Debating the Drinking Age
More than 100 college and university presidents nationwide, including leaders from Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on the public to rethink the drinking age. Other prominent schools in the group include Syracuse, Tufts, Colgate, Kenyon and Morehouse.
In a statement, top university officials said the current legal drinking age “is not working” and has dramatically increased the risk of binge drinking on college campuses. Instead, they believe the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18.
The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began recruiting presidents more than a year ago to kick start national debate about the drinking age, reports the AP.
ACCORDING TO THE WEBSITE. Why the name? According to its website, “The purple gemstone amethyst was widely believed to be an antidote to the negative effects of intoxication. In Ancient Greece, drinking vessels and jewelry were often made of amethyst and used during feasts and celebrations to ward off drunkenness and to promote moderation.”
"How many times must we relearn the lessons of prohibition?" Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer," the group also said on its website.
It goes on to say "by choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law."
WHAT MADD IS SAYING. Each state has the authority to set its own drinking age, but in 1984 Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which says that states with a drinking age lower than 21 will lose 10% of their federal highway money. After that law passed, all 50 states raised their drinking age to 21. As a result, proponents of lowering the drinking age will first focus on repealing the “National Minimum Drinking Age Act.”
People who support the 21-year-old drinking age, such as MADD, say it has saved thousands of lives and has the support of the public. They believe that lowering the drinking would lead to more fatal car crashes and accuses the university presidents of looking for an easy, but unscientific solution.
"It's very clear the 21-year-old drinking age will not be enforced at those campuses," said Laura Dean-Mooney, national president of MADD.
In fact, MADD ceo Chuck Hurley said nearly all peer-reviewed studies looking at the change showed raising the drinking age reduced drunk-driving deaths. A survey of research from the U.S. and other countries by the Centers for Disease Control and others reached the same conclusion, said the AP.
PRESIDENTS RESPOND. However, the university and college presidents say they believe lowering the drinking age would help curb binge drinking and therefore make college campuses (not to mention the roadways) much safer. They say that underage students tend to drink as much as they can before they go to public places where they won’t be served.
In addition, the presidents want to focus on offering better alcohol abuse education on campuses. One of the biggest problems, they said, is that underage students tend to drink off-campus where they cannot be supervised.
Research has found more than 40% of college students reported at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence. One study has estimated more than 500,000 full-time students at four-year colleges suffer injuries each year related in some way to drinking, and about 1,700 die in such accidents.
A recent Associated Press analysis of federal records found that 157 college-age people, 18 to 23, drank themselves to death from 1999 through 2005.
The statement signed by the presidents carefully avoids implicit language, and instead says it seeks “an informed and dispassionate debate” over the issue and the federal law that strongly encouraged states to make 21 the legal drinking age.
SWRA SUBMITS FINAL BRIEF ON TEXAS APPEAL
The Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA) submitted its final brief yesterday in the case of Siesta Village Market v. Steen, now at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
SWRA is challenging a Texas law that basically prevents out-of-state retailers from shipping directly to residents. The comprehensive, sixty-page brief prepared by SWRA legal counsel Kirkland & Ellis LLP will be followed by oral arguments later this year to be delivered by Ken Starr, Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis.
In January, Judge Sidney Fitzwater of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a mixed victory for wholesalers and retailers. He ruled that Granholm offers protection from discrimination to both wineries and retailers, which is good for SWRA. However, the judge ruled that the state of Texas has the option to force out-of-state retailers to purchase wine from Texas wholesalers, which ultimately leaves the decision up to the state.
"The court concludes that Texas' ban on the sale and shipment of wine by out-of-state retailers to Texas residents is unconstitutional, but it also holds that the requirement that wine retailers--including out-of-state retailers--first purchase such wine from Texas-licensed wholesalers is constitutional," said Judge Fitzwater.
Texas wholesalers and the state of Texas is appealing the part of the ruling that says Granholm was meant for both wineries and retailers. In other words, if in-state wineries/retailers are allowed to ship directly to consumers, then out-of-state wineries/retailers must be able to ship directly also.
SWRA is appealing the part that gives Texas the option to force out-of-state retailers to purchase wine from Texas wholesalers.
"By Judicially extending the Texas retailer permits to out-of-state retailers, the district court imposed a condition (the wholesaler purchase requirement) which has the effect of barring out-of-state retailers from Texas's direct shipping market. The reason is this: it is legally impossible for an out-of-state retailer to purchase wine from a Texas wholesaler without establishing a store in Texas,” said the SWRA brief.
GOOD WEATHER BENEFITS ITALIAN WINES
Italy’s Montepulciano region is forecasting a top-quality vintage, according to Reuters. Europe’s second largest wine producing nation is expecting a 10% increase in the 2008 harvest. Last year’s Italian vintage was the smallest in 30 years but quality was considered high.
Recall that Montepulciano and nearby producers of Brunello di Montalcino have faced a tough year in the U.S. after the Italian government began investigating claims of fraud.
However, the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has forecast a five-star vintage, matching the highest ranking given to the vintages of 2006 and 2007.
FRANCE DETERRED BY APRIL FROST
Meanwhile, wine producers in the Pessac-Leognan area of Bordeaux say they may have lost 40-50% of their crop this year due to the April frost, according to Decanter. However, the quality of the remaining grapes is described as “exceptional” in the article.
STZ SEES INTEREST IN AUSTRALIAN ASSETS
Despite reports that Constellation may have a hard time selling $200 million of winery and vineyard assets in Australia, another paper says the future is looking rosy. Spokeswoman Sheralee Davies told Adelaidenow.com that private companies have sparked "strong initial interest" in the 10 wineries and more than 20 vineyards for sale.
"We've been very pleased by the initial interest across both wineries and vineyards...certainly it's private interest,'' she said.
The company reportedly hopes to sell the wineries by June 2009.
Analysts do not expect public winemakers to bid for the assets, particularly since Foster’s and Lion Nathan, for example, are reviewing their own assets. Other buyers are seeking premium labels rather than facilities.
Also, Australian Vintage and private companies McWilliams and Rathbone Wines recently bought the wineries and brands of Nepenthe, Evans & Tate and Xanadu.
OWNER OF ALEXANDER VALLEY VINEYARDS DIES
We regret to report that Alexander Valley Vineyards Winery owner Harry Herman Wetzel Jr. died at his home last Thursday at the age of 88. A memorial service for Harry will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 26 at Alexander Valley Vineyards. His wife Margaret died two months ago.
He will be buried in the old Alexander family plot on the estate, near the grave of Cyrus Alexander, and beside his wife.
In addition to his granddaughter Sarah, Wetzel is survived by his daughter Sally Fallon Morell of Washington, D.C., his son Hank Wetzel of Healdsburg, his daughter Katie Wetzel Murphy, also of Healdsburg, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
WSD BRIEFS:
BRINKER INTERNATIONAL agreed to sell an 80% stake in Romano's Macaroni Grill to an affiliate of San Francisco private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $131.5 million, reports Dow Jones. The deal is set to close by year's end. The deal should cost about $42 million to $47 million.
FRANK FAMILY VINEYARDS are opening a new tasting room on Larkmead Lane in Calistoga in the original Craftsman house on property. The original tasting room was demolished last week. According to a statement, Frank’s national distribution is growing and their wines may be found in at least 20 states throughout the country.
Until tomorrow, Megan
“The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past.”
Robertson Davies
--------- Sell Day Calendar ----------
Today’s Sell Day: 12
Sell days this month: 21
Sell days this month last year: 23
This month ends on a: Fri
This month last year ended on a: Fri.
YTD sell days Over/Under: +1
WINE & SPIRITS DAILY
Subscribe or check back issues at: www.winespiritsdaily.com
Send news and comments in confidence to: megan@winespiritsdaily.com
© 2008 Wine & Spirits Daily, all rights reserved. May quote with attribution.
In a statement, top university officials said the current legal drinking age “is not working” and has dramatically increased the risk of binge drinking on college campuses. Instead, they believe the drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18.
The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began recruiting presidents more than a year ago to kick start national debate about the drinking age, reports the AP.
ACCORDING TO THE WEBSITE. Why the name? According to its website, “The purple gemstone amethyst was widely believed to be an antidote to the negative effects of intoxication. In Ancient Greece, drinking vessels and jewelry were often made of amethyst and used during feasts and celebrations to ward off drunkenness and to promote moderation.”
"How many times must we relearn the lessons of prohibition?" Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer," the group also said on its website.
It goes on to say "by choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law."
WHAT MADD IS SAYING. Each state has the authority to set its own drinking age, but in 1984 Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which says that states with a drinking age lower than 21 will lose 10% of their federal highway money. After that law passed, all 50 states raised their drinking age to 21. As a result, proponents of lowering the drinking age will first focus on repealing the “National Minimum Drinking Age Act.”
People who support the 21-year-old drinking age, such as MADD, say it has saved thousands of lives and has the support of the public. They believe that lowering the drinking would lead to more fatal car crashes and accuses the university presidents of looking for an easy, but unscientific solution.
"It's very clear the 21-year-old drinking age will not be enforced at those campuses," said Laura Dean-Mooney, national president of MADD.
In fact, MADD ceo Chuck Hurley said nearly all peer-reviewed studies looking at the change showed raising the drinking age reduced drunk-driving deaths. A survey of research from the U.S. and other countries by the Centers for Disease Control and others reached the same conclusion, said the AP.
PRESIDENTS RESPOND. However, the university and college presidents say they believe lowering the drinking age would help curb binge drinking and therefore make college campuses (not to mention the roadways) much safer. They say that underage students tend to drink as much as they can before they go to public places where they won’t be served.
In addition, the presidents want to focus on offering better alcohol abuse education on campuses. One of the biggest problems, they said, is that underage students tend to drink off-campus where they cannot be supervised.
Research has found more than 40% of college students reported at least one symptom of alcohol abuse or dependence. One study has estimated more than 500,000 full-time students at four-year colleges suffer injuries each year related in some way to drinking, and about 1,700 die in such accidents.
A recent Associated Press analysis of federal records found that 157 college-age people, 18 to 23, drank themselves to death from 1999 through 2005.
The statement signed by the presidents carefully avoids implicit language, and instead says it seeks “an informed and dispassionate debate” over the issue and the federal law that strongly encouraged states to make 21 the legal drinking age.
SWRA SUBMITS FINAL BRIEF ON TEXAS APPEAL
The Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA) submitted its final brief yesterday in the case of Siesta Village Market v. Steen, now at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
SWRA is challenging a Texas law that basically prevents out-of-state retailers from shipping directly to residents. The comprehensive, sixty-page brief prepared by SWRA legal counsel Kirkland & Ellis LLP will be followed by oral arguments later this year to be delivered by Ken Starr, Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis.
In January, Judge Sidney Fitzwater of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a mixed victory for wholesalers and retailers. He ruled that Granholm offers protection from discrimination to both wineries and retailers, which is good for SWRA. However, the judge ruled that the state of Texas has the option to force out-of-state retailers to purchase wine from Texas wholesalers, which ultimately leaves the decision up to the state.
"The court concludes that Texas' ban on the sale and shipment of wine by out-of-state retailers to Texas residents is unconstitutional, but it also holds that the requirement that wine retailers--including out-of-state retailers--first purchase such wine from Texas-licensed wholesalers is constitutional," said Judge Fitzwater.
Texas wholesalers and the state of Texas is appealing the part of the ruling that says Granholm was meant for both wineries and retailers. In other words, if in-state wineries/retailers are allowed to ship directly to consumers, then out-of-state wineries/retailers must be able to ship directly also.
SWRA is appealing the part that gives Texas the option to force out-of-state retailers to purchase wine from Texas wholesalers.
"By Judicially extending the Texas retailer permits to out-of-state retailers, the district court imposed a condition (the wholesaler purchase requirement) which has the effect of barring out-of-state retailers from Texas's direct shipping market. The reason is this: it is legally impossible for an out-of-state retailer to purchase wine from a Texas wholesaler without establishing a store in Texas,” said the SWRA brief.
GOOD WEATHER BENEFITS ITALIAN WINES
Italy’s Montepulciano region is forecasting a top-quality vintage, according to Reuters. Europe’s second largest wine producing nation is expecting a 10% increase in the 2008 harvest. Last year’s Italian vintage was the smallest in 30 years but quality was considered high.
Recall that Montepulciano and nearby producers of Brunello di Montalcino have faced a tough year in the U.S. after the Italian government began investigating claims of fraud.
However, the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has forecast a five-star vintage, matching the highest ranking given to the vintages of 2006 and 2007.
FRANCE DETERRED BY APRIL FROST
Meanwhile, wine producers in the Pessac-Leognan area of Bordeaux say they may have lost 40-50% of their crop this year due to the April frost, according to Decanter. However, the quality of the remaining grapes is described as “exceptional” in the article.
STZ SEES INTEREST IN AUSTRALIAN ASSETS
Despite reports that Constellation may have a hard time selling $200 million of winery and vineyard assets in Australia, another paper says the future is looking rosy. Spokeswoman Sheralee Davies told Adelaidenow.com that private companies have sparked "strong initial interest" in the 10 wineries and more than 20 vineyards for sale.
"We've been very pleased by the initial interest across both wineries and vineyards...certainly it's private interest,'' she said.
The company reportedly hopes to sell the wineries by June 2009.
Analysts do not expect public winemakers to bid for the assets, particularly since Foster’s and Lion Nathan, for example, are reviewing their own assets. Other buyers are seeking premium labels rather than facilities.
Also, Australian Vintage and private companies McWilliams and Rathbone Wines recently bought the wineries and brands of Nepenthe, Evans & Tate and Xanadu.
OWNER OF ALEXANDER VALLEY VINEYARDS DIES
We regret to report that Alexander Valley Vineyards Winery owner Harry Herman Wetzel Jr. died at his home last Thursday at the age of 88. A memorial service for Harry will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 26 at Alexander Valley Vineyards. His wife Margaret died two months ago.
He will be buried in the old Alexander family plot on the estate, near the grave of Cyrus Alexander, and beside his wife.
In addition to his granddaughter Sarah, Wetzel is survived by his daughter Sally Fallon Morell of Washington, D.C., his son Hank Wetzel of Healdsburg, his daughter Katie Wetzel Murphy, also of Healdsburg, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
WSD BRIEFS:
BRINKER INTERNATIONAL agreed to sell an 80% stake in Romano's Macaroni Grill to an affiliate of San Francisco private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $131.5 million, reports Dow Jones. The deal is set to close by year's end. The deal should cost about $42 million to $47 million.
FRANK FAMILY VINEYARDS are opening a new tasting room on Larkmead Lane in Calistoga in the original Craftsman house on property. The original tasting room was demolished last week. According to a statement, Frank’s national distribution is growing and their wines may be found in at least 20 states throughout the country.
Until tomorrow, Megan
“The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealised past.”
Robertson Davies
--------- Sell Day Calendar ----------
Today’s Sell Day: 12
Sell days this month: 21
Sell days this month last year: 23
This month ends on a: Fri
This month last year ended on a: Fri.
YTD sell days Over/Under: +1
WINE & SPIRITS DAILY
Subscribe or check back issues at: www.winespiritsdaily.com
Send news and comments in confidence to: megan@winespiritsdaily.com
© 2008 Wine & Spirits Daily, all rights reserved. May quote with attribution.
posted at 2:29 PM
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