Oct 10, 2012
Here in the belly of the beast, members of the Napa wine trade tend to slowly nod their heads and wear a knowing smile when discussing the benefits and allure of direct to consumer sales. Margins. “Life Time Value of Customers”. Brand Ambassadors. Freedom from FOB sales. It is, as we say, “all good”. When basking in the glow of the implication of full margin sales, It’s sometimes easy to forget who the real lovers of direct sales are: The…
Oct 2, 2012
Today is a big day for political junkies and wine lovers. The punditry and blogosphere all seem to agree that this first presidential debate of the 2012 general election campaign is not just the most important, but could decide the 2012 election. Here’s what America’s wine lover should be watching for . Can Obama Defend his Biggest Achievement: ObamaWine The right side of the wine drinking spectrum has made repeal of ObamaWine their number one goal since the president pushed…
Sep 28, 2012
Another round of childish whining by beer wholesalers appears to be underway. This time in Florida. The issue that brings the beer wholesalers to tears? The protectionist system of alcohol distribution from which they benefit and that allows them to coast along without answering to anyone or any competition is being challenged. Boo Hoo. The primary reason for this new round of childish whining by beer wholesalers is a result of MillerCoors challenging Florida’s “Franchise Law”. You know what a…
Sep 26, 2012
If you ever wanted a precise explanation as to why alcohol wholesalers and some retailers so vociferously opposed winery-to-consumer shipping throughout the 90s, 00’s and up until today, all you have to do is take a cursory look at ShipCompliant and Wines & Vines’ new winery-to-consumer shipping report. According to these sources, winery to consumer shipping now annually account for $1.35 billion in sales. But what’s remarkable is that those sales represent 8.6% of the total American wine retail marketplace…
Sep 5, 2012
What’s the state of the direct wine shipping channel in the United States? This question, not examined on this blog recently, came back into focus upon seeing two articles today concerning just this issue and from two important sources: DECANTER: “The Rarest of Freedoms” DR. VINO: “Sobering: Wine Shipping Map” The current state of the direct wine shipping channel in the U.S. is as follows • 39 states allow its consumers to purchase and have wine shipped to them from…