NEWS FETCH — September 29, 2016

TOP NEWS

• Bello Family Vineyards Rutherford estate possibly sold (or not) at bankruptcy auction. Turf battles & new legal complications raise doubts
• William A. Seavey – In Memoriam
• California Grape Crop Estimated at 3.9 Million Tons
• Wine industry leaders optimistic as millennials opt for premium wines
• 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

• Heat spike kicks North Coast harvest into high gear
• Napa winemakers harvesting red grapes expect better flavor
• Northern Michigan Wine Grape Crop Returns For Harvest Season
• Unprecedented weather has had “major impact” on Champagne economy
• Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs. You can too. Click to learn how. *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• CEB Wine Law Forum (Nov. 3-4 in Santa Barbara)
• California barbers, salons cleared to offer free drinks
• Napa Matriarch’s Death Evokes Fond Memories
• Cut through all that paperwork and create more time for making wine! Click now to learn how *Sponsored Link*

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• How to Grow a Cannabis Farming Business in the Blazing Marijuana Economy

DROUGHT/WATER

• Twin tunnels, Delta, and Tuolumne are all connected
• Water agency officials discuss the California Water Fix
• September update on the Water Storage Investment Program
• New proposed instream flows: Are these supportable by a changing upstream hydrologic regime?
• Thinking on Exhibiting at IBWSS? HOURS LEFT to get early bird rates. Save $1000 if you register by Sept 30.*Sponsored Link*

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• 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*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Will Constellation Brands Brew Strong Sales Growth in 2Q17?

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• These charts show how brutally hard it is for startups to raise each new funding round

DISTRIBUTORS

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

HEALTH

• Component of Red Wine, Grapes Can Help to Reduce Inflammation
• Moderate drinking may not affect women’s fertility
• Want to get pregnant? Don’t drink wine, drink vodka and whisky instead
• Mediterranean diet could prevent 19,000 deaths a year in UK
• How Does Alcohol Work?

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Barefoot wine: Why it’s so popular
• More consumers want ingredient & nutrition info on alcoholic beverages
• Your Coffee Taste Reveals What You Should Be Drinking

MARKETING & SALES

• Inside the US private label business
• Vinomofo: The cellar masters popping the wine industry’s cork
• How to build a hot brand

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• The ins and outs of corks
• Carlsberg reveals physical prototype of Green Fiber Bottle

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

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

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Now Customers Can Hail an Uber From Your Website
• Is Disney about to buy Twitter for $16bn?
• Anyone on Twitter can now create a Moment

PAYMENTS

• The future of mobile payments is here, it’s just not evenly distributed

MEDIA MATTERS

• Is It Time to Standardize Disclosure for Sponsored Content?
• Couple pour love for winemaking into pages of new book

MATTERS OF TASTE

• California Riesling’s popularity, and quality, return
• Rivalling Bordeaux with Steadfast Alsace
• Aromatic White Wines Get Left Behind—Why?
• Electronic tongue taste-tests wines so you don’t have to
• Should You Ever Decant Champagne?
• Mix it up

WINE PEOPLE

• Meet the grandfather of Arizona’s wine industry
• Inside the tasting room with Roanoke’s Dan Farrell
• Poland’s wine champion

WINE EDUCATION

• On the power of group study and breaking down blind tasting

ACADEMIA

• Loss for Plum Creek is gain for new college program (CO)
• Univ. of Arkansas, Post Familie Winery help breed new types of wine grapes

EUROPE & THE UK

• Chapel Down reports burgeoning sales of English wine and craft beer
• Will France pinch UK trade with new wine law?

DOWN UNDER

• NZ wine industry to benefit from $6m in research funding
• South Australia’s rising number of female winemakers find success and encourage more women to join industry
• Climate change is drying out parts of southern Australia
• Government proposes reforms for South Australia’s liquor laws

LATIN AMERICA

• Argentina’s wine embassy

SOUTH AFRICA

• Is the South African wine industry too segmented?

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

• AB InBev pays $6M to settle India bribery accusations
• Hop supply catching up to demand
• Is a Battle of the Ultra Light Beers Brewing?
• Going it alone, distributor puts a new spin on delivery of Maine craft beer
• AL ABC Board drops rule on taking names of beer buyers, says law still requires it

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