NEWS FETCH – March 12, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Ste. Michelle Buys Willakia Vineyard
• Treasury Replaces Grant, Names Sheridan To Top US Marketing Post
• Interior Secretary Meets Secretly with Calif water contractors
• Ready To Eat With Gloves Off?
• US Aussie Wine Imports Down, Value-Per-Liter Up
• USDA To Expand Support For Small, Mid-Sized Growers

• Building A National Wine, Beer or Beverage Brand? [Sponsored Link]

HARVEST 2014/GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• SAfrican Wine Grape Crop Seen Down 4.7% From 2013 Record

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Low Napa River Surface Flow May Legally Affect Vintners
• San Diego Wine Wants Recognition
• Riverside County adopts Wine Country plan
• Ag moves to a higher plane at UC
• Central Valley Farmland Trust & Ag Conservation Easements

• Introduction to Water in California [Sponsored Link]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Central Valley leads state in unmetered water
• Drought Stokes California’s Class War
• Make sure people understand the drought’s full impact
• Drought Assistance Open House for Farmers, Ranchers & Farmworkers Mar 17 in Cloverdale

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

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands stock hits 52-week high
• Gruppo Campari to buy Canada’s Forty Creek Whisky
• Campari sales up, net profit down

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

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Older vintages begin Bordeaux revival
• The Multi-Million Dollar Black Market in Fine Wine

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

HEALTH

• Low-to-moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy linked to premature birth

LEGAL MATTERS

• Wine Advocate bares its teeth; here’s why
• Parker, Legal Trolls: Come Get Me – A Fair Use Declaration
• More: Jamieson Vineyards Takes On Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers

MARKETING & SALES

• Wine In A Can And A Wine Tasting Truck
• 4 Reasons To Develop Your Wine Ratings
• Boosting sales and brand loyalty with cellar doors and wine clubs

• What Woolworth’s Wants To Hear When You Pitch Them A New Brand [Sponsored Link]

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Vinisud 2014: Passionately Mediterranean Wine Show

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Ecommerce Customer Experience Doesn’t End When the Order is Placed
• 7 Things Every Social Media Strategy Should Include

• How to use Twitter for your Wine Business and Marketing [Sponsored Link]

MEDIA MATTERS

• Book Review: Nose, by James Conaway

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

MATTERS OF TASTE

• A Thoughtful Look at Ripeness
• A Great Tasting on Balance
• Syrah and shiraz: Same grape, different wines
• Two wineries linked by history
• Wine Drinkers Perceive Wines with Cork Stopper As Higher Quality
• The Rhone-style winery that put Paso Robles on the map

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

WINE TOURISM

• The world’s 10 best wine hotels

OH CANADA!

• Vancouver labour dispute hits wine, liquor businesses
• South Korea Good For Canadian Ice Winemakers

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

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• OR: La Crema Intros First Oregon Wine

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

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Aussie Vintner Banrock Station Gives $95K to US Forests

• Chinatown (DVD) [Sponsored Link]

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Young Farmers Challenged By Access To Land, Red Tape

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

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Boutique wines: How to find and acquire them
• The Best Place For Your Bose Speakers? In A Barrel of Wine

• The Control of Nature [Sponsored Link]

OLIVE OIL

• In California wine country, liquid gold: An olive oil trail
• Sensory Evaluation of Olive Oil Certificate Course
• Managing Olive Fruit Fly Workshop at McEvoy Ranch

ALMONDS & OTHER TREE NUTS

• Rains brighten prospects for Tehama County walnut growers

CRAFT BEER & SPIRITS

• Bear Republic’s wastewater generates its own electricity

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