Rumors

The importer I work for, Louis/Dressner Selections, just lost a potential wine source because of the rumors of our imminent sale at a lucrative price to a faceless multi-national wine powerhouse.

The managing director of the wine producer in question told us at a power luncheon yesterday that he was looking for a firm with a personal touch. He wanted contact with his clients and wanted a marketing firm that knew how to sell his personalized wines. Given, he told us, the rumors of our sale to a larger, cash-endowed firm, he was going with one of our competitors. Someone who is on a much smaller, more humane scale.

Are these rumors true?

Who is buying out Louis/Dressner Selections?

Vivendi?

Allied/Domenecq?

Hublein?

Kysela Père et Fils?

Captain Morgan?

More to follow....

Win a Z'Fogless Ultra Mirror!

The company I work for, Louis/Dressner Selections, is in acquisition negotiations with several major American importers. We have received several lucrative offers to buy us out but the major stumbling block seems to be our lack of a bulk wine producer with enormous quantities of "boxes" as we say in the wine trade. Unfortunately, we are poorly connected in the "box" circuit and I fear we will have trouble selling the company at a lucrative profit.

I am asking you, dear readers, to send me suggestions of possible French bulk wine sources where we can sell huge quantities at high mark-ups and still give the impression of bringing affordable wine to the market. The wine has to be adequate but not particularly good. The pricing has to be low and the "packaging" has to be superb (by this I mean labeling, etc.).

Please address all suggestions to me personally. My e-mail address is somewhere buried on the left of this screen. I would put a link here to my e-mail, but am not sure what the html code is for an e-mail link. Can someone help me out?

The winner of the contest will receive an exciting Z'Fogless Ultra Mirror. I bought this marvelous contraption yesterday at Bed, Bath and Beyond and took my first fogless shave in the shower this morning. I am very happy with this product and think it will revolutionize your shaving experience. Furthermore, there are numerous exciting uses for women (removing make-up, facial scrubs, beauty masks, etc.) and this is a gift that anyone out there will be proud and delighted to receive. For more information: Exciting Bulk Wine Contest!

Several prominent internet wine personalities have accussed me of resorting to shaving stories on this site when I have nothing interesting to say.

I categorically deny this charge.

By the way, someone seems to have a contract out on my life. Please contact me at the e-mail address somewhere on the left side of this screen if you have any information that would lead to the apprehension of the culprits.

Thank you.

Back from Horrible Tastings in the Rhône

I just got back from a series of horrible tastings in the Rhône Valley. My God! The things people can make out of fabulous vineyards! It's mind-boggling!

The most interesting experience I had was being levitated by Geobiology guru Georges Prat in a restaurant in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. By coincidence, the nationally prominent American wine importer Neal Rosenthal was dining at the same time with his 23 person national sales staff. So at least I have some witnesses.

Has the Northwest Texier Market Been Cornered?

Rumor has it that Tom Siegal at Larry's Market in Kirkland, Washington, has cornered the Northwest Eric Texier market (see Eric Texier's badly translated autobiographical statement below).

I'm off to an airport to get a plane to France and do not have the time to confirm this rumor.

More to follow.

Clos Roche Blanche Pineau d'Aunis Survives Washington Earthquake!

You're all aware of the 6.8 earthquake that hit Seattle yesterday. Dozens of Seattle-area buildings and some schools were closed Thursday so engineers could assess damage from the most powerful earthquake to hit the Pacific Northwest in more than a half a century. While officials provided an early estimate of $2 billion in losses, Washington Gov. Gary Locke described the state as “really, really lucky” the destruction wasn’t worse.

Happily, there was no damage to the 100 cases of Clos Roche Blanche Pineau d'Aunis that was recently shipped to Larry's Market in nearby Kirkland, Washington. I spoke with Tom Siegel, the extraordinary manager of this store, and was assured that the remaining 99 cases had survived the quake and were in pristine condition in their temperature-controlled cellars.

What a relief!