ALCOHOL CAN BE YUMMY, BUT IT SHOULDN’T BE SO YUMMY AS TO BE TOO EASY TO CONSUME…FOR THE CHILDREN. One of the bedrock principles of alcohol regulation in the United States is that alcohol ought not be sold in a form that makes it too yummy when consumed. If alcohol is too yummy, its harsher and more bitter qualities mitigated too much by some sort of enticing (often sweet) delivery vehicle, it may be too attractive to young palates. It’s…

THE POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL INTERESTS OF THE WINE TRADE ARE NEARLY IDENTICALLY ALIGNED WITH THE POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL INTERESTS OF CONSUMERS. The wineries have Wine America, The Wine Institute and numerous other advocacy groups to look out for their interests. The retailers have the National Association of Wine Retailers, American Beverage Licensees and numerous other state-based organizations to look out for their interests. The Wholesalers have the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Association as well as numerous state based wholesaler organizations…

Public voting in the seventh annual Wine Blog Awards is now open. You can head to the Wine Blog Awards page and cast your vote in nine categories to help determine who are to be honored this year as the top wine bloggers. And I think you should and I hope you will. The winners will be announced at the upcoming Wine Bloggers Conference in Penticton, Britsh Columbia on June 8th. I get excited about the Wine Blog Awards each…

THIS CONVERSATION GAVE ME PAUSE: THEM: Does it ever bother you that what you do for a living is pretty inconsequential? ME: What do you mean? Public relations for wine. Promoting the drinking of wine and blogging about wine. Inconsequential? My clients don’t think so. Some of my Fermentation readers don’t think what I write is inconsequential. I don’t mean you don’t accomplish anything. Of course you do. It’s just that the consequences of selling wine and wine blogging don’t…