NEWS FETCH – September 21, 2015

TOP NEWS

• Wine.com’s patent troll lawsuit a potential problem for rest of industry
• Valley Fire now fourth-worst wildfire in California history
• Wine operations show resiliency with fires
• Big beer merger could ripple across wider beverage sector
• Hundreds of millions of dollars in drought relief failing to reach many Californians
• TTB Compliance can be simpler. Here’s how. *Sponsored Link*

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• China-Australia Free Trade Agreement a very good deal

GLOBAL WINE SUPPLY

• Burgundy wine harvest – is 2015 a great year?
• Harvest time in northeast Indiana: Behind the scenes
• FREE Conference Tickets Worth $700+ (VIP Buyer Invitation) *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Valley Fire Situation to be Addressed at Wine Symposium
• Help Wanted in the Wine Industry
• Napa Planning Commission grants two winery requests
• Armed robbery at Central Coast winery
• Wine driving Solano commercial real estate
• Napa Planners refine how to decide winery visitation
• UFW: The grape crusade
• USA Trade Tasting Is Now 95% Sold Out. Only Few Spots Left. Book Now! *Sponsored Link*

CA BURNING

• Gains made in fighting California wildfires as some residents return
• More than 1,400 homes destroyed in California fires
• Next drought nightmare: The fire that would not end
• Preparing for fires amid climate change
• Where wildfires might rage next

DROUGHT/WATER

• Environmental Water Caucus requests more time for review of Cal Water Fix documents
• Remarkable warm-season precipitation event headed for Southern CA; Powerful El Niño right on track
• Update on California WaterFix Water Right Change Petition and Process
• A wet winter won’t save California

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages
• Majestic Wine PLC Given Buy Rating at Liberum Capital
• Owens-Illinois Raised to Buy at Bank of America
• How User Choices Can Boost Your Wine Club Membership & Loyalty. Click For A Free Best Practices Webinar *Sponsored Link*

FINANCE, M&A

• Badét Clement buys Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards in Languedoc
• Melbourne executive buys Mornington Peninsula’s first commercial vineyard
• Building your Sales Process for the US Market: Learn how to always keep the competitive edge with a winning sales process *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Is this a good time to buy Bordeaux?
• Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 Index ran flat, value and volume up on the previous week
• Bordeaux En Primeur: sticky release
• Mosel TBA smashes auction record
• DRC reigns supreme at Acker’s HK auction
• Waddington’s Launches Fine Wine & Spirits Division

ALCOHOL, HEALTH, AND THE FRENCH PARADOX

• Can food psychology help Alzheimer’s patients?
• Drinking Alcohol Protects Against Heart Attacks But Raises Cancer Risk

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Texas alcohol laws need more flexibility

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Mapping who drinks wine or beer in Europe, by tweets

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Sommelier tastes box wine

MARKETING & SALES

• Turn tasting room checkout into a marketing opportunity
• Email marketing beats just about everything for ROI
• Post-modern wine marketing
• How to Manage Cash Flow to Expand your Winery, Distillery or Brewery’s Distribution. *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• A ‘dislike’ button could spell disaster for brands on Facebook
• Is your social media strategy weakening your brand’s impact online?
• LinkedIn’s mobile strategy is a mess

PAYMENTS

• Mobile Payments Remain Rare This Holiday Season

MEDIA MATTERS

• Louis Roederer Award Goes to an Italian for the First Time in History
• Bestselling book ‘The Wine Bible’ is updated: What’s changed in 14 years?
• Why the Oxford Companion to Wine is so ‘awesomesauce’
• Oxford Companion Shines a Light on the Wine World
• A pair of wine guides to complement anyone who likes to raise a glass
• The Essence of Wine Wins a Roederer Award

MATTERS OF TASTE

• To sip or to gulp? The secret to honing your wine-tasting skills
• Wine – made by dead people – for people not yet born
• The classics win out over the obscure. Always have, always will
• Consistency is desirable, but at what cost?
• Wine ‘doesn’t need oak to age’
• Bad bottle? Bill Zacharkiw gets to the root of the problem
• Wine Etiquette ~ The 10 most important things to remember
• Don’t Worry About A Wine’s “Legs”
• Breathable drinks
• Filtering wine one way doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Click now to see the alternatives *Sponsored Link*

WINE PEOPLE

• Noël Verset, Vigneron Who Helped Save a Wine Tradition, Dies at 95
• London’s top female sommeliers
• Wine icons: Mike Grgich
• Carenn Jackson of Glazer’s (podcast)
• Frances Munoz, UI Designer with a Punch
• Retiring sommelier brought 30 years of expertise to Westmoreland Mall store

WINE EDUCATION

• Jancis Robinson Explains Why Wine Consumers Should Educate Themselves

WINE TOURISM

• The cultivation and farming of tourists
• Visit wineries for free on World Tourism Day

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Kansas serves up growing wine and grape industry
• Michigan grapes turned into wine
• Finger Lakes Wine: An Industry 200 Years in the Making
• Wasting wine: Even Pennsylvania should realize the value
• What to do with grapes from 150-year-old vines at Olvera Street? Make wine, of course

EUROPE & THE UK

• Cru bourgeois votes for two-tier system
• ‘Almost impossible’ to define Rioja anymore
• EU: Agricultural market volatility ‘here to stay’
• UK is a ‘vibrant’ market for Sherry

DOWN UNDER

• New Zealand’s wine market offers potential for overseas producers

SOUTH AFRICA

• Blends key to South African identity

MARIJUANA

• Colorado’s marijuana tax revenues nearly double last year’s figures

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

Today’s Craft Beverage Insights News has 61 new links including the following top headlines:

• SABMiller Snubs Long-Time Legal Adviser for Lead AB InBev Role
• Craft brewers insulate farmers from beer titan merger
• Oregonian/OregonLive ends relationship with beer freelancer over lapses in journalistic standards
• New FDA Menu Labeling Rules Could Cost Brewers Thousands
• Why are so many craft brewers selling out?
• WA: Diamond Knot Pledges Support for Those Impacted by Wildland Fires

Get all today’s news at Craft Beverage Insights here.