TODAY'S TOP NEWS

• Bidding war looms after US$3.15 KKR-Rhone offer For Treasury Scroll down for more.
• Restaurant traffic softened in June
• Drought Brings Earlier Start To California Grape Harvest
• Premium Beer Made From Napa Wine Grapes
• 15 Tips On Securing Distribution: How to Make Your Brand a Winner **Sponsored Link*

• Prop 65 Lawsuit – Where Are We, How Did We Get Here And Where To Now?
• More Useful Wine/Prop 65 Settlement Data Comes To Light.
• Wine Institute’s Dereliction Of Duty On Prop 65 Settlement

• Drought Brings Earlier Start To California Grape Harvest
• Double-digit growth in exports says Franciacorta Consortium panel
• Polar vortex wipes out 2014 Niagara Merlot

• Neighbors appeal Yountville Hill Winery project, cite 'abuse of discretion'
• Robo-Bees being built to pollinate crops
• 23rd Annual Wine Industry Financial Symposium Detailed
• Groups Challenge Approval Of Neonicotinoid Insecticide
• Five Hot Ideas To Grow Your Tasting Room Traffic *Sponsored Link*

• EU NumbNuts Ban London Cru from putting vintage and variety on labels

• Trademark: Cheval Blanc v. Cheval Blanc
• Wine in America: Law and Policy *Sponsored Link*

• California Sparkling Wine Sneaks Up on Champagne
• Strippers, Priests and Non-Alcoholic Wine
• 73 Smartphone and Tablet Facts Every Marketer Needs
• Rock The Wine!
• Insights From One Of China's Largest Wine Importers **Sponsored Link*

• Wine brand heritage doesn’t matter: Glossing the Rex Goliath effect
• Why wineries change their label design
• Wine Brands: Success Strategies for New Markets, New Consumers and New Trends *Sponsored Link*

• Debating Diam
• Broadland Wineries to bottle wines in Singlz
• Origin Wine introduces the Stormhoek Stack to the UK
• The Art and Design of Contemporary Wine Labels*Sponsored Link*

• Sixth Bulk Wine fair ‘most ambitious’ yet
• Interview: Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise
• Trade Show & Event Marketing *Sponsored Link*

• Columbia Crest First Crowdsource Wine from Vineyard to Table
• Pitch deck: How Snapchat is selling itself to marketers
• Wine Spotting Selfies – Narcissism or Simply Sharing?
• Mobile user acquisition is still a hard slog.
• Virtual Unreality: Just Because the Internet Told You, How Do You Know It’s True? *Sponsored Link*

• Reputation Management – PR 101
• Wine Marketing & Sales, 2nd Edition *Sponsored Link*

• Zelma Long — From The Oregon Trail To The Tip of Africa
• Hippie to Librarian to Winemaker: The Rasmussen Story
• Questioning the IMW
• Touring the Willamette Valley with Jamie Goode + Jr
• A day in coastal California’s micro-climates
• Navigating a New World of Wine Diversity

• Scientists use grape chemistry to forecast wine flavour
• How specific scents are identified decoded
• Taste Buds and Molecules: The Art and Science of Food, Wine, and Flavor *Sponsored Link*

• Irrigation project driving Red Mountain expansion plans
• Beyond Jefferson's Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia *Sponsored Link*

• Regulated Deficit Irrigation – Part II
• “Fit-for-purpose” yeast from the Aussies
• Understanding Vineyard Soils *Sponsored Link*

• Waitrose warns of lower profits but still shows growth

• Piattelli Vineyards Expands Argentina Wine Business Into Global Markets
• The Vineyard at the End of the World: Maverick Winemakers and the Rebirth of Malbec *Sponsored Link*

• Deep-fried alcohol proves a hit
• Zoom: How Everything Moves: From Atoms and Galaxies to Blizzards and Bees *Sponsored Link*

• Non-GMO Beer
• The Craft Beer Revolution

While creating this issue, I liked this song best: Fire and Rain By James Taylor - Dedicated to this week's California weather.