NEWS FETCH — January 23, 2018

TOP NEWS

• Report Shows Alcohol Wholesalers Political Contributions Top More Than $107 Million (PDF)
• Alcohol Sales Dropped 15% In States With Medical Marijuana Laws
• Surge in Aussie wine exports to China lifts Treasury Wine Estate shares to record high
• Supreme Court rules Federal district courts have jurisdiction to review 2015 US water regs
• Most expensive Prosecco ($14+) posting biggest gains in category – Nielsen
• 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)

• US Wine premiumization growth declining along with other luxury categories
• 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

• 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

• Surge in Wine Tourism Brings Huge Opportunities
• Sonoma City Council extends wine-tasting room moratorium until Sept. 30
• Napa’s Riverfront settles lease dispute with wine tasting business
• Saving Napa from The Knownothings by Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

AMAZON

• Amazon Go Might Be Another Watershed for Retail
• Amazon dancing with wine and tech enters physical retail

DROUGHT/WATER

• Wine Country Residents Say Big Wineries Don’t Pay Fair Share For Water
• A major world city is set to run out of water — and ‘Day Zero’ is approaching faster than anyone predicted
• California’s Proposed Budget Reveals Water, Climate Priorities
• Nevada researchers warn of more ‘snow droughts,’ even in wet years
• Los Angeles and the Future of Urban Water in California

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• A look at direct to consumer wine selling
• Free the Grapes Indiana: Wines Out of Reach for Indiana Consumers in Winery Lockout

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?




PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Millennials brought about the downfall of one of America’s most iconic beer brands

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Rabobank to pay a $373 million fine for money laundering for drug cartel
• CVNE buys Cava producer Roger Goulart
• Bacardi Buys Patrón Tequila in $5.1 billion deal

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Will Canada Screw up a March Pacific Trade Deal?
• Canada rejects angry American NAFTA criticism

DISTRIBUTORS

• Why More Wine Importers Are Adding Spirits Arms
• Oklahoma: Big changes coming to beer distribution in October
• Looking to grow your distribution in the US? Here is how USATT can help!*Sponsored Link*

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Investing in your Favourite Wine

DATA & TRENDS

• The day after tomorrow: a look into the future of the drinks industry

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Could Cannabis and Wine Collaborate?
• Irvine City Council to decide whether to allow marijuana testing labs
• Keeping Hands Off Weed Lets Startup Thrive in Volatile Pot World

HEALTH

• Scientific Research Reveals Resveratrol’s Heart Health Benefits

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Wine industry advocates applaud 2-year trim in federal excise tax
• New Hampshire considers lowering drinking age to 20

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• Putting a Cork in the Oxidation Question

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Unified Wine & Grape Symposium fills Sacramento restaurants, hotels
• Planning for Unified
• VinExpo in New York unveils masterclass lineup
• DP&F’s Katja Loeffelholz to Present at Vancouver International Wine Festival Law Seminar
• Underdog Varieties – Wines that deserve a second chance *Sponsored link*

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Facebook to worried marketers: Get users to mark you as ‘see first’

IT: INFORMATION [AND] TECHNOLOGY

• Technology’s Growing Presence In Grocery Retail

MEDIA MATTERS

• The history of wine in 442 podcasts
• The Cork Report teams two old friends and East Coast wine experts
• Famed photojournalist George Rose’s new book a ‘love letter to Sonoma County’

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Does Wine Really Taste Better With Age?
• Tree Huggers: The Tale Behind Italy’s Hot New White

WINE PEOPLE

• The Dynamic Mother Daughter Team Steering Château Margaux
• Interview with Régis Camus and Séverine Frerson Chefs de Cave at Piper-Heidsieck
• Ray Coursen of Elyse Winery (podcast)

WINE EDUCATION

• You don’t have to be rich to become a sommelier

WINE TOURISM

• Take Experiential Travel To A New Level By Pairing Destinations With Avocations

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• OH: Sandusky crushing former wine factory
• Senate Approves Proos Plan For MI Wine Council
• PA: Poconos winery owners charged with secretly taping employees, customers

ACADEMIA

• More female culinary students than male a first for Culinary Institute of America
• OZ: National Wine and Grape Industry Centre update

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• A review of Biodynamic and Organic viticulture (Giesco minutes)

EUROPE & THE UK

• Alconomics Sends Thirsty Drinkers on Crawl Around the Baltics
• Third of all alcohol sold in England consumed by 4% of population

DOWN UNDER

• Wine Australia CEO: China ‘engine room for growth’
• OZ: Sharon Nitschke appears in court charged with swindling $250,000 from wine committee
• OZ: Cultivating the next crop of winemakers
• NZ: Group to support advancement in wine industry
• NZ wine tourism ripe for the picking

SOUTH AFRICA

• Water crisis will have a significant impact on Cape wine industry

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• Craft Beer Is the Strangest, Happiest Economic Story in America
• The economics of selling craft beers and spirits just got a lot better
• Using Spirits Societies to Grow a Bar Business
• Sombra Mezcal, a Sustainable Spirit Created by Master Sommelier Richard Betts, Announces Pioneering Sustainability Initiatives