NEWS FETCH — December 18, 2017

TOP NEWS

• AB-InBev not worried about craft beer, but wine.
• The $13.7 billion Whole Foods buy has turned the world against Amazon — and we’ll see the sparks fly next year
• Dean of Sonoma State Bus. & Econ. William Silver Steps Down
• FDA Agents Increase Number of Surprise Inspections at Wineries (PDF)
• Digital is local: Half of US internet users report using buy online, pick up in-store (BOPUS) options
• Here’s how to avoid costly mistakes by managing your barrel inventory with bar codes – Click now to learn how. *Sponsored Link*

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Xmas + New Years = Wine’s billion-dollar season
• ProWein 2018 is unique: Three days of concentrated business with over 6,500 international exhibitors, 500+ tasting sessions and seminars, plus fresh ideas for packaging – it’s the No. 1 meeting place for the sector. Click to find out how you can profit! *Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Worldwide boom for Kiwi wine
• Weak pound boosts English sparkling wine sales before Christmas

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Winery Hiring, Shipments Rebound from October Wildfires
• About 4,500 acres of Napa County gains protection
• Santa Barbara Sales Are ‘Way, Way Down’ During Retail’s Biggest Month
• 125 Years of Napa Valley winemaking
• Alcoholic Beverage Importers and Distributors Conference To Happen With USA Trade Tasting*Sponsored Link*

CA WILDFIRES

• Thomas Fire Sunday Evening Update: Santa Barbara Dodges Massive Bullet
• Napa County will do a postmortem of its wildfire response
• AshBritt fire cleanup worker dies in apparent accident at Sonoma County landfill

DROUGHT/WATER

• California Supreme Court fails to resolve conflict over groundwater fees, charges
• Scientist says California has only slim chance of normal rainfall this winter
• Is the U.S. heading for a giant drought? Climate history offers vital clues about the next century
• Making water for the environment count in an era of change: Cautionary tales from Australia

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?




PUBLIC COMPANIES

• How Target is Facing Down the Retail Apocalypse

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Talking Trade on Liv-ex: Burgundy and Italy active
• The ‘unresolved issues’ hanging over fine wine

DATA & TRENDS

• 2017 Wine World Highlights: Reader Contributions Needed

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Burners beware: California pot sold Jan. 1 could be tainted

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Farmers and Ranchers Sue USDA for Tossing Farmer Fair Practices (GIPSA) Rule

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Sample sizes, and the supposed wine differences between women and men
• The Italian Wine List from a Cinematic Perspective: “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe.”

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Slimline wine bottle design
• Corks Won the Closure War. You Lost

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Underdog Varieties – Wines that deserve a second chance *Sponsored link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Facebook is clamping down on posts that shamelessly beg for your engagement

PAYMENTS

• Bitcoin’s illiquidity is going to be a huge problem when the bubble bursts

MEDIA MATTERS

• 9 Must-Reads for Drinks Industry Pros

MATTERS OF TASTE

• The “Dark Matter” of Dirt (PDF)
• Sancerre and friends
• Is the alcohol level of wines going up?
• The perfect 8/10 vintage
• Bourbon barrel-aged wine is a gimmick born out of necessity
• The taste trends powering natural wine’s perfect storm
• Why Slovenian wines — which rival the ones from Italy and France — have long been overlooked

WINE PEOPLE

• Wine industry farewells Hunter Valley great Max Drayton
• Meet Richard Duckitt, head winemaker at Bellingham
• Peter Dredge : Dr Edge Tasmania
• Uncorked: Christian Zhang
• Burgundy Legend Dominique Lafon (podcast)

WINE PLACES

• Chateau Ste. Michelle Celebrates 50 Years Of Washington Wine

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Maine wants to help grow grapes, and will tolerate wining

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Managing mechanized vineyard equipment for efficiency

EUROPE & THE UK

• Catalan economy feels the pinch amid bid to split from Spain
• Brexit Boom or Bust for UK Wine Trade
• London wine merchant launches two-hour champagne delivery service for Christmas
• UK: Underage drinking hits historic low as trade initiatives deliver

DOWN UNDER

• Cask wine, mainstream beer sales falling as Aussies drink ‘less but better’
• OZ: Applications open for wine tourism grants
• Thousands of free grapevines on offer as Sydney to become the world’s largest Urban Vineyard

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China’s JD.com extends ultra-premium delivery service to wine

OLIVE OIL

• California Olive Ranch Gets $35M Investment

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• How Craft Brewers Are Embracing New Water Technologies