You haven’t seen a blog from me in two weeks because Nina has been sitting on them. She doesn’t like me to be political. But, I cannot sit here and not comment when I see the industry I love being threatened. I love the wine business. We are California’s premier industry. We are one of the few businesses left in which our product is made in America and admired around the world. The problem is that the wine business requires massive amounts of capital and has truly narrow business margins. All of my wines are priced well under my competitors'. We want Row Eleven to be an amazing value.

The Governor of the greatest wine producing state wants to increase the cost of a bottle to you by resurrecting and old tax proposal, written by anti-alcohol zealots, known as "the old nickel a drink tax." This proposal was already voted down by Californians. The tax is more than most grower profits. My estimates are that this will cost you an extra $1.00 to $1.50 for the same bottle of wine you have been buying. When did people become so dazed, or so uninterested in their own money that when interviewed they would comment “Well, an extra 50 cents is no big deal. I’ll pay it.” I am reminded of my old boss Agustin Huneeus who liked to tell me. “Watch the pennies Ricardo and the dollars will take care of themselves.”