NEWS FETCH – June 16, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Twin Tunnels: Disaster for Calif ag says economist
• China no longer an El Dorado for Wine
• Top 20 Luxury Wine Brands
• Giroud is Scarface: Valais vintner held, fraud scandal grows
• Will California’s drought extend into 2015?
• Federal proposal: Kill salmon-eating seabirds
• 5 Key Points You Must Cover in Your Distribution Agreements **Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• What electric car patents and some AVAs have in common
• Sonoma County Indian tribe’s loan raises casino concerns in Napa
• What really goes on at the Napa Valley wine auction
• Marvin Shanken knows how to throw a party
• Is Your Winery Prepared To Profit From More Visitors? *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Calif. senior rights holders could be next to lose water
• “Dry Farming” Is a Thing Again in Drought-Stricken California
• Lawsuit targets Delta water shipment
• Group sues over water diversions on national forest
• Salmon keep on trucking during drought

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Majestic Wine sales dip but fine wines now in favour
• Truett-Hurst Gets New CFO

FINANCE, M&A

• Global Private-Equity Firms Are Starting to Use Asian Funds
• Chinese investors buying up U.S. golf courses

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Lafite’s premium over other first growths dropping
• What Makes a Billionaire Cry?
• Tough to feel sorry for ‘moose piss’ swilling billionaire Bill Koch

HEALTH

• Underage Drinkers Are Binge Drinking Hard Liquor
• Teen Drinking Rates Reach Historic Low
• FDA issues new statement on wood-aged cheese
• The Drunken Monkey: Why We Drink and Abuse Alcohol *Sponsored Link*

LEGAL MATTERS

• All the ways America’s booze laws are terrible
• Coke Gets Pommelled – Implications for wine?
• Wine in America: Law and Policy *Sponsored Link*

MARKETING & SALES

• Why Do People Visit Winery Tasting Rooms?
• Tesco Taps Fans to Create Social Wine
• How to bring your Italian wine to the American market
• How To Market Your Brand Across Multiple Platforms **Sponsored Link*

MEDIA MATTERS

• 7 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Dead Blog
• 2014 Wine Blog Awards Finalists Announced

MATTERS OF TASTE

• John Shafer on maintaining his father’s legacy
• Why judging super-expensive wines is difficult
• The rich heritage of Italian wine
• Off-Road Varietals, For The Sake Of Diversity
• When dad has a winery , you get to make wine
• Loire producer releases ‘scratch and sniff’ label

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Cold pasteurization instead sulphite addition
• Understanding Vineyard Soils *Sponsored Link*

EUROPE & THE UK

• Château Angélus Promotes New Status, Renoovation
• Germany’s Pinot Noir ‘godfather’ Bernhard Huber dies
• Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy*Sponsored Link*

DOWN UNDER

• NZ Wineries boast bumper crops
• NZ wine industry launches sustainability tool
• Wines of the Southern Hemisphere: The Complete Guide *Sponsored Link*

SOUTH AFRICA

• New roadmap for South African wine underway
• Wines of the New South Africa: Tradition and Revolution *Sponsored Link*

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Wine Technology of the Future: The Straw for Wine
• The Smart Cup That Knows What You’re Drinking
• Life Lessons from the California Wine Country and Paris *Sponsored Link*

OLIVE OIL

• The Turkey battle for the quality of olive oil
• Arab-Israeli olive oil business promotes peace and cultural understanding
• Politics, economy harm Lebanon’s olive oil
• Why Olive Oil Is So Good For The Heart
• High Revenues from Olive Oil Exports to Japan
• Olive Oil: From Tree to Table *Sponsored Link*