NEWS FETCH – January 9, 2015

TOP NEWS

• Tesco downgraded to junk despite turnaround plan
• Terlato Wines acquires Juliana Vineyard in CA
• U.S. Standard of Living Index Climbs to Highest in 7 Years
• Google donates $300 000 to Charlie Hebdo through fund
• The top 8 reasons it makes dollars and sense to move your winery software to the Cloud *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• NC Live Oak Bank To Open CA Office To Cater To Wine & Beer Industry
• Chatterbox Wine Marketing Launches Omni-Channel Broad-Based Services Suite
• Cabral confirmed as Director of Winemaking at Three Sticks Wine
• SSU Grad Helps Launch First Online Wine Company in Israel
• Beckstoffer, Salvestrin file vineyard trademark suit
• Ukiah Pomos to establish state’s first tribal pot operation
• Where Has Napa Valley Gone?
• Paraiso Vineyards taps sun to make wine
• How To Pitch Your Brand In National Restaurant Chains *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Warm Winter Projection Could Hurt Drought Recovery
• California students invited to devise creative solutions to state water problem
• Drought intensity wanes, consequences remain
• Beards Save Water: Show Us Your Drought Face (PDF)

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Tesco: ‘Betrayal’, ‘deplorable’ and a ‘company whose word cannot be trusted’
• Tesco is worst retailer to work with
• Majestic Wine PLC’s “Hold” Rating Reiterated at Liberum Capital
• Canaccord Genuity Lowers Majestic Wine PLC Price Target to GBX 350
• Constellation Brands Showing Unusual Social Activity
• Costco Cuts It
• Grow Direct To Consumer Sales *Sponsored Link*

FINANCE, M&A

• Can a Restaurant Recover $300,000 in Lost Wine?
• Are You Really Ready To Pitch A Distributor: Here’s the Checklist *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Penfolds Grange Wine: ‘New World’ Order
• Chinese Investors Look to Hedge Portfolios with Bottles of Bordeaux

HEALTH

• Mediterranean Diet Associated with Lower Risk of Sarcopenia
• Ward off a cold with a glass of red wine
• Who are you calling an alcoholic?

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Groups, agribusinesses organize to promote ag trade to Cuba
• Comité Champagne under attack for its “vindictive” legal dispute against Champagne Jayne
• Prosecco producers angered by ‘illegal’ serving in UK bars
• Kirin to reimburse misled consumers

MARKETING & SALES

• Are restaurant wine mark-ups too steep?
• Prosecco outselling champagne in the UK
• Be aware of changing demographics when marketing
• Save time and money – order ProWein 2015 tickets online at reduced rates! *Sponsored Link*

WINE CHOICE & RECOMMENDATION

• Make Way for Nero d’Avola
• There’s a wine today for everyone
• 2014 Quarts de Chaume – best vintage since 2011
• Accolade wines unveils alcohol-free Echo Falls

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Wine conference attendance will push convention center to limit
• Wine conference outgrowing Sacramento
• ProWein 2015: Where Your Next Great Wine Will Come From

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Ultimate social media cheat sheet for 2015

PAYMENTS

• Is bitcoin the wave of the future or a dangerous fad?

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Women becoming more influential as business leaders
• Use of H-2A workers to increase despite wage hike
• Winery Job Postings Increase in 2014

MEDIA MATTERS

• 6-step approach for creating user friendly and rewarding websites
• The Definitive 2015 Blog Assessment Checklist
• Wine Spectator’s 2015 Wine Story Predictions

MATTERS OF TASTE

• It’s wine, Jim, but not as we know it
• Time to take Zinfandel seriously again

WINE PEOPLE

• Raise a glass to mark the recent passing of three wine visionaries
• Joe Wadsack, the ‘Whirlwind of Wine’
• Q&A: Robert Mark Kamen, Kamen Estate

WINE PLACES

• The Shifting Image of Champagne
• Toasting The Allure Of Turkish Wine
• Chelan’s Hard Row to Hoe makes wine fun, easy

OH CANADA!

• Ontario: Late, Late Harvest Brings Sweet Results

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• 2014 great year for Oregon wine
• TN: Wine could be coming to grocery stores this summer
• MA: Last-minute bill cuts out middlemen from local wine, hard cider sales
• TX: Petition circulates to bring beer, wine sales to dry town
• NC Wine and Beer Industry

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Natural solution to botrytis developed
• Does anyone really understand premox?
• The value of cold soaks for red winemaking; the value of cold soak research for winemakers
• Grapevine Pruning Experts Share Wisdom
• NY: Grape Vine Pruning Workshop

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: March for the Independents campaign to put spotlight on wine merchants
• Croatian Fine Wines bolsters UK reach
• The British Paradox: How A Cold, Rainy Island Invented Modern Wine
• Why do Brits trash great food and wine?

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Vintage still looking good despite December hailstorm
• OZ: “Stressed” grapes make for promising 2015 vintage

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Russia lifts ban on television wine advertising
• Sisseck refutes Putin Pingus vineyard claims
• The dont’s of doing business in China
• China wine industry suffers ‘shakeout’
• Indians prefer red wine

LATIN AMERICA

• Are blends the next Argentine revolution?
• It’s Chilean wine, but not as we know it

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Wine Trends for 2015
• The Wine Diagram for Millennials
• Somm-in-a-Box: Club W Brings Curated Wine to Your Doorstep

OLIVE OIL

• A decade exporting olive oil from Palestine
• Olive Oil Importer Can’t Escape Class Action Over Quality
• Importers worried as olive oil prices zoom on shortage
• Turkey’s olive oil exports have decreased by almost 50 percent