Over the past few months FERMENTATION has tried to cover a variety of political battes involving wine and wine distribution and sales in particular. We’ve been candid in our position that money usually sways the outcome of these battles. That is to say, campaign contributions tend to deliver not only access to office holders, but too often results in success in state houses across the country and in Washington. With the 2006 campaign cycle roaring into high gear, we thought…
$1.2 Million It’s not a huge amount, but it is enough to garner some attention. This is the amount money that will be raised if Sonoma County grape growers vote to institute a self assessment to fund a "Sonoma County Wine Grape Commission"whose mission it will be to promote the Sonoma County as a grape growing, wine making haven. The vote among Sonoma County grape growers is set for May. Based on the story in the Press Democrat it appears…
I met yesterday with potential clients who had an interesting dilemma. They had just purchased a winery that had been around for about 10+ years. In recent years the brand wasn’t doing to well, a combination of factors had led it to reduce its production and have a good deal of older inventory on hand. The dilemma: Do they stay with the same name for the winery or do they change the name. What’s interesting about this question is that…
Can you distill down the wine shipping issues into on paragraph so I can easily understand why it is so important? Are you suggesting I tend to go on…at length about wine shipping and wine legalities? To put it most succinctly: Technology, the changing relationship between consumers and companies, and the degradation of an old and corrupt system for wine distribution is forcing change in the way wine is sold. If the wine wholesalers are allowed to use their political…
Show me one wine blogger who wouldn’t want to do THIS . Taj James, the blogger behind "Cork & Demon Wine Blog" is ready to embark on a wine blogging road trip she’s appropriately named, "The Cork & Demon Western Wine Tour 2006". The idea? Travel through as many western U.S. wine areas talking to wine people and live blogging it. She explains, "I’m in search of America’s finest Wine People. People at all levels of winemaking, selling and growing,…
