Update On Cannabis’ Impact On Wine Sales: Don’t Worry At All
KMOV Chicago reports that cannabis sales are WAY up during the pandemic. It also reports this anecdotal explanation from Katie Johnston-Smith, an Illinoisan who is helping boost the sale of Cannabis by...
View ArticleWhat Would You Ask the Enemies of Wine Shipping?
If you had a chance to pepper with questions those folks who… -oppose interstate wine shipping -oppose consumers being able to access the wines they want but can’t find locally -have argued that direct...
View ArticleCOVID-Driven Online Wine Sales Are Here To Stay Post Pandemic
We all know that during this pandemic, as wineries, bars and restaurants were shuttered, we saw a significant increase in online sales of wine, delivery of wine and direct shipment of wine. However,...
View ArticleWine Wholesalers and Lawmakers Are Playing Chicken With Amazon
I watched a committee hearing last week that heard testimony concerning the proposal in New Jersey to lift the production cap that currently prohibits large, out-of-state wineries from shipping wine to...
View ArticleFundamental Reform of Alcohol Laws Is Coming —Are You Ready?
It is worth noting that the pandemic-induced re-invigoration of discussion concerning alcohol regulation is a phenomenon we don’t see happening in any other industry. Whether the topic is interstate...
View ArticleReport—Cannabis Impacting Wine and Alcohol Sales
Over the past week or so, Wine-Searcher’s W. Blake Gray has done a fantastic job of covering how Napa Valley’s powers that be are reacting to the cannabis marketplace. A little over a week ago Gray...
View ArticleWine Writing In the Age of COVID
Thinking about my 16th anniversary at the helm of FERMENTATION, it is the uniqueness of the current moment rather than the longevity of my efforts that strikes me today. I don’t think I am alone among...
View Article“Catastrophic”— The State of Restaurant Wine Sales
In a press release that outlined the state of depletions (sales from wholesalers to restaurants/retailers) over the past 12 months ending in September, SipSource analyst Dale Stratton described...
View ArticleWhen the Fox Addressed the Hens (the wine version)
“The dedicated team will be responsible for providing operational excellence, programming and promotions, digital content, category insights and performance management in the eCommerce area, across...
View ArticleThe Discussion to Define Alcohol DTC in 2021
Repeal Day, a commemoration of the day in 1933 when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the 21st Amendment ending the prohibition of alcohol sale and consumption in the United States, was celebrated on...
View ArticleResponsibility in the Wine Industry
“Our most protective urges are almost always saved for our family first. Blood relations or otherwise, our immediate family tends to be the folk we are quickest to rise up and protect and defend when...
View ArticleThe Top 10 Wine Stories of 2020 According to Your Eyeballs
It’s always interesting to look back and see which posts attracted the most readership here at FERMENTATION during the year. As is has been in past years, 2020 readers were attracted most to those...
View ArticleIs Stealing Wine the Right Choice for a Life of Crime?
One of the fundamental principles of thievery (as it has been explained to me) is the value per pound of the item to be stolen. The greater this ratio, the more complex the thriving operation: heavy...
View ArticleWine and 2021 — Predictions
The point of identifying trends is to help hedge one’s future risk. If we can predict what will come we are more likely to flourish where there is a real risk of being overrun by events. As I have for...
View ArticleWhat Makes Wine Great—Reason #1
Wine is a commodity. The vast majority of wine released for sale every year is drunk casually and within hours or a few days of being purchased by consumers who bought the wine because it fit their...
View ArticleWhy Uber Will Not Be Challenging How Alcohol is Sold and Distributed
Since the Uber purchase of local alcohol sales platform Drizly for $1.1 billion earlier this month, there has been talk and speculation that the food and people delivery service will be in a position...
View ArticleNew Report Released—Politics Under the Influence
Over the past two election cycles (2017 – 2020) more than $230 million has been spent by the alcohol industry for political influence. The details of campaign contributions and lobbying expenses at...
View ArticleUtah Vies To Keep Title of “State With Crazies Alcohol Law”
Apparently fearful Utah might get bypassed by other states in the look-at-our-crazy-alcohol-laws sweepstakes, the state is considering a bill that would finally allow Utahans to buy beer, wine and...
View ArticleTime to Embrace the Elitist Character of the Wine Drinker
“Our aim is to democratize wine. The mission is to remove the elitist, stuffy image from wine and bring it to the people.” The odds are 2-1 that any new consumer-facing wine service, app, editorial...
View ArticleThe Brave and Attractive Move in the Wine Writing World
One of America’s most prolific wine bloggers, Jeff Siegel, has abandoned his long-standing wine blog for the blue skies of Substack, the subscription newsletter format, and making a buck. The trail of...
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