Gallo Enters Napa

[Thomas]

Men--load your muskets. We must get 'em afore they get us.

In NYCity we still have a host of small distributors who have passion for the product. Even though there are days when the number of sales people makes it seem like too much, thems are the ones with whom I choose to work. And wineries can also choose to use them.

But one problem that wineries have is that they expect a lot from distributors, as in brand building, and that is not what distributors do best--that is the producer's job to a great extent. It is an expensive job and so, the mid-sized wineries (like Martini) must ultimatley cave in. The system says a lot for establishing cooperatives as they do in parts of Europe, but try getting two winery owners in a room to agree on where to sit!

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 09-11-2002).]