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Posted on 07/16/2008 12:16:44 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A vintner is alleging that the man who wants to open a retail wine store on North Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos told him "God will punish" him if he spoke out against the application.
Entrepreneur Rahul Ravulapati, who owns a winery in Livermore, says he never threatened anyone and accused the vintner, Fred Faltersack, and other Los Gatos wine makers of discrimination.
"These people are blackmailing me," Ravulapati said after the July 9 planning commission meeting, where commissioners unanimously recommended against approving the permit.
The dispute started last month when Ravulapati called local vintners to ask if they would be willing to sell their wines in his shop.
Faltersack, co-owner of Black Ridge Vineyards, told commissioners, "I asked him what experience he had that would help in this venture, and he responded, '20 years in the electronics industry and six years in real estate.' "
Faltersack also questioned him about his winery.
Ravulapati said he told Faltersack, "That business is totally different, sir. This is a wine store. Why should I tell you I have different businesses? . . . If you want to support us, fine."
But Faltersack says the conversation did not end there. "Among other things, his final words were if I do not support him that is OK, but if I speak out against him 'God will come down and punish me.' "
Faltersack also took issue with the Web site for Ravulapati's Livermore vineyard, Ryhan Estate Vineyards. The site, www.hardrockwinery.com, displays photos of a large vineyard. Ravulapati's wife, Surya, said after the meeting that photos are of his father's winery in India. "We make very little wine - 250 cases," Ravulapati said. "I'm not hiding anything."
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
In recommending that the council deny the permit, commissioners said they did not have confidence that Ravulapati's business plan was sound. The council could take up the issue as early as Aug. 4.
Wine Wars
who the f are they to decide whether his buisness is sound?
Are they backing it? If not, they have no grounds to deny
the permit as long as he has a beer/wine license from
the state and his premises meet standards.
They have no skin at risk so they should have nothing to say about it.
Someone refresh my memory,please....isn’t Los Gatos a very,very chic and obscenely rich town?
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Los Gatos has the highest number of smugly self-satisfied people per capita in the world.
And to think that all this time I thought Saratoga (California) held that distinction.
And on top of that,, they aren’t nearly as pretty as they think they are.
Mr. F,
Mountain Charley’s there in the background?
Your story-specific SV ping graphics never cease to amaze.
The city is extremely picky about businesses they allow in town, and they’re probably right in their approach. Otherwise thousands of people wouldn’t be descending on the place every weekend.
And on top of that, God will smite you for saying that, according to the applicant.
Ravulapati sounds like a piece of work. Still I’m not sure why there is so much controversy about him opening a shop there. It is his money to lose.
I always thought of LG as a place to get through on Hwy 17
not as a destination. But I suppose they have to keep up
apearances. In TX I learned that sophistication is waay
overrated.
I don't mind the city council being selective about the business they allow to set up shop. Otherwise, the town would fill up with chinese restaurants, video rental stores & nail salons, like other neighborhoods in the valley.
Well, I guess I was a bad fit for the Valley, culture-wize.
It seemed too pretentious and people seemed more arrogant
than seems justified.
As for Chinese food, I’m of the opinion that there can’t be
enough good Chinese restos;-)
My dream mall :
Indian/Hunan/Sushi/Texas BBQ, a Fry’s Electronics, a Whole Foods, and a BMW motorbike dealership.
and a Cabela’s!
Well, downtown is nice (it just got an Apple store--but it's less than 10 miles from the Apple campus in Cupertino), and so is Vasona Lake park, but there are plenty of run-down apartments holding plenty of illegal immigrants here (I live a block outside of Los Gatos) too. It has lower rent than Palo Alto, Los Altos, Saratoga, Cupertino, and Monte Sereno (actually Monte Sereno doesn't have rental property, it has expansive estates that which are surrounded by 9-foot tall hedges and solid gates, impenetrable to common folk).
But there are some really decent people here as well. Usually the ones who've been here awhile.
Ha - I lived up Stevens Canyon during the 80’s; on the estate of an eccentric who built “rental units” on his
land from scrap - picturesque and totally illegal.
Had a Cupertino address and 8 miles south of Saratoga.
Wonder how many pink houses stand there now?
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