Pushing Young People to Drink

One of the more annoying things about most wine bloggers is that a lot of the writers think they "get it" and they're "down to earth" yet rant on with articles that show just how little they understand of the market they're trying to reach. Fermentation is an excellent example of this whereas Uncorked is not. (Note: Fermentation, however, IS a good source of information. Just important to take it with a grain of salt.)

Mark Fisher writes well, keeps it interesting, and doesn't rant over and over again on certain subjects that most of us don't really care about. Maybe it's because he's not based in Northern California and has to write for an audience that is still warming up to the wine idea. (Full disclosure: Martini Lounge is based in NoCal).

One of his latest articles goes in to how companies view the young market and exactly how they like to push their products. He talks about his experience with a company named ShotLuge (Pictured) and how they talk about using a "hot, dynamic female" to sell the product at the bar. As always, a good read.

Uncorked [Blog]
Fermentation [Blog]
Shotluge [Terrible company site]

Comments

Tom said…

Rick:

Thanks for the link.

However, I should correct you. I don't think I've ever claimed to be "Down to earth". Yet, I do claim to "get it". So we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. As for rants...yea...you nailed it. I do rant on occassion, particularly on the issue of direct shipping, and sometimes terroir. I think however you might have a mistaken idea as to the market I'm trying to reach.

And as for Mark Fisher...yep..you nailed it again. He's doing great stuff at his blog.

Cheers,
tom...

8:47 PM

Anonymous said…

Good Lord. I think Tom Wark is one of the few people who blog about wine that actually "get it". He certainly has his opinions, but looks at both sides and comes to fair conclusions based on facts, not emotions. You must not have read many of his posts or you wouldn't have said something so silly like this. It just makes you look uninformed. Sad.

11:45 AM

Mixology Monday 7 - Gang Grape: The Second Pressing

I'm hosting the August version of Mixology Monday. You might say to yourself "Rick, August is a long way off. Tell me at the end of July." To this I say, "No." This coming weekend is the 4th of July. Then you'll be on vacation or something. Then you'll have that thing. Next thing you know, it'll be August. So, I warn you now. It's coming. It'll be here before you know it. So write about the topic and let me know and we'll post it on Mixology Monday. If you're looking for a way to promote your blog, this is a good way to do it. Topic: Grape drinks (Not wine). A pretty broad topic. It could be about Cognac, or Sherry, or something that only you may know about and want to share with us. BRING IT ON!

Mx Monday - Grapes

Well, I waited until the last minute of Monday (Pacific Time) to wait for all the entries for this Mixology Monday and I'm glad I did! I was thinking of going through all of them and commenting on the post with a rating or something like "Here's a sucky post about Cognac" but then decided that would wear me out. I'm very fragile. Over at "Interesting Thing of the Day" Joe talks about Coffee, Grapa, and Friendship Yay! Jimmy makes a Fog Cutter! Go Sherry! Okay, Grape Vodka isn't great by itself in my opinion. But Barbie2Be makes a Grape-tini that looks simply yummy. That's right, I said it. Yummy. Man it's hot. I sure could use a drink, something refreshing yet good for my urinary tract. Marleigh at Sloshed! comes through with Deep Purple Punch . Darcy, The Royalty of All That Is Alcohol at The Art of the Drink, brought out a zinger with the Broken Spur Cocktail Haalo spends a little time telling us more about Brandy and mixing it wi...

New Absinthe's on the market

Only 8 months after real absinthe has become legalized in the U.S., the importers and overseas producers have really started taking advantage of the buzz and mystique that absinthe holds and launching like crazy here. With more absinthe launches than vodka lately, it may not be long until the brands are just as gimmicky. Three new absinthe's have launched this week in hopes of garnering early market share in a soon-to-be-crowded market. La Fee Absinthe Parisienne is made in Paris and has been around for a while as it's been sold in 20 countries for the last 10 years or so. The product is made by traditional standards and the owner of the recipe still approves each batch of La Fee. For a while, Lucid Absinthe was the only one you could get in the US as it wasn't made from the traditional Grand Wormwood (until March of 2007) so it could get away with going around the law. The producers guessed that the stuff that was considered a fake (but still very flavorful) wasn'...

Martini Groove

Search This Blog