Archive for the ‘Wine Business’ Category
The ascent of the Oregon wine industry continues apace. The latest bit of evidence that Oregon wine (and Oregon Pinot Noir in particular) is one of the hottest wine categories in the United States comes in the form of the 2018 Oregon Vineyard and Winery Report, an annual report produced by the Oregon Wine Board. The highlights of the report, which is focused primarily on developing a snapshot of the industry in 2018, are primarily agriculture and production focused. However,…
Recently Simon Solis-Cohen, founder of Highway 29 Creative, posted on the company blog a story entitled, “Wine Scores Are The Worst Marketing Technique – So Stop It!” First, let me just say this…The folks at Highway 29 Creative are GOOD! Take a look at their work. Take a look at their approach. Impressive. They are wrong about wine scores being the worst marketing technique. An even worse marketing technique is submitting your wine for review, getting 95+ points from a…
One of the reasons I’ve kept this blog going for so long is it provides me with a means for continuing education. By committing to regularly examining my ideas and opinions on issues of wine marketing, wine politics, culture and wine, and technology and wine, I’m able to continue to educate myself so that I better serve my clients. The wine media too, as well as the occasional beverage and regulatory conference, is also a great source of continuing education….
There is a political spectrum within the alcohol industry. However, it’s not much like the ideological extremes of American political culture. The American polity is divided; polarized in a way I can’t recall before. It’s as though the electorate will root for their team, no matter how absurd or radical the deeds, desires or words attributed to the leadership of their tribe. The middle of the American political spectrum is a wasteland—a bowed middle and top-heavy on the ends. While…
After consumers’ demand for easy access to alcohol products via direct shipping is satisfied, the most important issue facing the alcohol industry is self-distribution—wineries, brewers and distillers possessing the right to self-distribute their products in-state and over state lines directly to retailers and restaurants rather than be forced to use wholesalers. Michigan brewers want to address this issue now, but as always they are opposed by greedy, rent-seeking wholesalers who can’t make a reasonable or rational case for their protected…
