NEWS FETCH – March 4, 2015

TOP NEWS

• Calif Drought will force shift to almonds, walnuts & other high-value crops
• Number of US restaurants fell in 2014, But Chains Grow
• West Coast Ports To Open With New Contract
• Calif survey shows 5 percent of normal Sierra snowpack
• Southern W&S Strikes Back At Laurent Perrier With Lewd Stripper/Champagne Stunt
• TTB Compliance can be simpler. Here’s how. *Sponsored Link*

HARVEST 2014/GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• S.Africa: Constantia Valley fire threatens harvest
• NZ Grape plantings soar
• OZ: Province mulls turning cheap wine into biofuel

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Oxbow & Ferry Building developer signs lease at Oakland’s Jack London Square
• Santa Ynez Valley is disappearing before our eyes
• California orders 12 oil-field wells shut to protect groundwater
• Carmel revises wine tasting room policy
• New Winemaker At Chalk Hill Estate

DROUGHT/WATER

• ‘Devastating’ water news for Merced County farmers
• Farmers describe impact of ‘zero’ CVP allocation
• Commentary: UC Davis seeks practical solutions for water needs

DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• A Croatia-to-Pittsburgh wine odyssey: How an obscure bottle gets in the PLCB system

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• When “Sin” Pays: A Deep Dive Into the Alcoholic Beverage Industry
• Diageo commits $400m to expand in Mexico
• Jack Daniel’s Drives Brown-Forman To Solid Sales, Profit Growth
• Supplier Profile: Treasury Wine Estates

FINANCE, M&A

• Wine company Invivo to use crowdfunding for $2m to fuel growth
• The Little Brewing Company finds a crafty cash flow solutions
• Wine lending expands as sales rise

DISTRIBUTORS

• Hand Family’s Lakeshore Beverage acquiring Illinois distributor
• Beverage Trade Network Launches USA Trade Tasting To Help Producers Connect With Distributors *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Zachys praises New York demand as DRC and Krug lead sales

ALCOHOL, HEALTH, AND THE FRENCH PARADOX

• A Medical Critique of The 2015 Dietary Guidelines
• Inside the Powerful Lobby Fighting for Your Right to Eat Pizza
• Colby Red, a table wine to help combat heart disease

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Handmade, Homemade, Handcrafted — What’s Safe These Days?
• When is the term ‘craft’ authentic and when is it marketing hype?
• 7 Ways Wine Can Leave You Needing A Lawyer
• The Weird World of Wine Law
• Compliance Check-In: 2014 TTB Beverage Sample Program Result
• English wine estates bid to create Sussex appellation

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• What the drinks trade can learn from Dr Gregory House MD
• How To Build a Cult-Like Following For Your Brand: *Sponsored Link*

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• What people, critics hate in wine back-label copy
• What a new music platform can teach us about developing meaningful consumer engagement

MARKETING & SALES

• Grapes of Worth: How Supermarkets are Becoming Local Wine Shops
• Email trumps social media for retailer promotions among millennials
• Ways to avoid reliance on supermarkets and combat margin squeeze
• Private Canadian wine chains face major shakeup
• What Is a Wine Bar?
• What It Takes To Get Your Brand Approved By Commercial Airlines: *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• ‘Facebook is over’: The social networks you need to know now
• Is social just local?

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• London Wine Fair to celebrate Syrah

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Bordeaux 2005: how ‘vintage of the century’ drinks at 10 years old
• Will we every get burgundy back?
• Blind-Tasting Oak Alternatives
• Natural wines: no lab-bred yeast, pig’s pancreas or cryo-extraction

WINE PEOPLE

• Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Papa Pinot’s Legacy
• How Antinori Redefined Tuscany : Tignanello & Solaia 2007

WINE PLACES

• Turning “Winewards”: Origins of the First Willamette Valley Plantings
• The World’s Most-Overlooked Fine-Wine Regions?

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Wine worth £10k stolen in second raid
• What Country Has The REAL Bourbon Dynasty Again?
• France To Help Serbian Wine Regions

DOWN UNDER

• China: still a ‘huge opportunity’ for Australia
• OZ: Wine industry to push for change in upcoming review

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Veraison is fruit set to raisin