Archive for the ‘Wine Consumers’ Category
If you ever wanted a precise explanation as to why alcohol wholesalers and some retailers so vociferously opposed winery-to-consumer shipping throughout the 90s, 00’s and up until today, all you have to do is take a cursory look at ShipCompliant and Wines & Vines’ new winery-to-consumer shipping report. According to these sources, winery to consumer shipping now annually account for $1.35 billion in sales. But what’s remarkable is that those sales represent 8.6% of the total American wine retail marketplace…
Between 1985 and 1995 I traveled to France fairly regularly; usually twice per year. Due to various familial circumstances, each of my visits to the the country included a week in Paris, alone. I can say without equivocation that the most important item I always brought with me to Paris was a great guide book. In the 80s and 90s, a “great guide book” possessed a few essential features for me: 1. It had to be very handy to lug…
Yesterday, Brandt Snedeker, by winning the Tour Championship golf tournament in Atlanta, also came out on top of the season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs. His reward? $10 Million. And it got me thinking. If you want to bring new vitality to the world of wine competitions, take the simple step of replacing shiny medals with shiny coin…Lots of it!! Here’s what I’m thinking: “The American Wine Competition”. The producers of the best red, best white and best dessert wines are awarded…
I recently read an essay in which the author submitted the notion that one of the best strategies for easing the burdens of life is to do what is necessary to unbridle one’s self from as many decisions as possible. The idea is that we spend too much of our precious time on earth making mundane decision and we invest too much psychic energy in decision making where the consequences of our decisions are of very little importance. It got…
A holiday in Northern California’s wine country usually means heading to Napa Valley, Sonoma County or a little of both. In realty and for most people, it means choosing between one or the other. Choosing between Napa and Sonoma isn’t required necessarily by geography, but the vast majority of folks do choose one region and stay put. Having lived in both spots and having spent a good deal of time exploring and working in the wine realm in both areas,…
