NEWS FETCH — March 13, 2018

TOP NEWS

• Railroads can be bad neighbors for vineyards say 5 pesticide incidents in Sonoma & Contra Costa Counties
• Wine Tasting Engages Your Brain More Than Any Other Behavior, Says Neuroscientist
• Top Beer and Wine Trends for 2018, According to Whole Foods
• Gains in Minimum Wage Will Squeeze Wine-Drinking Sweet Spot
• Adam Lee offers 625 people, each paying $965, memberships in an exclusive wine community
• 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)

• “Click and collect” grocery shopping is a growing thing. How is wine going to handle that?
• 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

• U.S. is 4th WORST in organic vineyards among major global wine grape growers

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Strike 3! The Calif ABC’s Strict Application of Penalties for Sales To Minors
• Santa Barbara: Mandatory Evacuation Orders Now a way of life
• Gallo and others doing pilot program for unmanned vineyard tractor
• Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation Recognizes Four Exceptional Vineyard Employees

TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• Pot theft home invasions on rise: Petaluma home just latest incident
• A Trip to a Retail Pot Store in the LA Area
• Cannabis Drinks Expo Launched By Beverage Trade Network will bring the global Cannabis drinks industry into one roof. Get more information here. *Sponsored Link*

AMAZON

• Instacart Expands Kroger Partnership Amid Amazon Squeeze
• Shift In Whole Foods’ Supplier Relationships Under Amazon Shouldn’t Be A Surprise
• The Amazon Effect On Consumers And Grocery Shopping
• Amazon: How It’s Rolling Out Changes to Whole Foods

DROUGHT/WATER

• Thousands in the San Joaquin Valley Have Unsafe Drinking Water, But Clean Water Is Close
• “March Mitigation” commences as unusually cold late-season storm sequence arrives
• Drinking to a river’s health: Arizona brewers and farmers fight drought with beer
• To Manage Groundwater, California Could Learn From Its Neighbors

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• The Purpose of Social Media for Wineries *Sponsored link*

PAYMENTS

• Blending Data And Payments To Boost Wine Trading

DISTRIBUTORS

• Looking to grow your distribution in the US? Here is how USATT can help!*Sponsored Link*

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• EU wine trade body publishes calorie labelling plan
• Federal Excise Tax Reform Update: More on Beer and Wine Production Requirements
• Alcohol industry pledges to provide nutritional and ingredient information in Europe
• Road to new crop protection products is changing
• Courts Unclear in Battle for Amarone

MARKETING & SALES

• New Corona beer targets millennials shift to wine and spirits (Obnoxious auto-run video ad)
• Rose is still hot, Coke’s new booze, and grocery store wine
• Rollercoaster of the US Wine Landscape
• The Purpose of Social Media for Wineries *Sponsored link*

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• How to succeed at ProWein
• Underdog Varieties – Wines that deserve a second chance *Sponsored link*

MEDIA MATTERS

• Book Review: Intriguing Variations on a Wine Globalization Theme

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Why This Master of Wine Moved from Napa to the Finger Lakes

WINE EDUCATION

• New National Wine School Single Semester Wine Certifications for Professionals

CRAFT BEVERAGES: BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• The 9 Types of Craft Beer Drinkers Who Will Drive You Nuts
• India’s Craft Distillers Are Shaking Up the World’s Biggest Whisky Market