps of Engineers needs to modernize reservoir operations
• House passes Calif drought bill, political floodgates open
• Reflections On The Drought

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

DISTRIBUTORS, DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• NY Alcohol Bill Screws Consumers, Benefits Big Biz
• Stop the Cork Tax
• NY bill could cost NJ wine warehousing jobs
• TN: Food store wine bill jumps another committee hurdle

FINANCE, M&A

• Domaines Paul Mas acquires eighth vineyard in Languedoc
• NZ: Villa Maria buys prized vineyard and land

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

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Liv-ex boss says fine wine storage Vine could be game-changer

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

REGULATION & COMPLIANCE

• U.S. Gets a Little Boozier With Relaxed Liquor Laws
• Wine labels distort alcohol content
• Sonoma Tasting Rooms: A Response to The Response

LEGAL MATTERS

• NZ wine industry wins trademark battle
• Exporting Wine to China Seminar – Part II
• Akerman Adds Alcohol Beverage Attorneys

• Beating Obamacare: Your Handbook for the New Healthcare Law [Sponsored Link]

MARKETING & SALES

• Is your DTC program using its energies productively?
• Could this be the year of the Chinese consumer?
• iOS app summons alcohol to your doorstep
• Wine vs Craft Beer

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

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Cold Climate Conference 2014

• Planning Wine Trade Show Participation [Sponsored Link]

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Shocked Customer Finds New Comcast WiFi Router Is Public Hotspot By Default

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

MEDIA MATTERS

• Good things happening in wine media
• Wine Wars Now Available as Audiobook
• Media not telling the whole story

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

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Thoughts on Pinot Gris/Grigio
• PS: Dark, Delicious—Next Big Thing in Wine?
• Robert Haas, Rhone Rangers “Lifetime Achievement Award”
• Trefethen’s Jon Ruel: Just Trying Not To Screw It Up
• Q&A: Green wine, screwcaps, mold

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

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• U.S. Payroll to Population Rate Falls to 42.0% in January
• The Polish wine market and the importance of first-mover strategy

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• TX: California drought will impact Texas wines
• WA: Mercer family donates $250K to Wine Science Center in Richland

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

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Corks vs Screw Caps

WATER, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Chinatown (DVD) [Sponsored Link]

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Detecting artificial carbonation in “authentic” beverages

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

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Rathbone, Grant Burge to merge wine distribution

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• India: Wine farmers in high spirits as prices climb
• Tale of contrasts: More on the 2013 wine imports stats for China

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

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Drink More Wine, Get Better College Grades!
• Drink More Wine, Get Better College Grades? (Maybe)

• The Control of Nature [Sponsored Link]

OLIVE OIL

• Italy’s extra virgins aren’t always so virgin, or so Italian
• 2014 NYIOOC Conference Program Announced

CRAFT BEER & SPIRITS

• AB InBev buys Blue Point Brewing

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

OFFBEAT

• Parkerd, the license plate
• MN: Ice fishing beer delivery drone banned