Winexpression

Can the U.S. just allow shipping from state to state already. This is ridiculous. As the drama continues over the ban on interstate trade, one wonders if the original reason for such a ban is relevant to today’s lifestyle? This from the SF Chronicle’s Business section.
read

It’s Official! The Chalone Wine Group has accepted a buyout offer, but there is still time for a higher bidder to make an offer.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chalone Wine Group (CHLN) said on Monday it accepted an $11.75 per share buyout offer from French luxury wine maker Domaines Barons de Rothschild.
The deal, which would transfer [...]

The Soap Opera between Helen Turley and husband, and the Bryant Family Winery continues. Robert Parker took the stand in the form of a video message, testifying that he advised bryant to hire Philipe Melka as new winemaker for Bryant in October 2002. That was the same time that Bryant fired Turley from her winemaking [...]

What’s going to happen to Beringer. The troubled end of Foster’s has the new C.E.O. wondering what the right move is with the hurting wine end of his business. Some where the costs of Beringer’s operations needs to be cut. The point is, when you buy a business for over 2 billion dollars, you had [...]

“A federal appeals court Thursday upheld a state law that blocks out-of-state wineries from shipping wine directly to New York consumers in a decision that could spark a battle at the Supreme Court.”
read:

Two Lawmakers in New York Propose a ‘take out’ law allowing patrons at restaurants to take their unfinished bottle home with them. Wow, I had no idea the state was so strict! So here’s the scenario: You know that bottle of Colgin you really want but can’t find? Go into the restaurant that has it, [...]

I love the flare CNN adds to wine. This story sums up how important the American market is to the French economy, and how worry of a strong euro, coupled with a small yield in 2003 will cause prices to be seemingly unbearable to the average American wine buyer. Australia and Italy continue to show [...]

Images: 1. Shafer’s Hillside Label 2. Young Ridge’s 1st 3.YR’s 2nd label (re-designed)
Two different labels from two different wineries, yet the labels can be confused because of their similarity. Young Ridge clearly looks to have copied Shafer’s ‘Hillside Select’ label for use as their own. The two groups have already gone to court over it, [...]

O.K., here’s the tradeoff. We’ll let you ship to New York, if you let us ship to you. Sound good? Hopefully it will to the hundreds of wineries that have been trying to ship directly to consumers in New York for quite some time now. New Yorks Gov. George Pataki, is supporting the idea with [...]

Peter Click in Washington figured out how to get impartial distribution of his french imports; Distribute it yourself. So, he started his own distribution company, which will refrain from the same kind of sales pressure that his old channel did to move his competitors products, not his. This three tiered system of Importer, Wholesaler, Retailer, [...]