Rant: Is it just me?

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We are currently redesigning our web site but do a hilarious and in-your-face weekly e-mail newsletter. Here is an example of our issues:

Fighting Globalization in your Glass

"Once you guys succeed in making all wine taste the same, what will you do for a living?" That is the question we have been asking wholesale reps this week as we have been absolutely barraged by the forces of evil (well, severely misguided, focus group driven winemaking and marketing at least): The LA Times does a feature article on how the massively consolidated, technocratic, "we make wines in the winery not the vineyard", Australian wine industry plans to be making and selling the majority of ALL wines within a decade. An importer proudly presented us with a Parker Beatification Certificate pronouncing that one of his Chiantis "could easily pass for a fine Premier Cru Volnay" (a particularly soft and velvety and UN-CHIANTI-like Burgundy) which we thought was like telling Vince Lombardi that his star linebacker would make a dandy ballerina. Then, to top it all off, another supplier comes in with two samples alleged to be Cahors (a Southern French red made from Malbec and Tannat that has been famous since Chaucer's time for being BLACK, tarry, brambly and aggressive, just the thing to go with the local diet of confit of duck, fois gras, lamb cassoulet and such) that have been polluted with enough Merlot (?!?!) and a "huge investment in an ultra modern winery" to make them taste like Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot (which you can buy for $3.99 at Sav-On Drugs if you really need some). It seems the consensus amongst the "gatekeepers" is that Americans want wines from all over the world with fanciful names and long histories as long as they all taste the same and don't have any disconcerting "ethnic" character. So, do we just give up and roll over? NO!!!!!! We continue to champion wines with true personality, regional style (even outright idiosyncrasies) and a point of view and remind those in the supply chain that they are huge crowd favorites at OUR "focus groups" where we offer true diversity instead of merely different brands of the same old things. Some recent hits include:

a bunch of fun stuff that really tastes like it is supposed to. Cheers, Roberto