Archive for the ‘wine’ Category

Mar 3, 2006

Illinois Wine Controversy Settled

The most controversial political issue in Illinois over the past few months has apparently come to an end with a compromise struck between Illinois 63 wineries and the states’ wine and beer wholesalers. The upshot of the compromise is wineries in Illinois and across the country will have the right, after payng for a license, to ship up to 12 cases per year to an individual, while Illinois wineries have lost their right to sell direct to retailers and restaurateurs….

Mar 3, 2006

All Is Right In The World

Once again the world, as it does every spring, became a much better place to live. Yesterday the San Francisco Giants played their first Spring Training game. What this means is that baseball season is just around the corner. I do feel a need to make a statement however about the nature of being a San Francisco Giant fan. Besides being very patient (1954), we are also much better mannered than those teams’ fans from, say, the East Coast and…

Mar 3, 2006

Wine Domain Name Economics

Domain Name Commerce…Now there’s a topic that hasn’t been hot since the heady days of the Internet Bubble. Yet today I run across a press release by winedomains.com, a company that traffics in domain names…as you might expect. They report that with the opening up of direct sales after the May Supreme Court ruling, sales of wine-related domain name sales have increased siting the consummating of the following sales: CabernetSauvignon.com    $20,000 WineList.com        $21,255 RedWines.com     …

Mar 3, 2006

How Blue is Your State?

Having grown up and lived all my life in California there is one thing I’ve never had to live with: Blue Laws. These are laws that usually take the form of prohibiting sales of alcohol on particular days, most often on Sunday. I simply don’t understand the laws. Well, that’s not true. Clearly they are a reflection of our country’s puritan origins, our continued commitment to religion as well as reflecting the prohibitionist streak that runs through parts of the…

Mar 2, 2006

Q&A Thurs: How to leave A tasting room politely without buying?

Is there a good way to leave a tasting room without buying any wine so the person who spent all that time pouring and talking to you doesn’t feel insulted? Not really. However, this has worked for my wife and I: First, she tugs on my ear to let me know we are going to put the "Wallet Get-Away". Then, she says to me, "honey, I left my wallet in the car." She leaves. I wait five minutes. Then I…