FEBRUARY 22, 2023 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• SipSource Year End Report Tracks “Worst Performance” Since Report Inception
• Concerns Over Relationship Between U.S. Officials and Alcohol Industry
• Is It Possible To Make A Nonalcoholic ‘Grand Cru’ Quality Wine? This Winemaker Says Yes [paywall?]
• Top Sommeliers Are Offering Tuition-Free Wine Classes to BIPOC Students [paywall?]
• Wine Still A Drink Primarily For Upper-Income College Grads

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Demand for this white wine grape has some Napa, Sonoma vintners eyeing wider North Coast sourcing
• Calif grape report fails to capture Solano County’s premium wine success
• Now, Hard Soda! Why PepsiCo’s and Coca-Cola’s Alcohol Drinks Worry Health Experts [paywall?]
• Grow your wine brand awareness in restaurants and bars of USA – (Sponsored link)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• 2022: Washington’s ‘impossible’ vintage

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• In Berkeley, one winery is expanding fast. Another claims it was forced out [paywall?]
• California Pesticide Regulators Set a New Course to Reduce Toxic Chemicals
• Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association Announces the Economic Impact of Temecula Valley and Riverside County’s Wine Industry
• The perpetual mischaracterization of Lodi Zinfandel and many other things found on Lodi online
• California Association of Winegrape Growers Foundation scholarship applications available
• With Gratitude and Appreciation for NVG’s Longtime Leader, Jennifer Putnam
• O’Neill Vintners & Distillers Announces Juan Muñoz-Oca as Chief Winegrowing Officer

DROUGHT/WATER

• Parched California Misses a Chance to Store More Rain Underground [paywall?]
• Calif.’s drought cure starts with adapting to changing circumstances
• Calif State Water Board approves Temporary Urgency Change Petition for the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Speakeasy Co. and DRINKS Announce Partnership to Create and Scale Alcohol DTC Sales Online
• The Kids Are Alright [paywall]

DIVERSITY

• A Conversation With Sommelier Tonya Pitts On Wine/Food Pairing And Black History Month [paywall?]

HEALTH

• Polyphenols may be missing component in regulating inflammatory immune responses
• Mouse Study Finds moderate drinking kills brain cells, increases Alzheimer’s risk
• Mice Are Not People: Why The Most Important Studies Done With Them Ultimately Fail In Humans

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• Oregon Wine Symposium Recap

MATTERS OF TASTE

• For Emerging American Wine Regions, Can Trends Trump Terroir?
• Amarone: a passion for ‘appassimento’
• Insider Talk

WINE PEOPLE

• Paul Tincknell — once more unto the wine crisis breach (podcast)
• Winemaker Of Historic Wine Estates In Tuscany And The Mentors That Inspired Him To Make Great Wine [paywall?]
• Master Winemaker: Mustafa Çamlica, owner, Chamlija

WINE TOURISM

• Napa Valley seeks insights from Visit California effort to tackle tourism challenges

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Virginia Lawmakers Proposed Two Bills to Regulate the Placement of Alcohol Crossover RTDs

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• How CRISPR could help save crops from devastation caused by pests
• Some find success in O3 field sprays

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Korean retail giant Lotte eyes winery purchase to expand wine business

SOUTH AFRICA

• Excise concession underlines wine industry’s role in economy and society