NEWS FETCH — January 2, 2018

TOP NEWS

• New California Laws All Employers Must Be Aware Of
• Amazon Nixes Wine.Woot — CaseMates Rises From Its Ashes
• After the flames, allegations of rent-gouging fly in devastated wine country communities
• Historic day as recreational cannabis sales begin in California
• A look back at the top wine news of 2017
• U.S. Economic Confidence Index Up Slightly
• 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)

• Southern Glazer’s claims new zero tolerance stance against pay-to-play
• Save time & money – get ProWein 2018 tickets at reduced rates online. Taste wine creations from over 6,500 international exhibitors – every wine growing region in the world is represented. It’s a must event for professionals from on and off premise, trade and gastronomy. Click to register & save*Sponsored Link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• The USA imports more expensive wines than anywhere else
• UK: Brexit and bad harvests could dampen supply of fizz
• Looking Back on the Great Eights

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Tribute to Paul Verdegaal – one of Lodi’s “men behind the curtain”
• Woman-owned wineries of Sonoma County
• Napa Valley grape growers, county stress smokeless vineyard burns
• Grand jury levels complaint against Napa County Board of Supervisors
• As Napa and Sonoma counties recover from fires, Temecula vies to become tourist destination
• New California law will allow alcohol companies to pair with ride-sharing services and taxis for free, discounted rides
• B Cellars wins Napa County permission for more visitors
• PG&E gives $170,000 to help wildfire victims in Napa County
• Paso Robles: A cold, dry start to winter 2017-18, but a change is (hopefully) on the way
• Sommelier DLynn Proctor Joins Fantesca as Director
• Early bird pricing for 2018 USA Trade Tasting ends Jan 10! Secure your spot today and meet small and medium sized distributors of USA and expand your distribution. Click here to learn more.*Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Beginning of 2018 drought?
• Administration eyes pumping more water to Central Valley farmland
• Three Years on, How California Is Spending Its $7.5 Billion Water Bond
• California’s New Water Boss: States Must Set Own Course on Resources

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?




PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Accolade appoints David White head of marketing

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• U.S. department store stocks jump on holiday spending record

DISTRIBUTORS

• Can It Get Uglier in 2018 for Southern-Glazers?

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Year that was 2017 – Regional market share
• Year that was 2017 – Top ten price performers

DATA & TRENDS

• Expert Predictions For The Wine Trends That Will Shape 2018

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• California prepares for marijuana in wine, trail mixes, tacos and other edibles

HEALTH

• Lining your stomach with milk before a big night out – and other alcohol myths
• Is mixing drinks actually bad?
• ‘Skinny’ wines cut calories, but not by much

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Understanding Operations in One Liquor Control State
• Ring in the New Year with Major Industry Excise Tax Reform

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Embrace the Wine Critic — They Matter
• Where preference fails, and why giving people what they want can be elitist
• Why You Should Pay More for Champagne (And What to Buy When You Can’t)
• The Mystery of the Missing Wine Faults

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

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

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• No big surprise who remains the chief social referral source for retailers. But #2 may raise eyebrows. (And #3 disappoint)
• 3 Ways Marketers Can Rise Above the Facebook Noise

PAYMENTS

• Bitcoin is fighting back

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• California expands required sexual-harassment training

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Wineism – towards a political philosophy of wine
• Lessons from the laureate
• Rosé: a 30-year trend
• Getting to Know Cava’s New Category
• Phylloxera Vastatrix & The Remaking of the World of Wine
• Will Natural Wine Make It in the Mainstream?
• Alcohol labelling – taste first, then look
• Pét-nat is an overnight success 500 years in the making
• Wind is the most important, least-discussed weather system in winemaking
• Stop Saying These 12 Things About Wine

WINE PEOPLE

• 2017: In Memoriam
• Remembering Jean-Luc Le Dû—New York sommelier, wine retailer, mentor and much more
• How Warren Randall became the king of Australian wine
• How sommelier Lawrence Boone found success in the wine industry
• How Master Sommelier and Restaurant Partner June Rodil Balances Wine, Food
• Antinori: Keeping the family tree alive
• Women and the wine industry

WINE PLACES

• Why McMinnVille Makes For The Perfect Getaway From Portland, Oregon
• Restoring a jewel of a notorious Tuscan family

WINE EDUCATION

• Rioja opens 2018 Wine Educators Programme

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Definitive proof that tipping makes customers happy
• 4 Ways Your Grocery Store May Change In 2018
• Why food trends are dumb
• Scientists Expect Chocolate to Go Extinct by 2050

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• MI: Oldest winery on the Leelanau Peninsula closes down
• New York Vineyard Takes A Risk On Ice Wine For A Sweet Reward
• WA’s largest custom wine bottling plant to open

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Yes, your spray nozzles need to be replaced on a regular basis.

EUROPE & THE UK

• Leading Bordeaux winemakers cut down on pesticides
• Why Europe’s Newest Attractions Are All About Consumption
• The Ackerman Group Aims For Quality, From Muscadet To Sancerre, With New Strategy
• Aristocrat takes legal action as former erotic film star promotes champagne brand founded by his forefathers
• Britain can produce a premier sparkling wine
• Gaja Leads Alta Langa Revival

DOWN UNDER

• New way to identify wine will protect Australian growers from overseas fraud
• Oz government opens Wine Export Grants applications
• OZ: How our wine and beer industries were designed to keep us sober
• NZ: Beach-goers build sand island to avoid booze ban

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• China’s drinking habits are changing, and that’s a big opportunity for beverage makers
• Japan: Fukushima Looks to Top-Tier Sake to Beat Stigma, Lift Economy

LATIN AMERICA

• Congress Passes Overhaul of Argentina’s Inefficient Tax System: plan to tax wine scrapped
• Chile’s Biodynamic Wineries Offer Luxury Among The Vineyards

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• What Buyers Need to Know About Gose
• Craft brewers predict the biggest beer trends for 2018
• MA: Distributors of fermented cider say the state taxes them unfairly
• UK: Rum poised to break £1 billion sales barrier