Archive for the ‘Wine Legal Battles’ Category
Who makes a difference and how do they do it? This has been the primary question that has defined my experience to this point working with Specialty Wine Retailers Association as their executive director. In the course of four short months this organization of progressive wine merchants has found themselves in political and legislative battles in four states. SWRA’s record this year in fighting to open markets for the folk that provide wine to consumers is 1-0-2. Without getting into…
Chateau Bob was created 3 years ago in Vineville when Bob planted his first grape vines. That’s right, it takes a good three years before you get a usable crop from a new vineyard. Yet, Bob has finally produced his first batch of wine: 200 cases of 2004 Chateau Bob “Real Red Wine”. Down the street from Bob is his old friend Pete who owns Pete’s Restaurant. Pete’s been waiting three years for his old friend to make that wine…
Yesterday I had to sit back in my chair for a short moment and reflect on a very interesting moment. I had just been accused by a moderately influential person of being a shill for bootleggers. As I thought about the verbal outburst that I took in a phone call to Illinois I realized that it wasn’t about a point of law as the facts the gentleman mustered were not facts at all but a complete misreading of the law….
The Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA) is opposing Illinois legislation that would prohibit all retailers across the country from shipping wine to consumers in that state. The legislation, HB 429, is expected to be debated in the Illinois legislature late this week. While the legislation has the support of numerous winery associations in California because it maintains winery shipping rights, SWRA believes this kind of anti-competitive legislation hurts the entire wine industry, not to mention Illinois consumers. HB 429 creates…
Here’s a little trick for evaluating the true concerns of an organization associated with wine: compare the things they like to talk about VERSUS those things they DON’T talk about. Take the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers Association as an example. The other day they issued a press release that breathlessly and near hysterically denounced all on-line retailers for the way they sell wine. The organization’s president Craig Wolf said this: "On-line retailers are playing fast and loose with alcohol laws…
