NEWS FETCH — May 3, 2016

TOP NEWS

• The US ranks near bottom in per capita world wine consumption even as it’s #1 overall
• Sonoma County’s Dehlinger Winery buys 35-acre Stiling Vineyard
• English vineyards report ‘catastrophic’ damage after severe April frost
• Australian Vintage in bed with China’s biggest online wine retailer
• FDA could drop restaurant calorie labelling after stalling yet again
• US Economic Confidence Falls in April, but Still Positive
• Grab Your USA Trade Tasting Business Conference Tickets This Week and Get a Free Annual BTN Membership Valued at $249 *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• NZ exports to US surpass $500m
• Mild Winter Across the East–with Exceptions
• Wonderful Nurseries Moves to 100% Root Socks for All Potted Vines! *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Sonoma Mission Inn to pay $1 million in spa-worker case
• Despite extensive fire damage, Helwig Winery in Amador County ‘up and running’
• Sonoma: Freestone wine sales OK’d, but zoning issues raised
• A peek inside Safe Harbor storage of Napa
• Lessons from Leaders Event Features DTC Maven Sally Srok
• Charter Oak Winery doubled its production without doubling its costs. You can too. Click to learn how. *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Drought over with a vengeance; now … floods?
• The startups that sow cutting-edge tech to save water on California farms
• Without farm water, CDFA’s agricultural vision is meaningless
• 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

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• DTC Wine Shipments are growing at a record pace. How long will it last?
• Grow Your Private Label, Contract Winemaking, Contract Bottling and Bulk Wine Business Today. Only 10 Exhibitor Spots Left For IBWSS San Francisco! *Sponsored Link*

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• New agriculture investment company formed
• Free Fermentation Monitor If Pico Model C Becomes the Most Successful Food Kickstarter Campaign Ever

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Liv-ex 100 falls for the first time in 17 months
• Liv-ex 1000 holds steady while other indices drift
• Armailhac 2016 released – Simply the best?
• Weather Dominates Champagne Showcase

DATA & TRENDS

• Fake trends

REAL ESTATE

• One of Western Australia’s most-loved wineries Aravina Estate is up for sale

HEALTH

• Does Your Go-To Hangover Cure Actually Work?
• Healthy Eating Linked to Lower Likelihood of Depression

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Off-Premise Retail Caps – Are They Constitutional?
• California wine businesses: Do you know how to lookup your California ABC license details?
• Indiana governor signs measure closing cold beer loophole
• After Loosening Rules for Wine and Beer, Pennsylvania Might Finally Change Liquor Laws

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Natural Wine Is About to Take Over the U.S.
• Meet the ‘Wine Whisperers,’ Fancy Grape Fixers for Billionaires
• Tomorrow’s great-wine repertory—will it be composed altogether differently?

MARKETING & SALES

• How to Make Your Online Advertising Pay Off
• How I Got Suckered Into Buying Exactly What I Wanted

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Why are wax capsules used and is there a trick to removing them?

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Virginia Wine Summit Takes Place May 16th at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville
  

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• 3 Common Sins Brands Commit on Social

PAYMENTS

• Apple Pay transactions rose 450% in the last year

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Those pesky, off-putting scents
• Introducing Tannat: Winegrowers and Winemakers Are Educating Consumers About This Bold Red Newcomer
• There’s More Than Sauvignon Blanc In Marlborough
• How Does Oak Really Affect Wine?
• How America Learned to Love Rosé

WINE PEOPLE

• Republique Sommelier Maria Garcia Is the Wikipedia of Wine
• Ivan Miloš of Vinarija Miloš On The Evolution of Croatian Wine
• The Santa Barbara Questionnaire: Matt Kettmann

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• BC: Liquor reforms have increased the price of beer, wine and spirits by as much as 13%
• Growing Eastern NY grape industry spurs marketing & employment opportunities
• P.E.I. developing taste for more and better wine
• MD: Montgomery County to begin carding anyone purchasing alcohol

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Shoot thinning

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Grocery market growth accelerates at fastest rate in 4 years

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: Vineyard contractor ordered to pay more than $73k
• Tyson Stelzer’s Australian Sparkling Report 2017 (PDF)

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Chinese e-tailer 1919 reports 141% increase in revenue
• Alibaba Aims to Bring Argentina’s Wine and Produce to Chinese Consumers

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• How craft brewers can attract Budweiser and Miller drinkers: Sell them pilsner
• Craft going draft in China’s booming brew market
• Craft Brewers Explained Why Water Is Actually Beer’s Most Important Ingredient