NEWS FETCH – June 16, 2015

TOP NEWS

• Empire Wine Bill Passes in New York State Assembly: NYS Liquor Authority sanctions OK’d
• “Craft Beverage Reform” Bill Would Change Winery Federal Excise Tax Structure
• As Volume Continues To Slide, Australian Wine Sees Premium Progress
• Beyond the Perfect Drought: California’s Real Water Crisis
• TTB Compliance can be simpler. Here’s how. *Sponsored Link*

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• TPA Trade Deal Stalled in House
• TPA a vital tool for Yakima Valley

GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• How badly is the strong dollar affecting US wine exports?
• Washington wine forecast: More wineries, more grapes
• In Champagne, we can envisage harvesting around the middle of September

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Brewing notable with Mexican roots donates $1 million to UC Davis beer program
• Wine Business Institute Offers Scholarships Totaling $23,700
• Farmworkers graduate from literacy program
• Allegretto Vineyard Resort by Ayres Appoints New Director of Sales and Marketing
• Napa Cabs finally cross the $1000 a bottle line
• Fresno State North Bay Ag Alumni Gathering Set
• Connect with new wine distributors at USA Trade Tasting. Exhibit now and Save $200. Offer ends 30 June. *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Farm Bureau Offers Detailed Analysis Of Waters Of The U.S. Rule
• Ag’s water needs from Willamette River, OR studied
• Plethora of regulations hamper farmers ability to farm
• California’s Water Czar, Part Empathetic Confessor and Part Friendly Scold
• Rich Californians balk at limits: ‘We’re not all equal when it comes to water’
• Former Delta Watermaster Craig Wilson with more on his alternative to the Delta tunnels
• Everyone needs to deal with the drought

DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• Shape the Wholesale Industry – Webinar
• BevMo! Joins Google Express to Pioneer Same Day Specialty Beverage Delivery
• How User Choices Can Boost Your Wine Club Membership & Loyalty. Click For A Free Best Practices Webinar *Sponsored Link*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands CFO Bob Ryder steps down
• Diageo North America President Larry Schwartz To Retire After 40-Year Career
• Majestic’s Rowan Gormley reveals plans to get retailer on course
• Majestic asking investors for ‘a lot of faith’
• Pernod and Treasury agree on tax reform
• How To Overcome Top 10 Objections From Beverage Retailers *Sponsored Link*

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

• Powdered alcohol faces U.S. prohibition calls in consumer poll
• Cutting down on underage drinking
• 11 meals and 6 tips to cure your next hangover
• I am fighting alcohol – and losing
• New BeMyDD App Brings Designated Drivers to Your Smartphone

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• New “Craft” Bill Cuts Taxes for Brewers and Other Alcohol Beverage Manufacturers
• Beer Institute Statement on Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act
• Craft whiskey lawsuits have ‘uneven’ impact

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Winery Jobs, Off-Premise Sales Lead Growth
• Online wine sales at 5% worldwide but on the rise
• New Alcohol Consumption Report Reveals Americans’ Summer Drinking Habits
• Suppliers cashing in on off-dry red trend
• Will the fusion drinks trends in bars translate into a positive generational shift for Port and Sherry?

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• If you think wine shopping in the West is confusing, try choosing a bottle from the aisles of a supermarket in Chengdu

MARKETING & SALES

• While focusing on Millennials, we have forgotten about the power of older generations
• Reducing online purchase returns
• Why Shoppers Abandon Their Carts
• How to Manage Cash Flow to Expand your Winery, Distillery or Brewery’s Distribution. *Sponsored Link*

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• 9th Annual Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium set for Jan. 13-14, 2016 (PDF)

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Nine Wine Apps Wine Marketers Can’t Afford to Ignore
• Thirstie Launches “The Craft” Editorial Platform To Drive Cocktail, Wine And Beer Discovery For Drink Enthusiasts
• In battle of the buy buttons, it’s Facebook vs Pinterest
• A social network called Minds has an answer to Facebook’s strangling of organic posts

PAYMENTS

• Payments-tech companies are moving into lending to help businesses grow

MEDIA MATTERS

• The Annual Wine Blog Filter Is Announced

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Drink Your Rosé Proudly, Men
• How to have a cool, happening palate
• Puglia Wine is Italy’s Secret to Value
• Has The Time Come For Portuguese Wines?
• Filtering wine one way doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Click now to see the alternatives *Sponsored Link*

WINE PEOPLE

• Domaine de la Mordorée’s Christophe Delorme Dies at 52
• Hugh Johnson OBE given lifetime achievement award
• A Chat with Bedell Cellars Winemaker Richard Olsen-Harbich (NY)

WINE PLACES

• Mallorca: the Galápagos of grapes
• Antonini paints fresh vision for Uruguay
• 10 Things Every Wine Lover Should Know About Wynns Coonawarra Estate
• Georgian wine might blow your mind
• Ahr to Lodi: Spotlight on German Wine
• Great Oregon Wine Outside the Willamette Valley

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• New Indiana winery to incorporate lodging into experience

ACADEMIA

• UW-Madison hires its first wine scientist
• University of Missouri Extension viticulturist calls for collaboration

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Why a Chardonnay “wakes up” earlier compared to a Cabernet Sauvignon

EUROPE & THE UK

• Racial tension continues to plague Italian wine world as refugee crisis grows
• Ridgeview makes push on US market
• Gary Lineker’s wine stolen by thieves ‘who wouldn’t have even understood its value’
• UK: Grocery Code prompts a new kind of supermarket war
• Scots’ alcohol consumption down, but still ahead of rest of UK
• Bargain Booze fights back against discounters with new ad campaign

DOWN UNDER

• Tasmanian wineries urged to offer greater experiences at cellar door
• Industry cool on South Australia bid to become a Great Wine Capital
• OZ: Winery’s efforts to save the spiny daisy from extinction succeeding 12 months on

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• The Non-GMO Corn Movement In Kentucky Bourbon
• Detroit’s Atwater Brewery adds whiskey, vodka and more to product line
• Senate expected to introduce bill to sell off Pa. liquor system
• Bacardi Creates Centers Of Excellence To Bring Marketing Efforts Closer To Consumers
• Will Dry River Brewing be the greenest brewery in L.A.?

MARIJUANA

• Will Terroir Turn Marijuana Into A Luxury Product?