NEWS FETCH — March 29, 2016

TOP NEWS

• China’s Weilong aims to beat Treasury Wine Estates at own game
• 2016 sets record for small craft brewers: retail dollars up 10% to $23.5 bil, 21.9% share of all beer $ sales
• Man gets 15 months in wine theft from French Laundry
• “New chapter” for the trade as May triggers Article 50
• Napa Valley – America’s only globally protected AVA — to participate in International Meeting on Geographic Indications
• Retail point-of-sale materials don’t need to be expensive! Click now to learn more about high-quality, affordable displays and ads. *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Exhibitor Space at USA Trade Tasting 2017 Is Now Completely Sold Out *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• South Sonoma winery project gets advisory group OK
• California regions producing new wine stars
• NRCS Lockeford Plant Materials Center Open House April 5
• Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs. You can too. Click to learn how. *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• What drought? Sierra Nevada snowpack at 164 percent of normal
• How California Legislators Can Create a Path to Water Sustainability
• State water official vows new Oroville Dam spillway by winter
• Farmers urge tech companies to find water solutions for more than just irrigation
• Many California farms need an upgraded water delivery system
• Tunnel opponents weigh in on Delta Stewardship Council’s proposed Delta Plan amendment on conveyance
• Farmers and environmentalists want the same thing

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• PA: Free the wine (for all grocery stores)
• USATT 2017: Back & Better *Sponsored Link*

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Pernod Ricard Raises Prices on Spirits and Champagnes in U.K.
• Target’s new stores to include wine and beer boutiques
• AB InBev announces 100% renewable electricity future
• Seattle: Amazon testing grocery pickup locations

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Bordeaux 2016: A new dawn for En Primeur?
• Bordeaux 2016: What merchants and traders are saying about price

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• California lawmakers tell Trump administration: Hands off our pot
• Can Marijuana Replace Lost Steel Jobs? Pennsylvania Town Has High Hopes.

HEALTH

• The weird intersection of booze and fitness could be big business for both sides
• Drunken Monkeys: A Scientific Explanation for Our Drinking

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Wine Legislation Roundup: A Consumer’s Guide to 2017 State Politics
• Minnesota wineries challenge state law requiring use of homegrown grapes
• Alabama: ABC Board considers raising liquor markup to support DAs, courts

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Describing a wine’s taste for a mass consumer audience is a tricky task – is it worth it?
• Why you should always buy £10 bottles of wine

MARKETING & SALES

• Why our obsession with creating loyal customers may be a fool’s errand

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• New Packaging Trends for Eastern Wineries
• Perusing old wine bottle labels offers tasty glimpse into evolution of California winemaking
• How Do You Feel About Wine Cans?

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Vinitaly hails Chengdu Wine Fair ‘a mecca for wine professionals’

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Facebook Adds Nearly Everything Snapchat Does to Its Main App

PAYMENTS

• Samsung Wants To Turn Wearables Into Prepaid Credit Cards
• ShapeShift raises $10.4 million to grow its cryptocurrency exchange platform
• Why cardless ATMs haven’t taken off in the US

IT: INFORMATION [AND] TECHNOLOGY

• Internet service providers handed ad targeting treasure trove as congress scraps online privacy protections

MEDIA MATTERS

• Boom times for wine media! Now if only we have something to say
• Essential Non-Rocket Science Wine Books

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Should wine be natural or democratic? An Internet wine controversy
• Flavored wine should be stopped dead before it trends

WINE PEOPLE

• Winemaker Frederic Lafarge of Domaine Michel Lafarge (podcast)

WINE PLACES

• The vines of the Jardin des Plantes: a brief walk around Paris’ history of wine-making

WINE TOURISM

• U.S. Travel Industry Fears a ‘Lost Decade’ Under Trump

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• UT: Restaurants, liquor bosses, prepare for Zion Curtain changes

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Understanding the Economics Of Red Blotch in Grapes
• Drones Make ‘Next Generation Impact’ on Farming

EUROPE & THE UK

• What does Brexit mean for supermarket wine?
• Industry reacts to UK government’s Brexit confirmation

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Wine Education Partnership Signals New Era for Industry
• OZ: Angove Wines to convert to organic vineyards

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Understanding China’s tiered city system (PDF)
• The average Indian wine drinker can’t tell a Cabernet Sauvignon from a Sauvignon blanc

LATIN AMERICA

• It’s been a hard few years, but Brazil’s wine market appears to be turning a corner

SOUTH AFRICA

• Bluffer’s Guide to Wards, Districts, Regions and all that

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Craft gets 21.9% dollar share, but 20% volume by 2020 a ‘long shot’