By Charles Communications Staff
Each month we look back at the great food, beverage and lifestyle stories that caught our attention.
Kimberly Charles
My “must read” is from: UpWorthy.com
Monica Lewinsky Gives Her First Public Speech In 16 Years And Says Exactly What Needs To Be Said
As a communications professional, I appreciate this on so many levels. A well delivered speech. A touchy subject, which took the focus off the easy, low hanging fruit of the salacious, and put the spotlight back where it belongs—the vulture nature of our culture today. Poised, real and higher ground speech-making—have a listen. Byron Katie would approve (look it up for some wisdom).
Alex Fondren
My “must read” is from: PunchDrink.com
Is Wine Developing Its Own Version of Normcore?
Jennifer Fiedler compares the fashion trend of "normcore" (i.e. the new style trend of “fitting in” vs. “standing out”) to the increasingly commonplace inclination to seek out ever-more esoteric wines. Fielder argues that these once “fringe styles”—Jura, Cru Beaujolais, orange wines etc.— are no longer fringe, thus encouraging an industry-wide return to old favorites like Bordeaux, California and rosé wine—that great equalizer for, "both wine nerds and regular people alike."
Jordan Carmack
My “must read” is from: AliceFeiring.com
Ingredients on the wine label. Absolutely.
Alice Fiering takes a strong stance in the debate of wine label ingredient requirements, arguing that just as there are ingredient label requirements for beverages like soda and orange juice, the same standards should apply to wine labels. And as more drinkers look for wines as natural as the food they seek, more wineries are going to present themselves as “natural”—and Alice believes that consumers shouldn’t have to rely on their palate to guide them.
Patrick Bowler
My “must read” is from: 1winedude.com
Think Wine Criticism Is B.S.? Then You Need To Reject All Forms Of Criticism
Joe Robert's most recent blog post intends to debunk criticism associated with the art of wine tasting. Roberts ensures the reader that wine criticism and professional wine tasting are no different than every other form of experiential criticism in that they are the attempts of fallible humans to garner expertise and disperse helpful opinions to the best of their abilities while trying to overcome the ingrained perception wiring.
Kathleen Pizzo
My “must read” is from: BusinessOfFashion.com
Vince, a Billion-Dollar Brand Priming For Growth
This article investigates how a quiet, contemporary clothing brand launched the most successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange of its kind since Michael Kors, giving it a market capitalization of $1.25 billion—a feat nearly impossible for a limited basics line that doesn't excessively advertise. Further, the article explores how Vince's CEO will maintain the kind of growth that Wall Street expects of a public company through techniques like retail expansion (adding an accessories line and continuing to expand in men's) and brand building.
All the Swirl is a collections of thoughts and opinions assembled by the staff and industry friends of Charles Communications Associates, a marketing communications firm with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. We invite you to explore more about our company and clients by visiting www.charlescomm.com.