NEWS FETCH — September 22, 2016

TOP NEWS

• Calif wine grape market stable amid prospects of large crop
• Diageo: Drink Up That Dividend!
• California’s legal marijuana market is on the verge of exploding
• Experts: Plan to comply with new overtime rules in December
• 21 states join in lawsuit over Labor Dept overtime rules
• China blasts grape vines into space
• 2017 U.S. Wine & Beverage Expo Opens Attendee Registration (PDF)
• Best-priced already permitted winery in Napa Valley! 3,000-case permit allows for tastings & retail sales. Accepting highest & best sealed bids through September 30th. Contact Katie Somple, WineryX Real Estate *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Results from first part of harvest earn thumbs up from Clarksburg grower
• Grapes (Picked), Workers (Poached), And Other Harvest Updates From Sonoma
• Uneven Burgundy Vintage Set to be Small
• 2016 Loire Harvest – Muscadet: a complicated year = small volume but hi quality?
• Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs. You can too. Click to learn how. *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Modesto-area lawmakers blast river flow proposal
• Niner Wine Estates becomes first SIP-Certified winery in California
• Vintner’s dreams built on place and pace in Clarksburg
• Hanford mulls big cannabis offer as Clovis, Lemoore reject pot farms
• SLO County adopts pot farm ban, but lets current growers stay
• City creates task force to address medical marijuana
• Cut through all that paperwork and create more time for making wine! Click now to learn how *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• California WaterFix Protects Ecosystems and Improves Infrastructure

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Are you ready for the busy holiday shipping season?
• Grow your distribution with USATT. Only few days left to get your early bird exhibitor pricing for USA Trade Tasting. Book your space with 25% down and secure the lowest rates.*Sponsored Link*

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• 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

• Truett-Hurst net loss drops as sales surge 19%
• Whisky giant Diageo’s biogas plant sees 25% reduction in fossil fuel energy

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, DIVESTMENT M&A

• China’s Weilong to invest $120m in Australian vineyards
• GCF acquires Burgundian négociant
• Are You Really Ready To Pitch A Distributor: Here’s the Checklist *Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Latour ‘07 release: ‘a damp squib’
• Haute How to: Handle Aged Wine

DATA & TRENDS

• English sparkling wine had its best summer yet, says Vivino
• Five Fall Drinking Trend Predictions

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• The cheap wine checklist
• This startup is using math to help you find your new favorite wine
• Reflecting on the Golden Age of Wine Critics

MARKETING & SALES

• The big wine trends on the East Coast of the US.
• National Champagne Week aiming to improve Champagne’s approachability
• US bar sells beer with prices that rise and fall like stocks
• New David Beckham ad helps Diageo battle outdated views on whisky

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Sydney’s new InternatiSydney’s new International Convention Centre is a big win for NSW winemakers
• Top Ten Tips For a Successful Brand Launch *Sponsored Link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Teens Use YouTube, Gmail More than Social Networks
• Smartphones Take Over Paid Search

MEDIA MATTERS

• Mandatory Reading ~ A Perfect Score

WHY IS THIS STILL A THING?

• Why Are These Wine Producers Aging Their Bottles Under The Sea?

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Let’s Get Real: Three Cheers For Wine Snobs!
• How ‘natural’ would you like your wines?
• How the Wente Chardonnay Clone Became America’s Choice
• 5 Common Misconceptions About Italian Wine

WINE PLACES

• Little-Known Wine Regions on the Rise
• Why Portland’s Best Natural Urban Winery Is Breaking Every Rule in the Book
• Great Northwest Wine: What is a ‘Bordeaux-style red wine?’
• Italy:Going their own way
• In the Douro: Vallado
• Australian Pinot Noir

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Okanagan winery recruits former head of New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• NWC II turns one | And these two photos are symbolic of Ningxia’s growth

NOT JUST FOR THE TRADE

• 11 Facts You Need To Know About Wine

OLIVE OIL

• India’s olive oil imports are expected to rise 20% in 2016-17
• Olive oil fraud awareness
• Varietal, Elevation and Microclimate: We’re talking coffee, of course
• 20 surprising uses of olive oil

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Craft Beer Has Killed Day Drinking
• Ginnovation: What does the future hold for gin?
• Is pumpkin beer passé? Craft brewers see squashed demand as the fall favorite fades