Newsletter Archive

Wine Shipping Leads to a 12 Step Program

     There's a great article in the NYTimes today about our nation and its interstate wine shipping laws.  In 2005, the Supreme Court made it legal for wineries to ship to most states, but not retailers.  Retailers can legally only ship to a handful of states and some of those states you can only ship one case a month, other states you have to give the state alcohol control body a list of wines you will be shipping into their state in the future.  Last year I tried to explain to the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission that my time machine was broken and that I really didn't know which wines would be heading their way in the future, but that didn't fly.

     The current laws of alcohol were born out of prohibition (any of you that have entered CoWineCo with a child have already experienced one of these laws...minors can enter our store but not remain...as if they were going to throw down a sleeping bag and move in).  The importer/distributor/retailer model was a way of 'controlling' a seemingly life-threatening substance.  Now don't get me wrong, addictions are very serious and alcohol is very different from Sunny-D, but our laws are absurd.  In the NYTimes article, Craig Wolf, chairman of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, says of the dangers of shipping alcohol out of state, "the bottom line is that you whittle away at the system little by little, and what you end up with is what you have in England, where cheap alcohol has led to binge drinking through the roof..."  Really? So if I could ship a few bottles of wine to my sisters in Massachusetts for Christmas, I would soon find them splayed out on their front lawns, throwing up while still gripping bottles of neon blue Mad Dog 20/20?  Hmmm.  The quote makes sense when you consider Craig's position with the wholesalers who stand to lose their grip over the flow of alcohol in our country.  Take away the wholesalers and CoWineCo would actually be able to buy from the source, thus lowering prices for the customers.  Dear God....what anarchy.   If only my time machine were working, I'd give Craig a ride into the future and show him that actually, the vast majority of the country is pretty damn good at deciding when to say when. 

     CLICK HERE to read the full article.  CLICK HERE to comment on this subject in our blog.      

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New Arrivals!

Cold Heaven Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Viognier, Santa Barbara, California -  $34.99/btl (oh man....this is the best viognier we've found in a long, long, long time....CLICK HERE for more info)

Stone Brewing Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale, California - $4.99/btl (this is a big boy....CLICK HERE for more info)

Michael Sullberg California Merlot, California - $9.99/btl (part of this Friday's tasting)

Domaine Aphillanthes Cotes du Rhone, France - $14.99/btl (part of Friday's tasting)

Martin Fierro Chardonnay/Torrontes, Argentina - (part of Friday's tasting)

Evohe Garnacha, Aragon, Spain - $9.99/btl (part of Friday's tasting)

Fattoria Laila Verdicchio, Italy - $12.99/btl (part of Friday's tasting)

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Regular Wine Tasting Schedule

*** We hold tastings twice a week on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons , and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays the bar is open for wines by the glass . Please see our calendar for details on any given day: www.cowineco.com/calendar ***

Wine Tasting: Imbibe for Imbolc

Friday the 1st

5:30-8:30pm

(wines by the glass available from 8:30 to 11pm)

$15/person

5 wines and gourmet cheeses from Auntie Em's Marketplace

Please RSVP to: info@cowineco.com or (323) 478-1985

It's the first day of February and you know what that means.....Imbolc, one of the seven Wiccan festivals celebrating the seasons, where they roast live gophers over a pit and sing Don McLean's American Pie backwards.  Ok, truth is, I couldn't figure out online what actually happens at these festivals but I bet I'm pretty close if not on the money.  So, come tip a glass sans gopher-roasting and McLean lyrics.

wines

Fattoria Laila Verdicchio, Italy

Martin Fierro Chardonnay/Torrontes, Argentina

Domaine Aphillanthes Cotes du Rhone, France

Evohe Garnacha, Aragon, Spain

Michael Sullberg Merlot, California

Lazy Sunday Tasting

Sunday the 3rd

1-4pm

$12/person

4 wines and gourmet cheeses from Auntie Em's Marketplace

Our Sunday tastings will now feature slightly higher-end wine selections. Our Friday tastings get a little too loud to discuss the wines in great detail (we're not complaining), so if wine knowledge is your grail, Sundays are the best tastings for you. Call or email Sunday for selections.

(323) 478-1985 or info@cowineco.com

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And remember, every Wednesday from 4-9pm you can choose any wine in the store and pop it open for no corkage charge!

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Oh, and also remember, we're now open until 11pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

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The Poll Booth - Wabbit Season, Election Season, Wabbit Season

     Alright, we're going to take a break from wine polls and see who would be President if the American public were only made up of CoWineCo customers.  CLICK HERE to vote. 

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See You Soon,

John and Jen

[in a high pitched voice to his kid over the phone] Elmo wants you to aim your pee-pee at the potty! No, not at Mommy, at the potty!  How is that Elmo's fault? Did Mommy have some wine before she called Elmo?

~ Pete Hornberger, 30 Rock (Black Tie #1.12)