Archive for the ‘Stop HR 1161’ Category

Nov 29, 2011

The Top Wine Stories of 2011

What an interesting year in wine. Legal battles, political battles, movements rising, technology, new markets, and changes in the media led the news. Here are my top wine stories for 2011 A SMALL CRACK IN THE WALL: Initiative 1183 Takes Washington Out of the Booze Business and Into the 21st CenturyIt has been a long time since a state abandoned its control of the alcohol marketplace and turned it over to the private sector. Initiative 1183 in Washington State did…

Oct 13, 2011

Wine and the Current Uncertainty Factor

I'M NOT SO SURE… 1…Millennials have much to offer ultra premium wineriesYes, they are adopting wine on a shorter timetable than past generations, but as Rob McMillan of Silicon Valley Bank has pointed out, these young'uns aren't buying much of the good stuff. They drinking wine with greater diversity and have a greater penchant for imported wines and enjoy really silly labels. But if I were selling $40+ bottles of wine, they would not be my target demographic. 2….It's smart…

Aug 22, 2011

Supporters of Anti-Wine Law Suffer Setback

The main sponsor of House Resolution 1161 (The CARE Act), Rep Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), has announced he will not seek the GOP nomination for what is currently Orrin Hatch's long held Senate seat. This announcement is a blow to many who hoped that Chaffetz might take the seat from Hatch and go on to sponsor the anti-wine bill in the Senate. In nearly two years of trying, wine and beer wholesalers have been unable to find a single member of…

Jul 27, 2011

The CARE Act and the Absurd Claim of “incredible” Consumer Choice

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…

Jul 19, 2011

Creating a Real Voice For American Wine Consumers

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,…