NEWS FETCH – April 25, 2014

TOP NEWS

• San Joaquin Valley’s Proposal To Reverse Flow of Calif Aqueduct
• U.S. Wine Sales Rise For 20th Consecutive Year
• Wineries: Big and small squeeze out mid-sized
• 2013 Calif Wine Sales Up 3% by Volume In US, 5% by Value

• How To Pitch MEGA Chains: A Blueprint for Success [Sponsored Link]

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• A cheat sheet on the California drought
• Early bunch counts point to smaller raisin grape crop
• Good vine growth starts season for Lodi grape growers
• St. Anne’s Crossing Winery teams with Sonoma State

• Introduction to Water in California [Sponsored Link]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Pressure bombs a popular tool to determine water needs
• Increased state water allocation only reaches north of Fresno
• Merced Irrigation District seals deal with state for more irrigation water

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

DISTRIBUTORS, DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• Will Direct to Consumer Beer & Cider Shipments Happen in New York?
• Booze Wholesalers Fear Competition

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Wine Helps Starbucks Raises Profit Forecast
• Starbucks 2Q profit rises 9%

FINANCE, M&A

• Mt. Gox crumbles into liquidation, throws Bitcoin legitimacy into question

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

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Vega Sicilia to dominate Christie’s sale
• French & China Step Up Efforts To Fight Wine Fraud
• AWC further defends authenticity of wines

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

HEALTH

• 3 Glasses of Wine Can Lead to Overeating
• Is Your Wine Headed for the Honor Roll or Detention?
• French vineyard worker wins pesticide illness case
• Is it true that wine lowers your bad cholesterol?

REGULATION & COMPLIANCE

• Lower the Drinking Age—Because Alcohol is Good!
• Wine ice cream bill nears conclusion

NDUSTRY DATA

• The world’s boozing habits revealed. There are some surprises.

• Understand the Retailer, their Market and their Buyers [Sponsored Link]

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• New Venue Unites ASEV and ASEV Eastern

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• 5 Tips to Prepare for a Crisis Before It Happens

• 8 Important Tips To Stay Close To Your Distributor [Sponsored Link]

MEDIA MATTERS

• Beethoven & Lead: New and In-Depth Vs Late & Superficial
• Great Northwest Winecast debuts
• Wine Warriors reality show courts national TV

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

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Competition Judges are just Coin-Flipping Monkeys
• Reviewers are NOT just monkeys flipping coins (and other items)
• Can Sustainability Be Yummy?
• Does Organically Grown Wine Need a ‘Lifestyle’ Expert?
• Move, over Rioja – we’re all drinking Ribera del Duero wines now
• Cabernet Franc – the Red Wine Princess
• Greek Wines: Of Myths and Mediterranean Flavors
• Unique tasting event in Lodi of Petite Sirahs

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

OH CANADA!

• Nova Scotia puts a cork in wine marketing plans

SUSTAINABILITY

• Vermont passes GMO labeling bill
• GMO battle rages in Oregon county

• Chinatown (DVD) [Sponsored Link]

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• ‘Barrels are bullshit’ says next-gen Aussie cooper

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

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Chapel Down sales fall after recent poor grape harvests

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

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• HK trade official says China’s wine consumption can grow

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

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• When Champagne is… cremant
• Why you might want to skip Bordeaux 2013 on a wine list

• The Control of Nature [Sponsored Link]

ALMONDS & OTHER TREE NUTS

• Good almond crop for growers with adequate water
• New online disease management for almonds course announced