NEWS FETCH – January 12, 2015

TOP NEWS

• California has no future without sustainable water
• Tesco suspends ninth exec as accounts fallout continues
• San Joaquin Valley farmers reach secret deal in water dispute
• House may vote to defund immigration order
• Invasion of the hedge fund almonds
• The top 8 reasons it makes dollars and sense to move your winery software to the Cloud *Sponsored Link*

HARVEST 2014/GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• Are Wineries Going to Buy Fewer Grapes in 2015?

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Darioush Owner to Open New Winery
• Boonville man wants vineyard fans quieted
• Mendocino County officials surprised by tribe’s plans for pot farm
• Napa Valley Vintners Announces 2015 Premiere Napa Valley Wine Offerings
• Auction Napa Valley Funding Assists More Than 90,000 Napa County Residents
• Quake-damaged Sonoma winery barn saved for another century
• After Napa quake, ground still moving under some residents feet
• How To Pitch Your Brand In National Restaurant Chains *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Western Drought Tops the List of 2014 Billion-Dollar Disasters in US
• Drought threatens to push small Valley cities to the brink
• CA Gov on how to spend $7.5 billion water bond
• Drought-Tracking Satellite to Blast Off This Month

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• All eyes on Tesco to take lead in retailer supplier relations
• USL shareholders vote ‘yes’ to Diageo
• Industry Veterans Join Forces with Top Shelf Brands
• TGIC Announces Corporate Name Change To Guarachi Wine Partners
• White Labs Expansion To Include [Y]east Coast Distribution and Operations
• Grow Direct To Consumer Sales *Sponsored Link*

FINANCE, M&A

• Nomacorc bought out by founder and Bespoke Capital
• Glass manufacturer Vidrala to buy Encirc business
• iPourIt Secures Series A-1 Funding Round

DISTRIBUTORS

• Falling oil price unlikely to cut wine and spirits distribution costs
• Are You Really Ready To Pitch A Distributor: Here’s the Checklist *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Liv-ex: January 2015 so far
• Mouton Moves to Seduce the American Wine Market
• Treasures from the late Peter Lehmann’s wine cellar for sale
• Hopes rise for Bordeaux prices in 2015
• Burgundy 2013
• Canberra region fine wines increase in popularity
• Wine heists highlight value of luxury vino
• Retailers demanding exclusives: Accolade

HEALTH

• Trade group for wine industry lobbies on new FDA calorie rule
• Should scientists work with industry on alcohol policy?
• Changes in alcohol consumption on risk of dementia in elderly women
• Wonder-Drug Chemical Good For More Than Just Your Body
• Med. Diet Associated with Greater Academic Performance in Schoolchildren

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• APW accused of scamming wine investor
• Héraclès (1855): finally forced into liquidation
• 1855/Héraclès finally bust but questions remain to be answered
• Frizzenti hits back over Prosecco legal battle
• Italy declares war against … radical Prosecco

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Wine trends in 2015
• Three wine trends to watch for in 2015
• 2015 Food Trends

MARKETING & SALES

• Heavy discounts blamed for sluggish wine sales
• Wine prices in 2015: Stealth increases
• Study on the competitiveness of European wines (PDF)
• Options for hitting the $35B Chinese cross-border shopping market
• Save time and money – order ProWein 2015 tickets online at reduced rates! *Sponsored Link*

WINE CHOICE & RECOMMENDATION

• Step outside your regular wine habits this year
• Maltese Wines Win New York Times’ Affection
• Carménère – a difficult and unforgiving grape
• Sugar, Salt And Subtle Tannins: Pairing Wine And Junk Food

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Instagram Is the Fastest Growing Major Social Network
• Google catching up to Facebook with social logins
• How people check Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram daily

PAYMENTS

• Mobile Payments Are Poised To Explode This Year
• Bitstamp resumes Bitcoin trading after $5M in losses led to shutdown
• Mining Bitcoin Has Become A Ruthlessly Competitive Business

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Minimum wage debate: New location, old arguments
• Pittsburgh Eatery Culls Tipping; Offers Servers Salary, Health Care, Shares Instead

FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN THE MEDIA (#JESUISCHARLIE)

• EU considers greater monitoring of Internet speech in wake of attacks
• Je Suis Plein De Merde
• A Tenuous Link Between Digital Marketing and #CharlieHebdo

MEDIA MATTERS

• Publishers struggle with January sales hangover
• Out of network writing

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Do “hand-picked” grapes mean better wine?
• Terroir: Fact, Fiction or Just Plain Science?
• When Wine Is Not Meant To Be Aged
• When Wine Is Really Nothing More than Wet Sugar
• Tasting is believing with famous glassware maker Georg Riedel

WINE PEOPLE

• Bob Cabral’s next step
• The loss of John Pedroncelli is deeply felt in wine country
• Farewell, Dave West and Serge Hochar
• Remembering Serge
• Stephanie Gallo on wine marketing
• Paul Mabray, Founder of VinTank
• Q&A: Diego Muntoni, head sommelier, OXO Restaurant

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Sales of PA wines up by 31 percent in October 2014
• NY: PBEV Subsidiary Premium Wine Group to Add Additional 20% Capacity in 2015

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Premox: a consideration
• Drones; ‘game changer’ for wine industry
• The genome of grape powdery mildew & evolution in relation to fungicide resistance

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Eating out to see 2% growth in 2015
• Future of French wine may reside in the Rhone region

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Rain sparks disease in Sunraysia vineyards
• Hunter vignerons urged to rethink using wastewater for irrigation

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Wine Accessories To Add To Your Collection
• How To Stock The Perfect Home Bar
• 10 Gadgets Your Bar Cannot Miss
• 13 Reasons Wine is Better Than a Significant Other
• 10 Stunning Winery Designs