Archive for the ‘Wine Business’ Category
This has to be one of the more interesting wine-related political donnybrooks I’ve seen in a while. It’s rare to see a chain of liquor stores come out and say, "we won’t buy that category of wine because we don’t like their politics", but that’s exactly what Liquor Barn of Kentucky said the other day as reported in the Currier-Journal. Liquor Barn was PISSED that Kentucky wineries supported a bill to allow wine sales in grocery stores (I know….how audacious…
Over the past two years I’ve given more talks to wine or wine-related audiences than the rest of my career combined. The reason is a function of the world of Blogs having caught the attention of the wine industry and working with Specialty Wine Retailers Association. Outside of making a new client pitch or pitching a story to an editor or writer, it’s probably the most exhilarating thing I do. Although I’ve arranged for clients to take formal training in…
When you do see an examination of the three tier system of alcohol sales in print, it usually speaks to the rather odd and anti-consumer shipping laws we find in many states across the country. That’s why I was fascinated and happy to see an article in the Sommelier Journal that examined the condition and efficacy of this mandated use of wholesalers from the perspective of the Sommelier. Written by Napa Valley resident Bob Bath (a Master Sommelier himself), it…
In preparation for a British "expose" of sorts on winemaking and winemaking additives, the Telegraph in the UK has run a story highlighting the rather unauthentic ingredients that sometimes find their way into wines. From the look of the story in the Telegraph, the television show probably wasn’t a fawning appraisal of the world of wine making. But one thing stuck out in reading the story: "Many cheaper wines have oak chips added to give the impression that they have…
The Feds are proposing to expand the Russian River Valley Appellation by 350 acres to the south, which will include Gallo’s acreage there. Why the hell not! It’s not as thought there is any real viticultural meaning the Russian River Valley AVA. The number of different climates, soils and rainfall totals you can find in this unwieldy appellation are probably too many to count on two hands. As it is currently configured, I don’t believe the Russian River Valley AVA…
