by Joel B. Payne

Europeans have traditionally venerated sites more than winemakers. Only a generation ago their job was merely to ensure that the wines they made were of marketable quality and typical of the region. Today, we often expect them to perform miracles, to the point that winemakers have become integral parts of even luxury brands who, in spite of their personal authenticity, vie for public visibility. The consumer may not always know them, but the gatekeepers do.

by Joel B. Payne

Although duties have different functions in each market, the bottom line is always the same. Governments need money, so they impose taxes. As it irks few voters, and plays well to protectionist sentiments, politicians prefer taxing foreign products rather than domestic goods.

by Joel B. Payne

Shortly before Christmas a court in Paris fined its local newspaper, Le Parisien, €5,000 for breaking a French advertising law. The judgment followed a complaint lodged by the National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction (ANPAA), an anti-alcohol body with an €66.5m annual budget, partially subsidised by the state.

by Joel B. Payne 

 "Politicians are part of the problem, but they won't be part of the cure".

 The first reports on the short 2007 vintage provide a moment of relief for those worried about worldwide overproduction, but this harvest will provide the industry with but little respite. Yes, yields are down, the wine lake appears manageable this year and bulk prices are...

 by Joel B. Payne

 "Ecological good behaviour will ultimately be paid for by the suppliers".

This is the first anniversary issue of Wine Business International and, as you can see from the cover, we’ve made a major change. From now on the magazine will be known as Meininger’s Wine Business International, to better reflect...

by Joel B. Payne

"When they awake from their nightmares, European producers will find a new dawn rising".

We are losing market share to dynamic producers in other parts of the world,’ said Mariann Fischer Boel, the European Agriculture Commissioner, when announcing her reform plan for wine production. The plan, not surprisingly, addresses the ...

by Joel B. Payne

"Brand's share of the total wine market will continue to increase".

 Much of Old Europe balks at the idea of wine becomng a fast moving consumer good. Although most shoppers in the developed world buy unbranded butter from a supermarket, loaves of bread with no provenance and branded cheese that is produced in industrial...

by Joel B. Payne

"Mondavi democratised production, Gallo consumption".

Much has been said and written about Ernest Gallo since his death on March the 6th at the age of 97. With his near contemporary Robert Mondavi, he was certainly one of the 20th century’s quintessential figures. While Mondavi embodied the notion...

 by Joel B. Payne

"Subsidies are trade barriers with a social veneer".

Politicians tend to postpone delicate matters. Their principle aim is not to solve difficult problems, but to push the right pawns forward to insure the permanence of their own elected office. It is thus not surprising...

by Joel B. Payne

"Is Eastern Europe the new El Dorado?"

For over a generation it was a rare French, Italian or Spanish producer who eyed the countries of Eastern Europe as potential markets. Consumers there, it was generally thought, were not only locked behind the Iron Curtain, but also primarily vodka drinkers. Few remember...