the grandaaddy of all wine geeks

I continue to be unable to get too specific in my acquisition of new brands. I am going to try to tell a story that hasn't ended yet. For you, it will be a serialized drama, for me, just drama. But hope survives. As I was putting together a wish list of wineries, I picked producers that were realistic because of past relationships, and producers that I am really passionate about. Last week, I had a wild hair, and feeling very good about my presentation, I sent a random email to a winery where i have virtually no contacts, but have always been a big fan. I met the owner once, but I'm sure he doesn't remember me. "Hi, you met me once at a restaurant where I worked, can I be your exclusive agent in 4 states?". I proceeded to send of a fairly impassioned email (didn't want to seem to eager though, right?). Now this winery is very important in the New World, particularly for their great wine, but almost as significant in their championing of sometimes unpopular and quirky ideas. Nonetheless, true visionaries. The sort of producers, were they included in the ampleography portfolio, that would help to define it. I mean, they get it. The problem is that they have been around for a while, in fact, they were bigger and are now smaller. This means that a) they already have strong distribution channels b)they may have downsized to accommodate their new focus. No chance, right? well, sometimes I do things that can seem outside of my grasp at the moment. Sometimes, they pay off.So I fired off the email to some names I found on their website(LinkedIN would frown on this) and I tried to figure out the method to their email addresses and assimilate the owners as well. I didn't expect much. But today, an hour ago, I received a response. The owner said kindly no. But, the Sales Manager, thought it may be a good fit nonetheless (maybe). So, now I need to sell myself on why I can do this, and why I'm the right fit. No pressure. So I'm cooling myself down, thinking about the next step. To even get this far is still a coup, So I'm pretty excited just based on that. Wish me Luck!!!