Just returned from the Mosel Region

[hotwine]

I agree, Wow. There's a lot of excellent German wines out there, and many at bargain prices.

Todd, to illustrate Foodie's description of the cost factors involved in the business of importing wines, consider this: back in the mid-'80's, I had the bright idea of setting up a wine import business. I located a broker living in Germany who would supply me with German, French, Italian and Spanish wines of my choosing with monthly shipments. So I then contacted my friendly Texas Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, and asked them to "send me an application to import wine." Har, har, har! They sent me a two-inch thick packet of forms, rules and regulations. In studying that packet, I learned that no fewer than 10 licenses were required, including an import license, a warehousing license, a trucking license, a truck driver's license specifically to haul alcohol (and nothing else), a customs bond on the goods, a customs bond on my warehouse, a customs bond on the truck, a bonded certification that I would not trade with any family member in a "retail alcohol" business, etc....and those were all annually renewable, at fees in the thousands of dollars each. And that was just at the state level. I filed that one away under "dumb ideas".

Why do we have such a draconian system of providing wines to the consuming public? Think "taxing opportunities". Every person, vehicle, building, transaction in the wine trade represents a golden taxing opportunity for all levels of government. Federal, state and local governments are thoroughly addicted to the fountain of plentiful revenue that's generated. They can't do without it. And that's why we're stuck with it.

[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 07-09-2002).]