Archive for the ‘Wine Business’ Category
We enlightened souls here in California often like to mock and disparage other states for their strange, weird, anti-consumer and downright dumb alcohol-related laws. We here in CA seem to believe that our relatively liberal and rational alcohol laws are set apart upon a higher plane than those in more back-assed states. I've been quite the mocker myself. Yet, California appears set to pass a law that defines silliness. California Assembly Bill 2184, sponsored by Assembly-person Isadore Hall, lays down…
While it seems to me a bit over the top that Italian officials would raid a famed Roman wine store for promoting "Natural" wines in violation of Italian consumer fraud laws, the episode reported by Jeramy Parzan at his respected Do Bianchi blog does speak to the nebulous intellectual and commercial space the "natural" wine movement has carved out for itself not just in Italy, but across the globe. According to Parzan, famed Enoteca Bulzoni was raided by Italian officials…
It's certainly clear to me and it ought to be clear to anyone else considering the issue that human beings are positively inclined to share the details of their lives as broadly and widely as possible. Interestingly, we didn't know this until very recently. Or, at least we didn't have solid evidence it was true. The ease with which social media tools, mobile broadcast platforms and simple publishing platforms allow us all, individually, to broadcast what we think, what we…
Whenever high courts take on the issue of the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause, wine industry free traders need to pay attention. It is the Commerce Clause's intent of giving the Federal Government the power to regulate inter-state commerce and the implied prohibiton against states regulating inter-state commerce, that forms the legal basis for overturning state laws that seek to protect its in-state companies from having to compete with direct shippers of wine. So it was that many in the wine…
Bar none, the most important skill to possess if you want to advance your career in the wine industry is communicating well. And within this large category called "communications", I think is fair to say that speaking well in public is the most important communication skill that you must possess in order to advance a wine industry career. I was reminded of this and provoked to consider my own past when I saw that Lynda Spillane will be leading a…
