SWIRL: Let
SWIRL: 7-Eleven expands its list of propriet
SWIRL: Buying cheap wine in a supermarket might be everyone’s cup of tea, so to speak, but The Guardian has a useful guide on how to increase your odds of getting a decent bargain bottle. Among the advice: avoid “funny” labels, look for “private brands” and try less popular grape varieties such as chenin blanc and grenache “before people catch on.”
SWIRL: Lot 18 is a new wine and specialty food Web site that matches its members with producers offering small quantities of their products at substantial discounts. Membership is by invitation only, and members can invite others to join the site. Lot 18’s founders are Philip James, founder of Snooth, and Kevin Fortuna, a technology entrepreneur. The well-designed site includes appraisals by established wine publications and by Lot 18’s own reviewers. So far, the offerings have focused on California wines. Flat rate shipping is $9.99. Lot 18 completed a $3 million round of venture funding last week. Mashable.com has a profile of the site.
From sales to distribution to shipping, this country’s wine wars are inevitably fought among groups that have pow
For now, the AWCC “home page” is on Facebook and, as of mid-day today, more than 500 people were listed on it, which is not a bad start. For wine consumers, one of the key goals is expansion of inter-state shipping. A news release sums up the aims: “Of primary concern to wine consumers in America is gaining access to the hundreds of thousands of wines that are now available in the American marketplace. To have access to these wines consumers must have rights to buy and have wines shipped to them from out-of-state wineries, wine stores and importers. Too often the majority of wines simply aren't sold in the various states, making inter-state direct shipment a critical element in wine consumers' lives.”
Tom Wark believes the “three-tier system” of alcohol distribution in most states (producers, distributors and retailers) is misnamed and should include a critical fourth tier, namely consumers, to recognize “their critical place in that system.” It will be interesting to see how consumers – and the industry – respond to this new initiative.
AT THE NEW MEADOWLANDS STADIUM over in New Jersey yesterday, the New York Jets unveiled a commemorative wine, tied to the opening of the new venue, called Jets Uncorked. The wine is a red, of course, a cabernet sauvignon, naturally.
THERE’S A GOOD DISCUSSION in the Washington Post on the value to wineries of direct-t0-consumer sales. One context is the current debate in Congress on a controversial bill to strengthen the three-tier distribution system and weaken direct sales (H.R. 5034) that’s backed by the wine wholesale industry. Oregon’s Adelsheim Vineyard has found a successful blend, so to speak, with a dual strategy that incorporates both traditional distribution and direct sales and has seen sales grow, even in this tough economy. Read the full article.
THE ISSUE OF WINE STORAGE is explored in a useful article by California wine writer Dan Berger, who reviews the best methods for storing wine at home and in stores and finds conditions at some retailers highly questionable.
Every time a bottle or case of wine is shipped to my house, someone 21 years or older, meaning me or my wife and not my children, must be home to sign for it. If not, I get one of those annoying “door tags” from shippers like FedEx saying that they tried unsuccessfully to deliver a package containing an alcoholic beverage and that they will try again. This is aimed, of course, at keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors and, while inconvenient, it is completely justifiable. I am reminded of this as I read about the lat
Underage drinking, the specter of an epidemic of alcoholism --these are among the timeworn arguments, the spin, really, that those who oppose direct wine sales use to defend the country’s traditional distribution system, which, they argue, is threatened by direct wine shipments. A couple of larger points come to mind. Let’s not forget that while the distributors are still vitally important to moving most wine in this country, there are many small wineries out there that are, in fact, too small to generate interest by wholesalers and therefore rely on direct shipping, a right they were granted by the United States Supreme Court. Let’s also not forget that controlling underage drinking begins at home. My children understand that it is wrong, and they understand because I have told them so. I feel they are protected adequately, without more legislation by Congress and certainly without advocacy on their behalf, thank you very much, from America’s wine wholesalers.
