What’s Next? Wine Cooler Slurpees?

It turns out 7-Eleven also wants to be your convenience wine store. 7-Eleven markets have long carried a few wines in the $5 to $10 range, and the chain is expanding that category, but now stores will also sell as many as 30 wines at up to $15 a bottle from producers such as Beringer, Kendall-Jackson, Bolla, Turning Leaf, Fetzer and Gabbiano. Each store will make its own selection from a range of about 50 wines.

The wines will split about 70% domestic and 30% imported. 7-Eleven is even planning to go into the wine import business for itself. It’s test-marketing two French vins de pays, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot.

The expanded wine selection will be displayed at a special rack, where you’ll also be able to buy the latest Wine Spectator magazine. And there will be shelf tags describing the wines and suggesting food pairings. All white wines will also be available from a refrigerator case so your last-minute wine purchase will be chilled.

The change will affect the 3,200 U.S. 7-Eleven branches with wine and beer licenses (2,400 do not have them). There are 18,000 7-Elevens worldwide, and the chain plans to introduce wine in some of them, particularly in Japan.

The Case of the Poisoned Panettone

Poisoned Christmas cakes were sent to two offices of the Italian news service ANSA Friday. The Italian Animal Liberation Front claimed to have injected Motta and Alemagna panettone with rat poison to protest genetic engineering. Both brands are made by Nestle Italia; panettone, the traditional Italian Christmas cake, is rarely made at home.

Officials in Rome immediately gathered panettone samples from all over Italy and tested them but found none with poison. Nevertheless, they warned customers to look for syringe holes that could have been made by poisoners.

As a result of the scare, panettone sales have plummeted, and Nestle has suspended production at its Verona plant for several days. Nestle executive Yves Barbieux reports that the company has lost at least $30 million.