It’s the end of the world as we know it (REM). Back to my roots!
It has been ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. Finally, the ivory towers are crumbling and the inane Wine Country purchases made over the last 8-15 years have come home to roost. Actual multi-million dollar sales with haircuts in excess of 50% are happening all over (we have worked on two of them) and the infection is spreading.
Let’s start with some indicators:
Diageo Indicates Worsening Profit on ‘Murky’ Economy
French wine exports fall 25 percent amid crisis
Champagne grapes will rot as producers protect price
Wine auction: Tough economy leaves glasses half empty
NOW IT IS TIME. All the “behind the scenes” actions and “dirty little whispers” are gone and replaced with desperation and the reality that even at bargain prices escape may not be possible:
Makers of high-end wines caught in ‘dead zone’
Cosentino Winery Sued For $500K (unpaid grapes)
Lewis G. Carpenter, Jr., owner of Carpenter Ranches of St. Helena has sued Cosentino Winery in Napa County Superior Court for more than half a million dollars he says is still owed for wine grapes from 2008.
Diamond Oaks Vineyards Plus Two More Maniar Firms File Chapter 11 (BANKRUPTCY)
Napa Valley’s Diamond Oaks Vineyards has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection.
In addition, two other firms also owned by Dinesh Maniar: SF-based Montgomery Realty Group and Southland Thoroughbred Farms in Riverside County have filed separate Chapter 11 filings, all in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.