NEWS FETCH — December 4, 2017

TOP NEWS

• Alcohol sales drop 15% in states with legal medical pot. Recreational weed could be worse
• Prominent Sonoma County winemaker Davis Bynum dies at 92
• These are the improbable new wine countries that climate change is creating
• At the Mexican border, a battle over beer, water and a way of life
• Michigan Wine Lovers Have No Access to 89% of Wines
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ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Why the new MACH15 moderate consumption study must correct its protocol in order to have any credibility at all
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WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• No Château de Fieuzal 2017 wine due to frost
• Bumper crop keeps Michigan wine flowing
• PA: Looking Back at the 2017 Growing Season
• Australian wine imports make further gains in China
• Why a winemaking review now is critical for learning and planning for next year *Sponsored link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• NIMBY wine wars erupt over a funeral at a California winery
• Proponents file signatures for new Napa watershed and oak woodland initiative
• Healdsburg City Council to discuss limits on future downtown hotels
• California Winegrowers Elect Veteran Politician as Chairman
• Delicato Family Vineyards Appoints Mark Merrion As New Executive Vice President Of Sales
• Alcoholic Beverage Importers and Distributors Conference To Happen With USA Trade Tasting*Sponsored Link*

CA WILDFIRES

• In sad aftermath, for-sale signs go up on burned-out lots
• Less than 2 weeks left to register for Federal Disaster Assistance
• North Bay fire fundraiser Rise Up Sonoma draws hundreds for fine food and wine
• Grapegrowers, Napa County team up to help landowners install erosion controls
• Picturesque Valley of the Moon, scarred by wildfire, begins to find its way back
• Robb Report to Hold Wine Auction Benefitting Napa & Sonoma Relief
• We Californians faced disaster in 2017. What’s in store could be worse

AMAZON

• Moët Hennessy USA Teams with Amazon’s Alexa

DROUGHT/WATER

• A Tale of Two Fires: How Wildfires Can Both Help and Harm Our Water Supply

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• A Young Online Beverage Alcohol Three-Tier System, LibDib, Evolves

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?




PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Modist releases ‘Dilly Dilly’ double IPA, is immediately hit with hilarious cease and desist from Anheuser-Busch

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – Indices rise in November
• Liv-ex 100 gains 1.3% in November

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Napa council to review more lenient marijuana ordinance
• Lessons for CA: Tracking legal weed can cause the industry’s biggest headaches

HEALTH

• Health Risks To Farmworkers Increase As Workforce Ages
• Is wine good for you and how much is OK

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• How Influencers and Brands Can Steer Clear of the FTC

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• California cabernets do not get the same quality scores at different tastings
• Alcohol labelling – taste first, then look

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• South Carolina Barrel Maker is filling the demand

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Ten #WBC (Wine Bloggers Conference)
• Underdog Varieties – Wines that deserve a second chance *Sponsored link*

PAYMENTS

• Georgia now has over 100 Bitcoin ATMs as cryptocurrency interest surges

MEDIA MATTERS

• This Book Gives An Overview Of Wine In Sixty Minutes

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Establishing a volcanic wine category
• Natural wine is a runaway train, and it might be time to hit the brakes
• How a Boutique Importer Embraced the Natural Wine Movement
• Why a decline in soil health should worry all wine lovers
• The Province of Fine Wine in Today’s Disrupted World
• The Ancient King Of Wine Barolo Faces Modern Challenges
• What happens in December in the wineries?
• The Complete Guide to Ice Wine

WINE PEOPLE

• Christina Netzl: making organic wine in Carnuntum

WINE EDUCATION

• WSET appoints dedicated US team
• Rioja Wine Educators Programme 2018 is open for applicants

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Casual dining finds savior in takeout

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• NY: Wine, lake groups urge rejection of incinerator
• Washington’s acclaimed wine begins in carefully tended vineyards
• Washington wine searches for an identity
• Supreme Court of Canada to hear case with impact on B.C. wine and tourism industries

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• Climate Change: the Death of Terroir?
• El Niño Might Speed Up Climate Change
• How Climate Change Is Impacting the American West Right Now
• Japanese grape producers raise a toast to climate change

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Pre-pruners: One size does not fit all
• Vineyard Manager Says Mechanization Imminent

EUROPE & THE UK

• Brexit labour shortage will force UK to import more fruit – winemaker
• Vijay Mallya’s extradition trial begins in London

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Spreyton vineyard Emilia Wines forced to rebrand after legal threat
• Queensland Business Monthly: Brand Australia lacks direction

SOUTH AFRICA

• South African wine: Growing markets and driving premiumisation

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Craft Arduous Cider Is On A Roll. How Ya Like Them Apples?