Archive for the ‘Wine Legal Battles’ Category

May 24, 2006

Vermont on the Forefront of Wine Sales Reform

In the course of reconciling it’s wine shipping laws with last year’s equality-imposing Supreme Court decision, the state of Vermont has done something very interesting. A new law (S58) signed this month says both in-state and out-of-state wineries may now sell and ship wine directly to retail shops and restaurants, effectively cutting the middle man wholesaler out of the loop. This, in and of itself, is a pretty dramatic step given the stranglehold wholesalers seem to have over the legislative…

May 22, 2006

Important Wine Sales Changes in VT and MD

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE THE  FERMENTATION READER SURVEY ============================================================ It appears that both Maryland and Vermont have followed Washington State’s lead and passed laws that allow wineries outside the state to sell directly to retailers and restaurants in VT and MD. This is a huge step that confirms the states’ acknowledgment that wine wholesalers are not necessary tools for getting wine to market but rather one tool that CAN be used to get the wine to market. In the case…

May 18, 2006

Two Buck Chuck Creator: An Articulate Guy

It’s hard to get a handle on Fred Franzia, CEO of Bronco Wine Company and producer of Two Buck Chuck, among other wine brands. Reading about his life and attitudes and beliefs in the latest issue of INC, you get the impression this is a man who will pull no punches and go after the things he wants in a fairly direct fashion. Among the brands owned by Bronco Wine Company are: ForestVille, Estrella, Charles Shaw, Montpellier, Grand Cru, Silver…

May 17, 2006

Zinfandel is Officially Not Official, Just Historic

I don’t think I can agree with Mike Dunne more than I do. In his frank fashion, Dunne, the longstanding wine writer for the Sacramento Bee, takes to task the wine industry’s associations for not getting behind an effort to name Zinfandel the "historic wine of California." Some of you will recall that not too long ago California State Senator Carole Migden pushed a proposal to name Zinfandel the Official State Grape. Well, this didn’t go over to well with…

May 16, 2006

“I WONT Eat My Peas!!!

a Press Democrat writes a very nice round up story today on the state of direct shipment of wine a year after the historic Granholm V. Heald Supreme Court decision. What caught my eye was the very end of the story where the President of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Association, Juanita Duggan, identified with this quote:"the justices’ opinion that states could find other ways to enforce underage drinking laws in an era of direct shipping of wine doesn’t sway…