NEWS FETCH — June 3, 2016

TOP NEWS

• No more wine production at Chateau St. Jean as Treasury Wine shakes up California
• Illinois Judge Dismisses 201 Tax Troll Cases against Retailers
• Supreme Court Gives OK For Farmers To Challenge Clean Water Act
• Labor Costs Have Grape Growers Eyeing Mechanization
• Three Bible quotes later, no extra overtime pay for farmworkers
• Another lawsuit filed to block water district’s Delta islands purchase
• This is how Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY

• Early release of Current Grape Pricing and an Update on the 2015 Oregon Vineyard and Wine Production Census (PDF)
• This is how you can get meaningful reporting and compliance information from your business data *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Sonoma State University wine business education center key to ‘global leadership’
• The heat is on at Auction Napa Valley
• Extraordinary auction lots await Auction Napa Valley bidders
• Social media marketing seminar in Paso Robles June 28
• Napa Valley College wine program gets new teachers
• Deadline to reserve USA Trade Tasting Exhibitor space with super early bird pricing is 31 May, 2016. Reserve your spot with 25% down and save $900. *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Imagery unlocks an unexpected view of California’s drought
• Supes sign Klamath River dam removal pact
• The importance of governance and institutional design for achieving groundwater sustainability in California
• Why Desalination Isn’t the Solution to Water Woes
• ‘No drought’? Well, Trump is right, sort of
• Why Trump Is Wrong On California’s Drought: It’s Much More Than Farmers Vs. Fish

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Treasury Wine: Stronger Aussie Hurts China Sales, Morgan Stanley Takes Profit
• Constellation Brands to Report First Quarter Fiscal 2017 Financial Results; Host Conference Call June 30, 2016

FINANCE, M&A

• Making a case for consolidating wineries

DISTRIBUTORS

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

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Wine collecting: think before you leap
• Liv-ex Fine Wine 1000 Index rises 0.4% in May
• Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 Index is up 0.2% this week
• “Hedonistic” Clinet 2015 released
• “Well-balanced” Brane Cantenac 2015 released
• “Round” and “Powerful” Issan 2015 released
• Domaine Chevalier 2015 released: appetising?

HEALTH

• Is it true that red wine keeps you young?

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Empire Continues Battle Against Online Wine Sales
• Bordeaux wine names get legal cover in China
• No wine at Green Bay’s Farmer’s Market. Wineries say law is unfair (WI)

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Orange wine – the new white – is appearing on menus at the world’s finest restaurants
• Millennials have a thirst for cool climate wines
• The most expensive bottle of wine at Trader Joe’s costs as much as 44 bottles of Three Buck Chuck

MARKETING & SALES

• Your Winery Customer Data: Is It Secure?
• Successful Selling Only Begins With the Sale
• Is classic marketing an anachronism?
• UK: Convenience sector growth outpaces the market

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Advisors Elevate Wine Packaging Conference
• 10 Tips to Designing the Perfect Trade Advert *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• It’s time for retailers to start paying close attention to social media
• Pinterest replaces ‘Pin It’ button with ‘Save’
• Snapchat reportedly has more daily users than Twitter
• Twitter and Yahoo held merger talks

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Domestic, foreign labor in short supply in Central Washington

MEDIA MATTERS

• ‘Tasteology – a documentary that takes taste further’
• Reuters finds readers want quality news, but aren’t willing to pay for it

MATTERS OF TASTE

• This Article Contains Sulfites – Part II
• How ripe is too ripe for red wines: the debate rages
• Sulphur debate boils over
• The Science Of Making Wine

WINE PEOPLE

• Five Questions for Marc Fuchs

WINE PLACES

• Why is this husband-and-wife winery named Donkey & Goat?
• The wine regions of the Northwest
• Amelia Wynn Winery finds serenity on Bainbridge Island (WA)

WINE EDUCATION

• MW programme applications now open

WINE TOURISM

• California Wine Country and National Parks Centennial: The Perfect Summer Travel Pairing

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Snake River Rising

ACADEMIA

• New Winemaking Scholarship Helps Students, Long Island Merlot Industry
• Hocking College ventures into wine industry (OH)

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Wine fermentation, ethanol releases and sequestration

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Summer in the Cellar
• Clean Plants for the Future of the Eastern Wine and Grape Industry (PDF)

EUROPE & THE UK

• Sauvignon scandal in Friuli? Much ado about nothing: no charges filed against any winemakers implicated in inquiry
• UK: Home-Grown Wine Sales On The Increase At Waitrose
• Spain’s Wine Industry Is Hiccuping From Its Excesses
• Wine Is A Cultural Experience, Not Just A Drink, In Italy
• Bordeaux’s New Wine Museum Is Open for Business
• UK: Supermarkets yet to “nail” online wines

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Vineyards at Wargan and Gol Gol for sale through Elders
• “Big opportunity” for Australian wine in London as Negociants expands team
• NZ: Matua winery sold to family business

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Moët’s Chinese wine ‘a logistical nightmare’
• China’s Wine Promise
• Cracking the Chinese Wine Market

MARIJUANA

• 5 things people still don’t understand about the legal marijuana industry
• Weed and Wine: A Winning Combination

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

• Beer industry: A mighty force in politics and political contributions.
• How Cheap Beer Turned Into A Baseball Riot
• S.C. craft beer advocate lobbies Congress on bill expanding opportunities for state’s small brewers
• How Does A Mature Craft Brewery Stay Relevant?
• Flying With Whiskey: FAA And Airline Regulations To Know

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