Distributor Wine Guide

10/13/2026

Chateau Megyer Tokaji Furmint (Dry), a dry Hungarian white w**e from Tokaj, $19.99 at Total W**e & More. Price reality check and food pairings by Jeff Kretschmar, Distributor W**e Guide.

Total W**e stocks 8,000+ w**es but just one Furmint: Chateau Megyer, $19.99. Sommelier Jeff Kretschmar’s price reality check pits Hungary’s great dry white against $33+ Sancerre and explains why di…

10/12/2026

Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman Tried to Merge. Here’s What Really Happened and Why It Fell Apart.

Did Pernod Ricard buy Jack Daniel’s? No. Sommelier and economist Jeff K reviews the facts on the 2026 Pernod Ricard–Brown-Forman merger talks: why they collapsed over family control rather than price, how Sazerac’s $15 billion bid fared, and what it means for shoppers....

Did Pernod Ricard buy Jack Daniel’s? No. Sommelier and economist Jeff K reviews the facts on the 2026 Pernod Ricard–Brown-Forman merger talks: why they collapsed over family control rather than pri…

10/11/2026

Too Much Sail: The $22 Billion Spirits Glut, Fact-Checked

The $22 billion spirits glut is real, but it belongs to five companies, not the whole industry. Jeff K fact-checks the headline: who’s cutting production, why XO cognac is falling fastest, where wh***ey prices are heading, and what the craft-distillery shakeout means for your shelf....

10/10/2026

The Divide Is Not the Market

A 7-minute read for w**ery principals, DTC directors, and anyone still writing a 2027 budget that assumes a rising tide. I judged a competition in Bordeaux years ago where two flights of the same appellation, the same vintage, the same handful of hectares between them, scored eleven points apart. Same weather. Same rain. Same hail scare in June. Everybody had faced the identical growing season and told the identical story about it afterward, and the w**es in the glass were not remotely the same w**es....

10/09/2026

Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Prestige 2023, Rhône, France

White Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the shot most drinkers never take, and Domaine de la Janasse’s 2023 Blanc Prestige makes a strong case for taking it. Generous texture, real Southern Rhône sunshine, and the backbone to stand up to the dinner table. Here’s what it actually delivers in the glass, and whether the price tag earns its spot....

10/08/2026

Two Hitters Don’t Make a Lineup: The Price Reality Check on Constellation’s W**e Comeback

Constellation Brands says its w**e comeback is working. The box score says two brands, Kim Crawford and Mi CAMPO, carry the lineup while The Prisoner and Ruffino slump. Jeff K runs the price reality check on growth, margins, tariffs and what it means at the shelf....

10/06/2026

Canadian Wh**ky Ban: Who Wins, Who Loses in the Trade War

The U.S. ban on packaged Canadian wh**ky, b**r and w**e took effect September 29, 2026. With 93% of Canadian spirits exports headed south, the stakes are enormous. A four-liter bulk exemption shields multinational brands while craft distillers and brewers absorb the damage. Here's who wins and who loses....

The U.S. ban on packaged Canadian wh**ky, b**r and w**e took effect September 29, 2026. With 93% of Canadian spirits exports headed south, the stakes are enormous. A four-liter bulk exemption shiel…

10/05/2026

Canada Alcohol Ban & Tariffs: Why Spirits Are Squeezed in 2026

American spirits face a squeeze from every direction: a U.S. ban on packaged Canadian alcohol, inflation-driven trading down, a cautious younger generation, and GLP-1 medications. Yet one category is rising. Spirits-based RTDs grew 16.4% in 2025, and blind-tasting judges now rank the best cans alongside bottled spirits....

American spirits face a squeeze from every direction: a U.S. ban on packaged Canadian alcohol, inflation-driven trading down, a cautious younger generation, and GLP-1 medications. Yet one category …

10/04/2026

Off-Piste: What Direct Shipping Could Give Spirits Drinkers, and the Gates Standing in the Way

Spirits lovers stand at the rope line: the best small-batch bottles are on the other side, and only ten places let distilleries ship them to you. Here's what direct shipping would give drinkers, and the five gates standing in the way....

10/03/2026

Cut Day: Where Do 10,000 Distribution Pros Go When the Team Folds?

RNDC’s team folded. Where does its talent go?...