Over at Spittoon, Andy makes note of the fact that the movie Sideways isn’t just inspiring awards but also some marketing angles, particularly a map of the Santa Barbara wine country through the Sideways lens. Well, this must only be the beginning. Over at Winebid.com, the online auction house, they are marketing a selection of wines that have were featured in one way or another in the movie. Not just the Santa Barbara Pinots, but also the Bordeaux, Italian and…

Fear not consolidation in the wine industry! In business media circles it’s "consolidation" that has been the buzz word when the wine industry is covered. Over the past few years we’ve seen winery gems such as Etude, Stags’ Leap, De Loach, Louis Martini, Franciscan, Mount Veeder Arrowood, and other small producers snapped up by bigger wineries. They we see icons such as Beringer and Mondavi purchased and brought into the fold of the giant producers. The concern among some is…

Why doesn’t EVERYONE in the business just use screwcaps and other alternative closures in order to prevent that unpleasant (unpalatable?) aroma that too often affects cork-finished wines? That’s what writer Michael Dresser wonders in his column today. Earlier today I was sitting with a client who showed me a new closure for wine that is altogether different and will definitely never stink of cork taint. You’ll hear more about that in the future. But he had a good point. "It’s…

Tim Moran of the Modesto Bee reports that the California Wine Institute, the largest wine trade organization in American, along with the larger California wineries, are asking for a change in the vintage dating laws. They want to allow wines that carry a county appellation such as Napa County, Contra Costa County, Mendocino County or Sonoma County to be required to only have 85% of that wine coming from the same vintage. Currently, you must have have 95% of the…