NEWS FETCH – July 17, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Calif’s Biggest water saving, guzzling districts
• Parker on Rating Wines And The 100-Point Scale
• Aussies Scrap Carbon Tax
• House Bill Joins Senate Effort to Derail EPA’s Waters Rule
• 10 Must-Have Documents to Have Ready For Your Distributor Meeting **Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa Planners Approve LMR Rutherford Estate Winery
• Wine Grapes Top Lake County ag value
• Coppola Winery’s Asimont Is ASEV President
• SB County Faults Chumash Camp 4 Report
• Five Hot Ideas To Grow Your Tasting Room Traffic *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Drought Threatens San Joaquin River’s hard-won restoration
• Calif Drought Cuts Water for Farming to Record Lows
• UC Davis: California’s groundwater use during drought threatens future supply
• Turlock Irrigation District, Del Puerto spar over recycled water
• Fresno to consider powerful law for recycled wastewater
• Water Sustainability: A Global Perspective *Sponsored Link*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Drinks giants gear up for ‘momentous’ year
• Concha y Toro reports surging sales
• Pernod Seeks Profit Boost With a Little Vodka From Berlin
• Interview: Chris Fehrnstrom, CMO, Constellation

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Was Parker right about first growth pricing?
• Scotch Malt Whisky Investment & Enjoyment *Sponsored Link*

LEGAL MATTERS

• Craft brewer beats SABMiller in trademark battle
• Wine and Spirits Law Academy – Sept. 8-10
• Push underway to legalize wine-making in Las Vegas
• Wine in America: Law and Policy *Sponsored Link*

EURO-NEOPROHIBITIONIST HEALTH NEWS

• Formula One Racing may face alcohol sponsorship ban
• Pernod Ricard in row with Portman Group over rules breach

DARWIN NEVER SLEEPS – NEWS FOR GENE POOL REJECTS

• New ‘vapour alcohol’ controversy

MARKETING & SALES

• What it Takes to Grow the Direct To Consumer Wine Channel
• Negotiating the Great Wall of Wine
• The Secret To Buying Cheap Wine That Actually Tastes Good
• Insights From One Of China’s Largest Wine Importers **Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Dot Wine and the Fear of Change
• Wine Marketing Online: How to use the newest tools of marketing to boost profits and build brands *Sponsored Link*

MEDIA MATTERS

• Wine scores and reviews: those who write them and those who need them
• Robert Dwyer, The Wellesley Wine Press
• Wine Marketing & Sales, 2nd Edition *Sponsored Link*

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Are official vintage ratings meaningless?
• Wine prices – do expert quality ratings matter?
• Dr. Konstantin Frank, The Innovative Finger Lakes Winery
• A Morning with Mike Officer, Carlisle Vineyards
• Riesling rising
• The natural wine challenge
• Spirit of the Swan – 180 years of winemaking in the Swan Valley

OH SHUT UP … JUST DRINK IT!

• How to Taste Sparkling Wine Like a Pro

WINE BY THE METER

• Top 10 wine poems

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Polar Vortex jeopardizes Minn. grape harvest
• Beyond Jefferson’s Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia *Sponsored Link*

EXISTENTIAL IN ST. EMILION: BEING (THEN) NOTHINGNESS

• Lorry spills 18,000 bottles of Saint Emilion wine into street

EUROPE & THE UK

• Tesco ramps up “Finest” range in response to consumers
• The Greek Economy, Through The Lens Of A Wine Glass
• Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy*Sponsored Link*

OLIVE OIL

• IOC comments Olive Oil Commission of California standards
• A Gift of Italian Olive Oil for EU Governors
• More Imports of Greek Olive Oil to Japan
• The Case of the Disappearing Greek Olive Oils
• Olive Oil: From Tree to Table *Sponsored Link*

LEAVES INSATIABLE AND PERIODICALLY REGULAR DESIRE FOR BACON

• Biological Pacemaker That Works in Pigs Offers Promise

TRUTH IN IRONY

• An American Wine Stereotype Map Of The World

CRAFT BEER (IMPOSSIBLE TO PARODY)

• Whale fossil used to brew beer

THE IMPACT OF ABSURDITY

Dear reader: Some days, as today, the crushing absurdity of the headlines makes an impression on your editor.