Re: We do private labelling, and we ship.

Ian -- the OP was responding to the original question by "Skilz2paydabills", in which the question was asked where private labeled wines might be obtained. While the response is from a commercial entity that is able to meet the request, it was in response to the request. This seems to me to be a valid use of the newsgroup. As a reasonably new person in the world of wine, I often have questions; and welcome answers, whether from private individuals or commercial entities to my specific questions. No question that a posting made as the beginning of a thread (or in an unrelated thread) would be spam like usage. Thanks for your many useful postings - which have increased my knowledge. Jim

Sorry about that, but I was responding to a question. On the other hand while checking your signature on your post to me I came across a link to your commercial enterprise (bed and breakfast) including the price for a night's stay. Must say it's one way of sneaking commercial posts onto the NG using the back door approach.

Salut/Hi BallroomDancer,

le/on Thu, 1 Apr 2004 09:48:08 -0500, tu disais/you said:-

And my comment was intended as a gentl-ish shot across the bows. In my range of response from 1 to 10, I count that as a "1". I think that a strict interpretation of the recommendations and rules governing the alt hierarchy disallow ALL uses for commercial purposes and any reader would be within his/her right to complain to the ISP for non conformity with Usenet guidelines. I'd feel that would be wholly inappropriate in this case, btw.

welcome answers, whether from private

Absolutely. As long as these replies do not solicit business. A more appropriate follow up to the demand might be to by email, which of course might be a waste of time with anti-spam measure in place. Then would be the time to say something "Joe Bloggs, Email me please at..... " an easily demungeable address.

It's a delicate and difficult line to draw, Jim. Quite a number of very well respected posters here work in a professional capacity in the wine business, without EVER soliciting for business on the NG. I think it's a little unfair to their scrupulousness if we don't say anything when someone does.

But obviously YMMV.

First of all, since you keep changing the subject line, depending on newsreader it might be quite difficult to keep track of what you're responding too. Especially offline newsreaders which group by subject heading, not thread. Might I respectfully suggest that you only switch headings if a drastic change in subject matter occurs, in which case the best method is to note the switch in your subject (for example "Loire Chenin Blanc (was re: Aussie Fruit Bombs) "

As to Ian's sig, this group was set up as a commercial-free newsgroup. From the first days of Usenet, signatures have been exempt from the normal Usenet requirements of being "on-topic," which means that they could contain any type of content, commercial or not. However, they should be < 4 lines in length.

I don't think anyone here would object to your including your website in your sig, as long as you participated in the general discussion (as opposed to previous posters who have just repeatedly posted inanities to just get their sig line up). I don't think anyone who has paid attention to this group for any time would think that is Ian's motivation. Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

The original question was appropriate here. But you could have (and should have) responded by private e-mail. And it is stretching things beyond the breaking point to compare your posting and Ian's inclusion of a web site in his signature line. Frankly, your postings are not making you many friends in this forum.

Vino To reply, add "x" between letters and numbers of e-mail address.

Salut/Hi Dave Gimbel,

le/on Thu, 1 Apr 2004 11:24:23 -0500, tu disais/you said:-

Indeed, and if you read my reply to Jim, you'll have seen that my comment to you was more in the way of a gentle warning.

No, my sig does NOT give the price of a night's stay. Maybe I should, given the excellent value for money. How many B&Bs do YOU know at €36 for two including breakfast, and with full en suite facilities?

You are entirely entitled to your opinion, of course. And for many years my sig was quite different - I invite you to use Google Groups to search for any pre- jan 2004 posts from me. However, after being reproached by many readers here and in other NGs for NOT providing a link to my B&B, I finally decided to do so. The sort of comment was "I heard from xxx you run a B&B, I _wish_ I'd known because I've just come back from France". And so on. Given that the guidelines specifically permit the use of a (commercial) website address in the signature, I felt that I could not be said to be in contravention.

Hi Dave,

Welcome to AFW.

Several other people have mentioned why your assumption about Ian's signature was erroneous. I'd also like to point you to the AFW Newsgroup Guidelines which may resolve any other questions you may have about appropriate newsgroup posting:

- Advertising

- Netiquette

As people have mentioned, ads and confrontational posts do not win friends on AFW, and may produce undesirable results.

The main URL for the FAQ, which contains interesting information about wine, is

I hope these links help to answer some of the questions you may have had about appropriate behavior and the community spirit found in AFW. I also hope that you will stick around and see how friendly, helpful, and interesting the group is.

Regards,

Marcel

Visited your website. Cottage looks fabulous. Have never been to France but would love to stay in a small village or at least tour as many as possible.

Is your interest and knowledge( based on your numerous and informative posts) of wine a result of entertaining your many guests or something that would have happened anyway?

Hope that makes sense Ian.

Larry Southern Ontario

Salut/Hi Michael Pronay,

I have been trying to keep quiet on this, as - despite what DG said, I don't seek to use this or other fora to drum up business.

le/on 6 Apr 2004 08:44:29 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Right.

I run a B&B called "La Souvigne" in the Corrèze. We have three double rooms (with an overflow for personal friends of 4 extra beds in our own house). Although we don't feed people every night, we do like to welcome guests with a meal the day they arrive. If others arrive during the stay of guests already there, we normally invite them to eat with us too, if they wish to.

However, I'd not want people to think that the food and wine are Lucullan, they're not. In keeping with the philosophy of B&Bs in France, (which is that ordinary people share their family meal with guests), food and wine are what I'd describe as good basic. They have to be, given that we charge only

However, if we have friends from "here" or "elsewhere" to stay, who we know are interested in food and or wine, we'll put on a much more elaborate meal with pleasure, but have to charge accordingly. I _have_ put on a meal in which a high point was a Ch Lafite 1983, but that wasn't at €16!! However, this can't be done when "ordinary" customers are eating with us as well.

So for the second night you were with us, if I remember, we went down to Brive Market together, discovered some nice looking fresh morels and made veal cutlets with them. I'm afraid I don't remember the wine (we both seem to remember "Burgundy") we served with the veal, though we did have a Tokaji Aszu with the Tarte.

I think you'll agree that the previous day, the food was more ordinary, however. I DO remember the faces of the other customers when you arrived at table, though, clutching that mag of '89 Clos Fourtet that you'd "rescued". I don't think they realised just how lucky they had been! Mind you, they didn't drink much of it!

OK, plug over.

;-)

Even I had forgotten that little episode ... This time, no mags at at the farewell dinner (at Cheval Blanc), alas. Btw, I found Smith Haut Lafitte 1996 better than Cheval Blanc 1998, the wine that generously was poured to everyone (from bottles, not from mags).

M.

Salut/Hi Larry,

le/on Fri, 02 Apr 2004 17:29:16 -0500, tu disais/you said:-

Sorry about the late reply, but I had to rescan my message base to see this, it got zapped first time round.

It's just a little cottage, stone built, of no great merit, but we've done it up to be as comfortable as we could. This is an area of little villages, perhaps 30 years behind the times. We love it. You can leave the front door unlocked and not be afraid at night. Coming from London, as we did, that's a luxury of inestimable worth.

I used to be a freelance chef, doing directors' lunches special dinners etc in London, but with little knowledge of wine. Some friends took my wine education in hand when I was around 35 and I avidly learnt all I could (both by tasting and reading). I found (and still do) the marriage of food and wine fascinating, and it became my hobby, which rapidly spilt over into business, as people asked me first to recommend matches for the dishes I cooked, then to get more of the same or other wines, and occasionally to manage their cellars.

So I went to auctions (with pre-auction tastings) to trade fairs, on wine visits to various areas (mainly France) and continued learning. So, to get round to answering your question, no, it's not really the guests we have here that have contributed much to my interest although some most certainly DO do so.