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14 W i n e s & V i n e s J U LY 2 0 1 4 J U L Y N E W S Top Stories The month in perspective SVB report: 10.5% of wineries likely to sell The owners of nearly 525 West Coast wineries expect to sell their businesses during the next five years, according to results from a survey conducted by Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The figure accounts for 10.5% of wineries in the region, and the tally is even higher among wineries in Washington state. Winer- ies producing between 10,000 and 25,000 cases per year are the most likely to change hands, SVB says. Treasury snubs $3.05 billion bid Treasury Wine Estates rejected a U.S. private equity firm's bid to assume responsibility for the Aus- tralian wine company. The firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, offered $4.70 per share, placing the value of TWE at $3.05 billion. Treasury's North American properties include 9 million-case Beringer Vineyards, Chateau St. Jean Winery and others. Kenwood Vineyards sells winery French wine and spirits firm Per- nod Ricard, owner of Mumm Napa Valley, recently purchased Kenwood Vineyards in California's Sonoma Valley. The acquisition includes the 550,000-case winery, visitor's cen- ter and vineyards previously owned by F. Korbel & Bros. Packaging innovations on display The Wines & Vines Packaging Con- ference on Aug. 20 in Napa, Calif., will present the latest technical in- novations in packaging to winery personnel. Conference sessions will include Connecting the Dots Between Packaging and Sales, Effects of Closure Type on Wine Quality and Shelf Life, Advances in Labels and Screen Printing, The Importance of Tamper-Evident Packaging and others. The daylong event in the former Copia build- ing includes breakfast, lunch, a focused trade show and keg wine reception. To register, visit wines- andvines.com/events/wvpack. State curtails water in California's Central Valley Officials from the California State Water Resources Control Board be- tween May 28 and May 30 ordered more than 4,200 users from the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds to stop drawing and diverting water from tributaries in- cluding streams, rivers and creeks. The water board is expected to fur- ther limit the rights of junior water rights holders through July. 2014 harvest down in Southern Hemisphere Early reports from winegrowing areas in the Southern Hemisphere indicate the 2014 harvest is down by 10%, according to the Inter- national Organisation of Vine and Wine. The group's director general Jean-Marie Aurand also announced that global wine consumption is down slightly. Michael Mondavi sells Carneros winery Kieu Hoang Winery Napa Valley pur- chased the winery facility, vineyard and tasting room previously owned by the Michael Mondavi family. The deal included 13 acres of vineyard adjacent to the winery in the Carne- ros District of Napa Valley; none of the other family-owned vineyard properties or brands were included in the sale. British Columbia sets record with 2013 harvest The 2013 wine grape harvest set a new record in British Columbia, ac- cording to BDO's British Columbia Wine Grape Crop Report released in late May. Total yields reached 31,383 tons (an increase of 15% compared to 2012), as estimated value climbed 17%. According to Wines Vines Analytics, British Co- lumbia is home to 256 wineries. Historic Vineyard Society honors Chalone California's Historic Vineyard So- ciety recognized Chalone Vineyard in Monterey County as an heirloom vineyard, saying it is home to the oldest estate Chenin Blanc vines that still produce wines. In order to qualify for recognition by the soci- ety, at least one-third of vines must date to the original planting (1919 in the case of Chalone). Auction Napa Valley raises $18.7 million The Napa Valley Vintners set an- other record at the 2014 Auction Napa Valley fundraiser, raising $18.7 million. The previous record, $16.9 million, was set in 2013. Fifty live auction lots generated more than $12.65 million for com- munity health and nonprofit chil- dren's education during the June 7 live auction at Meadowood. Immigration reform advocates pushing the U.S. House of Represen- tatives to reach a compromise this summer are missing a crucial piece of information, according to an expert in agricultural economics. As the average income and education level rises in Mexico, fewer workers are interested in coming to the United States to take jobs doing farm labor, forcing U.S. farmers to change how they do business. See page 15. Inspectors from the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's office identified glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) eggs during a routine inspection of crape myrtle trees sent to Northern California by a nursery in San Diego County, Calif. GWSS is a primary vector for Pierce's disease, which is fatal for grapevines and was responsible for wiping out hundreds of acres planted to grapes during the late 1990s. Inspectors in four other California counties discovered evidence of GWSS on deliveries shipped from the same plant broker. See page 16. GWSS eggs were discovered in five California counties. LAtest NeWs More detail on the news at: winesandvines.com Michael Mondavi Family Estate is looking for property on the Napa Valley floor after selling its winery (above) to Kieu Hoang Winery Napa Valley. KEN PEEK/ALAMEDA COUNTy DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE