Archive for the ‘Wine Gossip’ Category
How do you know when its safe to ignore a critic? When they demonstrate a willingness to engage in simple, meaningless rhetoric, rather than in delivering their opinions with words that mean something. This tendency to ignore the meaning of words and even make them up with no care for what they mean is on display in among the current batch of Nimby Wine Industry Critics who whine about under organizations titled, “Napa Vision 2050”, “Soda Canyon Road” and others….
“What’s New?” It’s the query that occupies the minds of most anyone in the wine industry who ponder what kind of new fad or new embrace is coming to wine drinkers near them. “Grenache…the wine we’ll be drinking!” “Natural wine is the new thing being driven by a new generation of drinkers.” “Cabernet is dead, long live red blends!”. Some of the predictions (and hopes) come true. Others remain mere hopes or failed predictions. So it will always be. But…
It has been an interesting year in wine. No single story dominated the wine news. There was no economic disaster. There was nothing that had an overwhelming impact on the wine world. Still, a diverse set of very interesting stories emerged from the U.S. wine world. Below are those stories from 2015 I thought most important, particularly for members of the wine trade. They are in no particular order. However, I can say that the story listed as #1 will…
Wirtz Beverage and Charmer Sunbelt, two of America’s biggest box movers have merged. they now are the second largest box movers in the alcohol distribution business. And now, five companies (families) control well over 50% of the alcohol box moving business in the United States. Remember…the box movers tell us that the three tiers system’s legal mandate that booze move through a wholesaler is a good thing because it prevents producers from dominating a market and exerting pressure on retailers….
Those in the wine business in the Napa region and outside it have been reading, seeing and listening to a great deal of commentary about the recent Napa Valley Wine Train incident. In fact, those not in the wine industry, both in the Napa region and outside the region, have been reading, seeing and listening to a great deal of commentary on the Napa Valley Wine Train incident. In light of this, I thought I’d offer my simple five-point plan…
