NEWS FETCH — August 19, 2016

TOP NEWS

• Wine club pioneer Global Wine Company “decommissions” itself, sources say it has been acquired by a competitor.
• After 21 years, laid-off Wine Institute head reacts to UK office closure.
• Wine Institute spins layoff of all UK staff: denies office closure, hires PR firm instead
• Wine, spirits & beer increasingly funded with gov’t-regulated crowdsources. Here are the top 11
• Has premiumization damaged wine’s popularity?
• Brexit boom? 5 charts show Britain may have dodged an economic apocalypse
• California wine country says goodbye to the European grapevine moth
• Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs. You can too. Click to learn how. *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Languedoc vines suffer worst hail in living memory
• Wine crush begins in Yolo County
• Overseas drinkers quaff New Zealand wines
• Biggest ever English fizz shipment sets sail for US
• USA Trade Tasting Exhibitor Registrations Are Now Open. Secure Your Early Bird Rates and Grow Your Distribution In USA*Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BURNING

• Santa Ynez Valley Fire Grows to 600 Acres, 20% Containment
• Fire west of Paso Robles grows to 11,233 acres, 33 percent contained
• Crews make major gains against Southern California wildfire

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Paso Robles City Council approves funding for main street association, chamber of commerce, wine alliance
• Winemaking scene is taking San Francisco by storm
• The smack of California earth
• Sonoma County pot industry has high expectations
• This Spring Mountain Estate Winery/Home Is Just Waiting For The Right Rising Star Winemaker or Chef *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Bay-Delta Plan would shrink ag in Merced
• Groups request new environmental review for Delta tunnels
• Climate change impacts on California’s water supply require Metropolitan Water District to prioritize differently
• Stormwater capture, treatment and recharge for urban water supply
• A fool and his water are soon parted
• NOAA launches America’s first national water forecast model
• International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show Speakers Announced. Learn all about Bulk Wine, Bulk Spirits, Contract Bottling and Private Label Business.*Sponsored Link*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Penfolds owner TWE hails profits turnaround
• This 1997 ad shows how Penfold’s red wines have gone up in price over the last two decades
• The return of the £2.63 ‘Prosecco hack’ at Sainsbury’s
• Cut through all that paperwork and create more time for making wine! Click now to learn how *Sponsored Link*

DISTRIBUTORS

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

HEALTH

• Study shows half of UK parents feed their children alcohol

DATA & TRENDS

• Blended blush explodes 53%. Total wine consumption up 2.1% by volume and 5.2% in sales
• UK: Spirits deliver the bulk of BWS growth

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• How To Never See Wine The Same Way Again: See It As A Blind Person Would

MARKETING & SALES

• How Michael David Winery Turbocharged Its Brands
• 10 Direct Mail Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Interesting label? Your wine might sell better
• A Brief Guide to Wine Bottle Design
• New Packaging For Shipment Of Wine And Olive Oil Bottles

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Top Ten Tips For a Successful Brand Launch *Sponsored Link*

MEDIA MATTERS

• A rant on B.S. wine “reporting”

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Rethinking wine: back to the future?
• Zinfandel: Continually Reinventing Itself
• The Differences Between Prosecco And Franciacorta
• The dry wines of Germany: yes, I mean riesling
• The Most Famous Champagne You Probably Never Heard Of
• 10 things to know about sparkling wines outside France’s Champagne region

WINE PEOPLE

• How The Hipster Somms Could Get Away With Murder And How We Can Stop Them
• Marathon-Running Somms

WINE PLACES

• 9 incredible US wine regions that aren’t Napa
• A German wine trail for first-time visitors

WINE EDUCATION

• Dallas: No El Centro class this semester

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Second generation leads Oregon’s Elk Cove Vineyards

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• South Africa: Organic Wine Farming And Production – As Many Grey Areas As Green

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Vineyard Investment: Observations and Recommendations
• Scientists say pesticides are bad for bees. Are retailers listening?

EUROPE & THE UK

• Post-Brexit hopes high
• Challenges for entrants to growing UK wine industry

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Small exporters adopting new Efic loan scheme

LATIN AMERICA

• Women take leading roles in modern wine industry in Latin America

AFRICA

• Traversing the best wine countries in Africa

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• Eight irritating habits of people in the wine trade

MARIJUANA

• From wine to weed: Keeping the marijuana farm small and local

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

• US Vodka and Tequila Demand Outpacing Other Distilled Spirits
• Sam Adams founder says these 10 books helped him build a billion-dollar company
• Craft Beer Industry Still Growing
• 10 California Craft Beers That Cost a Bundle on the Black Market
• Interesting label? Your wine might sell better

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