Archive for the ‘Shipping Wine’ Category
A recent analysis of the direct wine shipping market concludes that American wineries must prepare to increase their direct shipping capabilities in order to accommodate what will be an unanticipated yet staggering increase in the direct sales and shipments of wine. The coming increase in direct shipped wine will, according to the recent analysis, marginalize most if not all sales via the three tier system. The source of the new analysis of the direct shipping market is Joseph Cryan of…
In crafting the FERMENTATION Reader Survey, I gave those taking the survey the chance to say and write in anything respondents wanted to about this Blog. Many readers had something to say. I thought it only fair that I take the time to respond to a few of these comments. After all, readers took the time to to write the comments. AND BY THE WAY, THE READER SURVEY IS STILL UP AND RUNNING FOR ANOTHER DAY. PLEASE TAKE THIS 2…
It's notable that as alcohol wholesalers and their advocates defend the three tier system and attempts to prevent any changes or reforms to that system, we see less and less reference to the system's ability to prevent minors from obtaining alcohol. When the direct shipping debate took off in the early 1990s and up until about 3 years ago. we heard wholesalers and their advocates regularly claim that allowing any changes to the three tier system would result in minors…
Why is it that when states and Congress consider laws and regulations concerning consumer access to wine, the actual consumers are never consulted? Producers are consulted. Restaurants are consulted. Regulators are consulted. And wholesalers are consulted. But never consumers of wine. Why? The reason is so remarkably simple: Wine Consumers don’t have a voice through which their interests can be communicated. Anyone who has ever dealt directly with issues of direct shipping of wine, wine in grocery stores, blue laws,…
When a relatively small group of businesses control an entire industry, something is broken. Yesterday the Specialty Wine Retailers Association (for whom I act as Executive Director) released a study entitled, "Toward Liquor Domination". The study details the more than $82 million alcohol wholesalers have spent on campaign contributions and federal lobbying over the past three election cycles. This amount dwarfs all of the state and federal campaign contributions and federal lobbying by wine stores, beer producers, spirit producers and…
