Starting tomorrow, alcohol you buy in stores will no longer have a pesky 6.25% sales tax! This repeal, overturned by a ballot measure in November of 2010, means consumers no longer have to drive to New Hampshire to avoid the extra taxation. Anthony said "I am excited to pay slightly less for my alcohol in the future." When buying alcohol WITH sales tax, you are really being taxed twice. Distributors and sellers have to pay what is called an excise tax; meaning that the producer or seller who pays the tax to the government is expected to try to recover the tax by raising the price paid by the buyer. This excise tax is calculated by volume, which means that the tax is equal across all libations, regardless of price. The sales tax penalizes customers who drink more expensive wine, ie: the tax on a $40 bottle of wine is more than on two 1.5L jugs of vodka. For a quick overview about this tax, we turn to fellow Massachusetts wine writer and all around great guy, Robert Dwyer. This is a quote from his highly informative article on the measure:

"Massachusetts hasn’t had a sales tax on alcohol since prohibition.  Amidst an economic downturn in 2009, the state legislature decided to raise the sales tax rate from 5% to 6.25% and make alcoholic beverages subject to sales tax for the first time.  Massachusetts retailers, especially those near the borders, say their business has suffered as a result. If we need the revenue from sales tax on alcohol it would make more sense to raise the excise tax rather than implement a sales tax!"

To celebrate the repeal, Maureen as well as several liquor store owners and some of the ladies of LUPEC gathered with a boozy version of the Boston Tea Party by pouring water from wine bottles into the harbor.We wouldn't want to ACTUALLY pour any wine into the harbor, we hear fish aren't big imbibers. The Second Glass staff also made sure to bring our comically large bottle of champagne, for added effect. All in all, a lighthearted event to celebrate no sales tax on alcohol. There were some protesters, but luckily they were peaceful, or this could have easily turned into a Wine Riot!

As things wind down from the harvest season, Tyler's duties get ramped up at Second Glass, but instead of spending MORE time in front of a computer (wait, is that possible?) he's visiting wineries in Sonoma and Napa. Yesterday he braved the 6 hour drive from LA and visited Freixenet for a taste of Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blanc! As the Boston office staff readies the world for Wine Riot Tour 2011, Tyler spreads the good word about Second Glass and our plans for the future!

Here is a video by Founder and President, Tyler Balliet on why we created Wine Riot and the staff behind it!

On October 5, 2010 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts awarded Second Glass founders for "entrepreneurial spirit and innovation in business." Morgan First accepted the award for the company from State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry. The award party was planned with all of the winners for Inc Magazine's 30 Under 30 for 2010. Pretty awesome, right? Read the full post on the Boston Innovation blog. [caption id="attachment_190" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Second Glass staff, Anthony Roldan, Morgan First, Maureen Hautaniemi and Holly Gordon"] [/caption] [caption id="attachment_192" align="alignnone" width="241" caption="Award from Commonwealth of Massachusetts"] [/caption]

Second Glass attended the opening ceremonies presentation for Boston Wine Week, today, at BiNa Osteria. The Mayor was in attendance along with the other board members. Tyler Balliet and Maureen Hautaniemi from Second Glass were schmoozing and drinking  with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. Get in on the fun and grab a glass during Boston Wine Week September 20th-26th!

Last night Second Glass celebrated Tyler and Morgan's feature in the INC 30 Under 30 Party. Tickets to the event totally sold out and the room was packed with awesome people and excited young entrepreneurs! The event was held at Splash Ultra Lounge and hosted by Dan Schwabel of Millennial Branding. Among attendance were:

• Dan Schwabel - Founder of Millennial Branding LLC
• Stephanie Kaplan, Windsor Hanger and Annie Wang - Founders of Her Campus
• Sarah Prevette - Founder, CEO Sprouter
• Maia Josebachvili - Co-Founder, Urban Escapes
• Donna Fen - Inc. 30 Under 30 Editor

Packed with interesting people, it was an amazing night that did not disappoint! Second Glass's Tyler, Maureen and Courtney had an awesome time! Check out some pics below!

Miss this event? Don't worry, Second Glass will be doing another awesome entrepreneur event October 7th with all the Inc 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs, Donna Fenn and the state of Massachusetts! Details will be posted soon!

Inc. Magazine picks Second Glass for this year’s 30 under 30 - their annual selection of “America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs” who bring innovation to market, build unique brands, create and nurture trends, give back to their communities and to the world, and make money along the way. Tyler and Morgan are featured in the magazine's main article, where reporter Donna Fenn highlights their ability to build communities both online and in the physical world at events like Wine Riot, where "you'd be hard-pressed to find a wine snob in the crowd." Check out the profile and the awesome video! You can also see the team sporting the signature Second Glass photobooth in their featured picture. Way to go, team!

video by Sarah McCulley

In an article titled "Wine, declassified: Today’s oenophiles are embracing wine’s unstuffy side", Stuff Magazine highlights Second Glass and names co-founder Tyler Balliet "the Prince of Boston's Wine Revolution". The article illustrates the new generation of wine drinkers who seek out classes, tastings, and events, and in doing so "smash the industry's idols and forging a new class of wine lovers". The article highlights Second Glass, Wine Riot, and this year's Summer Smackdown. A quote from Tyler concludes the article: "The biggest misconception people have is that they can be wrong. Everybody's worried that they can make a bad decision, but at the end of the day, the absolute worst-case scenario is that you get drunk. And how bad can that be?" Check out the full article here!

Over this past weekend, I was one of about 30 judges at the NextGen Wine Competition. Taking place in Santa Rosa, CA the competition was the very first of its kind. Gather some of the top Millenial wine experts in the country the competition set out to choose wines indicative of this new generation that is leading the growth in wine sales. While I was judging, Morgan First was volunteering, helping the competition run smoothly behind the scenes. There were over 700 wines to taste and only one day to do so. The 30 judges were broken down into multiple panels, each in charge of awarding about 120 wines either no medal, a bronze, silver or gold. If all of the judges on a panel awarded the wine a gold, it was considered "double gold." From there, all of the gold and double gold wines moved on the the finals, commonly known as "sweepstakes." These were re-tasted and revoted on to get Best in Show. While preliminary results were revealed at the competition, we're waiting for the official results before we post anything. Check back or checkout our recent tweets from the event.