TODAY'S TOP NEWS

• Entertainment Properties Trust Exits Wine Biz, CEO Exits Company
• California Wines Fuel $1.49 Billion in U.S. Wine Exports in 2014
• Port labor deal may be too late for California citrus, almond growers
• Grape harvest contractor ordered to pay farmworkers $163K in back wages
• U.S. Economic Confidence Index Back in Negative Territory
• Water thefts on the rise as supplies become more scarce
• Vandal destroys A$300k of wine in Barossa
• TTB Compliance can be simpler. Here’s how. *Sponsored Link*

• OZ: Grape yield down but growers pleased with quality
• NZ: Early harvest for some wine producers
• South Africa winemakers excited by quality of 2015 harvest
• ON: Essex County wineries hope cold doesn’t hurt rebound year
• Overcoming the Top 10 Objections from Beverage Retailers *Sponsored Link*

• Growers Of Lower End California Winegrapes Face Challenge
• Guy Fieri drops plans for winery outside of Santa Rosa
• Farm exporters try to pick up pieces after port deal
• Craft spirit industry is growing in Paso Robles
• New Vit Advisor for Central Valley

• Is drought the new normal for Southern California?
• O.C. toilet-to-tap recycled water program is expanding
• Drought prompts Santa Barbara to consider firing up desalination plant
• The drought files: Calera edition

• Diageo ‘smart bottle’ thwarts counterfeiters and boosts consumer experience
• Carlsberg and Rexam celebrate sustainable beverage can 'first'

• Email: The Biggest ROI for Wineries

• Barclays brings banking and social media closer with Twitter Payments
• There are still serious questions about mobile money and security that need to be answered

• Happy employees result in happier customers
• New York to raise wages for tipped workers

• Forbes Polls Wine Writer Symposium Attendees For Writing Tips
• Rating The Wall Street Journal Wine Column Redux
• The Billy Collins Writing Challenge: Wine Writers Taking Themselves Seriously (and Making Fun)
• Jerry Lockspeiser reviews the "inspiring" An Unlikely Vineyard by Deidre Heekin

• Wine under $10 sucks. Should we care?
• Two sides to every wine

• A tribute to Brian Agnew
• Excelsior Wines President Marc Goodrich Embraces Change
• Somm Cappie Peete's passion for wine led her to mezcal and more

• BC: Changes at JoieFarm

• WA Wine industry seeks leaders for AgForestry Leadership Program

• Is biodynamic farming the new religion of Italian winemaking?

Cru Bourgeois Gearing Up For U.S. Push

Source: Cru Bourgeois

TODAY'S FEATURED WINE

Becca Yeamans-Irwin's Rating of Santa Julia: Malbec: Mendoza: : 2014: Argentina

2014 Santa Julia Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. Made with organically grown grapes. Fruity, soft tannins, smooth, easy drinking. Would buy again.

 REVIEW POLICY:

For winery tasting samples, gifts from friends or family or samplings at a party or event, review it truthfully, but only if I like it. If I have paid my own very-hard-earned money on a bottle, the gloves are off and it gets what it deserves ... whether perfect or puerile.