Reported today on The New York Times For the full article visit:
Democrats Sparred Over a Wine Cave Fund-Raiser. Its Billionaire Owner Isn't Pleased."It's just not fair," said the owner of the wine cave, who with his wife has donated millions to Democrats since the 1980s. RUTHERFORD, Calif. - To reach the wine cave that set off a firestorm in this week's Democratic presidential debate, visitors must navigate a hillside shrouded in mossy oak trees and walk down a brick-and-limestone hallway lined with wine barrels. Inside the room, a strikingly long table made of wood and onyx sits below a raindrop chandelier with 1,500 Swarovski crystals.The furnishings drew the ire of Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Thursday, when she chastised Pete Buttigieg for holding a recent fund-raiser in a wine cave "full of crystals" where she said guests were served $900 bottles of wine. "Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States," she said. Andrew Yang, a former tech executive, added that candidates should not have to "shake the money tree in the wine cave."On Friday, the billionaire couple who owns the wine cave - wine is often stored underground because of the cool, stable temperatures - said they were frustrated that their property had set off one of the fiercest back-and-forths of the debate. Watching the contentious moment on television, they grew frustrated as Ms. Warren and other candidates used their winery as a symbol of opulence and the wealthy's influence on politics."I'm just a pawn here," said Craig Hall, who owns Hall Wines, which is known for its cabernet sauvignon, with his wife, Kathryn Walt Hall. "They're making me out to be something that's not true. And they picked the wrong pawn. It's just not fair."Mr. Hall said he had not settled on a favorite Democratic candidate, but that Mr.
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