Natural Wine, Golfer Wines and other Gimmicks
The wine industry is not overly prone to using gimmicks to sell stuff. Yet, it does conjure its share. The most infamous gimmick was the "critter wines", a trend in gimmickry that looks, thankfully, to be done with. Still, there...
Wine Blog Questions…and Answers
I love the comments that folks share on this blog. But additionally, I get a good deal of blog-related email. Why some folks choose to send me questions and comments via email, rather than commenting and questioning right on the...
Losing Control of Wine & Spirits…It’s Scary
Yesterday, the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America (WSWA) explained that while they DID oppose it with millions of dollars and while they ARE financing a lawsuit to stop the law from taking effect, they are in fact NEUTRAL on...
What’s Wrong With Wine and Alabama?
Consider this scenario: 1. Wineries are required to sell their wines exclusively to wholesalers 2. Wholesalers are not required to distribute the wineries' wines 3. Wholesalers won't represent and distribute the wineries' wines. We are talking here about Alabama. The...
Of Course Napa Stag’s Leap Cab Pairs Best with Pot!
I experienced "pot wine" some years ago and as Crane Carter, Napa's pot evangelist tells the Daily Beast, it does produce "an interesting little buzz.” However, as trends go and as stories about trends go, the recent story about pot-laced...
A Great Find in Wine Blogging
It's entirely absurd that I spent the past 8 months blissfully unaware of Chris Kassel's blog, "Intoxicology Report". It is by far the best new wine blog I've come across in many, many months. Kassel is a long time wine...
Foxy Wine Wholesalers Ask the Hens to Give Up the Henhouse
I note with some interest that among the American alcohol wholesaling community there is a great deal of talk about the need to unite the the various sectors of the alcohol beverage industry to advance a common political agenda. There...
The Nature of the Beast
The Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America, the national association representing American wine wholesalers, finished their annual convention in Las Vegas on Friday with their CEO Craig Wolf warning members that the challenge of "privatization" “is being used as a...
Deborah Harkness On Wine Blogs, Vampires and Writing
I like Deborah Harkness for a whole bunch of reasons. I first came across her when I discovered her wine blog, Good Wine Under $20. And I wasn't the only one who discovered Deborah's well written, witty, and well-focused wine...
PA Wine Lovers Bent Over–Over Direct Shipping of Wine
"Pennsylvania residents could have a little more liquor freedom, but only if they prefer American wine over the French, German or Australian varieties....'The people of Pennsylvania are really getting less than what they should be getting,” Farnese said, adding that...
Alert: Obscure But Important Wine Law Info
ALERT! Unless you have an unusually deep interest in the alcohol legal theory, the constitutional foundations of the Three-Tier System or wine politics, then you should probably maneuver away from this blog post. In my most recent post on Health...
