Archive for the ‘Wine Business’ Category
Driving through southern Napa Valley and the town of Sonoma yesterday I saw no less than 8 trucks hauling grapes—nice, plump, aromatic grapes. (ever drive behind a truck hauling just-harvested grapes? It smells like I imagine the Welch’s production factory does.) Harvest is undoubtedly underway here in the North Coast. My reports have Sauvignon Blanc coming in just about everywhere. Pinot can’t be that far behind, particularly in the warmer areas. There is still a lot that can happen between…
The Illinois State Capital is among the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. It is literally awe inspiring. Perfectly proportioned, topped with a great gilded dome, filled with magnificent statues of great men and women, festooned with murals that speak to the travails and mighty triumphs of pioneers and leaders. It is the kind of place that Laine Hanson, the first American Vice President in the movie "The Contenderr", would identify as a "Chapel of Democracy". What a shame that…
It appears that the future of wine labels may include a hefty dose of Ugly. A little "ugly" never hurt anyone, but a hefty dose of ugly is just down right….ugly. It appears there is a serious move to force nutritional labels on alcohol bottlings, including wine. It’s a Bush Administration proposal that is supported fully by The Center For Science in the Public Interest…the folks who spent time particularly in the 1990s explaining to us all why we will…
A new "one-wine-a-day" web store has emerged: The Wine Spies. (http://thewinespies.com/) Notice the "THE". This new site, which just recently launched, is similar in concept to Wine.Woot and RadCru insofar as users will find one wine per day, sometimes at a great price, sometimes just hard to find. The difference with The Wine Spies is they’ve incorporated a "Spy Points" system. The more wine you buy, the more wines you review and the more folks you refer to them the…
Today, on the front page of the SF Chronicle, above the fold, was a huge story about the sale of venerable Stag’s Leap Winery for $185 Million. This story, along with the news that William Hill and Canyon Road went to a consortium of St. Michelle and Antinori and Duckhorn sold most of it’s value to an equity firm, led to the state of Napa Valley being a BIG concern not just in the media but in the industry. I…
