Nov 8, 2007
I bet there was a time when the White House, under no circumstances, would have served a California wine at a State dinner for a visiting leader from Europe. That time would have been long ago, but nonetheless I’ll bet there was a time. And the reason is probably the same that explains how Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius could have been led to make this comment about her state’s wine: You should be thankful we don’t make wine in Kansas….
Nov 6, 2007
“Wine doesn’t submit very happily to scores, but I realize people making buying decisions are in a hurry … We live in a very impatient age.” "A Very Impatient Age"! This is Jancis Robinson, the English wine scribe, explaining the factor that provoked her to use scores on reviews of wine on her subscription website, Jancisrobinson.com. This explanation of her giving in to scores came in an article and interview with her by Appellation America’s Alan Goldfarb. The bulk of…
Nov 5, 2007
It was only a matter of time before someone wrote the book on Wine & Politics; on the political machinations that help determine who will make money on wine by controlling how it is made, how it it sold and how it is consumed. The only question was who would write. That would be Dr. Vino. Not scheduled to hit the shelves until spring of next year, "Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mobsters and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink",…
Oct 31, 2007
Yeah, I’m in PR. A marketer. At heart, I’m a salesperson (hell, I once made a good living selling vacuum cleaners door to door). So I understand the importance of getting the consumer’s attention and setting yourself apart. I understand the idea of market segmentation. I understand the idea of looking at the market by age, by ethnicity, by geography and by mindset and catering a product or pitch to the difference that exist between the market’s segments. I understand…
Oct 29, 2007
Professional golf came to Sonoma Wine Country this week. Specifically, it came to Sonoma Valley in the form of the Champions Tour and Charles Schwab Cup at the Sonoma Golf Club. Jim Thorpe won for the second year in a row. So did the wineries. Based on what I saw of cars on the roads and from talking to a couple tasting room folks and owners, sales were way up at tasting rooms this week. It was a bit of…