What an interesting year in wine. Legal battles, political battles, movements rising, technology, new markets, and changes in the media led the news. Here are my top wine stories for 2011 A SMALL CRACK IN THE WALL: Initiative 1183 Takes Washington Out of the Booze Business and Into the 21st CenturyIt has been a long time since a state abandoned its control of the alcohol marketplace and turned it over to the private sector. Initiative 1183 in Washington State did…
Seven years of blogging about wine will produce some interesting changes in a person. With this, my 2,361st post on Fermentation, I mark the seventh anniversary of maintaining this platform. My output over these past seven years amounts to 6.5 posts per week for 364 weeks. I'm not sure what kind of an achievement that is besides perseverance and habit maintenance. However, it has produced in me the formation of some ideas about wine blogging, writing, journaling, the media and…
My recent interest in the work of Robert Parker flows from the recognition that in my 20 years working in wine marketing, this critic has ranked among the most influential forces in the American marketplace. It's a remarkable story insofar as the Wine Advocate was not begun by Robert Parker to so impact the marketplace. And yet, there he stands. In addition, along with the Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits Magazine and the Wine Enthusiast, Robert Parker has been an…
How many ways are there to improve the world of wine for consumers? At least 10! 10. More Local Wine ColumnsMore wine columns in local daily newspapers means more coverage of the local wine scene. Whether it's in an on-line format or in the pulp edition, local wine columns put consumers in touch with wine happenings they can actually participate in. 9. More Local WineState governments, counties and local municipalities ought to make a point of promoting thier local wineries….
With Initiative 1183 in Washington State now recently passed into law by state voters and the state out of the business of selling spirits, it's time to fix this law. The primary flaw with Initiative 1183 is the requuirement that private stores selling spirits be 10,000 square feet or larger. When the initiative was written that requirement was placed in the law to assure critics that corner convienence stores and gas stations wouldn't be selling hard liquor. While I disagree…
