NEWS FETCH — April 14, 2016

TOP NEWS

• California grape acreage falls 10,000 acres to 918,000
• WA farm labor association warns of minimum wage hike
• Godzilla El Nino is dead
• Astringent mouthfeel of wine results from a lubrication failure in the mouth
• This is how Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY

• Favorable weather aids start of San Joaquin County wine grape crop
• Best start of the season in 5 years for Santa Barbara County grower
• South African Industry update: Weak rand – more pain than gain
• New grape the pick of the crop as Aussie winery experiments with varieties
• This is how you can get meaningful reporting and compliance information from your business data *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Body of missing Napa vineyard worker found in winery pond
• Visitors from China to Napa: As numbers grow, the search is on for ways to increase their welcome
• Vote Against ‘Party House’ Tourism (Opinion, Santa Barbara)
• USATT Interview with Bill Earle from the National Association of Beverage Importers (NABI)*Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• House Republicans open bidding on California water bill
• Most local water users meet March savings goal
• North Valley rivers make ‘endangered list’
• Delta Stewardship Council addresses Delta conveyance and water storage operations

RECYCLED WASTEWATER

• Wastewater Creates Energy, Products – and More

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Starbucks’ plan to sell alcohol grinds to a halt in SF

FINANCE, M&A

• Sir Cliff Richard’s beloved Algarve winery goes on sale for £7.5million (Portugal)
  
• Schenk Group purchases Italian winery
• Marchesi di Barolo Winery Acquires Barbaresco Producer Cascina Bruciata (Italy)
  

DISTRIBUTORS

• Are You Really Ready To Pitch A Distributor: Here’s the Checklist *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Madison Wine in talks to buy stake in Acker
• Liv-ex 50: Sustainable gains for the First Growth market?
• Lafite leads Sotheby’s sale

BORDEAUX 2015

• The 2015 Bordeaux Vintage Is Superb. Here’s the Best and Worst of It
• The 2015 Bordeaux Barrels Diary: A Horse for the Course
• Bordeaux 2015 en primeur: Little room for error
• En primeur 2015 – the word inside Bordeaux
• Wrestling With Tannin in 2015 Bordeaux

HEALTH

• What, exactly, is a standard drink?

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• WA State releases report on pesticide violations
• Alcohol sales on Sunday morning? NY State considers lifting archaic ‘blue laws’
• ‘Don’t Be Mean’ Beer: 36 N.C. Breweries Sign Up To Sell Brew Aimed At HB2

DATA & TRENDS

• Which countries say three pints a night is low risk drinking?

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Wines by Italian Adults

MARKETING & SALES

• Three Important Things to Consider in Wine and Spirits Event Marketing
• 4 Tips for Maximizing the User’s Advertising Experience
• VinoVisit Launches Advanced Ticketing Solution For Wine Country Events

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

• Why Successful Marketing Relies On Customer Service

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• UC Davis conference offers insights into the changing Chinese wine market
• 10 Tips to Designing the Perfect Trade Advert *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Tips for conducting a social media audit

MATTERS OF TASTE

• How to understand phenolic ripeness
• How to Make a Weird Wine Right
• A Rookie’s Quick Fact Guide To Spanish Wine
• What Is the Difference Between Shiraz and Syrah?
• Outstanding Finds in Cava Sparkling Wine
• Spanish wine: barrel ageing or terroir?
• Eco-speak on wine label can mean tastier wine inside the bottle

WINE PEOPLE

• Wine Curmudgeon’s apéritif with Randall Grahm
• A conversation with wine maker Lamberto Frescobaldi
• Ernesto Bajda, Catena Zapata

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• The State of Virginia Wine
• Inside Mexico’s ‘Naked’ Wine Revolution

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Timely pruning and new protectant products offer options for preventing trunk diseases
• Amateur Winemaker Develops Solution For Making Wine Smell Even Better
• Frost: It’s All About Location

DOWN UNDER

• Liquor Barons’ Chris O’Brien talks Western Australia wine

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese wine enters Spanish market for first time
• Jiuxian president plans deals with Australian wine producers

LATIN AMERICA

• Argentine Wine Is Ready For a Big Comeback

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Wine-infused coffee: The best invention ever
• Pop Goes The… Something: 1WineDude’s Wine Product Round-up
• 15 Times Your Mother Was Right To Pour Herself A Glass Of Wine

MARIJUANA

• NY Firm Provides Transparency in the Notoriously Hazy World of Cannabis Investing

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

• N.C. brewers unite against anti-LGBT law
• Three Important Things to Consider in Wine and Spirits Event Marketing
• The Growth of Specialty Malts
• Scientists Say That Government Drinking Guidelines Probably Aren’t Accurate
• How much distinctiveness? Two beer brands go to extremes

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