Insights

Brand without land

Column - Robert Joseph

Inside the Philadelphia wine market

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the USA’s fifth-largest city and the nucleus of a metro area of 6m people. Rich in arts, culture, education, and a history significant to the founding of the country, the city is vibrant, as are its culinary and wine scenes — despite state control of all liquor sales through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). Layers of taxes and fees and near-retail pricing for restaurateurs, among other issues, all provide challenges to wine professionals and consumers. The PLCB has changed procedures in the past for area producers, however, so the outlook citywide is growlingly optimistic. Scott Saunders takes a look.

Writers at work

Love them or loathe them, everyone has an opinion about wine writers. Adam Lechmere reports on what they talk about amongst themselves when they get together.

US distributors get bigger

Two big deals took place in late 2015 that have changed the face of US wine distribution, says Jeff Siegel. This consolidation will make it harder for small wine brands to emerge.

An inside look at the Washington DC ontrade

Washington, DC, seat of the federal government for the US, is an autonomous district, and as such it is unencumbered from certain state regulations, notably those which influence the import and distribution of alcohol — a twist that has helped create one of the nation’s most diverse and creative beverage scenes. The mix of universities and government representatives (and lobbyists in tow) keeps the District’s demographics skewed young, intelligent, affluent and out on the town, factors that no doubt have contributed to DC leading the nation in wine consumption per capita, and by a good margin. Scott Saunders speaks to wine scene representatives.

A snapshot of Italy’s bulk wine

Italy is the world’s largest producer of bulk wine, making it exquisitely sensitive to market trends. Broker Luigino Lazzaretto looks at how the market is evolving.

Bull market for US wine sales over

A stronger US dollar, changing tastes, and the fickleness of Millennials means that the US domestic industry is going to have to fight harder for market share. Leslie Gevirtz reports.

Predicting the future

Column - Robert Joseph

Wine Trends in San Francisco

San Francisco is something of a cultural beacon to the US, driving trends that impact the rest of the nation in all aspects, and its proximity to the North Coast American Viticultural Area gives the city’s influence on wine trends extra clout. Grapes on the rise, cellar management refinement, shifting retail demographics, and a winegrowing movement — Scott Saunders gives a glimpse of what’s going on in The City by the Bay.

South Africa turns a corner

Critics have been raving about the quality of South African wines of late, and yet prices are still being affected by post-apartheid-era issues, says Michael Fridjhon.

Spain’s green shoots

The Spanish wine sector suffered a huge blow in 2007 and 2008, says Patricia Langton. But it pushed the country to the export markets, and its efforts are paying off.