NEWS FETCH — January 22, 2018

TOP NEWS

• US Wine premiumization growth declining along with other luxury categories
• Consumers turning to private label wine more often, thanks to supermarkets
• 2018 SVB Wine Report Videocast Replay
• Amazon Go is finally a go: Sensor-infused store opens to the public today, with no checkout lines
• 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)

• Richard Kunde, champion of Sonoma County wine, agriculture, dies at 75
• Looking for wines to import into the U.S.? Find international producers on “Route USA” at the ProWein 2018 trade fair. Click to lean more. *Sponsored link*

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Frantic Buyers Race to Bag Top Burgundy
• Exhibitor Registration for 2018 International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show in San Francisco is now open! Register now and save $400*Sponsored Link*

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Paso Robles City Council approves downtown distilleries, breweries and winemaking
• Caldwell Vineyard, neighbors square off over possible visitation increase
• Napa grants Cuvaison, Vine Cliff wineries big visitor limit increases
• Vineyard industry tackle tough topics Feb. 8 at Sonoma County Grape Day
• Napa Valley Reboot: After the fires
• Looking to grow your distribution in the US? Here is how USATT can help!*Sponsored Link*

DROUGHT/WATER

• Proposed Napa County watershed measure qualifies for June ballot
• Oroville Dam spillway built on crumbling rock, warned contractor that built it
• New state water chief is married to SoCal water strategist. Critics say that’s too close
• Preparing for California’s unpredictable water future

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Direct shipping of wine to consumers surged double-digits in 2017

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?

• In the wake of the October wildfires, ‘fire lots’ are for sale in Napa Valley

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Walmart has its sights set on AI
• Will millennials kill Costco and Sam’s Club?

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Tax law gives unexpected break to farmers who sell to co-ops
• The Vino Nobile gap
• Tenants and sharecroppers: Andrew Jefford explains a secret of French vineyard ownership

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• This Wine Auction Is Giving All Proceeds to Napa and Sonoma Fire Victims
• Wine is a terrible investment because it’s never really liquid
• Talking Trade on Liv-ex – Forza Italia

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• A craft marijuana brand is turning a famous California winery into a Wonka Factory for weed
• Troubles deepen for co-founder of Mendocino County’s only cannabis distribution business
• CannaCraft CEO William Silver seeks to make Sonoma County the business mecca for cannabis
• Lompoc Overturns Prohibition Again

HEALTH

• Yukon alcohol experiment leads to sober second thoughts
• A Saintly Solution to Sulfites

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• New year – new changes to make to your TTB compliance
• Should Out-of-State AVA Use Be Legal?
• The War of the Rosés is Over at Last

MARKETING & SALES

• Post-modern wine marketing 101

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Plastic Wine Bottles Are Here to Make the Outdoors Fun Again

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

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

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Social Media Posts Don’t Matter

MEDIA MATTERS

• How to Become a Wine Editor
• HuffPost, breaking from its roots, ends unpaid contributions

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Adding appellations: developing new GIs and why conjunctive labelling is important
• Perspectives on Whole-Cluster Fermentation
• Nebbiolo: A grape by many other names
• Why You Should Be Enjoying Champagne With Food
• I Left My Heart in Barbaresco

WINE PEOPLE

• Barolo’s Bruno Giacosa dies
• Becoming a Master of Roussanne: Maggie Harrison
• Making wine on the Niagara Escarpment: Arrowhead Spring and Robin Ross
• The Spanish Wine Guy, Rick Fisher (podcast)
• Chisa Bize of Domaine Simon Bize et Fils (podcast)

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Paul Bocuse, globe-trotting master of French cuisine, dies
• Bill would boost minimum wage for restaurant workers
• Uber Eats acquires Ando, the food delivery startup from David Chang that makes its own food

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Willamette Pinot Brands St. Innocent and Zenith Part Ways
• What’s behind the stunning rise of Finger Lakes wines?
• Bubbles Along The Willamette: Oregon’s Sparkling Wine Renaissance
• Thousands of dollars of single-cask whisky seized in ‘Prohibition era’ raids of B.C. restaurants

ACADEMIA

• Let the author beware

EUROPE & THE UK

• Counterfeit Georgian wine removed from sales in Ukraine
• The sad tale of OW Loeb
• Public Health England: Trickery revealed
• UK: Fullers’ switch to English fizz sees house sparkling sales soar

DOWN UNDER

• NZ’s Pyramid Valley expands to Central Otago after $8M sale
• OZ: John Hancock moves on from Trinity Hill

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Japan: Tighter rules prompt wineries to review indications
• Japanese fab converted into a winery

SOUTH AFRICA

• Wine industry sees positives despite expected R700m shortfall
• Albariño to become important white variety in the Western Cape

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Who wants to be a pommelier?