Aug 13, 2009
Little revelations are always good because they tend to speak to principles to live by. Here’s my latest (and I’m embarrassed that I’ve only lately realized it): I don’t want serious restaurant critics to pay for their meals nor serious wine critics to pay for a drop of wine. Why? I don’t trust a restaurant or wine critic to accurately or honestly evaluate their experience when part of that experience is filtered through the dent their object of evaluation made…
Jul 31, 2009
If there are universal truths that pertain to most people's view of wine (or most other industries') marketing tools, the following comment likely sums up one of them: "I personally do not like reading a rewritten press release just as much as I dislike reading them as is." The disdain most people express for the press release is only slightly less than the expression of disdain many people offer for the "PR Flack" or "hired gun" or, as I like…
Jul 28, 2009
Yesterday, Inertia Beverage Group (a Wark Communications client) acquired the assets of New Vine, the Napa-based logistics firm specializing in delivering wine through a variety of methods. The current accumulation of press coverage of this event is listed below. BusinessWire: Inertia Beverage Group Statement on New Vine Acquisition San Francisco Business Times: IBG Nabs New Vine Logistics for $4.5 Million in Foreclosure Auction, By Chris Rauber Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Inertia Wines Auction for New Vine Assets, By Kevin McCallum…
Jul 21, 2009
With the North American Wine Bloggers Conference coming up and given other issues surrounding this blog occupying my mind of late, I wanted to address the issue of Wine Blogging and Wine Bloggers from a public relations perspective. Specifically, I wanted to address the issue of How To Interact With a Wine Blogger. In case anyone needs reminding, and I doubt anyone in or around the wine business does, media relations are those activities that a company or individual undertakes…
Jul 20, 2009
You observe the world of luxury products long enough and you have the opportunity to come across any number of loutish, uncouth and generally obscene products that have no basis for their existence other than the reality that among the millions of people who have money to burn, you are bound to come across just enough who are so remarkable stupid and dispossessed of common sense that you can count on selling a few items meant just for them. Le…