NEWS FETCH – March 19, 2015

TOP NEWS

• Lawsuit charges excessive wine arsenic levels, higher in cheap bottles
• Groundwater: ‘Strategic plan’ outlines DWR role in new laws
• Who benefits if wines can be ‘finished’ in adjacent states?
• Travel and tourism spending accelerates
• San Jose and San Francisco Lead in Economic Confidence
• A Vineyard Dispute, $800,000 in Cash, and Two Dead in Napa: NY Times
• TTB Compliance can be simpler. Here’s how. *Sponsored Link*

GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• Heavy grape damage after extreme cold won’t kill Ontario wine supply

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• ASEV’s Lyndie Boulton Retires
• University of California hires four viticulture advisors
• As drones invade California air space, two bills try to set limits on their use
• Michael Kasper Leads Southeast For Hess Family Wine Estates
• Conner Now Region Manager SoCal General Market for Hess

DROUGHT/WATER

• Santa Barbara County Well Moratorium DOA
• Central Valley groundwater overpump creating a crisis
• Overpumping of groundwater is contributing to global sea level rise
• Prepare for extinction of delta smelt

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Crimson Wine reports sales rise, profits drop
• Casella Family Brands capitalise on distribution to drive double digit growth

FINANCE, M&A

• Chinese rival French in buying Bordeaux vineyards
• Racism Ruled Out of Barolo Vineyard Sale
• Burgundy’s Alex Gambal Gains 19 Acres of Côte d’Or Vines
• Invivo halfway to its $2m funding target
• Beverage Trade Network Launches USA Trade Tasting To Help Producers Connect With Distributors *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• This economist’s question about wine highlights what most of us don’t understand about money
• 1855.com and president fined by French financial watchdog
• Can Parker halt 2005 Bordeaux slide?
• Market celebrates a ‘very punchy’ price for Latour

ALCOHOL, HEALTH, AND THE FRENCH PARADOX
Click the link above for more news, articles and archives.

• Emergency Ban on Powdered Alcohol in California Requested
• Maternal Consumption of Dietary Fatty Acids in Early Pregnancy Influences Gene Expression in Adult Offspring

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Feds say wine aged underwater may be illegal
• CO: Liquor stores, brewers team up to fight supermarket sales
• FL: Committee opposes selling whiskey on grocery store aisles

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Gallo Leads Impact’s Domestic Wine “Hot Brands,” Italy Paces Imports
• What America Drank On St. Patrick’s Day
• How To Build a Cult-Like Following For Your Brand: *Sponsored Link*

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Importance of Wine Label Information for Hong Kong Chinese Consumers Purchase Decisions
• Diageo to provide nutrition and alcohol content on bottles
• Selling Subtlety to American Wine Drinkers
• Wine and the Paradox of Choice

MARKETING & SALES

• Huge potential to build super brands around the world
• The Making of a Multicultural Super Consumer
• What motivates online shoppers to make decisions?
• Don’t overlook these pre-flight checks before going global
• The best advice from marketers and agencies about doing business in Asia
• What It Takes To Get Your Brand Approved By Commercial Airlines: *Sponsored Link*

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Tetra Pak makes ‘further progress’ towards environmental objectives

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• PROWEIN 2015: Success Across The Board
• ‘Unprecedented’ demand from producers to promote South Africa at Cape Wine 2015

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• How Much Longer Until Small Businesses Join the Mobile World?

PAYMENTS

• Facebook payments could be huge — if Facebook can pull it off
• U.K. reveals its plans for regulating Bitcoin

MEDIA MATTERS

• The 7 Rules of Commenting on Wine Blogs (and everything else)
• In Defense of Publicists
• “Boutique” ~ Who’s with Jo Diaz on this one?

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The How Ripe is Right Battle Heats Up Again
• The Secrets of Top Cabernet Sauvignon Brands
• Elegant styles of Lodi Zinfandel
• Value Is in the Eye of the Beholder
• Dessert wine basics

WINE PEOPLE

• Liv-ex interview with Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, part one
• Meet The Expert: Lindsay Jordan, UC Cooperative Extension Viticulture Advisor

WINE PLACES

• The day that changed Bordeaux
• Is Provence more than rosé? Peut-être.

WINE EDUCATION

• Teaching the history of wine to Millennials
• Wine Journeys

REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• WA: Michelle Sparkling Wines announces new winemaker

ACADEMIA

• WSU research maps suitability of Washington vineyard locations

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Osborne Cuts Whisky Duty to Appease Contracting Industry
• WSTA’s Miles Beale says Chancellor has given drinks industry “perfect result”
• Portugal grows UK wine sales after targeting independents
• UK: Watchdog to police alcohol ads on social media

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Wine helps to boost Marlborough’s GDP by $213m
• OZ wine producers complain to Premier about liquor reforms that favour BC products
• Australian On Premise Revolution
• Australian High School Donates Grapes to Grower

LATIN AMERICA

• How Malbec Colonized South America

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• How to Pack Wine in Your Luggage
• This Fancy Restaurant Has a ‘Push for Champagne’ Button

OLIVE OIL

• Debunking olive oil myths: A journey into ‘Virgin Territory’

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER WINE & SPIRITS

• Space yeast beer ready for lift off
• Beer with superfoods: Dr Jekyll’s adds twist to the US craft beer market

MARIJUANA

• Marijuana: Legalize―Don’t Advertise
• Legal Weed Sparks Pot Tourism Industry