We Will Name No Wine...

The alcoholic beverage business, beset by declining sales, has found comfort in the notion that while Americans may be drinking less, they are trading up and “drinking better.” And nowhere has this boast gained greater currency than in California’s wine industry.

After all, while sales of generic wines--blends derived from grapes of undisclosed parentage and often sold in jugs and bulk dispensers--are declining, more costly varietal wines are being consumed.

But wait, asks Paul Gillette, publisher of the oft-contrarian Wine Investor newsletter in Los Angeles, isn’t this something of a name game? Gillette observed that, among other industry changes, Napa Valley’s Robert Mondavi Winery decided, for marketing reasons, to print the leading grape varieties used to produce what had been called Robert Mondavi Red and Robert Mondavi White, now known, at higher price, as California Cabernet and California Sauvignon Blanc.

“ Voila ,” observed Gillette, “suddenly one-plus million cases of generics have become varietals.”

“We don’t, mind you, begrudge the success of the producers,” he continued. “All we’re saying is that we hope you don’t . . . conclude that the biz in classic mid-range and high-end varietals is booming.”

Gillette’s own conclusion, detailed in a new report on the U.S. premium wine market available from Wine Investor: “If there’s a stampede, it is to varietal names. “

Playing Games With Training

Some people really win at corporate game playing.

Newtowne Productions in Redmond, Wash., designs customized board games that companies use for training or promotion, including Ad-Wise for the Broadway, Smart Moves for Smart & Final and Pic ‘n Play for Pic ‘n Save.

Newtowne, run by Tim and Kim Villeneuve, both designs the games and offers training consultation and analysis. Kim, who previously was a vice president for training at Carter Hawley Hale and ran an employee training program for Northrop, provides the instructional theories and techniques, while Tim, a graphic artist, puts together the games.

“Most traditional training programs for companies are boring,” Kim says. “They’re basically ineffective and insult the intelligence of employees.”

Newtowne’s games seem to capture some fans. Tim notes that after Smart & Final’s initial order of 20 games, so many executives wanted their own copies that the company ordered another 150 sets.

So how much does all this corporate fun cost? Prices vary, but an average for all services and 20 game sets is about $15,000.

No Monoply money, please.