The Underpriced Wines of Napa Valley
Many in the wine industry believe that Napa Valley’s price/quality ratio is out of whack; that Napa Valley wines are overpriced. It is possible that these folks are all wrong? Or at least partially...
View ArticleWine Retailers Are Out Numbered At The Table
Every state in America has some sort of Commission, Agency, Department or Board that oversees the state’s alcohol production, distribution and sales. What’s notable about this is that alcohol is the...
View ArticleThis Wine is Smokin’ Good
As I’ve argued before, there simply is no way to argue that smoke taint in a wine brought on by fires during harvest is not a genuine reflection of terroir. That case will be made by more people once...
View ArticleThe Napa Valley Wine Industry Has A Big Problem On Its Hands
The results of Napa Valley’s recent electoral battle to determine the future of farming here are officially in: Measure C failed and reason prevailed. But not by much. It’s absolutely clear, based on...
View ArticleTurning the Tide on Corruption in Wine, Beer and Spirit Sales
An amazing thing happened recently in, of all places, Texas. Both the Texas Democratic Party and the Texas Republican Party, at their annual state platform conventions, called for the elimination or...
View ArticleScams and Fraud In The Wine Business — Be Watchful
No one likes to admit they’ve been taken in by someone attempting to scam them. In reality, it’s a rare occurrence. Still, it’s embarrassing. But because it does happen from time to time, even in the...
View ArticleNew Enemy of Wine Consumers Appointed
The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Association (WSWA), whose values can be succinctly reduced to “what’s good for the consumers…just doesn’t matter” has a new CEO and president in the wake of former...
View ArticleA Change at the Heart of the Wine Trade 100 Years in the Making
A bit of bittersweet news came through the email machine yesterday that has a historical context. The announcement via press release was that Wine Business Monthly and Wines & Vines Magazine will...
View ArticleAndrew Jefford and the Contamination of Wine
Andrew Jefford certainly ranks as one of the most thoughtful people to ever write about wine. If you need proof of this, simply read the transcript of the speech he gave to the conference of Wine...
View ArticleCrime and Punishment in the Wine Industry
In its fierce “determination to put an end to anti-competitive practices that hurt law-abiding businesses and prevent consumers from enjoying a wide selection of products” the TTB announced that it had...
View ArticleOn Boycotts, Wine and the World
In a continuation of his provocative “August Essays”, influential writer Andrew Jefford makes the case that wine drinkers have a moral and ethical responsibility to choose their drinks with an eye...
View ArticleThe Blog on Liquor Laws and Politics You Need to Read
In the past, I had the opportunity to draw attention to new wine-related blogs that held great potential. I haven’t done much of this lately for reasons that at this time don’t warrant discussion....
View ArticleTwo Important Announcements in Wine Education
Here’s an opportunity that doesn’t come along too often: “Discovering and nurturing the next generation of outstanding young wine writers has been one of my longstanding personal goals for Vinous. As...
View ArticleA Corrupt Scheme At The Middle of the American Wine Industry
In a recent interview with Liza Zimmerman at Wine Searcher, Rob Tobiassen, former Chief Attorney for the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, explains the benefits of the Three Tier System...
View ArticleWillamette Valley Conjunctive Label Law Is a Mistake
According to a recent story by the Portland Oregonian’s wine writer Michael Alberty, winemakers and winergrowers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, home to some of the best Pinot Noir produced anywhere in...
View ArticleTen Ways Wine Can Combat the Threat of Cannabis
Here are five paragraphs from a news story concerning cannabis and wine with which members of the wine industry ought to be very concerned: Jena, a 27-year-old business operations employee based in...
View ArticleI Took Legal Advice From Wine Wholesalers and Only Got This Tee Shirt
In the wake of the Supreme Court agreeing on Thursday to hear a case of great importance to wine retailer shipping, the very next day the state of Michigan receive the kind of news regarding its wine...
View ArticleSonoma State Wine MBA Students Get it Done
If you are ever inclined to ask, “just what the hell are they teaching those kids in college these days,” I’d point you to a recent story for Wine Industry Advisor written by Madeleine Rose that...
View ArticleThe Supreme Court Must Rule on Wine Retailer Shipping
Since 2005 when the U.S Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of New York and Michigan’s discriminatory and protectionist bans on wine shipments from out-of-state wineries in Granholm v Heald, a...
View ArticleLies, Damned Lies and Wine Wholesalers
“I am always surprised when individual wholesalers or their main trade and lobbying group, the Washington DC-based Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America [WSWA,] fails to chime in on key issues.”...
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