Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/40615
SPOTLIGHT INDUSTRY NEWS New Websites Detail Sustainable Ag Grants The Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program's new websites provide grant infor- mation, videos, books, online courses, event calendars, research and more through one national site (www.sare.org) and four regional sites. All are mobile-device-friendly. Report Spotlights Wholesaler Campaign Contributions A recently released report from the Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA) in Sacramen- to, Calif., shows that wine whole- salers spent more than $82 million on state and federal campaign con- tributions and federal lobbying from 2006 through 2010. The report, entitled "Toward Liquor Domination," asserts that wholesalers have made the expen- ditures "to retain their influence in state capitals and in Washington, D.C., and to assure policies spe- cifically protecting the wholesaler from competition are retained and advanced." The 17-page report is available at www.specialtywinere- tailers.org/documents.html. 31st Auction Napa Valley Raises $7.3 million For the first time in its 31-year history, rain fell on the main event of Auction Napa Valley, held at Meadowood Napa Valley in St. Hel- ena. In spite of the weather, the event garnered $7.3 million in auc- tion revenue for regional charities. The auction also made history by 74 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT SEPT - OCT 2011 exceeding a $100 million milestone in supporting non-profit programs in Napa County. Texas Ag Department Launches Wine Campaign "Go Texan or Go Thirsty" is the new program launched by the Texas Department of Agricul- ture to promote local restaurants and retailers that carry Texas wines. As part of the program, a new websi te l ists restau- rants that serve Texas wines and contains resources for restaurants interested in adding Texas wines to their lists. For details, go to www. gotexanwine.org. Vinexpo Draws Asian Attendance Vinexpo, the biannual trade fair held in Bordeaux this past June, drew some 48,000 wine and spir- its professionals. For the first time, Asian buyers comprised one-third of all foreign visitors. While most attendees came from France, China ranked No. 1 among foreign par- ticipants, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom. Mexican-American Vintners Launch Association Mexican-American vintners and wine industry leaders have united to launch the non-profit Napa Val- ley Mexican-American Vintners Association (NVMAVA). Its mission is to promote Napa and Sonoma county wines produced by Mexi- can-American vintners, to advocate quality standards for its members, and promote the contributions of Mexican-Americans to the wine Nick Frey Named Unified Symposium Program Chair Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Com- mission, has been named chair of the 2012 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Program Develop- ment Committee. The 2012 Uni- fied Symposium will take place at the Sacramento Convention Center Jan. 24-26, 2012. For more infor- mation, go to www.unifiedsympo- sium.org. Mark Feinberg Joins Ascentia Mark Feinberg has been appointed vice president of market- ing for Ascentia brands in Healds- burg, Calif. Previously, Feinberg led marketing efforts for White Rocket Wine Company and Centerra. Most recently, he served as mar- keting vice president for Vintage Wine Estates in Santa Rosa, Calif. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM industry. For details, visit www. nvmava.org. Brock Spearheads Climate Change Research Canada's Government of Ontario has invested $2.86 million in a team of scientists charged with researching how climate change is impacting Ontario's grape and wine industry. Brock University profes- sor Gary Pickering will leads team of 19 researchers. The monies come from the Ontario Research Fund and are part of a larger investment that will support 248 researchers across the province. PEOPLE IN THE NEWS