The wines from Pierre Usseglio I

Domaine Pierre Usseglio is first and foremost a maker of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but has also a couple of vineyards just outside the appellation. From these they make a good value Côtes-du-Rhône and a Vin de Table, where Merlot makes up 80 % og the blend.  I gave the 2006 Côtes-du-Rhône 2006 88-89 p. which makes it a good value. It’s a sort [...]

Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/44/wines-from-pierre-usseglio-1/

Rachel Weisz Radha Mitchell Raquel Alessi Rebecca Mader

Massachusetts Lawmakers to Hear Testimony on Wine Direct Shipping, Tuesday, May 10th

Everyone once in a while I get an E-mail I've been waiting a long time for and knock out a blog post immediately. Just now I received this press release from Free the Grapes about an important hearing this coming Tuesday in Massachusetts.

MA HB 1029 would finally, mercifully, allow direct shipment of wine from out of state wineries to Massachusetts residents.

Here's a quick Q&A with Free the Grapes:

WWP: What would you suggest MA wine consumers do to right now to help MA HB 1029 pass and allow direct shipment from out-of-state wineries to MA consumers?

Free the Grapes: We encourage Massachusetts wine lovers to express their support of wine direct shipping in their state by sending letters to the committee?s leadership through our website. Next week we will update the distribution list beyond the committee to include all MA legislators, in order for us to broaden the message. http://capwiz.com/freegrapes/issues/alert/?alertid=34295506

WWP: If the bill passes, how long until direct shipments become a reality?

Free the Grapes: It?s too early to tell. Like in other states, the licensing parameters and common carrier approvals precede issuing winery licenses. To use Maryland as an example, the bill will be signed by the Governor next week on 5/10, but the comptroller?s office is prepping documents and regulations to meet the law?s effective date of 7/1/11. This is common.

WWP: Would the bill allow direct shipments from out of state retailers to MA consumers?

Free the Grapes: No. The bill allows for wine shipments from licensed wineries directly to Massachusetts consumers.

From the press release:

May 6, 2011, Napa, CA ?  On Tuesday, May 10 the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure will hold a public hearing to discuss House Bill 1029. Passage of this bill would mark an end to the state?s archaic ban on wine shipments from licensed wineries directly to Massachusetts consumers, according to Free the Grapes!, the national coalition of consumers, wineries and retailers. www.freethegrapes.org

Hearing Details:

What: House Bill 1029
Who: Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
When: Tuesday, May 10, 2011; 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Location: Massachusetts State House, Room A-1, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108
Bill Information: http://www.malegislature.gov/bills/187/house/h01029

HB 1029 conforms to the ruling Family Winemakers of California v. Jenkins, which was upheld by the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in January 2010. The lawsuit successfully challenged a 2006 Massachusetts statute banning winery-to-consumer shipments from wineries and wine companies producing more than 30,000 gallons per year, and who retain a wholesaler. The 30,000 gallon capacity cap was ruled to be discriminatory and the legislature was tasked with developing a remedy.

Introduced in February by Representative David M. Torrisi, HB 1029 is similar to the model direct shipping bill that is the foundation for statutes in the majority of U.S. states, providing legal, regulated direct shipping to consumers. Among other provisions, HB 1029 requires wineries to purchase a state-issued shipping license, to mark boxes as requiring an adult signature at delivery, and limits the quantity of wine shipped to individuals to 24 cases per year. The basis for HB 1029, the model direct shipping bill, was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and supported by the Federal Trade Commission.

Thirty-seven states and Washington D.C. ? but not Massachusetts ? allow licensed wineries to ship directly to consumers ? those states account for 83% of US wine consumption. Massachusetts is the seventh largest wine consumption state in the U.S. however it is one of 17 states that continue to ban winery-to-consumer direct shipments. Maryland Governor O?Malley is scheduled to sign House and Senate Bills later this month to allow winery direct shipping, which will make Maryland the 38th state to allow winery direct shipping.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/s7hQwJrULRk/massachusetts-lawmakers-to-hear.html

Rose Byrne Rose McGowan Roselyn Sanchez Rozonda Thomas

WBW 71 Wrap-up: (Mostly) New World Rhones

It has been nearly three years since I last hosted Wine Blogging Wednesday but my choice of theme was easy. Wines made from Rhône varieties are among my personal favorites and I was hoping to learn about many more new wines from participants this month. There were 25 bloggers posting reviews from all over the [...]

WBW 71 Wrap-up: (Mostly) New World Rhones originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/BXdQNlLxMqM/

Michelle Obama Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Trachtenberg Mila Kunis

May is Bocce Month in Wine Country

This is an unofficial declaration that May is Bocce Month in Wine Country. Why choose May as Bocce month? May is the ideal month to plan an outdoor activity in wine country like Bocce. The weather is at its best for a little physical activity. Continue reading

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/may-is-bocce-month-in-wine-country/

Sara Spraker Sarah Gellman Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Mutch

Welcome to the Future

I won’t have a chance to get everyone an update on wider life for a few more days at the least (things are busy both professionally and personally, well definitely personally) but I was sad to see that social media darling Gary V has chosen to close Cork’d. Cork’d To Close It’s Doors It’s an [...]

Source: http://winewithmark.info/archives/632

Michael Michele Michelle Behennah Michelle Branch Michelle Malkin

Five Easy Winter Projects for Winery Marketers

It’s November, post-Harvest and going into slow season for winery marketers.  Thought I would put together a short list of projects that may make your life easier in 2011 with a little time put in during the winter. 1.  Claim your winery on location based services and review sites. Even if you don’t use the [...]

Source: http://familylovewine.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/five-easy-winter-projects-for-winery-marketers/

Lori Heuring Lorri Bagley Lucy Liu Luján Fernández

Nominations are Now Open for the 5th Annual Wine Blog Awards

A little over a year ago, Tom Wark (PR whiz, wine shipping advocate, blogger at Fermentation and founder of the Wine Blog Awards), and I had an email exchange in which I noted that there seemed to be a, “Been there, done that” sense in the online wine writing scene.  My contention was that the genre hadn’t advanced enough and was, “Running to stand still,” to borrow a phrase.

Tom didn’t respond to my thoughts specifically, a pocket veto of sorts.  Flash forward 15 months and not only was my observation off base, it was off the map.  Tom was right.

Today, online wine writing offers an incredible panoply of voices, niches, and quality, ever-growing and impossible to keep up with.  Whatever your wine fetish, you’re going to find a community within a community and quality writing that will educate and entertain with personality and verve.

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To wit, already populated by great diversity, the 5th Annual Wine Blog Awards are currently accepting nominations until May 31st.  Ceded by Tom for the greater good and now organized by the same group of people who organize the Wine Bloggers Conference, the principal complaint against the Wine Blog Awards has been that they are insider-ish and don’t represent the diversity of writers and voices who are toiling at a high-level in pursuit of the good grape.  I have a hunch that won’t be the case this year; the entire contest could be marked by nominated finalists and winners who haven’t previously been acknowledged by these awards.

To nominate your favorite online wine read, please hit the links below.

Best Overall Wine Blog

Best New Wine Blog

Best Writing on a Wine Blog

Best Winery Blog

Best Single Subject Wine Blog

Best Wine Blog Graphics, Photography, and Presentation

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/nominations_are_now_open_for_the_5th_annual_wine_blog_awards/

Penélope Cruz Pink Piper Perabo Poppy Montgomery

Ontario to heavy bottles: keep out!

Remember those obnoxiously heavy bottles that were all the rage before the recession? Well, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario has told them they are not welcome. That’s right, to be sold monopolist’s stores that serve the 13 million residents of the province, bottles must be lightweight, tipping the scales at 420g maximum (as a [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/GuSC/~3/1i3rLw9LDJ4/

Marley Shelton Mary Elizabeth Winstead Megan Ewing Megan Fox