Archive for the ‘Wine Business’ Category
The bitter consequences of attraction are almost always what dull people to the reality they might otherwise see without problem. I learned this yesterday, personally, in New York. The irony is that just as I learned that masks of self delusion never quite fit snugly enough on one's face and eventually fall away to reveal reality, I was also explaining to a room of Italian importers at Vino 2009 the bitter consequences of believing they are attempting to break into…
Pursuits, hobbies and interests are constantly being categorized across the Internet. Invariably, "Wine" ends up being categorized under "Lifestyle". Occasionally you see it under "Culinary" or "Home". But it's "Lifestyle" under which the consumption of fermented grapes appears most often. It's no surprise then that the "Wine Lifestyle" is so often combined with other "lifestyle" pursuits to create unique and interesting events that the organizers hope will extend its attraction. The most interesting example of this I've seen lately is…
What came across my desk today is some of the most encouraging news for wine consumers in a very long time:The Launch of the ILLINOIS WINE CONSUMER COALITION. The raison d'etre of the Illinois Wine Consumer Coalition is front and center on its website: "You have been stripped of your right to access thousands of fine wines. You had no voice to express your desire to retain this long held right to out-of-state wine shipments from retailers. The IWCC has…
It has been reported that the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill has secured a $400,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson foundation to investigate "how easy it is to order alcohol from the Web." I think this is a good idea as long as the researchers in charge actually have the intention of investigating something instead of creating publicity in pursuit of advocating something. If the question they want to answer is "how easy is it to order alcohol on…
At Wark Communications our focus is almost entirely on our clients; helping them expand their communications and marketing efforts. That means they have access to our best ideas. But sometimes, we like to share these ideas with the public at large and the industry at large. This is more true today when we see the wine industry, like many others, struggling in the current difficult economy. So, the question is what can a winery (or wine shop) do to attract…
