? More obstacles: The Wine Curmudgeon has watched with glee and sympathy as Pennsylvania has tried to reform its state store system, where you can only buy wine from stores operated by the state. Some of it has been silly, like wine vending machines in grocery stores, and some of it points to how screwed up the political system is when it comes to liquor law in the 21st century. like state store reform held hostage in the state’s budget impasse. So we should not be surprised that spirits producers are threatening to hold their breath until they turn blue if the state allows wine to be sold outside of state stores but not liquor. Which means, I suppose, that state store reform is no closer today than in the past.
? Personalized direct retail shipping? The VinePair website reports that the next big trend in wine shopping will be stores or services that send you wine that you want without you having to decide what you want; the trendy 21st term is “curated wine.” Which sounds nifty, but doesn’t take into account three-tier. That’s probably one reason why the post has to quote a retailer in New York City that offers the service, shipping to New York customers. Yes, this is a terrific idea, but it will never work in the U.S. unless the retailer can ship to all 50 states with a minimum of fuss, paperwork, and legal obstacles. Which, unfortunately, will probably not happen any time soon.
? Blue collar wine: A tip o’ the WC’s fedora to Forbes’ Cathy Huyghe, who spent the month of November writing about the wine that most of us drink, and not Forbes’ one percenters. “…[I]t has turned out to be one of the most eye-opening projects I ?ve ever done. … The longer I ?m a wine writer, the further away it ?s possible to get from the wines that most people drink.” Welcome to the fight, Cathy. The more wine writers who learn this, the better off wine will be. One of the biggest problems I have is convincing my colleagues that there is demand for serious criticism of what your articles call “Blue Collar” wine.