Archive for March, 2009

Larry Fischer is one of the most well known wine and spirits representives in Southwest Florida and he’s recently moved to Stacole Fine Wines. Larry began his career with Bay South Distributors in the 80’s and that company was acquired by National Distributing. For over twenty years he was with Southern Wine and Spirits before recently relocating to Stacole.

In 1972, the Pepsico company struck a barter agreement with the then government of the Soviet Union, in which Pepsico was granted exportation and Western marketing rights to Stolichnaya vodka in exchange for importation and Soviet marketing of Pepsi-Cola. This exchange led to Pepsi-Cola being the first foreign product sanctioned for sale in the U.S.S.R.

Diageo, is a British based company which was formed in December 1997, following the merger between two of the world’s leading food and drinks companies, Guinness and Grand Metropolitan.

Anheuser-Busch has developed and acquired theme parks over the years, including Busch Gardens and SeaWorld. The first ‘Busch Gardens’ opened in Tampa, Florida in 1959. Their SeaWorld theme began in San Diego in 1964 and the Orlando SeaWorld opened in 1973. In February 28, 2008 Busch Entertainment announced plans to open their fourth SeaWorld in Dubai, UAE.

The first wine released by the Robert Mondavi Winery was a gamay rose, made available in March 1967, just six months after the winery’s first harvest. It sold for $1.79 a bottle.

In 2004, liquor baron Sidney Frank sold Grey Goose Vodka, a brand that he created, developed and distributed for $2.2 BILLON cash. At the time the brand was barely 8 years old.

When Red Bull Cola rolls out in Las Vegas in June, the hope is that bartenders will put down their soda guns and encourage customers to drink an all-natural product that is more like a soft drink than an energy drink. But will those Jack, Captain and Bacardi drinkers make the switch that is bound to cost more or will most people in bars drink Red Bull like they do now, in shots? Will bartenders hear customers call out for a round of ‘Cherry Bull Cola Bombs’ even if these shots won’t give you the ‘wings’ that Red Bull turned us on to?

Many a morning I’ve enjoyed having coffee with R.A. Bailey. Seeing his signature on the bottle of that blend of fine Irish whiskey and sweet dairy cream has provided warmth, aided relaxation and improved focus. But, on a recent cold snap morning I wondered why I had never seen a picture of this genius of a guy. Why wasn’t R.A. Bailey an Irish icon?

The smooth sparkling clean natural taste of this award-winning Lambic, is enjoyable before or after dinner or instead of a champagne toast.  Magnificent raspberry aroma, with undertones of fruity acidity pairs as perfect with oysters and caviar as it…

A terrific white meritage that hits on all levels. Great aromatics, mouthfeel, flavors, acidity and balance make this one of the favorites of the year. Excellent varietal choices are selected in a blend of Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Semillion and…