Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Feb 28, 2021

Will Tennessee Lawmakers Commit Perjury To Defend an Anti-Wine Shipping Bill?

On Tuesday, March 2nd, we will finally have the opportunity to hear someone give a justification for why Tennessee ought to pass a law (HB 742) that would result in 60% of all wine shipments from out-of-state wineries being shut down. That Tuesday there will be a hearing in the Department and Agencies Subcommittee on the bill that, if passed, would ban any shipments from out-of-state wineries that use fulfillment houses. Personally, I’m looking forward to hearing the justifications for…

Feb 19, 2021

The Danger of the Wine Industry’s Reliance on Social Media

I’ve been a member of the Facebook community since 2007. Since that time, every client I’ve worked with has also been a member of Facebook. I’ve made sure of it. In fact, it’s hard to imagine why a wine industry firm would not be a member of this gigantic community where targeted messaging and branding can be done in a nearly unprecedented manner. Yet, today, looking at the actions and power of Facebook, I can’t say I would recommend joining…

Dec 30, 2020

Let’s Hear It For The Lobbyists On A Job Well Done

What do you call a prostitute working in Washington, DC? . . . A Lobbyist. What happens when a lobbyist and a congressperson have sex? . . . The taxpayers get screwed. Lobbyists are viewed very similarly to lawyers. Everyone hates them, jokes about them and condemns them just up until the moment they need one. Well, if you are in the wine business (or the alcohol business for that matter) then today you ought to set aside your disdain…

Nov 29, 2020

Writing the History of Wine in 2020

No one knows the future, so it’s impossible to say what will result as a consequence of 2020. However, we can look back. In doing so, it’s neither historically reckless nor an improbable conceit to suggest that 2020 is the most consequential year of the past 10 decades. How, I wonder, will the wine industry be remembered when the incalculable chronicles and novels and histories of this moment are composed? Consider first the milieu. The greatest pandemic to hit America’s…

Sep 27, 2020

Let’s Talk About Wine and Smoke Taint…To The Media

BY JULIE ANN KODMUR, Wine Publicist TAINT TALK: YES! As Nike’s swoosh would say, “just do it!” Yes, I’m talking about whether you or your winemaker or your viticulturist should talk to the media about how you’re handling smoke taint. People have talked to the San Francisco Chronicle, to Wine-Searcher, to the Napa Valley Register. Traditional PR counsel would say not to. Why would you risk being associated with something so negative? “People will associate that yucky ashtray-taste with our…