I\’m working on some longer articles about Washington\’s successful privatization initiative and LCLB policy on internet marketing but in the interim … here\’s a grab bag of news:
BC Government Liquor Policy At Work: This Vancouver magazine article shows the absurdity of BC\’s current liquor policies which deny wholesale discounts on wine to restaurants: The Joie-O-Meter. The survey looked at the restaurant price for a bottle of Joie Rose, one of BC\’s nicer wines. It found that to get the best price, you would have to go to Chez Panisse, a restaurant in … Berkeley, California.
No Problems With Farmers\’ Market Tasting in Washington: This Seattle Times story once again shows that BC needs to put its post-prohibition approach to liquor regulation into the trash can. Washington state started a pilot program to permit tasting of wine and beer at farmers\’ markets and reports that there have been zero complaints so far and that the entire program is \”running smoothly\”.
Festivals and Conferences: The Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival is set for the last week of February, 2012 with its theme country as Chile and varietal focus of Cabernets. Some tickets have already gone on sale with more in the coming weeks. A third annual wine law conference will also precede the festival on February 27th. Wineries should also consider attending the Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium in San Francisco, which will be held on January 19th.