NEWS FETCH — February 10, 2016

TOP NEWS

• California farmers reap record sales in record drought
• Where’s El Niño? Climate experts say more rain on the way
• Bordeaux Added to Pesticide Blacklist
• Humans Are Spreading Deadly Bee Virus, Study Says
• Small-business optimism falls to nearly 2-year low
• U.S. Economic Confidence Index Level at -13
• Women in Company Leadership Tied to Stronger Profits, Study Says
• This former winery GM shows you how you can easily get meaningful reporting and compliance information from your business data *Sponsored Link*

DON’T THE FRENCH ALWAYS COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING?

• Brussels Changes Wine Appellation Rules–French Complain

WINE SUPPLY

• Heat takes toll on Washington’s 2015 wine harvest
• Oz: Fingers crossed, it’s harvest time
• Your ticket to the world of wine! Experience creations from 6,000 exhibitors at ProWein 2016 *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Beehive thefts add to pressures at bloom time
• Napa County wrestles with Caymus Vineyards issues
• Enoplastic Capsule Founder Leaves €1.5 million Xmas Bonus For Employees
• Hinman & Carmichael LLP Adds Jeremy Siegel to beverage law team
• Albatross Ridge Names Quelene Slattery Director of Sales
• Pey leads wine trade mission to Cuba
• Napa owner of rental company enjoys equipping wine industry

DROUGHT/WATER

• California’s drought adds $2 billion in electricity costs
• SLO Water district plan endangers basin’s future
• Loophole in Water Law Opens Way for Bottling Plant
• Many of California’s larger reservoirs still starved for rain

DIRECT SHIPPING & PRIVATIZATION

• Reduced shipping minimums: Cost or opportunity?
• A Move to Let DtC Bloom in the Desert
• How to Hire Top-Selling Sommeliers and Drive Your Sales *Sponsored Link*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Market slump slams Constellation, but it’s still doing better than the Dow
• Truett-Hurst profits, revenues up for Q2 & H1 2016
• Castle Brands Announces Q3 2016 Results
• Asahi closes in on Grolsch and Peroni
• Mallya costs Diageo £100m in debt default
• Goldman Sachs Abandons Five of Six ‘Top Trade’ Calls for 2016

FINANCE, M&A

• A close look at water markets in practice.
• Winery and function centre at Tumbarumba, NSW, for sale

DISTRIBUTORS

• Practical Information for wine reps on how to successfully grow sales network in US Market *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Smoking gun discovered in Dragon 8 wine fraud case
• Liv-ex – Spotlight on Ducru Beaucaillou

HEALTH

• Should all women not on birth control give up drinking?
• Here’s how to pair your drinks with contraception
• Yes, Wine Industry…Mommies Will Switch From Wine to Dope

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• What if Wine Had Won the Tipple War?
• ASA bans ‘Fat Bastard’ wine ads

DATA & TRENDS

• Sparkling wine the hottest category in the world

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Amazon Japan hires team of pros to call you back and recommend wine

MARKETING & SALES

• How using a ‘lite’ business model for its overseas expansion saved Vinomofo years and millions
• Lessons from Unified: Authenticity, Storytelling, and Other Keys to Wine Marketing
• Loyalty Program Memberships Climb, but Participation Wanes

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Vinisud readies for opening
• Wine Importers and Distributors, meet the world in NYC and source your next brand at USATT. Get your trade Pass Now and Avoid Gate Fee. *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• 10 Quick Tips for Marketing Your Business on Instagram
• The Evolution of Important Google Search Algorithm Updates (Infographic)
• PageRank Is Dead. What Marketers Need Now Is Trust Flow.
• 5 Ways to Align Marketing With Sales to Close More Deals
• 4 Key Reasons Local Businesses Fail When Using Google AdWords

MEDIA MATTERS

• Opining on obituaries

UH HUH … REALLY? – I’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE

• Tesco says its alcohol-free wine is almost as good as the real thing

MATTERS OF TASTE

• And Then, Apparently Everyone Went Insane (Wine Competitions 2016)
• Happy 50th, Robert Mondavi Winery
• How Slow Food’s “Wine Bank” Is Trying to Preserve Italian Wine
• From barrels to tanks: Will winemakers use concrete instead of oak?
• Champagne – better late-disgorged?

WINE PEOPLE

• Chile’s Viña Ventisquero in on-trade push with brand ambassador hire
• Jennie Mack, Founder and Managing Director of the Asia Wine Service & Education Centre in Hong Kong

WINE PLACES

• Wine trends in San Francisco
• Natural Wines At Their Best: Jean-Louis Tribouley From Roussillon
• On top of the wine world
• Alsace: The 2014s and Late-Release 2013s
• From Chile, a beefy partner

WINE EDUCATION

• Growth in wineries leads to NCC program
• Jancis Robinson launches online wine course with half-price offer

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Bertrand: de Villaine showed me the biodynamic way

EUROPE & THE UK

• Drink driving limit changes mulled over for England and Wales
• Ministers ponder lowering England and Wales drink-drive limit to Scottish levels
• Wartime heroism and heavy drinking in Alsace

DOWN UNDER

• Canberra district wine pioneer Edgar Riek dies aged 95

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese customs rejects fewer wines in 2015
• That Ningxia style
• The state of wine retail in Beijing

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• A Wine for Old Love
• A Look At Mr. Wonderful’s Secret Society for Wine Snobs

OLIVE OIL

• European Olive Oil Prices Rise 19.8 Percent in 2015

MARIJUANA

• Colorado marijuana sales total close to $1 billion in 2015
• Medical marijuana rules in the works for SLO County
• Sacramento City Council approves pot tax ballot initiative

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS – A Sampling of Today’s Headlines

• Brewer on course to hit crowdfunding target
• Rapper E-40 Launches Eponymous Beer: ‘Forget Everything You Think You Know About Malt Liquor’
• Slovenian town to build beer fountain
• Welcome To Warehouse X, Where The Distillers Are Attempting To Make The Perfect Bourbon
• Daffy’s gin secures major national listing with Waitrose
• Caledonian bottles Coast to Coast ale and Three Hops lager

Get the rest of today’s craft news at Craft Beverage Insights