NEWS FETCH – December 9, 2015

TOP NEWS

• Is wine grape fraud okay with the TTB? Inaction on Jeff Hill begs that question
• Solution to Canada, Mexico trade tiff may be tucked in U.S. budget bill
• U.S. Economic Confidence Index Ticks Up to -11
• Uranium contaminates water in the West
• Craft brewer BrewDog just gave Donald Trump free shares in “equity for punks” campaign
• The Business of Wine. Accessing key information. *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa mulls restrictions on winery expansion
• Applying European Lessons to Sonoma
• Tracy Genesen Named Wine Institute Vice President and General Counsel
• You deserve top-quality when it comes to wine. Find it at ProWein 2016 *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• For Farmers, Drought Means ‘Real Fear’ in Future
• Water reporting rules will take effect on Jan. 1
• Feinstein-McCarthy clash dooms prospects for drought law for year
• State Water Board issues Draft Order Regarding the Temporary Urgency Change Petitions for the State Water Project and Central Valley Project
• Improving Water Allocation During Droughts
• Napa rainfall lags behind past El Niño years, so far
• El Niño may not soak parched California

FINANCE, M&A

• Integrated Beverage Group (IBG) Acquires Stone Wolf Vineyards in OR
• Back Door Distribution Techniques to get your Distributor *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Fake Wines Take a Toll on Everyday Consumers
• Don Stott collection makes US$5m
• Christie’s sees strong bidding for rare Madeira
• The Wine Rep’s Guide to New York City *Sponsored Link*

INDUSTRY DATA & TRENDS

• Today’s Wine Drinkers Are Diverse With An Appreciation Of New Offerings For More Occasions

MARKETING & SALES

• Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Releases Annual Report: Wine, Liquor Sales Top $2.3B (PDF)
• Online Shopping Destroys Customer Engagement
• Trust, health & social good sell! These 8 things are the top drivers for consumers willing to pay more for sustainability
• Cops and Robbers: A most unusual brand-building agency

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Drync’s New Solution For The Wine Retailer’s Digital Pain Point
• Twitter experiments with a non-reverse-chronological timeline
• Facebook unveils a new Rapportive-like inbox and communication tools for Pages
• Do Social Network Users Want Buy Buttons?
• Vinous Announces Launch of Revolutionary Wine App

PAYMENTS

• Not a lot of people are using Apple Pay or its competition

MEDIA MATTERS

• Wine books for holiday gift consumption

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Does That Wine Smell Good? Bacteria in Your Saliva Deserve Some of the Credit
• Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Grapes – Climatic, Winery Influence, Most important regions

WINE PEOPLE

• Grant Phelps, Winemaker Casas del Bosque
• Eric de Saint Victor of Château de Pibarnon (podcast)

ACADEMIA

• Research helps to curb unwanted pesticide spray drift in NZ
  

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Outside Paris Climate Talks, Champagne Warming Up
• Let’s raise a glass to sustainably produced wine this Christmas

EUROPE & THE UK

• Battle over coveted Bordeaux wine classification comes to court
• Right Bank classification tussle flares up
• Champagne Taittinger to make English sparkling wine with UK vineyard deal
• Phélan Ségur: ‘After 30 years, we are at the peak’

DOWN UNDER

• ‘Anything but pinot’ could be motto of this north-west Tasmanian winery

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese wine industry raises glass to new segment: Female clientele

SOUTH AFRICA

• Corks to pop for first black South African viticulture PhD
• South African winemakers should enthrall the US through storytelling

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

Today’s Craft Beverage Insights News has 46 new links including the following top headlines:

• New laws benefit New York craft brewers
• Craft brewer BrewDog just gave Donald Trump free shares in “equity for punks” campaign
• Drinks Don’t Have a Gender
• U.S. lawmakers worry AB InBev beer deal will hurt craft brewers
• Wine, Liquor Sales in PA Top $2.2 Billion Last Year

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