Mississippi lacks one of the great grocery chains in the United States because we have a very peculiar rule. Stores that sell beer cannot sell wine or liquor. Stores that sell wine or liquor cannot sell beer. Grocery stores may sell beer, and thus, not sell wine. Trader Joe’s is a unique store, and wonderful, but, since their business model features wine sales, there are none in Mississippi. We are very much poorer for it.
Trader Joe’s has their own wine label — Charles Shaw. (They offer a t-shirt with the slogan, “Charles Shaw for President” — they sell lots.) It is popularly referred to as two-buck-Chuck because, in most states, it sells for two dollars a bottle. In Michigan, because they must sell their wine to the state, who then resells it to Trader Joe’s (!), it is three-buck-Chuck. I imagine that would be the case in Mississippi if it were possible to buy it.
Now enter President Trump’s immigration raids. The vineyard that Charles Shaw buys grapes from either cannot harvest or must dramatically pay more to grape pickers, if they can find any. Two-buck-Chuck suddenly becomes ten-buck-Chuck. The world-famous vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley like Stag’s Leap (which won gold medals in FRANCE), Opus One, or Rombauer, will see their grapes wither on the vines. Of course, Diet Coke, our President’s favored drink, will survive.
I am a relative newcomer to Mississippi, having been here less than 10 years, and I am still frustrated that most wines are not available anywhere. I stumbled over a wine store in a strip mall just outside Atlanta that had everything Wine Spectator recommended, plus cases of great-growth Bordeaux (way beyond my means)! Way to go, Georgia!
Maybe wine drinking is for bi-coastal effete elites, and Mississippi sensibly prefers Bourbon – never Scotch – Mint Juleps, sweet tea or beer. I do not imagine I am either effete or elite – or coastal, for that matter – but I do enjoy good wine. I am apparently not alone here. A sign I saw at a recent estate sale read, “A Meal Without Wine is Called Breakfast.”
I prefer red wine. Red wine has never gone well with ICE.
Bill Gillmore
Columbus
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