NEWS FETCH — October 5, 2017

TOP NEWS

• Ferrari-Carano vintner Don Carano, 85, dies
• Cannabis out to poach wine industry execs, labor and customers
• Calif to allow digital coupons for alcoholic beverages (Finally!)
• EU: wine harvest set for 36-year low
• Hell breaks loose in Napa Valley over oak trees
• Constellation beats revenue for Q2 FY2018 (PDF)
• Massachusetts Judge Upholds $2.6 Million ‘Pay-to-Play’ Fine Against Craft Beer Guild
• US grocery predictions reveal $20bn online growth opportunity
• New London wine competition will rate wines for commercial success and consumer appeal in addition to quality. *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Italy’s sparkling wine exports soar
• OR: Warm start to harvest season helps grape crop have balanced finish
• BC: Okanagan grape growers downplay smoke impact
• A year of trials for Lodi grape growers
• German winemakers expect higher quality but lower yields (video)
• Republic of Georgia earns $116m by exporting 53m bottles of wine
• Hungry parakeets ruin wine harvest at London’s only commercial vineyard

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Sonoma’s proposed tasting room moratorium on hold
• TricorBraun Hires David Jewell As Vice President of WinePak Operations
• Is Rutherford Still The Center of The Earth In California Wine?
• Wine Women hosts Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategy
• Livermore Valley Wine Auction Raises $450,000
• Alton Wine Academy Names Peter Neptune MS to Chief Ratings Officer
• Wonderful Nurseries Lives Up to Its “Growers First” Reputation *Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Judge denies irrigators special treatment, millions in drought payments
• California reservoirs are full, but will this winter be wet or dry?
• Farmers seek clarity in rewrite of WOTUS rule
• Paso Robles: ‘Critical error’ found in ballots for North County water district special election
• CA State Water Board posts materials related to the Phase II Update of the Bay-Delta Plan

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?

• 843,000 sq. ft. Solano County warehouse sells for $31M
• ** Sponsored link: Estate Vineyard,Tasting Room & Ranch with spectacular top-of-the world views, $3,950,000, 110 Acres, California. Confidential listing. Click now for more info and non-disclosure details.

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Constellation Brands’ stock jumps after profit beat, raised outlook
• Amazon said to be testing its own delivery service with expansion planned for 2018
• Amazon Is Opening a Pop-Up Liquor Bar in Tokyo

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Fine wine investment: post-Brexit price movement analysis
• Liv-ex: Opus One vs. Dominus
• DRC and Pétrus Lead Heritage Auction as Wine Market Continues to Rise
• South Africa: Nederburg Auction 2017 full sales results (PDF)

HEALTH

• Why Drinking Vodka May Be Healthier Than A Glass Of Wine

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• A Q&A about PA’s new liquor laws
• Michigan bill would create council for beer, wine and liquor makers

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Score inflation is everywhere and it’s killing wine criticism
• Prosecco Conquers All?
• A test to predict wine preferences
• Arkansas: Wider wine selection could be headed to a grocery store near you

MARKETING & SALES

• Holiday spending expected to increase 6 percent this year

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• It’s not the quality of the wine – it’s the sound of the cork popping

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Will Messenger Lose Out to Snapchat, Instagram Through 2021?
• Google is paying publishers working on ‘Stamp,’ its version of Snapchat’s Discover

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Goodlatte Officially Introduces the Ag Guestworker Act

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Wine Vintages. Who Cares?
• Making Bad Wine Extinct

WINE PEOPLE

• Interview with Corlea Fourie of Bosman Family Wines
• A Q&A with Paul Draper at A&D
• Australia’s women in wine to watch

WINE EDUCATION

• Does Sommelier Certification Matter?

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• A new grocery startup is taking on Amazon and pursuing a $100 billion opportunity

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Issues Statement on Proposed Monetization of PLCB Profits
• NY: Cornell’s Lake Erie Regional Grape Program welcomes Vincent Kane to the team

ACADEMIA

• UC Davis researchers study oral surface interactions to understand mouthfeel perception
• USDA Announces $12.6M to Train Next Generation of Ag Scientists
• USDA to invest $48 million in specialty crop research
• Southern Illinois University: Fermentation science program continues tapping into its potential

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• How will climate change impact the Arizona wine business?

EUROPE & THE UK

• European vine rules stunt Italian winemakers’ ambitions
• Soave’s two-speed economy
• France: New GM of Oeneo winemaking division
• WW2 grenades found near St-Emilion vineyards

DOWN UNDER

• NZ: One in 10 people in Marlborough work in wine

SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa: Boost for black wine-makers

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Could Cult Yeasts Become the New Hops?