Elements of a Wine Distribution Agreement

Abstract

This chapter concerns the legal details of distribution arrangements. These are the details that are needed to implement effective distribution strategies. Other chapters in this book present the marketing considerations that underlie decisions about distribution. These considerations make sense to most marketing people; it is the legal details that are difficult to comprehend. Consequently, this chapter may be difficult for or less interesting to those with marketing backgrounds. However, if they pass it by, they risk endangering what are otherwise sensible distribution strategies. While the chapter applies specifically to the U.S. market, its ideas about attention to the legal environment surrounding distribution arrangements are applicable throughout the world.