Robin Goldstein paid the obligatory $250 application fee, and in Wine Spectator's August 2008 issue, his fictitious restaurant "Osteria L'Intrepido" was one of 22 Italian dining spots to receive an award of excellence. L'Intrepido's "riserva" wine list now is posted online. It should be mentioned that, although most of the listed vintages were rated by the magazine's tasters at under 80 points, some came from respected Italian producers and were priced accordingly, from 80 to 300 euros per bottle. The list contained at least one ringer.

Goldstein's revelation was merely a preamble to the discussion of the role played by expert opinion in creating a consumer experience during the second annual conference of the American Association of Wine Economists in Portland, Ore.

Journalists Eleanor and Ray Heald, Michigan plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Granholm v. Heald, received the first annual "Grape Liberator" award at the Direct to Consumer Symposium, May 1, at the Meritage Resort in Napa, California. Presented by Coalition for Free Trade and Free the Grapes!, the Grape Liberator Award was established to recognize individuals who have played an instrumental role in improving consumer choice, as well as free trade, in wine. [read more]

SO HOW DO AMERICANS choose which bottle of wine to buy when they are in a retail store or a restaurant? According to a new global research study, their reasons may not be that different from other consumers around the world. It turns out that American consumers who are faced with an intimidating wall of wine at grocery stores and wine shops often use the same selection methods as their counterparts in Europe and Asia. Likewise, when handed a wine list at a restaurant, American consumers will rely on the same cues as other global wine consumers. However, our research showed that, in certain respects, American wine consumers are different. [read more]