Wine Merchant Research Articles

Contribuții la istoria cazacliilor din Moldova

Although they were a very economically active group in the 18th century and the first part of the following century, the cazaclii are still relatively unknown. With a Turkish-sounding name, these people formed a real bridge between the two Romanian principalities and the Eastern space, at a time of great political, social and economic change. In economic terms, the cazaclii can be seen as the last stage in the relations between the Cossack and Russian areas and the Romanian territories, which had their basis in the Middle Ages and which gradually took a different course after 1812 and after the reorientation of the principalities towards the Western political, cultural and economic area. The first wine merchants recorded in the sources as “cazaclii” appeared in Moldavia after 1700. One explanation for the intensification of trade relations between the principalities and the area controlled by the Cossacks can be found in Russia's efforts to expand its influence in this part of the continent. After Bogdan Khmelnitsky's Cossack uprising, Poland lost in stages the territories east of the Dnieper, which was the context in which the Cossacks sought to retain as much autonomy as possible for their hinterland. In 1764, the office of hetman was abolished, the following year the privileges of the Sloboda Ukraine Cossacks were also abolished, and in 1775 the military and administrative centre (sich) on the Dnieper of the Zaporizhian Cossacks was destroyed by order of Tsarina Catherine II. However, between the late 17th century and the 1760s and 1770s, the hetmans favoured trade and urban centres as part of a policy of openness in line with Russia's new political and economic directions, as envisaged by Peter I. The Cossacks came from towns both near and far from Moldavia: Nejin (Nizhyn), Kiev, Poltava, Kremenchuk, Kherson, along with Movilău (Mohyliv-Podilskyi), Dubăsari, Tiraspol, Camenița (Kamianets-Podilskyi) and Ovidiopol. Some brought furs and left with wine, others came especially for wine, the main source being the large Odobești vineyard in southern Moldavia. The peak of this trade was in the second half of the 18th century - first decade of the 19th century. Russia's takeover of the territory between the Prut and the Dniester rivers was followed by protectionist customs measures and the cultivation of its own vineyards, which reduced the presence of merchants in Moldavia. In this study we present the extent to which this trade took hold, the institutions involved, individual cases of cazaclii, and the challenges that faced their business.

New wine merchants and gentrification: spatialization of discourses and local commercial landscapes

The status, image and role of the wine professional have evolved simultaneously in France with the metamorphosis of the wine trade and wine consumption. In the French society of the 1960s and 1970s, wine conveys a positive image that is mainly rooted in the rather traditional and earthy French identity. Building on this cultural trait, supermarkets emerge by relying on generous wine shelves (several hundred references), special events (wine fair — foire aux vins), and low prices, to attract a broad and diversified clientele. However, geographically speaking, this deployment of mass distribution is not uniform, it tends to be concentrated mainly on the outskirts of towns, somewhat sparing the city centres. This spatial pattern helps specialized wine stores to maintain themselves by deploying its stores in those centres. Since the early 2000s, New wine merchants and shops have appeared in the major metropolitan centres. This article aims at showing that these new shops assert their specificity through the very figure, although renewed, of the wine merchants. We will see how their personalities, but also their life courses, have been put into use in a process of commercial singularization in the urban space. In this way, they lay the foundations for a distinctive wine discourse in phase with a specific urban setting and commercial landscape, born out of the dynamics generated by the commercial gentrification.

Tell us how you taste wine, and we will tell you what kind of expert you are!

Whether “gurus”, “emperor” or “influencers”, wine consumers need references to help them choosing and buying wines. Given the diversity of possible sources (reviews from wine guides, wine merchants'recommendations or back wine label), where should they turn? Are all wine experts consensual in the way they taste wines? Do they differ depending on their domain of expertise: wine makers, sellers, or critics? This study aimed at understanding how experts apprehend wine tasting in relation to their professional objectives. A mixed design strategy combining content analysis of personal narratives of renowned wine experts with semi-structured interviews of wine professionals was used. Results confirmed that wine experts shared a common way of tasting wines, although their objectives and the way they report their wine tasting experiences differ according to their professional activities. Makers transcribe their perceptions by a list of sensory and technical-based terms focused on the absence or presence of wine defects to assess technical acceptability, Sellers are storytellers generating appeal and pleasure for consumers, and Critics write positive and metaphoric reviews to better highlight the best samples they taste. This raises new questions for the industry about the way in which wines are tasted, a routine practice that is internationally followed by wine professionals, but which may need to be renewed. Combining different data sources appeared to be a promising way to gain in-depth information in exploratory research.

Qualitative determinants of wine demand: an exploratory analysis of two Sicilian wines “Catarratto” and “Nero d’Avola”

This article analyzed the socio-cultural representations associated with two Sicilian wines, Catarratto, and Nero d’Avola. The study was carried out in the area of western Sicily, where most of the wine growing is concentrated. In particular, for ‘Catarratto’, the research was conducted in the area of the Gulf of Castellammare in the province of Trapani, an area particularly suited to the cultivation of the ‘Catarratto’ vine from which the white wine is obtained; for ‘Nero d’Avola’, the research was conducted in the area of Menfi in the province of Agrigento, an area particularly suited to this black vine. Our objective was to determine how the players in the wine chain, and who indirectly deal with wine, construct their mental model relating to wine to suggest to companies the appropriate wine marketing actions to take to increase their competitive advantage. To achieve the objective of the research, ten focus groups consisting of wine consumers, teetotalers, wine opinion leaders, wine merchants, wine shop owners, medical doctors, and food experts were conducted. During the focus group, we gave these subjects a document in which they had to explain what wine evokes in them. The results of the research confirm that wine is a complex food product whose consumption evokes sensations, memories, and pleasures. The study provides an important source of knowledge on the current cultural significance of wine and its consumption in these two areas of Sicily. Therefore, the study highlighted the quality of these two Sicilian wines can guarantee competitiveness at the company and sector levels.

Digitalization of multisensory collective activity: The case of virtual wine tasting

Wine tasting is a multisensory collective activity because it involves other senses in addition to sight and hearing. The importance of these multiple senses for wine tasting makes it more challenging to digitalize than other collective activities. We conducted an ethnography and used a semiotic analysis to explore the strategies to digitalize wine tasting sessions. In so doing, we examined how small artisanal winemakers and wine merchants in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland moved their wine tasting sessions online to compensate for their lost key revenue streams during the global Covid-19 crisis. Based on our analysis, we present a typology of virtual wine tasting and illustrate how the approach to digitalize wine tasting evolved from a reactive approach to a more proactive one. We also identify strategies to digitalize wine tasting and characterize its social space. We discuss some avenues to regard virtual wine tasting as something more than just a digital representation of in-person wine tasting session by highlighting the mediating role of an information system. Finally, we propose some implications for digitalizing other multisensory collective activities.

Место сельского схода в регулировании питейной торговли после винной реформы 1863 года

Relevance. The place of the rural gathering in the regulation of the drinking trade after the wine reform of 1863 has not received a serious assessment in the scientific literature. The presented article is the first attempt to assess the impact of rural society on the size of the drinking trade The purpose − to determine the place of the rural gathering in the regulation of the drinking trade after the wine re-form of 1863. The objectives which follow from the goal set, are to: to name the normative acts establishing the place of the rural gathering in the opening of drinking establishments; to testify to the ways that wine merchants used to obtain con-sent; to determine the degree of independence of peasants in decision-making. Methodology. The study was conducted on the basis of macro- and micro-historical analysis, problem-chronological, historical-typological and historical-genetic methods were used. Results. The new legislation made the opening of drinking establishments on the lands belonging to rural societies dependent on rural gatherings. Peasants willingly went to a village meeting about a drinking establishment, behaved importantly, which was explained neither by adherence to morality, but by the desire to get money or booze for their vote. Rural societies reacted unfriendly to the Law of May 14, 1885, which prohibited receiving payment for a permissive sentence. The opposition was expressed in the growth of bans on the drinking trade. By law, on May 5, 1892, rural societies received official permission to open a drinking trade for a fee, but to spend it on paying arrears. Conclusions. The wine reform of 1863 included the village assembly in the system of regulation of the drinking trade. In the post-reform period, the limits of the influence of the rural gathering on the drinking industry changed, peasant consent largely depended on the rural authorities, world intermediaries, and the presence of drinking affairs. But the opportunity to open or prohibit the drinking trade strengthened the peasants' sense of self-importance. They gave preference to local merchants and the most generous petitioners. Wine merchants, wanting to get a permissive verdict, openly watered or distributed money to the peasants.

Order to a Wine Merchant

Order to a Wine Merchant

Sole Traders? The Role of the Extended Family in Eighteenth-Century Atlantic Business Networks

Despite significant developments in understanding the role of women in early-modern business, more is needed to fully understand women’s impact on eighteenth-century trading networks. Further, much less is known about the role of wider family members, especially children, in the eighteenth-century Atlantic economy. The formal documentation that is privileged in business histories does not tell the whole story, and it frequently represents mercantile activity as a pursuit dominated by a patriarch at the center of a trading network. This article explores eighteenth-century familial commercial networks through extensive use of the personal family correspondence of three merchant families who lived and traded within different locales of the northern Atlantic: Hugh Hall, a merchant and vice judge of the admiralty in Barbados; the Black family, who were wine merchants in Bordeaux; and Joseph Symson, a mercer and shopkeeper from Kendal, England. This article will show that women appear as autonomous players with the power and ability to make informed and independent decisions that directed the business interests of their families. Moreover, it includes an assessment of the ways in which merchants cultivated the expertise of their extended families to enhance their commercial networks and advance their business pursuits. Focusing on children who supported or enhanced the prosperity of the family firm, this article emphasizes that their participation was intentional, not incidental. This article asks questions about the emotional consequences of such activity—which have rarely been considered in any detail—as well as the financial benefit of operating in this manner.

Competitive strategies of small independent retailers

PurposeDespite the critical role given to small independent retailers (SIRs) in the revitalisation of city centres, little knowledge exists about their actual competitive strategies. Existing literature rather is normative, recommending SIRs to focus on customer orientation. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify the types of competitive strategies really adopted by SIRs.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study is based on 13 semi-structured interviews of the booksellers, beer and wine merchants we met around Paris (France) in 2018. Data analysis was conducted in two stages: each interview was coded to bring out themes, which were then linked in cognitive maps.FindingsFive types of SIRs' competitive strategies emerged from the study, depending on their main focus of attention. Either SIRs have no weapon to fight against external factors and they suffer competition or they have limited means and focus on their relationship with customers or even they possess a specific resource they can rely on (innovative character, skills, values) to go beyond ordinary customer orientation.Practical implicationsThe typology should be a useful tool for SIRs interested in competitive strategies and for municipalities looking for new insights to succeed in the revitalisation of their city centres.Social implicationsRevitalisation of city centres is a big challenge for many Western cities, especially small- and middle-sized ones.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, the typology that comes from this study is the very first one on SIRs. Theoretically, it may help organise researches on SIRs' competitive strategies. Pragmatically, it provides a better understanding of SIRs' competitive strategies.

Ghazal with a radif taken from Charles Bernstein . . ., and: Makdisi Street Calligraphies

Ghazal with a radif taken from Charles Bernstein . . ., and: Makdisi Street Calligraphies Marilyn Hacker (bio) Ghazal with a radif taken from Charles Bernstein . . I was up at dawn reading the Graun on election day.My airmailed vote was back in my home town on election day. People preferred a modest man to lead them.The autocrat would have preferred a crown on election day. Often enough, you have to show your papersto cast a ballot if your skin is brown on election day Wasn’t there a horror film, where childrentake poisoned candy from an evil clown on election day? Six hundred children in detention centersor foster homes, whose parents can’t be found on election day. A Kurd from Ilam dove into the churningwaves while his boat sank. He drowned on election day. The autocrat loosened his tight red necktie.His wife drank vodka in her dressing gown on election day. Protestors marched to the golden tower, turnedtheir backs to it, and pulled their trousers down on election day. Alone in quarantine I’m a bad witness.Was “Change” a verb, or static abstract noun on election day? [End Page 19] Makdisi Street Calligraphies For Fady Joudah Wine fucked up my sleep,one glass of white Obeidywith dinner for one, the pile of dictionariespushed aside on the oilcloth. Alone or not, Isometimes drink that wine, sleep well.The oud-playing wine merchant on Souraty Streetsmiled, small wry affirmation. * Three small beggar girlsdanced and clowned in front of thehotel manager having a smoke on the steps.He joked with them, had them guess which hand held some coins.One dashed into the lobby,and was chased out. Two ran in again. He took offhis belt, lashed. They fled, laughing. * [End Page 20] Rain lashed the terrace,generator ziggurats,air ducts, washing lines one kitchen window lit up.Clouds scudded past a half-moon. Awakened by dropson the panes, Februarystorm that might bring spring, I looked at my watch in thepenumbra, four-thirty, day. *The hundredth day ofthe intifada, awakehours before too stressed to be resisting.No revolution, only ginger-cinnamontea by the window, curtainspushed aside to watch five street girls run past, shouting“The people want the fall of . . .” * People linger onthe Corniche, kids ride rentedbikes, Sunday fishers [End Page 21] on the rocks. Februarysunlight already feels like spring, could recedeback to rain and riots.Now, garrulous light. Sea behind her, a womanin niqab takes a selfie * Borderline self,outside a revolutionseason that’s changing no one knows yet into what.It’s late for more rain. The boy on the roof acrossthe street—autistic, maybe—there daily, pulls his sweatshirt hood over his head,stares down at the puddling street. * Down Makdisi Streetthe revolutionariesare banging on pans and chanting. Monday morning,maybe the banks will open [End Page 22] and students will getto school, despite roadblocksor being locked in their rooms so they won’t jointhe street cortege banging pans . . . * Wash the frying pan,all the coffee cups, plastictakeout containers, decide what to pack in theswift-departure duffel bag what to leave behind,thinking of Fadwa: “our inkwill be attar and laurel.” Never returned. Wager inthe fridge: half bottle of wine. [End Page 23] Marilyn Hacker Marilyn Hacker is the author of fourteen poetry collections, including Blazons (Carcanet) and A Stranger’s Mirror (Norton), a book of essays, Unauthorized Voices, and eighteen books of translations of French and Francophone poets, most recently Samira Negrouche’s The Olive Trees’ Jazz (Pleaides Press). A Different Distance, a collaboration with Karthika Naïr, is forthcoming from Milk-weed Editions in December. Copyright © 2021 University of Nebraska Press

Bacchus among the Blackshirts: Wine Making, Consumerism and Identity in Fascist Italy, 1919–1937

This article explores the way in which wine came to be viewed as a quintessentially ‘Italian’ beverage among Italy's middle- and upper-class households during fascism's twenty years in power. Due to significant increases in wine consumption among the labouring classes during the years immediately following the First World War, wine, as a general category of beverage, had become closely associated within the minds of many bourgeois and wealthy consumers with the country's popular taverns and saloons, alcoholism and physical and moral ‘degeneration.’ In response, fascist Italy's typical wine growers, merchants and industrialists worked feverishly to rehabilitate the beverage's downtrodden reputation via a series of wide-ranging public relations and collective marketing campaigns during the 1920s and 1930s. By promoting the beverage's hygienic and alimentary qualities, as well as systematically intertwining the moderate consumption of the peninsula's standardised wines with the dictatorship's nationalisation and popular mobilisation programmes, this article will show, the Industrial Wine Lobby successfully re-established ‘wine's honour’ and, simultaneously, recontextualised the country's typical wines as Italy's wholesome, family-friendly, ‘national beverage’.

AR-applications with historical maps

Abstract. In cooperation with the Badische Generallandesarchiv (GLA) Karlsruhe, the officially archive of the former state Baden, various projects in the field of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) have been carried out.The VR project “Danube - Floating Spaces” refers to an exhibition by the GLA Karlsruhe in cooperation with the Institute for Danube Swabian History and Regional Studies, Tübingen. The entire exhibition was constructed in the third dimension and can now be experienced using different devices (offline PC version, WebGL version for Internet access or VR version for the HTC-Vive (VR glasses). An important functionality is the detailed enlargement option of the historical maps, so that many details in the maps can now be seen better than in the original exhibition (Keller 2019). WebGL-version: https://www.hs-karlsruhe.de/gim/angebote-fuer-schueler-und-interessierte/virtuelle-ausstellung.One of the highlights of the map inventory of the GLA is certainly the Great Palatinate Rhine Map from 1590. This hand-drawn unique measures approx. 0.45m × 12m and is to be presented in an exhibition in 2021 or 2022. Based on the high-quality digital copy available from the GLA, various student projects and theses are currently being carried out to augment digitally this fascinating map. Due to their geometrical-graphic structures, analogue cartographic representations are generally very suitable for performing AR applications. Based on the geographical uniqueness, sections of the maps can be defined as necessary image AR targets, so that the software of a game engine, such as e.g. Unity with the Vuforia extension recognizes that a digital element has to be placed at a specified place. This can be made visible using a tablet or smartphone with a camera. The aim is for visitors of the exhibition to receive additional geographical information with prepared tablets that are held over the map: Figure 1: 3D-visualization of the historical development of the fortress Philippsburg (Udenheim in 1590, left: part of the original map, right: with overlayed AR-element). In addition to the 3D-visualization of 1590 (see figure on the right), the fortifications of the 30 Years War and subsequent extensions are also visible (1635/1690/1735). At that time, Philippsburg was one of the largest fortresses in all of Germany, but it was destroyed by Napoleon around 1800. The final timeline from 1856 is an excerpt from the “Carte from the course of the Rhine” with the straightening of the Rhine through Tulla and shows the significant changes in the landscape that moved the main stream of the Rhine away from Philippsburg (Färber 2019).Animated visualizations of pictorial representations:In addition to the historical landscapes, the map from 1590 also contains many small pictorial drawings that show human activities during this time, from ferries, fishermen, gold washers to hunters and wine merchants. These drawings were visualized in 3D, animated and, with the help of Unity, placed in the appropriate place. It is intended as a search game for children who can use a tablet and this app to search for more than 20 different scenes on the map and thus experience this historical map in a playful way (Boric 2019): Figure 2: 3D-visualization of a ship on the river Rhine (left: original map, right: 3D-AR-element).The last project currently planned is the tablet-supported visualization of the landscape changes from the Upper Rhine regulation by Tulla (beginning in the 1820s) until today. On the basis of various historical and current geodata (Rhine river maps 1838/1872, current aerial photos and OpenStreetMap data), the 400-year cultural history of the Upper Rhine between Rastatt and Speyer can be imagined. The georeferencing of the historical map is very challenging. While the maps of the Rhine river from the 19th century are precise in terms of surveying technology, the Great Electoral Palatinate Rhine river map is more of a landscape picture and is far from an exact map representation. Here, the locations of the historical settlements are the only point of reference for a link with the available exact georeferenced geodata. This application will be presented at the exhibition in the GLA in 2021/22.

Analytics for Wine Futures: Realistic Prices

Earlier publications indicate that the price of young wines cannot be estimated accurately through weather conditions. Considering that a majority of fine wine is sold in the form of wine futures, even before the wine is bottled, determining realistic prices for these wine futures accurately is one of the most critical decisions. Surveys of leading wine merchants and industry experts exhibit significant departures from the realized market prices. We develop a pricing model for fine wines using weather, market, and expert reviews. The financial exchange for fine wines called Liv‐ex has already adopted our estimated prices and tagged them as “realistic prices.” Our approach combines temperature, rainfall, market fluctuations, and tasting expert scores and leads to accurate estimations that the wine industry has not seen before. Our study shows that higher temperatures, lower levels of precipitation, appreciation in the Liv‐ex 100 index as a market indicator, and higher barrel scores increase market prices. We conduct a comprehensive set of robustness checks and show that the mean absolute deviation of actual market prices from our estimated prices is substantially smaller than any academic benchmark. Our realistic prices help create transparency in this highly opaque market. When compared with the realized prices, our realistic prices guide buyers (e.g., distributors, restaurateurs, merchants) in their purchase decisions as they can determine whether a wine is underpriced or overpriced.

'Sidewalkks Queens': The Economics of Popular Prostitutions in Fin-De-Siicle Paris

This paper aims at understanding the economic rationalities of the different actors of the informal public prostitution network and at measuring how their behavior impacts the financial considerations of the other actors of the urban economy. This chapter follows an economic history perspective which enables us to show that the meaning of prostitution varied largely depending on the immediate socio-geographic context. It also gives us the tools to fully grasp the complexity of an economic configuration based on power struggles and dynamics, without simplifying them. We feel the economic issues which are street prostitution specific but which also enlighten other issues of the modernization of urban economies in the Western world are best apprehended by a thick description of the economic practices which built up a local space – the working-class La Goutte-d’Or district – where streetwalkers were remarkably numerous. This sort of historical ethnography is the result of a thorough consultation of testimonies bequeathed by all those who were concerned by the dynamics of sex trade. The echo chamber created by these archives of the Prefecture de police – the headquarter of the Parisian police – sheds light on an economic reality in which a variety of figures intervene: prostitutes and clients, procurers and madams, wine merchants and small local business-owners, watchmen and policemen, landlords and building owners. The interests of these economic agents combined very differently and were at times complementary and at others strictly antagonistic. One needs to explore the way these strategies shaped and structured the local economic space, notably by untangling the more or less conflictual ties between the informal economy of public prostitution and the formal economy of the district.

Getting More Out of Wine: wine experts, wine apps and sensory science

How do consumers decide which wines to buy from the bewildering range on offer to them? Who should they turn to for advice? The answers to these questions are of interest not just to consumers but also to producers and wine merchants who hope to influence consumers’ choices and develop their interests in wine. At one time, consumers looked to the points awarded by authoritative wine critics but increasingly, they use wine apps to extend their wine choices. Reliance on digital technology is meant to replace reliance on expert wine tasters whose judgments can be questioned or whose verdicts on what count as good quality wines may not line-up with the tastes and preferences of ordinary wine consumers. Wine apps’ recommendations based on the wisdom of the crowd favour what most people like but offer little insight into why they like it. It is here that sensory science can play a role in identifying the drivers of liking; however liking should be distinguished from quality. Wine experts aim to identify wine quality; wine apps mostly aim at average liking. To get more out of wine consumers need a way to go beyond liking.

Ричард Лайонс: взлет и падение английского королевского финансиста XIV века

The article is dedicated to Richard Lyons, a London wine merchant, royal financier and politician. The results of the analysis of documentary, narrative sources, as well as modern scientific literature are presented. Richard's activity is shown against the background of the political and socio-economic history of England in the fourteenth century. The problem of the origin of the merchant, his early activities is raised, his participation in solving the financial and economic problems of the state in the 1370s is considered. It raises the question of the death of R. Lyons during the Wat Tyler revolt in connection with the attitude of the British towards foreigners, in particular the Flemings, and the internal political struggle of the “old” and “new” patriots of London. The author dwells on the analysis of the merchant’s business interests and his property status. Particular attention is paid to the Good Parliament, at a meeting of which the House of Commons accused the government of military failure in England, condemned corruption at court and demanded to punish those responsible, including R. Lyons. The reasonability of indictment, the degree of guilt of those convicted by the parliament are analyzed. It is shown that the arrest of the royal financier was not only the result of the offenses that took place, but also the payment for the failures in the domestic and foreign policy of the entire corrupt royal authority.

Les métiers de bouche à Tours dans la deuxième moitié du XVe siècle

Food professions in Tours grows rapidly during the fifteenth century, especially in the second half, thanks to the presence of the King and his court. Under the reign of Louis XI the economic development of the city encourages the activity of merchants and craftsmen. Many archival documents of the late Middle Ages, kept at the departmental and municipal Archives of the town, provide information on food corporations, their organization, their relationship with the authorities, as well as their place in the market. In the municipal accountes one finds, for instance, several contracts concerning butchers, bakers, fishmongers, innkeepers, salt and wine merchants and pastry cooks. The last profession becomes very important during the fifteenth century in Paris and in many other French cities. They are specialized in savoury and sweet tarts, which were frequently offered during banquets and official ceremonies, organized for the King and his court, or for French and foreign diplomats and politicians.

Influence of UK economic and market policies on a small wine merchant

This study shows how the economy and market policies, norms, laws, and rules can affect small wine merchants within the British market (and beyond). Thus using a marketing mix for market analysis, it is paramount to consider differences among countries, politics, distinct cultures, and economies. This research considered and scrutinised all aspects of the wine business and industry. A small wine merchant company was chosen for this case study and business analysis using PESTLE analysis and Porter's five forces model. The results underline the importance of a correct marketing strategy as the key to success: this case study of a small wine merchant's structure enables identification of the most suitable approach for small wine companies in the UK. The research design supports an enhanced understanding of company culture as well as the environment of the British market, with implications for identifying the correct planning and strategy.

Influence of UK economic and market policies on a small wine merchant

This study shows how the economy and market policies, norms, laws, and rules can affect small wine merchants within the British market (and beyond). Thus using a marketing mix for market analysis, it is paramount to consider differences among countries, politics, distinct cultures, and economies. This research considered and scrutinised all aspects of the wine business and industry. A small wine merchant company was chosen for this case study and business analysis using PESTLE analysis and Porter's five forces model. The results underline the importance of a correct marketing strategy as the key to success: this case study of a small wine merchant's structure enables identification of the most suitable approach for small wine companies in the UK. The research design supports an enhanced understanding of company culture as well as the environment of the British market, with implications for identifying the correct planning and strategy.

Dinner with Dick Francis

photo : acey harper / life image collection / getty images Dinner with Dick Francis by J. Madison Davis W hen I was a newly minted assistant professor , Twayne’s English Author Series contracted me to write an analysis of the Dick Francis novels. The only Francis novel I had read at that point had been enjoyable. The main character was a world-weary jockey coming to the end of his career, being pressured to fix races, and, despite threats, unwilling to do so. The hero was beaten up at least once, and his pain was described in a way that made me wince. Francis’s books were all set in the world of horse racing, but he did not use the same detective character over and over as is most common in mystery publishing. He wrote about jockeys and wine merchants and breeders and the great variety of people connected to racing. His publishing, I learned, had begun with a memoir of his own career as a champion steeplechase jockey, ultimately in the employ of the Queen Mother. He was approached to do the memoir after he retired because in his last year of racing a strange event occurred riding the Queen crime & mystery 16 WLT SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2016 Mother’s horse in the Grand National. The horse, Devon Loch, was hugely talented and popular, but, for reasons that sportsmen argued about for years and could never settle, Devon Loch rounded the turn far in the lead and, as it thundered toward the finish line, abruptly spread its legs and stopped. No one knew why. It was said that some horses have been thought to see imaginary fences pop up in front of them. Francis believed that the roar of the crowd was so intense that the horse panicked. In any case, defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory. It was an odd ending to a great career: many years as a champion jockey, but never winner of the Grand National. After his memoir The Sport of Queens was a bestseller , Francis decided to try writing a thriller. Dead Cert also turned out to be a major success, and he continued for the rest of his life to write one after another until he passed away in 2010. He is the only author who has won best novel of the yearfromtheMystery Writers of America for three different books. Never had I enjoyed reading through the entire output of a writer as I did reading through the Francis books. No, they weren’t what anyone would call great literature; however, they provided consistent pleasures. There was always something intriguing about some aspect of horse racing . There were clever little twists of plot. There was Francis’s great ability to convey the feeling of physical pain. As a jockey, he had broken his collarbone six times on each side and did not even know how many times he had broken ribs, stoically taping them up and pretending it hadn’t happened so that he could continue riding and being paid. Francis shaped his novels according to a loose formula, though not so predictably that it intruded upon one’s immersion in the story. The main character was a man who was suffering some sort of misfortune, his internal struggle compounding the external struggle involving a crime. He was usually a loner, although he had deep relationships, and he could not be bought, of course. He had a very strong sense of morality, but his highest morality was a powerful respect for the horse. The horse was beautiful, bighearted, and totally innocent in a world of human corruption. As best as I could I described the Francis formula and its variations in my book. I attempted to contact Francis to clarify a few issues, but I imagine he got mounds of fan mail, and just who was this professor from Erie, Pennsylvania, asking questions? I don’t recall receiving any answers except that he was out of town or busy writing a book or something that sounded like an assistant protecting the boss. When Dick Francis was published, however, I mailed him a copy and received a gracious letter. I knew that he owned...