I’ve been spending a lot of time in Napa Valley and thinking about Napa Valley these days due to a collection of clients we are working with at Wark Communications who reside in that Valley over the hill. In focusing on Napa Valley of late I’ve bumped up  against one of those issues of "perception vs. reality." As you drive through Napa it’s easy to get the impression that vineyards are planted everywhere and that the region is simply a…

Here’s a step in the right direction. Jess Jackson, owner of Kendall Jackson and Jackson Family Estates and National Distributing have formed a new company that will focuse on distributing the bottlings of small wineries. Monument Fine Wines based in Maryland will serve the Washington D.C area. GM Elysa Kudo explains the new distributorship this way: "We want to make sure they get deserved attention. With such large companies, a little mom-and-pop winery may not get its just due." It’s…

This is the second time in just a few days I’ve seen wholesalers try to explain their attempts to destroy small wineries by saying "It’s good for them". In Louisiana the local liquor wholesaler association stuck a provision onto a bill concerning liquor retail outlets proximity to churches and schools. The provision states that Louisiana’s wineries MUST only sell their wines through wholesalers. Its effect is that no longer could Louisiana’s small wineries sell their wine directly to restaurants and…

I can’t believe someone published this. It was suppose to be a big secret! But the LA Times let the cat out of the bag: They published the recipe for making a cult wine. They got it right, too. I could add a few items but this recipe, along with a few million dollar will in fact get you your very own California Cult Cabernet: •  Build your own high-tech winery, using no pumps, only gravity. •  Burrow into the…