"IS WINE MORE SPECIAL THAN CLOTHING? OR TELEVISION SETS? I DO NOT THINK SO. IT IS JUST A DRINK", SAYS ANNETTE ALVAREZ-PETERS, HEAD OF THE U.S. GIANT COSTCO WINES THAT SELLS MORE THAN 1 BILLION DOLLARS OF WINE A YEAR

"Business is business" and goods are goods and should be treated accordingly. That's what Annette Alvarez-Peters, head of the U.S. giant Costco Wines, which annually sells more than $1 billion in wine. She is at number 6 on "Decanter’s" 2011 "Power List" of the most influential people in the wine world and said in a CNBC interview, reported in the journal "The Drink Business": "Wine is more special than clothing? Or TV sets? I do not think so. Wine is no different than toilet paper. People may think otherwise, but in the end, like it or not, it is just a drink”. Before becoming the wine buying manager for Costco, Annette Alvarez-Peters, said the magazine UK, worked in the electronics division of the chain. "She had no knowledge of wine & spirits," it said. "I'm just a Costco employee, who happens to supervise the wine category".