NEWS FETCH – June 17, 2015

TOP NEWS

• Wine Racket Leads to Charges in Canada
• Los Angeles County bans new vineyards due to drought
• California farmers illegally taking river water
• Economic Confidence Index, Gas Prices Linked
• TTB Compliance can be simpler. Here’s how. *Sponsored Link*

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Australia and China sign bumper free trade deal
• Australia/China Free Trade Agreement. Good for exports, less good for national sovereignty

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS Sponsored by:

• Plan to take Lytton Pomos’ land near Windsor into trust getting first hearing
• An open letter to the Napa Valley supervisors on tourism
• Joseph Phelps Vineyards Re-Opens its Original Winery to Visitors Following Renovation
• Connect with new wine distributors at USA Trade Tasting. Exhibit now and Save $200. Offer ends 30 June. *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• New water cuts tighten screws on farmers
• Farm interests planning to push back on water rule they say goes too far
• Final WOTUS proposal needs complete rewrite
• Court Battles Loom Over California’s Senior Water Rights
• State Water Contractors Seek Action to Protect Stored Water Project Supplies from Unlawful Diversions
• The Colorado River is not a water buffet. So why the ‘first come, first serve’ policy?
• Rules to protect Russian River salmon opposed by Farm Bureau

DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• Pa. Senate panel approves bill on wine home delivery
• Are shipping charges taxable in Illinois?
• How User Choices Can Boost Your Wine Club Membership & Loyalty. Click For A Free Best Practices Webinar *Sponsored Link*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands (STZ) Names David Klein as New CFO
• Diageo’s Australia director ‘resigns’
• Castle Brands Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2015 Results
• Constellation Brands invests $2bn in Mexico
• How To Overcome Top 10 Objections From Beverage Retailers *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Fine wine market grows 234% in 10 years
• Sotheby’s wine sales top $10m in NYC
• New report reveals increasing popularity of fine wine as wealth store
• Separating fake from fine wine

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

• Sex And Alcohol Make You Happier Than Having Kids And Religion
• What makes a ‘heavy drinker’?
• France in denial over alcohol abuse

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Younger wine drinkers ready to try something new

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Why The 100-Point System of Rating Wine is Irrelevant
• “The 100-point system is irrelevant”? Umm, sorry, no it’s not
• The power of points
• Should Restaurant Wine Lists Feature Local Wines?
• A Sommelier By Any Other Name Would Smell The Same
• There’s A Boner-Jam of Sommeliers… And Nobody Can Pronounce The Word
• 7 things savvy wine drinkers should expect at a restaurant

MARKETING & SALES

• Managing the cost of a beverage program
• Thoughts on those sommelier lunches
• How to Manage Cash Flow to Expand your Winery, Distillery or Brewery’s Distribution. *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• How 10 Beer Brands Rock the Social Media Scene

MEDIA MATTERS

• If You Only Read One Wine Book This Year

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Wine Doesn’t Feel Wrath
• White Zinfandel Revival Grows in Lodi
• The Science of Eating
• Filtering wine one way doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Click now to see the alternatives *Sponsored Link*

WINE PLACES

• Wine from unexpected places? Raise a glass to Syria
• Gran Selezione Is The New King Of Chianti
• Gourmet Italy: what to eat and drink in Umbria
• California’s Paso Robles wine route
• The Hunter Valley wine region’s cellar doors
• Discovering English Wine
• Livermore’s Occasio Wines

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• A New President for Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd
• Let No Barrel Go To Waste: Oregon Company Turns Old Into New

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Drones have evolved into precision agricultural tools

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Can Grocery Retailers Fend Off the Discounters?
• Andre Lurton cuts back on screwcap due to French resistance
• France: Groupe Casino Hires First Female Head Wine-Buyer

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Government urged to give state’s wines a boost
• New Zealand breweries could get Australian tax break
• Asia presents exciting opportunity for Australia

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Indians showing taste for domestic wine

LATIN AMERICA

• Montes plants vineyard in Machu Picchu
• Chilean organic wine boom stems from baby food

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Free Flow Wines And Gotham Project Collaborate On New East Coast Kegging Facility