A Commercial Break: Whole Foods and Australia

I received a press release yesterday from Whole Foods about a promotion they're doing with Australia. + 'In just the past few years, Australia has earned a solid reputation for producing some of the finest varietals in the world. Whole Foods Market will be taking shoppers on a wine 'walkabout' starting today and running through May 5th, highlighting the value and quality of Australian wines with selections from Australia's diverse wine-growing regions. From an organically grown Chardonnay and a spritzy, bright, aromatic Verdelho-Viognier blend to a dark chocolate cherry Pinot Noir and the continent's best Cabernet Sauvignon, we will have styles for everyone.' + Like many others in the wine world, I've been puzzled by Whole Food's lack of commitment to the natural wine world, as if what goes into wine is not as important as what goes into food. Okay, it's not. Food is nourishment of another kind, but if WF is going to get into the wine biz, shouldn't they have some principles? So, I wrote a letter. It was strong, hard-nosed, I didn't sugar coat. Perhaps I should have but the gist was basically==shouldn't Whole Foods step up to the plate? I'll share the response I received. Alice, Thank you for the interest and input. We are confident that the products we support meet our quality standards and our support of family wine making traditions in Australia. Additionally, we feel great about promoting a wine trade devastated by fires a year ago. Ashley Duly noted. And duly noted that there was nothing about the fires in her press release. The fires of February 2009 were awful. There were too many deaths. Per reportage in the Wine Spectator in May, 2009, over 200. Yarra Yarra was destroyed. Roundstone was destroyed and about 5 % if the Yarra Valley vineyards were affected. But it is anticipated that the vineyards will come back over the next couple of years. ++ I trust Ashley did some quick spin on this, as there was nothing about fires in the release. Never the less, am happy for WF's charitable attitude, but why not showcase some of the rare organic wines from the area? Or also sponsor a natural wine week? Or learn the differences in certification? I didn't mean for this to turn into an editorial, but I'm staring out my window with Detroit in the distance, hoping there are no bed bugs in that bed behind me, and it just came on.