Merlot is Encouraged By the Statements of Whole Foods Head Wine Buyer

Greetings Voignier and Kind Readers,

The attached photo was fowarded to me recently, perhaps to mock our efforts to enlighten the American consumer and to advance awareness in North America as to the superior perservation capacity of boxed wines to bottled blends. While Merlot enjoys a joke as much as the next chap, we are less than amused at this frat boy's creative energies, if you will; and we only hope he is devoting as much energy to his studies as to entertaining his chums with his exhibitionism. One wonders if Asian and European engineering students are taking time off to dress themselves as boxed wine, and photographing themselves with fellow libertarian minded women who would draw merlot from their nasty bits. By God man, contain yourself.

Nevertheless, we are encouraged by a recent statement by the head wine purchaser for on of the nation's fastest growing food store chains. Teddye Snell, writing for the Tahlequah Daily Press in Oklahoma reports that Marc Jonna, a national wine buyer for the Whole Foods Market intimated that, and I quote: “Cask wines are the hottest trend in Australia and the U.K." For those of you unfarmilar with Whole Food Market chain, suffice it to say, they now 145 stores in the U.S. and one in Canada as of this writing. The company has made headlines for its growth and profitablity; and its its efforts to modify organic standards to make their foods more suitable for massive distribution requirements to meet the demand of the 15 billion dollar market for "organic" foods. It's also made headlines in New York, as our mayor has advanced efforts to make non-union employers pay for the healthcare expenses of their employees. But this latest news that one can read between the lines of what Whole Foods Market's national wine buyer states is most encouraging.

Encouraged by this observation by a buyer at a leading super market chain, we shall craft a strategic approach to advance our private lable, focusing some percentage of our effort, time and resources on the super market channel, if you will. We can forsee a time when our own brand of boxed wine, may be found on the shelves of every Whole Foods Market beside massive stuffed olives, organic green teas, free ranged chickens, micro brew beers, and fresh baked multigrain breads. We shall ready ourselves for free tastings, and the kind of retail push required to support our unique blends in these 145 stores, and the many more that will no doubt take root across America. We shall be delighted to join the countless food producers who have earned a space on the shelves of this innovative and forward thinking enterprise. We shall direct our thoughts to earning our place among these leading brands with a leading brand of our own.