Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/41419
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT 2011 Wine Industry Person of the Year S Stacie Jacob. an Luis Obispo County's most prestigious wine industry honor—the 2011 San Luis Obispo County Wine Industry Person of the Year Award—was announced by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance in partnership with the Independent Grape Growers of Paso Robles, the Central Coast Vineyard Team, the San Luis Obispo Vintners Association and past award recipients. The honoree: Stacie Jacob, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Executive Director. Under Jacob's leader- ship, the Alliance grew to represent 500 members focused on the organiza- tion's mission to brand and promote Paso Robles Wine Country. This recognition comes as Jacob prepares to depart her post as the Alliance's Executive Director after seven years of service. eineken is unveiling the details of its "Spread Your Holiday Cheer" retail program in plenty of time for grocery, c- store and liquor retail partners to plan for 2011 holiday sales. Through a proprietary mobile app, accessed by scanning the JAGTAG code technology on Heineken's Holiday POS, shoppers have immediate access to images, recipes and e-card greetings they can share with friends through social media outlets. Heineken H "Heineken holiday sales momentum starts in November and continues to build through the end of the year, resulting in as much as a 150% lift in cases on promotion during the last week of December*," says Andrew Freeman, Trade Marketing Manager, Heineken USA. *Nielsen (8 weeks ending 12/31/10) for the Holidays Inching Towards Privatization F or the fi rst time since the repeal of Prohibition, the state of Washington has taken a step on the road to privatization of its liquor distribution system. Newly enacted legislation requires the state to solicit bids from private parties to lease and modernize its spirit warehousing and distribution facilities and related operations. However, the law doesn't require the state to accept any of the proposals if they can't be shown to benefi t the state budget's battered bottom line. Currently, the state's Liquor Control Board operates the sole liquor distribution center that supplies all of Washington's state-owned or state-contracted liquor stores. If an acceptable proposal is submitted, the state will turn over operation of the distribution center but retain control of the retail stores. An alternative privatization initiative that will likely come before Washington voters in November seeks to privatize all liquor distribution and sales in the state. Well-known mixologist Jim Romdall, a founding offi cer of the Washington State Bartenders Guild, says that the new distribution privatization law is "a good fi rst step." While members of the guild are generally supportive of an overhaul of the current state-operated system, he says, "everyone agrees that whatever happens needs to be a gradual process." —David Mahoney 12 / the tasting panel / september 201 1 PHOTO: TOM ZASADZINSKI