When I launched WineZag in 2009, I did it under a founding motto of “wine is a lubricant for human connection that holds no bias.” The essence of my wine appreciation has always transcended the juice, gravitating to the center of human bonding and relationships that are accelerated by shared wine experiences; either during dinner […]
What’s Going on With the Price of Wine
I finally caught up with a replay of Rob McMillan’s Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) webinar presentation of their own 2011-2012 State of the Wine Industry report. Rob is founder of SVB’s Wine division. His presentation was not really a state of the wine industry report since the bank and its research are only concerned with the U.S., west […]
No Comment on Wine Freedom in H.R. 5034 Response From Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown
H.R. 5034, the Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2010, is simmering in the House of Representatives and waiting to make its way out the House to a Senate vote. So, I contacted my State Senator, Scott P. Brown, with an appeal to consider the scary aspects of this legislation which would allow Massachusetts, and all other states, […]
“Big Hat, No Cattle” Sticks to Texas Wine Industry
Finally catching up this morning on a week’s worth of wine news while dusting off a month’s worth of tasting notes deserving highlight mentions here at WineZag, Jessica Meyer’s Dallas Morning News report on the Texas wine industry plucked my funny bone. Somehow in the land of big hats, cattle ranches, Halliburton, ExxonMobil, and republican […]
Take Poll and Weigh In On Future High-End Wine Economy
Take a second, look to the right of your screen, and share your own thoughts on what it takes for you to spend $50+ on high-end wines at retail. With the preliminary findings report from Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division (see recent post Wine Sales Stink and the World is Not Flat) underscoring the massive swing in growth rates that has […]
Gallo for a Nickel or Dime? A Cleansing Period for the Wine Industry at Any Price
The blogosphere has been glowing garnet with empirical proof that the US wine industry haphazardly exposed their flanks to foreign importers with business plans to dominate the value segments of the domestic US fine wine market (recent WineZag post). The industry continued to plant, expand, and gear up for the $50-$125 dead zone in today’s market. Not all the competitive imported value wines were sweet, […]