From the Fermentation Mailbag: "You are an idiot"

A gentle reader takes me to the woodshed because...wholesalers

FROM THE MAILBAG

“Hey Mr Wark:

“So, what do you think Treasury and Constellation and Gallo are going to do when you get your way and wineries are allowed to distribute their wines all by themselves? Build their own distribution network in every states? You are an idiot. If you get your way the most popular wines in the world won’t be on the shelves anywhere when you get your way and get rid of wholesalers.

And it’s pretty obvious you don’t know what you are talking about. You think wineries are just going to put a palate of wine on the FedEx truck?

Did you and your family get run out of California? Is that how you ended up in Oregon. They can have you along with the thin, watery pinots. Even those crappy wines need wholesalers which is why theres not a single state that is going to take your advice and ban wholesalers. Leave the law to the adults.

And good luck with monetizing your blog. Have you gotten a single person to subscribe?

Dear Anonymous Letter Writer:

My apologies for offending you. Of course, you could have written this note in the comments of the post you read. But commenting is only allowed by paying subscribers. I’m guessing you aren’t a paying subscriber.

Still, I can answer your questions. Before I do, just let me note that there is a common theme among people who oppose my recommendation that states reform their laws to allow alcohol producers to bypass wholesalers and sell directly to retailers and restaurants: They think it means the end of wholesalers. Why do you and others jump to this conclusion? Treasury and Constellation and other big producers will still use wholesalers to move millions of cases of wine. But the difference will be they won’t be required to. More importantly, the small and medium-sized producers won’t be required to use a wholesaler if they choose not to.

Over and over and over I’ve seen people like you (you are a person, right?) mistake alcohol regulatory reform for the demise of the wholesale tier. It’s an honest mistake because wholesalers have been granted this very odd, legalized gatekeeping status for nearly 100 years. No other wholesale industry in the world is granted this kind of legalized rent-seeking status.

Moreover, as the issue of self-distribution for producers and the demise of the three-tier system is discussed more and more, I urge you and others to continue to make the argument that it shouldn’t be allowed to happen simply because some people think it is difficult to carry out. When this kind of defeatist and anti-entrepreneurial case is being made, you’ll find me sitting quietly in the corner letting you loudly dismiss the ingenuity of American business.

Finally, let me point out one thing to you. While the quality and value of my writing are always up for debate, I am happy to say that I put my name on everything I write. But you don’t even put your name on your emails.

Sincerely,
Tom Wark.
___________________________________

ALWAYS HAPPY TO GET LETTERS FROM READERS…WITH OR WITHOUT ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION. PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO: TOM@WARKCOMMUNICATIONS.COM.