NEWS FETCH – December 12, 2014

TOP NEWS

• Drop in Aussie dollar revives slump in wine exports
• Indian Reservations: Now, Get Stoned & Gamble?
• Feds Now Reviewing Sta. Rita Hills Expansion
• Grape Industry Lukewarm on Immigration Act
• Russia may ban French wine imports in retaliation to sanctions
• Interview: Wirtz Beverage Group EVP Danny Wirtz
• Academic Wino Teams With Perdue On 3 Major Web Projects
• How to Generate Demand In The 3-Tier System *Sponsored Link*

HARVEST 2014/GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• Insurers see 1.8 billion euro cost from French storms
• Central Loire Vineyard producers want to ban Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir close to their appellations
• Take control of your wine costing and set your prices with confidence *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Famous Napa Farmer Herb Lamb Passes Away
• Calif: LangeTwins ‘closes the circle’ with bottling facility
• Southern’s Union City Facility automates
• Save time and money – order ProWein 2015 tickets online at reduced rates! *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA’s RAINPOCALYPSE

• Surf Tahoe!
• Kayak Downtown Healdsburg
• Good News for State’s Olive Oil Producers
• Biggest Storm in Years for California Unleashes Flooding Rain, Mudslides
• Rains to provide short-term relief for California drought

DROUGHT/WATER

• As the wells run dry, Central Valley neighbors find common ground
• Previewing a potentially massive series of Pacific storms
• Sustainable groundwater challenge: Is there enough?
• Climate change won’t dry up Southern California

DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• Wine drinkers more likely to vote

FINANCE, M&A

• Should investors take another look at casual dining?
• Former La Riviere owners to buy classified St Emilion estate
• EWGA acquires Heritage Wines

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Petrus Leads Sotheby’s With Romanee-Conti
• Squeezing profits out of wine
• Grow Direct To Consumer Sales *Sponsored Link*

HEALTH

• Phenols in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Inhibit Colon Cancer Cell Growth
• Red vs. White: which is best for health?
• Eating a Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Risk of Developing Binge Eating Disorder
• UK: Minister backs call for lower duty tax band for reduced alcohol wines
• Europe’s cholesterol problem brushed under the carpet

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• EU: Organic sector disappointed by Commission proposal

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Argentina: Wine sales stable despite drop in mass consumption
• Labels Make The Sale. Taste Makes A Fan
• Red wine drinkers earn most – but spend least on gifts
• ‘Tis the Season for Affluent Online Shoppers
• Hispanics’ Daily Spending Well Above U.S. Average

MARKETING & SALES

• Spirits & Wine Top List of Least Desired Holiday Gifts
• Why empathy matters for your marketing strategy
• New wines for young consumers
• Drizly enters St. Louis
• Liquor Stores N.A. Looks To Expand Its U.S. Presence
• What It Takes To Get Your Brand Approved By Commercial Airlines *Sponsored Link*

WINE CHOICE & RECOMMENDATION

• The Cola Wars and How They Help Us Talk About Wine

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Plastic Closures, Green or Green Washing?

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• How to Build Your List Using Simple Marketing Strategies
• 2015: The Year Online Marketing Changes Just as Much as Every Other Year
• Facebook to create AI online chaperone to stop drunken posts
• New Facebook buttons let you make reservations, use external apps, shop

MEDIA MATTERS

• Where Is The Wine In Restaurant Reviews?
• When Lazy Headlines Undermine Great Research
• The Chronicle adds a blow to Spectator’s Napa wine jabs

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Minerality in wine: What does it mean to you?
• Sweet Wines: A Noble Pursuit
• Terroir: not just for wine
• On a rainy day, Heimoff takes a trip down Memory Lane

WINE PEOPLE

• From dishwasher to vintner – Rolando Herrera’s dream
• Robert Bohr on being a sommelier
• Ex-Ruinart winemaker launches Champagne
• Freelance winemaker sets up in 1868 woolshed
• Q&A: Nicolas de Bailliencourt of Château Gazin
• Aussie native brings love for Riesling to Washington
• Winemaker Ryan Pease receives SF Chronicle Honors

WINE PLACES

• A sparkling wine that has shed locavore light on some of Virginia’s finest vineyards
• Making wines that change people’s perceptions of Chile
• Douro valley is now a natural home for wine as well as Port
• Argentina: Best terroir to produce Malbec wines

YUMMMMMMMY! WINE & BUGS

• The best wine pairing with….tarantulas

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• NJ wines’ image problem

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• The trials of being organic
• Haze-preventing enzymes in Australian winemaking approved

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: NMIT Launches New Degree in Viticulture and Winemaking

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• What does your wine say about you?
• 9 Ways to Make Cheap Champagne Feel Expensive

OLIVE OIL

• World olive oil balances for 2013/14 and 2014/15 – IOC