MARCH 15, 2023 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• SVB’s closure could disproportionately affect Black founders
• Former head of Silicon Valley Bank’s Napa wine division Rob McMillan hopes to keep his work going
• A Continued ‘Normalization’ in DtC Wine Shipping – What Does That Mean?
• ChatGPT Just Passed Three Levels of the Master Sommelier Exam
• SVB’s Achille’s Heel: Almost All Its US Deposits Were UN-insured. (Average Is About 50%)
• For Sale: Exclusive “off-market” Central Coast high capacity production facility – Sponsored Link

MORE SVB COVERAGE

• Silicon Valley Bank was perfect for wineries. Then the accounts froze. [paywall?]
• What do the recent bank failures mean for you? [paywall?]
• Newsom Failed to Publicly Disclose SVB Ties While Lobbying for Bailout [freewall?]

OBITUARIES

• Kalin Cellars: A tribute to Terry Leighton

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Silicon Valley Bank – the Failed Link Between Tech, Wine and Money
• U.S. regulator planning another SVB auction
• SVB Hit With First Securities Fraud Suit Over Bank’s Failure [paywall?]

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• Bulk wine imports reign supreme in the US
• Doors opened to US market for South Australian wine producers
• What’s behind the surge in sauvignon blanc? [paywall?]

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Napa’s Folio Fine Wine Partners welcomes new CEO
• Sonoma County grape growers are expanding into wine [paywall?]
• Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approves winery event regulations
• Sonoma County Planning Commission Agenda (PDF)

DROUGHT/WATER

• California Growers Enjoy Groundwater Recharge – But Wary of Storms at Bloom

CLIMATE CHANGE

• What is Climate Change Doing to Your Vineyard?

DIVERSITY

• Celebrating Women’s History Month With Biltmore Estate Winemaker, Sharon Fenchak [paywall?]

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Financial analyst predicts next bank to fold

DISTRIBUTORS

• Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits acquires distributor WEBB Banks [freewall?]
• Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits expands into Lexington County, SC

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Christie’s lines up one-of-a-kind auction in Hong Kong
• The challenging Bordeaux 2013 ten years on

DATA & TRENDS

• How To Tell If A Survey Is Credible: Minimum Standards

MARKETING & SALES

• SMS Marketing Performance in the U.S. Wine Industry – 2023
• Elevating the virtual experience thanks to Master the World

TRADE SHOWS & CONFERENCES

• How ProWein is ready to put on biggest wine show in the world
• London Wine Fair reports ‘significant uptick’ in European presence for 2023

WINE CRIME

• Vinfamous: The Greatest Cellar on Earth That Never Was? (podcast)

MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYMENT

• Craft Your Legacy in the Spirit of Employee Ownership

MATTERS OF TASTE

• A Natural Solution?

COMPETITIONS/AWARDS

• The Buyer & IWSC debate how to make the most of wine competitions

WINE PEOPLE

• Unfiltered: Merlin Ramos

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• OH: New Technology Creates Faster On-Ramp for New Products

AG, GROWER & CELLAR NEWS

• The Bee, an Unsung Vineyard Hero, Steps Into the Spotlight

EUROPE & THE UK

• Spain now has confidence to ‘walk naked in the street’
• Challenging economic conditions affect German wine market [freewall?]
• Exploring ‘La Grande Dame,’ a Champagne Icon (podcast)

DOWN UNDER

• Marlborough at 50: a new project to safeguard the vineyard of the future, using accelerated clonal selection

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• How and Where Can I Legally Ship Spirits DtC?