FEBRUARY 12, 2019 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• 2019 legislative changes for California alcohol producers – A blessing or a curse?
• Premium wine driving increase in global consumption
• Wine grape acreage looks balanced – no oversupply – at least to 2021
• Malbec legend Georges Vigouroux dies aged 83
• France Maintains its Wine Crown
• Does Formal Wine Training Matter?
• U.S. Small-Business Owners’ Optimism Down From Record High
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ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Ron Miller, Napa winemaker who helped establish SF’s Disney museum, dies
• Looking for (and finding!) some bright spots amid the wine data gloom
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WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Portugal Sets New Wine Export Record
• MI: Wintry weather not likely to hurt area grape crops
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CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Boisset talks about the future of the Oakville Grocery: A different kind of love story
• Jerry Baker new VP Sales & Marketing, Hawk and Horse Vineyard
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TAKING THE HIGH ROADS

• As tobacco sales dry up, Kentucky farmers look to the state’s ‘original crop’ — hemp

AMAZON

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DROUGHT/WATER

• Strong but complex storm sequence this week will bring rain, wind, and flood concerns to California
• California’s ‘dry farmers’ grow crops without irrigation
• DWR Finalizes Groundwater Basin Boundary Modifications under SGMA
• They’re big, furry and could destroy the Delta. California has a $2 million plan to kill them

REAL ESTATE – What’s this new section about?

• NZ: Carrick vineyard on market

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• Pernod CEO shoots down merger talk
• Truett-Hurst Announces Extension of Tender Offer to Purchase up to 1,000,000 of its Shares

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• DoorDash is reportedly raising $500M at a $6B valuation
• Americans’ Confidence in Their Finances Keeps Growing

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

• Specialty Crops Get Big Boost in Ag Trade Promotion Program
• US-China trade talks resume
• Prices of imported wines in Japan slashed as EU/Japan trade deal kicks in
• Trade rules between AUS and EU could see food products be branded differently (podcast)

BREXIT

• Pernod Ricard: Brexit won’t hit ad spend, but no-deal could be ‘short-term nightmare’
• Bordeaux producer bottling early to ship to UK before Brexit

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• DRC helps Sotheby’s break sales records in 2018
• Burgundy Powers Fine Wine Sales
• Investment Outlook: The fine wine bulls of 2019
• Sassicaia 2016 release prompts price rise
• 1907 Heidsieck Monopole Gout American: After Perfect ‘Cellaring’ In A Shipwreck, It’s The World’s Most Expensive Champagne

DATA & TRENDS

• 5 trends shaping the on-premise market in 2019
• Melinda Gates points out a major problem with how we make decisions: data is sexist

HEALTH

• Giving up alcohol made our lives better — and turned us into terrible guests
• Here’s what booze actually does to your body in the air

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• The top 10 tax changes affecting small business owners
• Craft Beverage Modernization & Tax Reform Act
• Cider bill would eliminate 15-acre orchard requirement

WINE SELECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

• Are wine recommendations important?

MARKETING & SALES

• Barefoot prepares for double-digit growth in 2019
• Tomich Wines takes a different path to export markets

PACKAGING, LABELS & CORKS

• If you’re still drinking cognac out of a classic, balloon-shaped glass you’re doing it wrong
• Cork vs. Cap: Which Wine Stopper is Better?

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Wine Paris organisers confident as show prepares to open

SOCIAL MEDIA & TECH

• Let’s Be Clear about Influencers in the Wine World

WINE PEOPLE

• Tribute to Gerard Basset MW MS OBE 1957-2019
• Liv-ex interview with Chris Blandy: a different Madeira
• Meet The 25-Year-Old Georgian Winemaker, Baia Abuladze
• Unfiltered: Maciej Lyko, Head Sommelier, Launceston Place
• Interview with Seth Kitzke, Winemaker and Co-Owner of Upsidedown Wine
• Ceiling Smashers: The women who refused to take no for an answer
• Randy Heinzen – Vineyard Professional Services (podcast)

WINE PLACES

• NY: Why Jamesport Vineyards is a ‘must visit’ winery
• Step Inside Leonardo Da Vinci’s Secret Vineyard In Milan

FOOD & RESTAURANTS

• Technology Startup Apricart Wants To Revolutionize The Grocery Business For Consumers And Retailers
• Women Changing Culinary Culture, One Dinner At A Time

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• NY: Rochester Wine Festival offers apology, refunds
• Loosening North Carolina control of liquor considered again

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• Grafter provides cutting edge in the vineyard
• Quantity, intensity, and timing in the management of vineyard resources

EUROPE & THE UK

• Surveying France
• Frédéric Olivar steers Ballande & Méneret towards commercial densification
• Brunello di Montalcino appoints marketing director to target UK

DOWN UNDER

• Wine Australia targets global wine consumers

SOUTH AFRICA

• South African Wine History: Some delicious early correspondence regarding Constantia wine

AROUND THE GLOBE

• Can Israeli Wine Succeed Beyond The Kosher Aisle?

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• On-Premise Strength Drives Rapid Gains For Mezcal
• US shutdown: ‘Long-term implications’ for spirits
• Investigating cell stress for better health — and better beer
• Craft Beer Bar Brass Tap Is Franchising Faster Than You Can Order A Drink
• Gakkogura: A Traditional Sake Brewery’s Attempt To Revive The Industry