NEWS FETCH — October 25, 2017

TOP NEWS

• Bright red aerial fire retardant may be a lot more toxic than manufacturer says
• Rebuild Wine Country, with Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County, Hosts a “Resource Day” for those Affected by the Recent California Wildfires
• University of British Columbia researchers create definitive method to detect wildfire tainted wine grapes
• TWE disputes viral Chinese report on ‘fake’ Penfolds
• Rebuilding a Wine Country home after fire may cost way more than insurance provides
• N.Calif Fires set 4 state records + Latest global wine production & consumption charts
• U.S. Economic Confidence Is Once Again Positive, at +4
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ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Phos-Chek: Deadly to salmon, cautions for wine grapes, sketchy data on human effects, confusion among public officials

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Little Winegrape Loss from California Wildfires
• Romania, one of only four EU states with higher wine production in 2017
• OZ: Victorian farm exports hit record
• Chardonnay to surpass Meunier plantings in Champagne
• World’s smallest wine vintage since 1961 may spell good news for Aussie producers
• Book your 2018 USA Trade Tasting Exhibitor Spot while you can still save a lot of money. Do it NOW! *Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Santa Barbara Tourism Generates $1.9 Billion Annually
• Nevada official to head Sonoma County Tourism Bureau
• McHenry family’s next generation takes over vineyard, winery
• Weak La Nina portends winter of weather uncertainty in California
• Prohibition shuttered the world’s largest winery. Now wine is back at Winehaven
• Thomas Keller’s Bouchon to Close in Beverly Hills on December 31
• Wonderful Nurseries Lives Up to Its “Growers First” Reputation *Sponsored Link*

WINE COUNTRY WILDFIRES

• Destroyed by wildfire on the day of its grand opening, Northern California winery plans to rebuild
• Ravaged by Fire, Paradise Ridge to Rebuild
• In Sonoma County, EPA crews to start post-fire hazardous materials cleanup
• Red Cross opens Napa center for fire victims
• Napa County looks at cutting red tape for fire-damage rebuilding
• For Sonoma County fire victims: Here’s what you need to know about your mortgage
• Toxic ashes and charred forests threaten water after North Bay fires
• Cal Fire says 569 Napa County houses destroyed by fires
• Scars from Wine Country Wildfires Spotted from Space

FIRE RECOVERY BUSINESS RESOURCES — Click this link for more

• USDA Offers Opportunities to Help California Producers Rebuild and Recover; Assessments Underway

ADDITIONAL WILDFIRE RELIEF EFFORTS — Click this link for more

• The Napa Valley Register wants to promote your North Bay fires fundraisers
• Sonoma’s B. Wise Vineyards Donates $250,000 to Wine Country Fire Recovery Effort
• Phelps donates $100,000 to Napa and Sonoma relief efforts
• Fantesca Estate & Winery to Donate 25 Percent of Sales to Napa Valley Community Foundation for Wildfire Relief
• Old Bridge Cellars Donates to Napa Wildfire Relief
• Wine Country fire relief: The latest restaurant, winery fundraisers
• Whiskey Tip to help fire victims with benefit event

DROUGHT/WATER

• First-Ever Lawsuit Asks: Does the Colorado River Have a Right to Exist?
• Farmers ask that ‘waters’ rule be clear, consistent
• Santa Clara voted – on something

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Legislation Would Allow Postal Service to Ship Alcoholic Beverages

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?

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PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Amazon launches in-home delivery service called Amazon Key, powered by a camera and smart lock
• Amazon Folds on Online Wine Sales

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• TX: Family purchases Wichita Falls Vineyard and Winery

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Canada and Mexico prepare for life without NAFTA
• French parliament to ratify CETA trade deal with Canada in 2018

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• In the footsteps of the firsts
• DRC leads ‘white glove’ sale in NYC

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Napa planners to take up marijuana sales, home growing
• Cannabis Industry Rallies to Overcome Unique Legal Barriers to Recovery From Northern California Fires
• With regulations, pot growers become almost like all other farmers
• Record-High Support for Legalizing Marijuana Use in U.S.

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• TTB Revises Guidance Document on Personalized Labels

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• How to Tell if Your Wine Shop Is Any Good

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• MA Silva’s new €3.5m facility to increase production by 50%

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Facebook’s New Explore Feed Sparks Worries

MEDIA MATTERS

• Ce Qui Nous Lie (Back to Burgundy): a film about wine
• ‘Wine Revolution’ is must-read for wine lovers

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Rising Alcohol Levels: How Winemakers are Adjusting
• A Full-Bodied Red, With Notes of…Ultrasound?
• Grape Expectations
• Ampelography: What You Need to Know
• Colheita is the Douro’s ‘wine of the future’
• You don’t have to age Bordeaux

WINE PEOPLE

• Wine Star: Stephen Henschke
• Wine Star: Spain’s Victor Urrutia
• 40 Under 40: Jolette Steyn

WINE PLACES

• This Wine Region is Trending

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• How the John Besh Allegations Are Prompting Restaurants to Reevaluate Their Own Policies

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• NY: Vineyard 48 now closed
• More farmworker housing planned in Washington

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Three Important Climate Change Stories Broke This Week – But You Probably Didn’t Hear About Them

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• CustomWeather Introduces Innovative Models for the Ag, Wine and Grape Industries With Evapotranspiration, Powdery Mildew, and Downy Mildew Forecasts

EUROPE & THE UK

• UK: Crimson Fine Wines – two directors banned 20 years in total
• Over 8,000 years, Georgia has mastered wine
• Europe’s First Underwater Restaurant Is Terrifying and Beautiful

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Prosecco goes to parliament
• Spatial mapping to help plan where to plant wine grapes in Tasmania (podcast)

LATIN AMERICA

• How Argentina Improved This French Couple’s Wine

SOUTH AFRICA

• Socially responsible wine producers can work harder for transformation
• On moving South African wine forward
• Shock as farmer shot in Klapmuts, near Stellenbosch

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Rye whiskey volumes up by 778% in the US
• Americans are going mad for mead
• Brewdog on track to surpass £10 million crowdfunding target
• New York state’s craft beer, wine and spirits boom, illustrated in 9 charts
• How Elysian Brewing Company Turns a 1,790-Pound Pumpkin Into a Keg
• University of Washington makes paper from brewing waste