Madoff cellar, fines, Craiglist, “made in China” — sipped & spit
SIPPED: plunder
Bernie Madoff’s wines will be auctioned this week. In an otherwise banal (for a billionaire) collection two lots stand out: 1) Two-ounce bottles of vodka plundered from hotel minibars; 2) “One of the odder lots is a crystal decanter filled with a mysterious brown liquid.” [Bloomberg]
SPIT: Lafite on Craigslist
Somehow, after this, I doubt Craigslist will be selling a lot of Lafite en primeur.
SPIT: Chinese wine in “Chinese” wine
Q: What percent of a “Chinese wine” must come from China? A: only 15%.
SIPPED: Fines wines
Several big wine suppliers, including Diageo, Pernod Ricard, and Moet Hennessey have agreed to pay almost $2 million settle charges brought by federal regulators. The allegations charged that they paid “slotting fees” to get prime spots in Vegas–a practice not allowed in alcoholic beverages but common in other industries. The settlement (just don’t call it a fine!) is the largest in the TTB’s history of regulating the alcohol industry. If what happens in Vegas no longer stays in Vegas, perhaps the TTB will start a new wave of market enforcement nationally? [WSJ; TTB press release pdf]
SIPPED: TLC
An excellent, first-person account of planting a “vineyard”–eight Marquette vines in all–in Mt. Kisco, NY. [NYT]
