Listen to Industry News and other Insights on the Bevcast Podcast Channel on Soundcloud. Bevcast Weekly News is a news series giving you a quick look at the most important news, trends, and developments of the week.

Bevcast Weekly News is brought to you by China Wine Competition, which is an international wine competition that Beverage Trade Network hosts in Shanghai where wines are judged by Quality, Value, and Package. Submission is now open for the 2019 China Wine Competition.

Please visit ChinaWineCompetition.com for more information on how winning a China Wine Competition medal can help you grow your wine brand.

So gear up for your week ahead – these are our top stories of the week.

*To listen to the full Podcast and more, kindly stay tuned into BevCast channel on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Stitcher.

New Book Celebrates California’s Sustainable Winemakers

A number of high-profile wineries – including Cakebread Cellars, Domaine Carneros and Francis Ford Coppola Winery – are among those featured in “Wine Country Table” from the Wine Institute. The new book celebrates California’s wine diversity, with a focus on sustainable winemaking practices and the pairing of environmentally friendly wines.

How To Market Wine To Members of Generation Z

While Millennials might get all the attention from marketers, a growing number of winemakers are waking up to the challenges of marketing to Generation Z (those born in the mid-1990s to early 2000s). These young wine drinkers have a preference for low-alcohol wines that promote health and wellness.

New Wine Trend to Watch: Wild Fermentation

In New Zealand, winemakers are also experimenting with wild fermented wines. These wines use native yeasts found on the fruit and in the vineyard, rather than cultured yeasts. This results in wines with different taste profiles. White wines, for example, acquire a creamy, oily texture and are softer and smoother to drink.

Wine Innovator Gary Vaynerchuk is Back With a New DTC Winery

The DTC wine trend continues to gain momentum. Entrepreneur magazine recently profiled renowned wine innovator and digital marketer Gary Vaynerchuk, who is helping to launch a new DTC California winery called Empathy Wines. The marketing tagline for the winery is, “Empathy for the farmer, empathy for you.”

What the Union of Big Beer and Big Data Means for Beer Drinkers

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the #1 brewer in the world, has completed its purchase of RateBeer, a consumer beer review platform. Using data, insights, and information gleaned from the site, AB InBev could be in the unique position to anticipate changing consumer tastes or spot new market niches before they emerge.

Spirits Industry Braces for Mega-Merger of Top Two Companies

Since mid-February, the spirits market has been buzzing with rumors of a potential acquisition of Pernod Ricard (the #2 spirits conglomerate in the world) by Diageo (the #1 spirits conglomerate). Such a mega-merger would be similar to the $100 billion deal involving top brewers AB InBev and SABMiller back in 2016.

A List of the Best Wines for Passover

To celebrate the start of Passover in April, U.S.-based Royal Wine Corp. – which owns Kedem Winery and Herzog Wine Cellars – is highlighting the best wines to enjoy during the Seder meal. One of the top picks is a Bordeaux-style blend from Israel. There are also a number of sweet kosher dessert wines.

Rock-and-Roll Great Partners on Launch of New London Gin

Mark Knopfler, the lead singer and lead guitarist for legendary rock band Dire Straits, has partnered with London-based Portobello Road distillery on a new gin flavored with olive oil. Portobello, which is known for the unusual flavors of its gins, has partnered with other celebrities as part of its “Local Heroes” gin series.

California Ghost Winery Embraces the Paranormal on Wine Tours

Flora Springs Winery, one of Napa Valley’s so-called “ghost wineries,” has launched a new type of wine experience: a two-hour tour of its 19th-century building led by a paranormal investigator, followed by a tasting of its wines. These ghost winery tours will take place on a monthly basis throughout the year.

Meet the Best Sommeliers of the Year

Food & Wine has released its annual list of the top sommeliers in the U.S. In cities like New York and Los Angeles, these somms are helping to redefine wine lists across the country by introducing new varietals and new wine regions. They are also launching new wine labels and creating new wine consultancies.

Bordeaux Embraces Environmentally-Friendly Winemaking Techniques

According to the Bordeaux Wine Council, the entire Bordeaux wine region will embrace sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines by 2025. In fact, some appellations within Bordeaux are looking to adopt even stricter rules about environmental sustainability, especially when it comes to the use of chemicals and pesticides.

New Zero-Waste Winery in California At Forefront of Sustainability

One way to improve the sustainability of winemaking is by skipping the bottling process entirely. That’s the approach being used by a new “bottle-less” San Diego-area winery (LJ Crafted Wines) that is encouraging wine drinkers to taste wine straight from the barrel or to take home a growler of their favorite wine.

New Zealand Positions Itself as Leader in Low-Alcohol Wine Category

According to Wine Intelligence, New Zealand could emerge as the top wine nation for low-alcohol wines. One of the country’s pioneers is Pernod Ricard’s wine brand Stoneleigh, which is producing wines that are 25% lower in alcohol (on an ABV basis) than traditional wines, but with the same quality and taste.

France Launches National Campaign to Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Based on an earlier study showing that 25% of its citizens over-consume alcohol, France has launched a new public awareness campaign warning wine drinkers not to consume more than two glasses of wine per night. Currently, wine accounts for 58% of France’s total alcohol consumption.

Using Supercomputers and Smart Sensors to Improve Winemaking

A new research project in Ireland is hoping to harness the power of supercomputers and “smart agriculture” in order to develop better-tasting, cheaper wines around the world. For example, sensors in vineyards could help winemakers to predict unusual or unexpected weather events before they actually happen.

UK Wine Market Still in Uncertainty Over Brexit Outcome

In the UK, 99 percent of all wine is imported, and half of that wine comes from the EU. For that reason, a “no-deal Brexit” could create a huge headache – if not outright chaos – for the UK wine trade. In addition to much higher tariffs, there is the risk of logistical hurdles at British ports.

Vivino Names the 30 Best Wines in the World for 2019

Based on a review of 40 million reviews and over 120 million ratings, Vivino has come up with the winners of this year’s Wine Style Awards. #1 on the list is a 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet from Scarecrow. Two wines each from Tuscany, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Portugal made the Top 10.

Top 10 Restaurant Chains For Great Wines

National steakhouse chains are at the top of a new Wine Spectator ranking of great restaurant wine lists. Top names include The Capital Grille (with 55 locations across the U.S.), Morton’s the Steak House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and The Palm.

New, Unusual and Offbeat Wine Experiences Starting to Gain Momentum

If you want to see the future of wine experiences, head to Los Angeles. There, you’ll find a mobile speakeasy that is a part-wine bar, part-food truck. You’ll encounter “meditastings” that are part-champagne tasting, part-meditation session. And you’ll find wine labs where aspiring winemakers can create their own custom blends.

The Wine Podcast For Women Who Love True Crime Mysteries

Rolling Stone magazine recently profiled the phenomenal success of the “Wine and Crime” podcast, which features a discussion by three women of a true crime that takes place over a bottle of wine. The podcast gets 700,000 downloads a month and has a listener base that is 85 percent women.

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Thank you again for listening to Bevcast. Once again, a quick reminder to enter your wines in the 2019 China Wine Competition, the international wine competition that is organized by Beverage Trade Network in Shanghai that rates wines by Quality, Value, and Package.

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