NEWS FETCH – February 24, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Sonoma County Enviro Threat Irks Grape Growers
• Feds cut water to Central Valley farmers to zero
• The drying of the West (From the Economist)

• Best practices that distributors use to grow profits: [Sponsored Link]

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa Premiere auction raises record-breaking $6m
• Keith Rogal proposes 5-story Copia hotel project
• Vintage Nurseries Expands, Doubles Capacity
• Feds give Calif high-speed rail 3-month funding extension
• Carin Jacobs Appointed To Calif Wine Museum Board
• BottleRock lost $500,000 on deal to buy Uptown

• Introduction to Water in California [Sponsored Link]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Severe drought? California has been here before
• Low flows may halt Napa river diversions
• Calif Delta Tunnel public review extended 60 days
• State leaders should approve Paso water district legislation
• Cal Legislature may consider moratorium on fracking

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

PRIVATIZATION

• Liquor price hike looms in Washington

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

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Burgundy 2012 Climbs as Vineyard Yields Reduced by Frost
• Liv-ex: Vega Sicilia Unico

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

HEALTH

• Drinking when pregnant could be crime in UK
• Wine Kills Lung Cancer Cells in Lab Tests

MARKETING & SALES

• How to gain new customers through wine marketing
• Flavoured wines big hit with younger drinkers
• Proliferation of private labels hindering premium Prosecco

• Interview With One Of China’s Largest Importers [Sponsored Link]

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Why Delectable is Your New Best Friend
• Comparing WooCommerce vs Vin65, Vinespring & Shopify
• Analyst predicts rise of guest-facing restaurant tech

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

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Making a Cranky Recruiter Smile

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

MEDIA MATTERS

• Robert Parker Scores and Misses

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

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Penfolds Grange: A Wine Once Deemed A Disaster & Unfit For Sale
• Washington Malbec grows up
• The Question of Balance
• Enjoying Petite Sirah at Dark & Delicious
• Gripping grappa
• Island treasures: Canary wines (by Jancis Robinson)

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

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Oregon’s Herb Quady leaves Troon for custom winemaking
• Umpqua Valley wine group turns 30

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

WATER, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Wine Bottles Not So Green

• Chinatown (DVD) [Sponsored Link]

EUROPE & THE UK

• Burgundy Producer Back In Court For Refusing To Spray Insecticide
• Wine recognised as part of French cultural heritage

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

ALMONDS & OTHER TREE NUTS

• California almond farmers face tough choices
• OZ: Cracking pace for Riverina almond harvest