NEWS FETCH – May 1, 2014

TOP NEWS

• New Marketing Model for New York – Lot 18 and the NYSLA
• FTC criticizes franchise laws…in automobile industry
• Heat advisory issued for Calif outdoor workers
• Bad news about the drought
• Federal minimum wage increase blocked in Senate

• 8 Ways To Stay Close To Your Distributor And Build Your Brand *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa braces for BottleRock’s return
• Paso Robles: Breaking Up is Hard to Do
• Tulare ag crimes unit recovers $320K in equipment
• North Coast wine trade show nearly sold out
• Wine & Beer Industry Tech Symposium

• Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And The Fate Of America’s Fresh Waters *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Calif’s groundwater nearing crisis
• Not a Drop for Redwood Valley Grapes
• Tree nut grower awaits critical water delivery decision

• Water Sustainability: A Global Perspective *Sponsored Link*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Suntory completes $16bn Beam acquisition
• Diageo to take reins at United Spirits today

FINANCE, M&A

• Beer giant Lion buys NZ wine estate
• OR: Union Wine Co. buys Amity Vineyards
• LVMH Burgundy deal prompts concerns among winemakers
• Bitcoin lands on Bloomberg terminals, a thumbs-up from old finance
• 5 Tips To Secure Your Farm’s Financial Future

• Investing in Water for a Green Economy: Services, Infrastructure, Policies and Management *Sponsored Link*

LEGAL MATTERS

• A Federal Court Upheld One Of The Dumbest Liquor Laws In The Country
• A Trademark Double Entendre: N2 Versus Into Wines

• Wine in America: Law and Policy *Sponsored Link*

TRADEMARK TROLLING

• Jewelry V. Wine: Cartier Sues Carter Cellars

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• High prices will not protect Bordeaux ‘brand’

• Scotch Malt Whisky Investment & Enjoyment *Sponsored Link*

HEALTH

• Why Resveratrol Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving
• Minimum alcohol pricing to go before EU court

• The Drunken Monkey: Why We Drink and Abuse Alcohol *Sponsored Link*

MARKETING & SALES

• Men fear ridicule over ordering wine
• Michel Rolland defends his management of 200 wineries

• Find the Right Broker for your Wine, Beer, and Spirits *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Are there huge gaps in your email marketing strategy?
• For Many, Mobile Technology Increasing Retail Shopping

• How to Get Five Million Users to See Your Brand on YouTube For Free? *Sponsored Link*

CORKED!

• Cork this, Mr. Keller
• Uncorking 5 Notable Reactions to $150 French Laundry Corkage Fee
• Restaurants, Corkage, Honesty & Cheating

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Drink science: Inside Diageo’s alcohol flavour lab
• Two Sommeliers Rank Franzia’s Classy Boxed Wine
• Tasting Sample Bottle Shock
• Beat Robert Parker With This Moneyball Equation
• Happy birthday Stags Leap District!
• Wine competitions, judging, and blind luck
• Reimagining Australian Wine
• Merlot: Alive and Well After Sideways
• Josh Jensen’s Succession Plan? “Never to die”
• Australian terroir based on light, not soil

• Wine Faults: Causes, Effects, Cures *Sponsored Link*

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• MN: Paulson receives VESTA award for second year
• WI: Wollersheim Winery says grapes “didn’t stand a chance” this winter

• Beyond Jefferson’s Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia *Sponsored Link*

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Research funding essential to keep honey bees abuzz
• Growers say pesticide ban won’t solve bee problems
• Researchers study the effects of climate change on Tempranillo grape wines

• A Guide to Organic Viticulture *Sponsored Link*

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Winemakers Use Cannons in a War Against The Weather

• Understanding Vineyard Soils *Sponsored Link*

EUROPE & THE UK

• Port houses finding 2011 vintage hard to follow

• Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State *Sponsored Link*

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Making it in China: Mat Ryan of Podium Wines

• Thirst for Wine – Inside China’s Wine Industry: The Success Factors of Marketing Wine in China *Sponsored Link*

SOUTH AFRICA

• 10 sensational South African wine farms

• Wines of the New South Africa: Tradition and Revolution *Sponsored Link*

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Cork, it’s what’s for dinner

• Seasons Among the Vines: Life Lessons from the California Wine Country and Paris *Sponsored Link*

CRAFT BEER & SPIRITS

• Boston Beer Reports First Quarter 2014 Results

• The Craft Beer Revolution: How a Band of Microbrewers Is Transforming the World’s Favorite Drink *Sponsored Link*

A MILLION-DOLLAR IDEA IS NOT WORTH TWO CENTS IF POORLY COMMUNICATED

• 10th Annual Wine & Beer Industry Technology Symposium to Unite Thought Leaders at Strategic Summit for Wine and Beer Brands – Thought leaders? Really? Strategic? Summit? Does this really “unite” people? Maybe, maybe not. That remains to be seen just like the other unsupportable over-statements. And did you really have to repeat Wine and Beer? Finally, is “10th Annual” really news? Will that make people want to read this?