NEWS FETCH – July 24, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Lodi Herbicide Drift Testing Plan Secretive, Full Of Holes
• Water Districts Plot To Cheat Property Owners For Delta Tunnel Funds
• Rancho Salsipuedes Vineyards In SB County Sold: $26-$28 million
• Fires unlikely to taint Washington wine
• Californians support global warming rules – unless gas prices rise
• 10 Must-Have Documents to Have Ready For Your Distributor Meeting **Sponsored Link*

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

• Restaurant traffic stuck in neutral
• Retailers scale back sales expectations

CONSUMPTION TRENDS

• Beer Is Americans’ Adult Beverage of Choice This Year
• Americans Still Oppose Lowering the Drinking Age
• Over-65s lead at-home drinking trend

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• UC Davis Launches Wine Processing Center
• Central Valley farm labor from Mexico dwindling
• Has Sideways Affected Napa Merlot Planting and Prices?
• For Cuban visitors, wine tastings span California
• Five Hot Ideas To Grow Your Tasting Room Traffic *Sponsored Link*

NAPA VALLEY MIRACLE!! NEIGHBORS LIKE NEW WINERY

• With neighbor support, St. Helena council approves rezoning for winery

DROUGHT/WATER

• California Water Prices Soar for Farmers as Drought Grows
• Poll finds Californians back smaller water bond
• Water: Reconciling ecosystem and economy

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Diageo predicts slight growth for 2014
• Shareholders say ‘salud’ to Constellation

FINANCE, M&A

• Andre Lurton sells Chateau Dauzac stake
• Australia Vintage off-loads Yaldara winery
• International investors on hunt for Paso Robles vineyards

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Kurniawan sentencing set for today
• Sale of the Century Sees Petrus Go for $500
• Bankrupt En Primeur Ltd owes creditors £1.8m
• Investing in Liquid Assets: Uncorking Profits in Today’s Global Wine Market *Sponsored Link*

HEALTH

• UK Underage drinking rate at all-time low
• Why I Teach My Kids About Wine
• Glowing Ice Cubes Warn People on Excessive Drinking
• The Drunken Monkey: Why We Drink and Abuse Alcohol *Sponsored Link*

LEGAL MATTERS

• Penfolds: The Unfolding of China’s New Trademark Law

INDUSTRY DATA

• Where Are The Hardest Places To Live In The U.S.?

MARKETING & SALES

• Everybody wants that younger demographic
• The mess that is wine marketing
• How to start a wine riot
• Consumers Are More Likely To Buy Products When Given Fewer Options
• Is your wine shipping ready for the future?
• Insights From One Of China’s Largest Wine Importers **Sponsored Link*

BRANDING

• Why Beverage Brand Campaigns Have To Take An Integrated Approach
• Wine Brands: Success Strategies for New Markets, New Consumers and New Trends *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• People are more important than technology
• The 2014 State of Digital Transformation
• Virtual Unreality: Just Because the Internet Told You, How Do You Know It’s True? *Sponsored Link*

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Not asking for help is biggest networking mistake
• How to Launch your Wine Career: Dream Jobs in America’s Hottest Industry *Sponsored Link*

MEDIA MATTERS

• There is no Such Thing As a “Print” Writer in the Wine Media
• On Negative Reviews, Boring Wine Writing, & Non-Boring Wines
• Wine Marketing & Sales, 2nd Edition *Sponsored Link*

MATTERS OF TASTE

• What does “manipulation” of wine mean to you?
• Profile: Heidi Peterson Barrett
• The Grapes of What?
• Wolf Blass steps up Malbec focus
• Meet LI Winemaker Russell Hearn
• Challenges, rewards at Whidbey Island Winery

THE  VOICES FROM A BOTTLE

• Bonny Doon wines continue to speak to me

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• WA State U: Vineyard expansion supports teaching and trellising
• Texas Hill Country wineries banding together to raise quality
• Beyond Jefferson’s Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia *Sponsored Link*

EUROPE & THE UK

• First bottles of Ethiopian wine produced by French firm Castel
• Katie Jones recovers from last year’s destroyed vintage to release new 2013 wine

DOWN UNDER

• WFA and Wolf Blass Foundation builds case to end NZ
• Wines of the Southern Hemisphere: The Complete Guide *Sponsored Link*

COCKTAIL HORRORS (I’LL JUST HAVE A GLASS OF RED WINE, THANK YOU.)

• Bartender sets patron’s face on fire

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Are you a wine snob?
• Is That MegaPurple, Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?
• Cork … It’s what’s for dinner
• Fascinating Facts About American Viticultural Areas (AVA)
• 10 Things Every Wine Lover Should Know About CVNE
• Fermented Thoughts: A Wine Epiphany
• Zoom: How Everything Moves: From Atoms and Galaxies to Blizzards and Bees *Sponsored Link*

OLIVE OIL

• Japanese Olive and Olive Oil Sector review
• Olive Farmgate Prices Up 20 Percent in Spain
• Divergent Views on Proposed California Olive Oil Standards
• Olive Oil: From Tree to Table *Sponsored Link*

THIS MUST MEAN SOMETHING … WILL THE DARK KNIGHT START A MOSCATO OR VODKA BRAND?

• Darth Vader polling higher than 2016 presidential candidates