Somm School and the *Other* Bar Exam

Somm School and the *Other* Bar Exam

I have a friend who is great at ordering wine. He left New York more than two years ago, but before he did, I could trust every wine decision to him. At restaurants he’d order a delicious Italian vino, and I, despite my best efforts, would order a glass of something not so delicious. Ever the gentleman, my friend would switch wines with me, telling me a little bit about his wine as he slid it across the table. My friend, of course, is Italian. I want to be like him when I grow up.

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Love, Labor, and Wage and Hour Laws

Wine production is a labor of love, and as one California winery learned this past summer, the labor is just as important as the love. Westover Winery in Castro Valley was fined $115,000 for using volunteer workers, a practice that is said to be common throughout the region. The state Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) cited Westover’s failure to pay minimum wage, provide wage statements, and pay workers' compensation insurance as grounds for the fines. For an industry that is often driven as much by passion as by profit, this is a sobering reminder that wage and hour laws still apply.

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