Archive for the ‘Wine Consumers’ Category
Despite the fact that it is women that tend to visit art museums and despite the fact it is predominantly women that tend to study art and art history in college, instead, “Over the centuries, as in most other areas, it’s mainly men who have glorified themselves by amassing large collections of valuable work.—Why?” The exact same circumstances exist in the world of wine. While women tend to be the buyers of wine, it is predominantly men who amass the…
The Wine Spectator got around to reporting on what looks for all intents and purposes to be a case of bribery involving a New York lawmaker and New York wholesalers. And the publication does a pretty darned good job of exposing for its wine-loving readers what the impact would be if an “At Rest” law is passed in the Empire State. The Spectator’s Robert Taylor Reports on Senate Bill HB 3849, noting that if passed it if would “require all…
In the realm of economic theory there is a concept known as “Rent Seeking”. Unlike much of economic theory, its meaning isn’t very complicated. In fact, Wikipedia has boiled it down quite nicely: “spending resources in order to gain by increasing one’s share of existing wealth, instead of trying to create wealth….Rent-seeking implies extraction of uncompensated value from others without making any contribution to productivity.” The most common form of “rent seeking” occurs when a business or association of businesses…
Anyone who lives in Napa Valley will be familiar with this experience: A friend or acquaintance from out-of-town calls, says they are coming to the Valley for a getaway or vacation and asks for recommendations on where to eat, where to taste wine and where to stay. It happens on a regular basis. In fact, it happens so often that I’ve actually put together a document that has a list of my personally recommended places to eat, drink and sleep…
During the most recent election cycle (2011-2012) money in campaigns was the single issue that got more attention than the presidential election. The Supreme Court’s “Citizen’s United” decision allowed near unfettered amounts of money to come streaming into campaigns. In this milieu, how did the alcohol industry perform? The numbers are in on this score and the answer is that the alcohol industry most certainly pulls its weight. Money in politics and particularly campaign contributions are most often looked at…
