Apr 7, 2006
With regard to the question of who wrote the beautiful and useful review in the previous post, of course it was Kermit Lynch, from his April 2006 newsletter. The newsletters sent by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants are never bulky, but they are always extraordinarily readable for the simple reason that its clear each wine offered and written about in the letter is one he feels very strongly about, in one way or another. But as mentioned in the previous post,…
Apr 6, 2006
I write lots and lots of descriptions of wines for clients’ back labels and marketing materials. It’s marketing writing, but still it’s usually pretty straight forward stuff, the kind of thing you see in most wine reviews. I just wish I had the ability to write about wine like this:"The fruit here is not cherries or berries. this is rustic, earthy Pinot Noir. A good Savigny can bring to mind the song "Sweet Virginia," from Exile on Main Street, the…
Apr 6, 2006
The state of Minnesota has long been the winner of the "most creative way to protect wine wholesalers and screw consumers" award. With a recent judicial ruling the state can no longer claim that title. In 1998 Minnesota enacted regulations that prohibited any winery in the country from advertising to Minnesotans that their wine was available direct from the winery and prohibiting Minnesotans from ordering wine via the Internet. Monday those regulations were determined to be unconstitutional. The ruling states…
Apr 6, 2006
A wine that alludes to marijuana? Hell that’s nothing. When I was getting a B.A. at Humboldt State University I crossed paths (only saw, of course, never indulged) with Pot Tea, Pot-infused hard candy, Pot-Cakes and Brownies, Pot-laced wine, Pot-infused meatloaf and, in what was really a tribute to the quality of Humboldt horticulture, a large bud of Humboldt grown pot that would stick to the ceiling when tossed upward with force. Still, it’s nice to see some vintners have…
Apr 5, 2006
We are in for years of wine-shipping and wine sales related litigation. Years! Maryland wineries and wine distributors have apparently agreed on a compromise that will allow that state’s wineries to continue to sell direct to restaurants and retailers and bypassing wholesalers and distributors altogether. The compromise was necessary when the state’s comptroller ruled last June that allowing Maryland wineries to do this violated the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution because out of state wineries did not have the…