How the three-tier system ruined my birthday
My wife wanted to surprise me this year for my birthday, and order me a bottle of Chateau La Fleur, the Vintage would represent my birth year.
Unfortunately, my wife discovered that ordering wine is not as easy as ordering shoes on Amazon.
My wife went […]
Michigan proposes liquor legislation, beware!
The Michigan legislature has proposed several pieces of legislation that will become problematic if passed into law.
The legislative bills if passed, will grease the palms of the Michigan wine and beer wholesalers, and leave the State of Michigan vulnerable to Constitutional challenges.
SB […]
Governor Pritzker announced that restaurants and bars in DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, and Will counties will not be allowed to have indoor seating starting at 12:00 am Friday October 23, 2020. Subject to certain restrictions outdoor seating is still allowed.
But let us look at the real issue here. It is no longer July in […]
The three-tier system fails the competition and choice test
Advocates of the three-tier system, mainly those representing the wholesaler tier, claim that wholesalers bring commercial benefits to society by creating healthy competition and by providing a vast assortment of brands to the marketplace.
According to this theory if not for the wholesalers, there would be […]
Politics and alcohol don’t mix
In this election season we are all inundated with politics and a lot of it. Many of us try to avoid it and turn away from conversations related to politics. But try as we may, there is no getting around it. Politics are part of the culture […]
Michigan utilizes 21st Amendment Enforcement Act against two out-of-state retailers
Back in July Ohio became the first state to utilize the 21st Amendment Enforcement Act against out-of-state retailers shipping wine into the state.
Three months later, Michigan filed suit against two entities, the state seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction pursuant to the 21st […]
8th Circuit Sarasota Wine Oral Argument: Judge Loken takes a scalpel to the state
The 8th Circuit heard oral argument on a challenge to Missouri’s retailer wine shipping law, which allows Missouri retailers to ship wine to Missouri consumers but denies this privilege to out-of-state retailers.
Before getting into the oral argument’s highlights, it […]
Michigan attempts to restrict DTC wine shipping will create major problems!
Proposed legislation in Michigan that targets out-of-state wine direct shippers would have a devastating impact on the State of Michigan.[1] If passed the proposed legislation would rob Michigan of tax revenue, severely restrict consumer choice, and would leave the […]
I want to congratulate some of my colleagues that I worked with closely for being named as Leaders in the Wine Industry by Wine Business. Notably I want to recognize those individuals I have had the pleasure of working with, which are Gillian Garrett, John Hinman, Rebecca Stamey-White, and Tom Wark.
Only 45 individuals were […]