NEWS FETCH – February 6, 2015

TOP NEWS

• West Coast ports stoppage ripples inland with layoffs
• US wine shipments threatened as ports gridlock ahead of possible shutdown
• Fine wine investment firm drains ‘millions’ from clients
• Restaurant industry sees strong start to 2015
• The top 8 reasons it makes dollars and sense to move your winery software to the Cloud *Sponsored Link*

HARVEST 2014/GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• SA’s Port Lincoln wineries remain relatively unscathed following recent hot weather
• Barossa Valley winemakers short of grapes due to frost
• OZ: Property owners to surrender water licenses, rip out crops, including grapes
• Looking To Export? Here is how to create a perfect presentation for your wine brand *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Are Small Wineries Doomed?
• Women for WineSense offers free Volunteer Mtg at Gloria Ferrer
• Wine Leaders to Cover Critical Central Coast Issues March 12
• Pierce’s Disease/Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Winegrape Grower Referendum Dates Announced
• Auction Napa Valley 2015 tickets go on sale

CORK BROUHAHA

• Binding Agents Used in Agglomerated Corks: Much Ado About Nothing?
• Imitation Is The Finest Form Of Compliment: Not So Fast On Agglom Safety

DROUGHT/WATER

• Lack of Snowfall “the Consistent Issue” for Drought-Stricken California
• Preservation Is a Flawed Mitigation Strategy
• California Water Action Plan (PDF)

DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• Wineries Cautioned About Regulatory Pitfalls of DtC, Social Media and 3rd-party Providers

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Why Tesco’s product cull will impact everyone in the trade
• Tesco calls on wine suppliers for added payments as Grocery Code Adjudicator starts inquiry
• TWE hires new agency to oversee global marketing
• Diageo appoints e-commerce expert to head up online division

FINANCE, M&A

• AccelPath, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Spirit and Wine Group
• 10 Documents You Will Need In Your Wine Distributor Meeting *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Burgundy and Spain headline February sales
• A Petite Auction – no small deal
• Luxury Product Category Not Liked by DRC
• Top chateaux to host own en primeur tastings ‘disappoints’ UGC

ALCOHOL, HEALTH, AND THE FRENCH PARADOX

• Sulfites and the Red Head syndrome
• Daily Nut Consumption Reduces Risk of Peripheral Arterial Disease
• Welch’s grape juice hops on the wine bandwagon

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Fair BEER Act Introduced: Seeks Broad Reform of Federal Beer Tax

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Top 3 Italian Wine Trends to Watch

MARKETING & SALES

• US wine drinkers trade up
• Bollinger: Record turnover in 2014, but slight volume decline reported
• 5 Tips for Boosting your Mobile Marketing Platform
• Orson Welles – trying to promote Amercian “Champagne”
• Missed the MUNDUS VINI 2014 Award? Taste the winning wines at ProWein 2015 – the extensive ancillary program has a lot to offer! *Sponsored Link*

WINE CHOICE & RECOMMENDATION

• What happens in the head of a wine expert?

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Will Consumers Go For Wine In A Can?

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• How to Attract Millennial Twitter Followers
• Super Bowl ads and the art of social forecasting

MATTERS OF TASTE

• New World’s Battle to be Taken Seriously
• Pinot Noir: Very Good and Still Getting Better
• Tastemakers are ready for a return to classicism
• O Verdicchio, Verdicchio! Wherefore Art Thou?
• The Art of Blind Tasting
• Slate Blends Cheap Wine Into Something Better

WINE PEOPLE

• Laura Barrett new head of winemaking at Clif
• Languedoc Star Cyriaque Rozier
• Q&A: Nikolaus Saahs, Nikolaihof Wachau
• An interview with Paul Molleman
• From Winemaker to Sommelier at Upholstery Store: Food and Wine

WINE PLACES

• A Complete Introduction To The Wines Of France

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• WA: King Estate appoints Mark Feinberg as Chief Marketing Officer
• Wine writer Mike Dunne admires Northwest from afar
• Arizona’s growing wine industry

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Australian researchers attempt to develop the world’s most accurate grape calculator
• Studying SO2 effects with better DNA technology suggests we may not need much of it

EUROPE & THE UK

• Georgia toasts to booming wine exports
• Catalan Bodega Takes Long Road To Chinese Prominence

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Beer and spirits bosses go toe-to-toe against wine industry

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China’s wine market will recover
• Consumers in Asia-Pacific Remain Confident Despite Recent Index Declines

LATIN AMERICA

• Chile’s premium wine opportunity: Merlot

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Importance of Wine Competitions
• Union Wine Co launches Pinot lollipops

OH, TESCO…

• Tesco IDs woman for ‘fermentable’ fruit

OLIVE OIL

• Food Safety Authority Warns Bacteria Threatens Olive Trees Across Europe

CRAFT BEER, CIDER & SPIRITS

• Craft beer lovers: Get over that Bud ad, and yourselves