NEWS FETCH — August 7, 2016

TOP NEWS

• Common Carriers Respond to State Scrutiny By Requiring Proof of DtC Licenses
• High-end Caymus winery approved by Solano County
• Winegrapes propel Sonoma County ag value to $898M record value in 2016
• Regulated crowdfunding: beer & spirits soar, wine a no-show
• Americans are turning away from wine
• Deals Were Done and Business was Written at IBWSS. *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Napa Kicks Off Another “Classic” Harvest
• Italy’s harvest down by 30% in some regions
• ‘Lucifer heatwave’ kick-starts early Franciacorta harvest
• ‘Lucifer’ heat wave holds Italy, eastern Europe in fiery grip
• Heavy rains a welcome sight for agricultural regions across southern South Australia
• Texas Wineries Report Early Harvest

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Luxury resort, winery approved in Sonoma Valley
• Atascadero adding low-cost housing for farm workers
• Napa County planners approve industrial project for possibly catering
• Sonoma County Farm Bureau names Andrea Rodriguez government-relations director
• Wonderful Nurseries Lives Up to Its “Growers First” Reputation *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• One of the Largest Dam Removals in California History Inches Forward
• Small, self-sufficient water systems continue to battle a hidden drought
• Oroville Dam: Six months after disaster, a race to repair
• WG Releases Report on Ag Water Testing Methods

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Amazon wants to build a network of mobile drone maintenance and delivery platforms

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Antinori Gains 100 Percent Ownership of Chile’s Haras de Pirque
• Santa Margherita acquires Cantina Mesa

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• The US may not be the trade wimp Trump makes it out to be
• NAFTA proposal would hurt free trade

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Bordeaux Edges Higher on Liv-ex Over Past Month
• Talking Trade – summer lull on Liv-ex
• In the market for fine wine? Don’t get burned
• Grange vertical stays in Australia

HEALTH

• Moderate to heavy drinkers more likely to live to 85 without developing dementia
• Drinking alcohol could help relieve pain as effectively as paracetamol, but there’s a catch
• Moderate drinking reduces risk of falls in elderly

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• The blind leading the blind?
• The World’s Biggest Booze Companies Are Placing Their Bets on a Sober Future
• Millennials love rosé so much they’ve warped the traditional wine market

MARKETING & SALES

• The Art of Storytelling Meets the Science of Data Analysis

PAYMENTS

• Bitcoin’s meteoric rise is costing some investors billions

MEDIA MATTERS

• San Francisco Chronicle Uncorks New Interactive Wine Website, “The Press”
• TV show ‘American Greed’ to feature saga of Berkeley wine Ponzi schemer John Fox
• Book that focuses on history of wine in South Dakota released Monday

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Petite Sirah FAQs

WINE PLACES

• Look north of California for another West Coast wine option
• For an Italian Wine Region That Does It All, Turn to Sicily
• Go Way off the Beaten Path in Bolivia’s Wine Country
• Napa: It’s no longer just about wine tours

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Grocery Stores Draw Millennials With In-Store Restaurants
• Farms drawing diners who eat near fields that produced food

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Feds award Pa. almost $3 million to control spotted lanternfly

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Biodynamic winemaking brings together cosmic calendars and cow horns filled with manure

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Harvest Preparation for Sub-Optimal Fruit: Botrytis
• Reducing costs with NDVI: it is possible!

EUROPE & THE UK

• Future winemakers wanted: Plumpton flags growing demand for English-trained wine graduates
• Romanian producer set to double volumes with £5 million investment
• France: Leaving the Appellation System

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Riverland growers receive less than $1 million to help recover from November hailstorm which destroyed $74 million in crops
• Ban alcohol from supermarkets, urges New Zealand medical authority
• NZ winemakers not just from the Hobbiton Shire of Sauvignon Blanc

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China’s wine consumption growing in tandem with ageing millennials

LATIN AMERICA

• As South American wines aim higher, the French connection goes both ways

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• The Sales Buzz on Craft Beer Terminology: Nielsen
• Neural networks are the best way to come up with the name of your next favorite craft beer