tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post2924293517523126306..comments2024-03-18T04:47:16.199-07:00Comments on The Gray Report: Beer Wars, wine and politicsW. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-70359404252334142932009-11-19T15:40:30.819-08:002009-11-19T15:40:30.819-08:00Boy, don't get me started on Georgia. Metro At...Boy, don't get me started on Georgia. Metro Atlanta has a much more savvy and vibrant wine culture than it gets credit for, but it's still ruled by alcohol policies enacted by a pretty conservative state. <br /><br />And we don't have many of the the cool, ex-movie star republicans over here. We have more of the Strother Martin, "what we have here is a failure to communicate"Steve Stevensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-48885040915095653112009-11-19T14:42:34.391-08:002009-11-19T14:42:34.391-08:00Partly the latter. The Supreme Court spoke specifi...Partly the latter. The Supreme Court spoke specifically to Michigan. But I believe Michigan is better in many ways than Georgia, a state you know far better than I.<br /><br />But it's also the fact that we don't expect much out of Bible belt states with no real wine industries to speak of. We expect more from Michigan, and it disappoints.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-33326887247718358442009-11-19T14:41:22.876-08:002009-11-19T14:41:22.876-08:00oops, previous post should have read "sins of...oops, previous post should have read "sins of their wholesalers."Steve Stevensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-61943611811666982352009-11-19T14:39:43.504-08:002009-11-19T14:39:43.504-08:00Michigan seems to take proportionately more heat f...Michigan seems to take proportionately more heat for the sines of their wholesalers, no? I wonder if they are actually that much worse than states like Alabama and South Carolina or if the spotlight from Granholm v. Heald is just that unforgiving.Steve Stevensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-37835481934035586772009-11-19T08:27:15.716-08:002009-11-19T08:27:15.716-08:00Thanks for the kind words, guys.
Steve, I rememb...Thanks for the kind words, guys. <br /><br />Steve, I remember celebrating the Supreme Court decision, thinking this was going to finally wedge open the wine market. It helped in NY, but Michigan, a state with a burgeoning wine industry and one that could use more economic activity, has gone backwards. For the reason why, you can trace the political contributions.<br /><br />Tom: I had forgotten W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-52908756824788333932009-11-18T23:06:22.964-08:002009-11-18T23:06:22.964-08:00The King Kong of beers rules. You're right abo...The King Kong of beers rules. You're right about the absence of a real three tier system in the brewski world. A decade or so ago, some distributors started carrying a few craft beers, until Augie roared from on high: carry those beers and you can forget about carrying ours. Case, as it were, closed.<br /><br />Just remember how John McCain got all those houses...Tom Merlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09948201337303721158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-49034452888999051172009-11-18T19:00:59.915-08:002009-11-18T19:00:59.915-08:00Great piece, Blake, thanks for the insight. I hadn...Great piece, Blake, thanks for the insight. I hadn't thought about it from the angle of AB's influence. <br /><br />From a political perspective, most business owners can expect that Republican leaders will generally support initiatives to decrease government involvement and regulation of their operations even if democrats won't. But wine producers can't make this assumption and Steve Stevensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-43138818494001023412009-11-18T17:40:27.309-08:002009-11-18T17:40:27.309-08:00Jo: Yep, that's right -- it's Anheuser-Bus...Jo: Yep, that's right -- it's Anheuser-Busch InBev now. Brands they own include Becks, Stella Artois, Michelob, Bass, Labatt, Lowenbrau, St. Pauli Girl and a whole bunch of others beyond Budweiser and Busch.<br /><br />Some, like Wild Hop, they try to conceal their ownership of. Others can be found on this page:<br /><br />http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/brands/brand_portfolio/local_brands.cfmW. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-72762815942839804192009-11-18T11:55:48.954-08:002009-11-18T11:55:48.954-08:00Isn't AB owned by a Belgium group now? It'...Isn't AB owned by a Belgium group now? It's now the largest brewer in the world, just can't think of the name.<br />jo6pacAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com