For more than a decade now, I’ve concerned myself with how wine gets into the hands of consumers. This concern has led me to be involved in and to comment on numerous issues that impact not merely the wine trade, but how consumers access the wines they want. In some cases I’ve acted as an advocate for members of the wine trade who have a real interest in how they may legally interact with consumers who want to use their services (see the National Association of Wine Retailers).

In this time, the most valuable lesson I’ve learned is this:

Where the practice of making the laws and regulations concerning consumer access to wine is concerned, wine consumers have no voice in the process. Furthermore, this should be of no surprise since wine consumers have no advocate; no place at the table; no one speaking on their behalf. They are voiceless, and therefore powerless.

The impact of this situation are the myriad laws and regulations across the country and in state after state that completely disregard the interests of wine consumers. Bans on winery shipping to consumers. Arbitrary bans on how much wine a consumer may purchase from wineries. Complete bans on the consumer’s ability to have imported wines shipped to them from out-of-state sources. The inability of consumers to purchase wine while doing their grocery shopping. Protectionist laws preventing wine consumers from shipping wine to their own family members across state lines. Bans on purchasing wine on certain days of the week. And consumers being forced to put up with government agencies controlling which wines they may purchase.

The list of anti-wine consumer laws on the books goes on and on and a key reason this situation exists is because wine consumers are not consulted when laws are made..

Today a new voice for wine consumers is founded:

THE AMERICAN WINE CONSUMER COALITION.

The AWCC is a membership based organization. Members, who pay $35 per year to join, have a stake in the Coalition’s actions. It is an organization funded by wine consumers for wine consumers. The AWCC is a voice for wine consumers with wine consumers interests at its heart. Not the interests of wineries, retailers, restaurants, wholesalers nort regulators. The AWCC is about Wine Consumers.

As I alluded to in a previous post, many elements of the wine industry possess interests— political and economic and philosophical—that are directly aligned with the interests of consumers. There is every expectations that enlightened members of the wine trade will support the American Wine Consumer Coalition. But they will also know that the AWCC is created for wine consumers.

What will the AWCC do?

• Lobby in the states and at the federal level for the rights of wine consumers
• Educate wine regulators about the real interests of wine consumers
• Inform the media of the interests of wine consumers
• Produce wine-related events for members
• Educate members and non-members alike on the politics behind wine
• Support other organizations willing to advance the rights of wine consumers
• Support members’ interest in wine with valuable benefits
• Give members discounts on real wine-related services, media and products.

At $35 per year for membership, wine consumers can help create a powerful voice for their interests for the cost of a good bottle of wine.

As a founder of the American Wine Consumer Coalition, as a member of its Board of Directors and as someone who has tried to provide my readers with insights on the political conditions of wine consumers for the past 9 years, I am asking all my readers to do the following:

1. Please join and support the American Wine Consumer Coalition
2. Please publicly give your endorsement to the AWCC
3. Please spread the word on social media about the new AWCC
4. Please consider writing and reporting on AWCC if you have a media outlet
5. Join the AWCC Facebook Page
6. Follow AWCC on Twitter
7. Proudly place an AWCC Members Badge on our digital outlets

Every movement has a start and it is finally time for wine consumers to start looking out for themselves and giving their concerns and interests a voice. Consumers of other goods and services figured this out a long time ago be they consumers of cars, health insurance, firearms, organic foods, medical services, credit, travel services, utilities, technology, RVs, housing and rental properties and many other commodities and services.

Why not wine consumers?

Join the AWCC. Give your peers and colleagues a voice. Tell your friends, followers and families about the AWCC. Give consumers a chance for a real seat at the table. It’s taken a while. But the chance for this now exists.

The post Your American Wine Consumer Coalition appeared first on Fermentation.

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 “Good-But-Not-Too-Good” theory of alcohol control.

The anecdotal evidence for this theory is sound. Just think back to your days in college or your days as a teenager when you first stated to experiment with alcohol. What did you and your peers drink. Chances are something like “Jack and Coke” or some other sugary concoction was the go-to drink for you and your friends. Additionally, note that among the young, something fairly easy to get down like beer is far more popular among young drinkers than the harsher more bitter wine. These days, mixing Red Bull and other sugary concoctions with alcohol is another example of a popular drink that allows consumption of alcohol without having to actually taste much of the alcohol.

A perfect example of the concern that if alcohol is too palatable it will appeal too much to youth is the case of the “Jello Shot” and currently, the issue of whether or not such a unique alcohol delivery vehicle ought to be legally sold is playing out in Ohio.

Ohio currently has a law on its books that states the sale of food and confections containing intoxicating liquor of more than one-half of 1 percent alcohol by volume is illegal. But there is a proposal in the proposed budget now under consideration to allow the sale of solid food products that are produced by mixing any type of whiskey, neutral spirits, brandy, gin, or other distilled spirits with water, juice, or other flavorings and that contain between one-half percent and 21 percent of alcohol by volume.

As you might imagine, some very concerned citizens believe allowing such a thing is the end of the world:

According to a story in the Columbus Dispatch “the Columbus chapter of the Drug-Free Action Alliance opposes the budget provision, arguing that it would ‘legalize and legitimize’ products generally unavailable in Ohio that appeal to young people.”

Says Marcie Seidel, the executive director of the Columbus chapter of the Drug-Free Action Alliance, “When you insert language like this, it opens Pandora’s box for food items that are very enticing to kids and can be confusing to parents. People think there is money to be made on this.”

The thing is, the cat is already well out of the sack where jello shots and other yummy alcohol-concoctions are concerned. In fact, in Ohio it is legal to sell Jello shots in bars and one can legally mix up a batch in the home. However, it’s illegal to sell these types of things in stores.

The corollary to the “not-too-yummy” form of alcohol control is the “not-too-fun-or-funny” form of alcohol control that many states have adopted. In this form of alcohol control it is generally the principle that if the marketing of an alcohol product tends to appeal to a youthful mind (think a cartoon character peddling vodka) it too is an illegal act or highly discouraged.

I recently saw a recipe in a well-known food magazine for how to prepare a Mojito Popsicle. “Damn,” I thought. What a brilliant idea for a summer pool party. Plus, the visuals of a bunch of adults walking around a pool in Hawaiian shirts and shorts with sunglasses, sucking on alcohol laden popsicles made me grin. Then I thought, “Wow, what an interesting new product to sell”. Then I thought, “wait, how do I convince grocery stores to install freezers in the alcohol section?” Then I wondered, just how many of these things would sell if you put them in the section of the freezer where bagged ice cubes are sold and where people go to pick up some ice to fill their coolers when heading to the beach or boat or backyard summer party.

Then I thought of children! The dear children.

The post Alcohol—So Yummy It Ought To Be Banned appeared first on Fermentation.

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 that press the interests of distributors of wine.

The wine consumers. They have…..themselves and nothing else. That is to say, if you want to understand why there are so many laws and regulations that seem to completely ignore the interests of consumers, take note of the fact that there is no organization that represents the interests of consumers.

It is interesting to note that in almost every case the interests of wineries and retailers align quite closely with those of consumers. Yet still, in state after state consumers are still prohibited from having wine shipped to them from wineries or prohibited to have any imported wines shipped to them or prohibited from buying a bottle of wine at the grocery store or prohibited from buying wine on a Sunday or prohibited from bringing a bottle of wine into a restaurant.

One of the ways this disparity in representation plays out is by noting just how rare it is for any wine consumer, let alone their representatives, to testify at hearings when bills impacting consumer access to wine are in play in state legislatures. I’ve personally testified in numerous states on behalf of the National Association of Wine Retailers (formerly the Specialty Wine Retailers Association) and in all that time, with one exception, can I recall a single consumer or consumer organization testifying in support of consumer rights.

When a national wine consumer rights organization does launch, and it will, one would expect and hope that those members of the trade who have an interest, financial and philosophical, in seeing consumer wine laws liberalized will support consumers. That support ought to be financial, logistical, philosophical and moral.

The post Wine Industry: Know Your Friends. appeared first on Fermentation.

In other news, the French rest comfortably knowing their Maginot Line will protect them from a military invasion by the Germans.

Have experienced French culture through my former marriage to a French woman, by visiting France on numerous occasions and by having watched how the French have responded legally and voluntarily to other absurd restrictions placed upon them by those who know better, I will not be surprised when this proposed restriction on speech and press and wine is adopted and put into effect. C’est La Vie (en France)!!

However, this absurdly stupid proposal made me think and imagine what I would do if such a law restricting the reporting on wine in blogs were  passed in America. Would I say engage in classic civil disobedience, ignore the law, write about how yummy wine is and take the consequences (likely a fine)? Would I close down Fermentation in respect for the law? Would I try to be clever and skirt the law in order to keep publishing?

One of the keys to a happy life, I’ve learned, is to pick your battles carefully, whether we are talking about our personal lives or politics or careers. You simply can’t fight every occurrence of what strikes you as an affront. It leads to too much disappointment and resentment by others that becomes a threat to your well-being.

But it leaves the questions, by what criteria do we determine what one chooses to battle against. Most often it’s a matter of understanding the core principles one holds and uses to guide their lives and the need to defend against actions that threaten ones livelihood.

So to answer the question as to what I would do, I honestly can say I don’t know. I might just close down this blog and issue a sincere “Fuck You” to those who succeeded in their effort to restrict my most basic freedoms. But I really don’t know. It’s one of those things that is difficult to address until you are staring it in the face.

Today, the French are staring in the face. I wish them good luck in mustering an appropriate understanding of their core principles…whatever those might be these days.

The post Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Wine appeared first on Fermentation.

By this, Joe simply means it’s much easier to get the attention of potential readers if your authority and wine writing revolves around a specific subject within the wine niche, rather than trying to publish information that broadly falls under the larger subject heading of “Wine”. In other words, the writer looking to gain an audience for his wine thoughts and ideas is more likely to achieve a larger audience by writing regularly and authoritatively on “Zinfandel”, than just on “wine”.

I’ve heard this advice before. I’ve been in seminars where this advice is given. I’ve given this advice myself. But what you rarely hear is advice on exactly what niche wine subject is ripe for owning by a smart, new writer dreaming of success as an author or blogger. What you don’t hear is someone pointing out a subject area that has largely been ignored, but that is also ripe for extensive examination and exploration because it’s a fairly large niche. Identifying that kind of subject matter would be a gift to the wine loving writer that wants to make their mark.

This is what I’m going to do right now.

SWEET WINES

As far as I can tell, there is no wine blog, no online website, no wine competition and no book published in the past 25 years that focuses entirely on the world of SWEET WINES. Now, you may say, “Tom, there is a fine reason for that….no one cares about sweet wines, so no one will read about them.” You may be right. However, you aren’t.

Nearly every wine region in the world produces sweet wines. Many regions have their own special type of sweet wine in which they specialize. Sweet wines are made from numerous types of varieties. Sweet wines can be and are served and drunk with savory and sweet dishes. The ways by which sweet wines are produced vary tremendously. Some of the most famous wines in the world are sweet. Many sweet wines age and improve for years on end. Nearly every set menu ever created that pairs wine with food includes a sweet wine. Every wine list includes a Sweet Wine section.

As for myself, If I were inclined to write about wine for the benefit of drinkers, wine lovers and consumers, I would immediately dive into the world of sweet wines. I would review every sweet wine in the world. I would do vertical tastings of older sweet wines. I would write about special sweet wines from specific regions. I would examine the way sweet wines impact the palate. I would look at specific food and sweet wine pairings. I don’t think I would ever run out of material. Plus, I love sweet wine.

So, for those inclined to follow Joe Robert’s excellent advice, here is your gift from me: A wine related subject area of great importance that is yet, remarkably, untapped and ready to be exploited. And here’s the thing. If someone starts just such a publishing venture dedicated to sweet wine, you’ll have me as your first reader and I’ll be the first person to publicize the new Sweet Wine Website right here at Fermentation.

The post The Secret To Wine Writing Success Revealed appeared first on Fermentation.

The format was the same. Bring together “wine bloggers” in a wine region to discover that region, learn about wines from other parts of the world, explore their wine writing avocation amongst their peers and strengthen the camaraderie of the group. It turns out my trepidation was without merit. It was a very successful conference for me despite nearly coughing up my lungs with a nasty bout of the flu. I learned a lot this weekend.

1. Modern Greek Vin Santo is an amazing wine and should be discovered by all wine lovers.

2. Lungs can’t actually be “coughed up”, but you can exercise and tighten up your stomach muscles in the process of discovering it’s not possible.

3. Penticton, British Columbia really is a “must visit” for serious wine lovers, and its “Penticton Lakeside Resort” was the most beautiful venue yet for a Wine Bloggers Conference.

4. It would do all wine bloggers good to focus equally as much on the quality of their writing as on the extent of their wine knowledge.

5. You can gain great insight into the historical culture of Napa Valley by reading America’s great writers of the South.

6. The liquor law of British Columbia are insanely anti-consumer and terribly protectionist. The citizens of this province deserve much better and BC wine bloggers should lead the charge to change the laws.

7. The Canadians make world-class wines, but their greatest wine accomplishment remains their magnificent Ice Wines.

8. There are wines coming out of Argentina called “Hand of God” that are very important.

9. The term “blogger” will more and more come to take on a pejorative meaning in the next few years as it continues to be the term associated with an amateur who should be taken lightly.

10. Say what you will about wine flacks, but the veteran wine publicists are among the most well-rounded and grounded, most perceptive an smartest people in the wine industry.

The post Top 10 Things I learned at the Wine Bloggers Conference appeared first on Fermentation.

Winemaker Matt Dees and his colleagues at Goodland Wines in Santa Barbara, California have chosen to take a remarkable step: They have decided to purposely confuse the wine consumer in order to try to enlighten them. It’s a peculiar approach to education of which I am not completely familiar.

Here’s what’s happening: At Goodland Wines, individual bottlings don’t carry the name of the varietal. They only carry the name of the AVA or “appellation” from which the grapes were grown that went into making the wine.

According to an outstanding article by Evan Dawson at Palate Press (so many outstanding articles at that site!), the reasoning for the varietal-less labeling goes like this:

“Goodland Wines was born out of Dees’ desire to focus on what Santa Barbara County does best in each appellation. Instead of following the garish American trend of prioritizing a wine producer’s name, or the name of the grape varieties, Dees wants the appellation to stand out. It’s the old European model; think of a bottle of Morgon, or Cornas, or Volnay.”

Dawson goes on to write:

“Customers won’t necessarily know what grapes are used to make the Goodland wines, but the Goodland team believes that will spark conversation and debate.”

I think confusion will be sparked before debate.

If a label is meant to convey information about a product then consider this: no piece of information on a label tells the consumer more about what the bottled wine will taste like than the varietal. Not appellation. Not Vintage. Varietal. To put it another way, A single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from California will taste much more like a generic French Cabernet than a Pinot Noir from the same single vineyard in California. That is the power of the varietal and the deficiency of relying on “place” if your goal is to inform the consumer.

But what’s equally important about the Goodland Wines project is that it is an exercise in promoting a specific match of varietal to AVA. By choosing, for example, to put Pinot Noir in their “Sta. Rita Hills” wine and by choosing to put Sauvignon Blanc in their “Happy Canyons AVA” bottling the winery is saying that these varietals do the best job of depicting what the specific AVAs have to give to wine.

Besides the confusion that the Goodland Wines approach delivers, the other problem is that Santa Barbara County is not France. In France, there are strict rules as to which grapes may be used when calling a wine “Pomorol” or “Volnay” or “Morgon”. When you obtain a rudimentary education of French wines you learn that a Morgon tastes like Morgon because it’s produced with the Gamay grape. It’s not much different from getting a California wine education and learning that Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like Cabernet Sauvignon because only Cabernet Sauvignon can be used to make Cabernet Sauvignon.

However, unlike in France, there are no laws that say what grapes can make up a “Sta. Rita Hills” red or a “Happy Canyon White. Confusion!

On this issue of regionality, author Dawson in the Palate Press piece quotes Winemaker Dees:

“We are trying to begin the conversation about regional typicity, recognition, and the future of AVAs in this young country of ours. We’re not shooting to make enemies. We’ll be the first to admit that it will likely be a moving target — and it should be, as we continue to learn about these young regions and vineyards.”

Dees should know better. The conversation about regional typicity, recognition and the future of AVAs began a long time ago and in every significant winegrowing region in California. We’ve been talking about terroir for decades. And that includes in the Sta. Rita Hills. So, one has to wonder what question Dees is trying to pose in his AVA labeling and in forgoing varietal labeling?

The thing is this, here in California if you want to use wine to expose the meaning of terroir, the best way to do it is not by placing emphasis on an appellation. Our appellations are primarily marketing vehicles and only rarely are drawn to encompass an area that has a very well-defined set of growing characteristics or “terroir”. If you want to put terroir on display then your best bet is to focus on a single vineyard. This is where terroir and its impact on wine can really shine and educate.

But the fact is, the good folks at Goodland Wines really won’t be educating many people with their unique approach to labeling. The overwhelming and vast majority of American wine drinkers are completely unconcerned about the characteristics an AVA lends to a wine. They are instead concerned about how much liquid they can get for their money, whether the wine is red or white, whether the wine is appropriately sweet for their palate and, perhaps, whether or not they recognize the varietal on the label.

The number of wine drinkers that are interested in the philosophy and questions behind labeling a California wine by its appellation and without any reference to varietal might appropriately be called the “one percent”. And it should be noted that currently the Goodland Wines are made in miniscule amounts; reportedly no more than a couple of barrels of each wine. The debate about this approach will have to take place largely among those that have not tasted the wines.

The post Marketing Confusion: AVAs and the Question of Terroir appeared first on Fermentation.

There is significant disagreement over whether this expansion should take place. Most vineyard and winery owners inside the Sta. Rita Hills AVA oppose the expansion. Clearly, the grower outside the AVA, who submitted the expansion petition, supports it.

You can read more about it all here.

The question on the table is: Is this AVA Expansion justified?

There really are only two ways of looking at this.

1. AVA Integrity Approach
If you believe the AVA system is one that is meant to give consumers information about the character of a wine based on the AVA on the bottle, then very great care should be taken in drawing AVA boundary lines. This care should be taken at the time the lines are originally drawn and, after the AVA is established and has a reputation, the lines should be altered to include new land only under extraordinary circumstances. The priority is the maintenance of an AVA that can continue to deliver grapes that are made into wine of a particular character reflective of the area.

2. The Cynical Approach
If you believe AVAs are primarily marketing vehicles that, under the guise of giving consumers key information about the character of wines made from grapes grown inside the AVA, really are just brands and promotional words, then every effort should be made to expand the AVA’s territory in order to grow more grapes to make more wines to carry the brand name.

The post Sta. Rita Hills Wines: A Question of Integrity or Cynicism appeared first on Fermentation.

In what is described as their infinite wisdom, they would indeed have good reason to ask of me this kind of question. My best defense would be, “well, sorry about that, I just have question. But, rest assured, I’ve read your books and do find a great deal in them to recommend. So there’s that.”

When pressed on just what I’ve found to recommend despite avoiding submission, I’d probably point to Ephesians 5:21, which begins with ” be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

This biblical passage is understood as a recipe for how husbands and wives ought to relate to one another. It’s controversial to the most reformed Christians as the passage goes on later to suggest that the wife submit to the husband. However, the very basic idea that we all ought to be subject to one another provides particular lessons for the winery and the wine club member that I think, if understood and taken to heart, can lead to a better relationship overall—and at its center, that is exactly what a winery and its wine club members possess together: A relationship.

No winery/customer relationship is more intimate than that of the producer and his wine club member.  The wine club member has put their faith and funds in the winery, committing to them, as it were. Meanwhile, there is every expectation by the wine club member that the winery will think first about them and in essence commit the winery to the well-being of the wine club member.  There is a partnership here that if forgotten or broken by either party leads to disappointment, anxiousness, and regret. The winery and the wine club member can avoid this by keeping present in mind the idea that they be subject to one another.

For the winery, this must indeed mean first and foremost that the wine club member remain always at the front of the line. The winery has promised an intimate relationship. They’ve promised a return on the member’s investment in time, energy, money and attention. It means knowing them. Knowing what they want and like. Treating them as the intimate they are when they visit. Assuring them that they among all others are the first to know what changes, events, notoriety, or alterations arise at the winery. It means treating them as partners. This is only accomplished if the winery keeps the happiness of the wine club members in mind at every turn.

But there are responsibilities wine club members also possess by virtue of entering into the fold of the club. To put it another way, the customer is not always right. Or, a partnership requires equality.

Anyone who manages a tasting room or a wine club is familiar with the club member that makes demands beyond what they have either earned via membership or deserve. Greater discounts. Non-promised complimentary use of winery facilities. Bringing more than the allotted friends to a club event. Demanding access to more wine than they are entitled. Many club managers will give in to these demands without recognizing that by doing so, they harm the integrity of the entire club as well as the partnership they have established with their other club members. It is important that when a club members attempts to abuse their place in the partnership, they are told “no” and reminded of the terms of the partnership; that if the terms are altered for them, they must be altered for everyone.

“Be Subject To One Another”

While on one level this is a Godly admonition that husbands and wives treat one another with due respect, it is also a recipe for the partnership that is the winery and the wine club member that if followed, will result in loyalty aimed at both parties. It is the foundation of a well run partnership and a well run wine club.

The post God and the Nature of the Wine Club appeared first on Fermentation.

Up on the big screen we watch a scene in a movie where two parents sit at their kitchen table and discuss the dilemma of whether or not to purchase and move into a home that is said by many to be haunted. It’s a beautiful 100 year-old home in the New Hampshire countryside, away from the bustle and distractions of their current big city home, a perfect location in which to raise their son and daughter. They can afford it. But the transition to country life, not to mention the whole “ghost” thing is a bit off-putting.

As they discuss their options a meal of Chinese delivery, they sip on a glass of wine that, by the looks of the bottle on the table is a well-known California brand.

There is no violence in this movie. No nudity. It’s a comic drama about a family trying to get a hold of their life, but hindered by the demands of country life and a ghost or two.

This movie must be rated R some say because there is a depiction of alcohol being consumed.

This is the conclusion of some based on a new study now being reported on widely and recently published in JAMA Pediatrics that shows that between 1996 and 2009, the amount of time depicting drinking in the movies and the number of alcohol brands depicted in movies has increased. Meanwhile, instances of smoking has decreased, particularly since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco companies and U.S. states that successfully stopped the tobacco industry from paying for its products to be shown on-screen.

David Jennigan, head of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth responded to these findings this way:

“These results are of great concern. In movie reality, it seems like every occasion is right for a drink…This whole conversation is about normalization of alcohol use. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the message that drinking is everywhere….The notorious thing you find in movies and in TV is heavy drinking without consequences,” Jernigan said. “It leaves it up to parents to tell the consequences story.”

The problem here is that neither Mr. Jernigan nor the actual study provides us with any context where alcohol in film or its alleged impact on youth is concerned. Is the scene of the movie couple I describe above equally able to influence youth to drink as a scene in which 17 year-olds go on a booze-fueled joy ride in a parents car and land up happily at home afterwards?

The fact is, there is no evidence that suggests that alcohol depiction in films do anything to influence youths to drink. Still, for some the very existence of alcohol in films is bad. Very bad. What worries me and should worry others is the conclusion drawn by Brett Smith writing about this study for RedOrbit:

“Because the risk for developing a serious drinking problem increases the earlier an individual starts consuming alcohol, the establishment of a cause-and-effect relationship between alcohol in movies and teens could have major implications. Even if that relationship is never established, concern over the welfare of teens could drive a similar agreement to the MSA or set of restrictions that limit the depictions of alcohol on film since self-regulation of the industry appears to be having the reverse effect.”

The authors of the new study, a team associated with the Norris-Cotton Cancer Center, had some suggestions regarding alcohol and film:

• Movies receive ratings of R if they “depict drinking in contexts that could increase curiosity or acceptability of unsafe drinking.”

• No product placement money should be permitted for movies rated for a youth audience and that paid product placement and names of movies and television shows with such should be reported for transparency.

If possible, I’d like to be on the panel that determines what kind of scenes might “increase curiosity” of drinking. Certainly the film “Bottle Shock” about the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting would have to now be rated R, wouldn’t it? So would “Parent Trap”, “A Walk in the Clouds” and “French Kiss”.

The demonizing of alcohol has continued unabated since the end of Prohibition in 1933. Yet, because of how it is used, wine tends not to come in for as much demonizing as spirits and beer. Yet, when regulations on alcohol’s used are contemplated, there is usually no acknowledgement of the difference in the way wine is used. If this or future studies do in fact lead to actual regulation or calls for regulation, the wine industry and wine drinkers should fight hard against it. For now, perhaps there is no worry. It’s only a matter of the ground work being laid. But after that….folks like Mr. Jernigan may just get his way.

The post A Bid To Regulate Wine Out of the Movies appeared first on Fermentation.