• Buying more expensive wine: Here's an odd story: The MarketWatch news service, which should know better, is trumpting the end of the recession. "Dollar sales of bottles marked $20 or more are up 19 percent from January 2010 through Sept. 5 compared to the same 2009 period. ..." Of course they are. That 2009 period was one of the worst in the last 30 years, so any uptick is going to look fabulous. Don't they teach reporters how to analyze statistics any more? Where is Richard Hainey when you need him? Now, a story that looked at 2006 stats, before the crash, and compared them to 2010 would have meant something.
• Why harvest reports don't mean much: And why I don't run them, as explained by the great Dan Berger: "No matter how mild, obviously of no concern, or even downright beneficial the weather patterns in a year are, grape growers will find a way to be pessimistic. And then, after all the grapes are in late in the year, many wine makers will delight in saying that the vintage produced the best wines ever. Vintage of the century, etc." Which reminds me of the way Realtors do business. No matter what state the economy is in, or what houses cost, this is always "The best time to buy a house!"
• What happens when big companies buy smaller wineries: From Linda Murphy, who is never one to mince words: "The current trend toward winery consolidation and cost-cutting in California smells like cabbage left in the refrigerator for two weeks too long. It stinks. ..." She notes the changes at distinctive, well-run labels like Rosenblum and Arrowood, and asks the key question: When does a winery stop being what it is and become just another cog in the corporate machine?
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