NEWS FETCH – November 21, 2014

TOP NEWS

• On-Premise Wine & Beer Sales Fall
• Grand Marnier Said to Explore Company Sale
• New Today From CDC: 1 or 2 drinks day = “heavy drinking,” cutbacks needed
• Domaine Carneros Sued Over La Terre Promise Name
• SJ Valley Growers Pessimistic About Grapes
• Specialty Crop Grants Boost Ag Studies in Western States
• USDA announces 2015 Market Access Program funding
• UK: 18,000 bottles of perfectly good wine poured down the drain
• See the world of wine in 4 minutes – ProWein 2015 presents an unparalleled diversity of wines from all continents. *Sponsored Link*

AG, OBAMA & IMMIGRATION

• Fresno immigrants, experts react to Obama’s executive action plan
• Obama: Plan will shield 250,000 farmworkers
• The Economist: The border is not the problem
• Central Valley undocumented immigrants see hope in Obama action

HARVEST 2014/GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• 2014 Vintage Report: Italy Wine Harvest
• Take control of your wine costing and set your prices with confidence *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa Winemakers Argue Over the Valley’s Visual Image
• Sonoma County Smacks Down Bella Vineyards
• Napa approves Robert Foley Angwin winery expansion
• California farmers, EPA agree to pesticide restrictions
• High table grape prices could go higher
• California Labor Commissioner Issues Required Postings for New Paid Sick Leave Law
• Grow Direct To Consumer Sales *Sponsored Link*

SIGNIFICANT TREND THE WINE INDUSTRY HAS OVERLOOKED

• Sobriety trend to harm wine sales
• CDC: Are you a heavy drinker? You’d be surprised

DROUGHT/WATER

• UC Davis notes the obvious: Water can’t be stored if it’s not there in the first place
• Shaping water storage in California
• Feinstein shuts out Northern Californians from water talks
• Fresno driller Steve Arthur finds ‘60 Minutes’ report lacking
• Is Dianne Feinstein Crafting a Secret Water Deal to Help Big Pistachio?
• Congressional slackers fail again on drought
• How groundwater banking is done: A look at three groundwater banking operations
• USGS Synthesis of studies in the fall low-salinity zone of the San Francisco Estuary, plus aquatic plants, El Nino, big data and more …

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Changyu to establish new company in France as profits improve

FINANCE, M&A

• Vineyards By The Batch: Chinese Winery Sells Plots to Private Parties

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Bordeaux 2014: between 08 and 10 in quality
• PA: Collector battles to save 2k wine bottles

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• How Strong Are Your Trademarks?
• Wine in America: Law and Policy *Sponsored Link*

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Super-rich spend $8 billion on booze
• Social Media Is Not So Hot For Customer Service

MARKETING & SALES

• How Can Wine Steal This Brilliant Idea From KLM?
• Wine businesses slow to change and connect with consumers, says business guru
• Around the Globe, Private Label’s Appeal Goes Beyond Price
• The Connection Between Your Website Design and Conversion Rates
• Brand New: The Shape of Brands to Come *Sponsored Link*

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Cornell’s Ag Economic Outlook Conference will be Dec. 9
• Wine Vision 2014 in Pictures
• Trade Show & Event Marketing *Sponsored Link*

MEDIA MATTERS

• Damien Wilson on why wine bloggers are an endangered species
• Wark Pondering The End of Fermentations?
• Wine Marketing & Sales, 2nd Edition *Sponsored Link*

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Is There a Solution to Bottle Variation?
• Pirate Wines Are Better Than Natural Wines
• Reviving Lesser-Known Varietals
• Wine Criticism Serendipity
• Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of the Plot to Poison the World’s Greatest Wine *Sponsored Link*

DID SOMEONE FORGET NORTON?

• Zinfandel, The Only American Wine Grape

WINE PEOPLE

• Interview: Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi CEO
• Q&A with Angelo Gaja
• Q&A: Adam Mason, Mulderbosch
• The Tastemakers: Why We’re Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue *Sponsored Link*

EUROPE & THE UK

• Northern Rhône Co-operative Looks To The Future
• Burgundy split over new Cote d’Or appellation plan
• Oddbins bullish despite hitche

DOWN UNDER

• Aussie Wineries warn China deal no ‘silver bullet’

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese officials swap baijiu for wine at APEC summit dinner
• Thirst for Wine – Inside China’s Wine Industry: The Success Factors of Marketing Wine in China *Sponsored Link*

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• 7 Wine-Themed Gifts For Your Thanksgiving Host
• Fücking hell beer causes problems

CENTRAL COAST HANNIBAL LECTER ALERT: TOO BIZARRE TO PASS UP.

• Murderer who cut out co-worker’s heart is paroled to SLO

CRAFT BEER, CIDER & SPIRITS

• Study Reveals Promising Technology to Expand Hard Cider Industry
• Inventors of New Beer Gadget Forget that Craft Beer Already Exists
• The Craft Beer Revolution: How a Band of Microbrewers Is Transforming the World’s Favorite Drink *Sponsored Link*