I hate to name drop, so I won't. Let me say this, one night, about 3 years ago, a pretty famous and cultish Oregon and Washington winemaker was out to dinner with the management team of my former employer. We asked him who was he most excited about in Washington right now. He said 1 name that we already knew and coveted (and ended up getting) and 2 more producers we'd never heard of. One of those was Syncline (otherwise this is a stupid story). So we reached out for James and Poppie Mantone to try the wines. We were all immediately smitten. Syncline crafts Rhone varietals in Columbia Valley. This is turning into one of my favorite regions for these types of wines. Columbia Valley Syrahs have this Old-World acidity with bright fresh fruit. The wines have a feminine quality to them that is especially noticeable in the texture. Syncline is at the very top of my list of producers that exhibit this style of winemaking. Syncline is specializing in making wines that have character and finesse. I know that Poppie has a background in biodynamics, and now with an estate vineyard bearing fruit, we shoudl see even better wines from them with a great pedigree. I'm very proud to announce the addition of Syncline Wine Cellars into the ampelography portfolio.
I have been very lucky over the years to have met some amazing people in this business. Dick Dore of Foxen ranks up there near the top. Tall, charismatic and with a twinkle in his eye, he loves to tell the story of his Great-Great Grandfather, Benjamin Foxen establishing the Foxen Canyon Trail and building the church that sits on Rancho Sisquoc's property. Dick comes from Santa Maria Royalty! He and partner (and winemaker) Bill Wathen, established this winery in 1985, naming it after his ancestor. This estate winery lies on 2000 acres known as Rancho Tinaquaic. On the western ridge of the Dry Sisquoc River Bed. The vineyard,as well as some of the purchased fruit they bring in (Bien Nacido, Julia's, Vogelzang and Sea Smoke) is some of the best fruit sources in Santa Barbara County. Their diversity of wines, including Sangiovese, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, as well as their ubiquitous Pinots, Chards and Rhone bottling represent a great breadth of lineup. Dick and Bill are always trying something new, and were certainly among the first producers to understand how to handle Chardonnay and Bordeaux varieties with restraint. A new winery construction is underway, but you can still taste through the lineup in the aluminum and wood shack they use for a tasting room at the norther edge of the scenic Foxen Canyon Trail. Foxen represents some of the best Santa Maria has to offer, and we are very excited to add them to the ampelography portfolio!
Growing into wine in the 90's, Bonny Doon was a tremendously important producer to me as I learned about wine. Randall Graham's embrace of Rhône varietals, as well as obscure Italians, gave hope to the idea that the world of wine did not begin and end with Chardonnay and Cabernet. His quirk and wit said that you can make serious wine without being self-important. There aren't too many rock stars in the wine world, Randall is definitely one.
This is the 3rd time I've sat down to write about Bonny Doon's addition to the portfolio, each time, finding myself at a loss for words. As I have discussed my portfolio with my colleagues, their amazement at the fact that I coerced them into the fold is compounding my writers block. I always try to think of the cliche, "act like you've been there before" whenever I approach something big and new and scary. I have a couple of funny stories that I'm going to keep in my pocket for now about Bonny Doon and Randall Graham. Somehow, though, I needed to give this brand all the sincerity I could muster. Fortunately, their National Sales Manager thought it would be wise for me to taste through the current lineup. This was a brilliant idea, as I guess I haven't tasted the entire lineup in a few years, since which time, Bonny Doon has reinvented themselves.
The lineup now includes the Ca' del Solo wines as well as the Cigare Volant wines, some dessert wines,and the Le Posseur Syrah. Gone are the larger production wines that you may have associated with BD over the years. Randall has always loved the old world analogues to his varieties, but without the overwhelming desire to replicate. This thought was crystallized in tasting through the wines. The Cigare wines are dead ringers for Rhône wines. great structure from the grenache made the red drink just like a great CDP. The white, with a healthy backbone of Grenache Blanc is one of my favorites white wines of this year. Rose, always rocks. Then we got to the Ca' del Solo lineup. My first thought was " this is the first Albarino from California that tasted like it came from Rias Baixas. Great minerality (California, really?),and that signature under ripe mandarin orange character.Then came the Nebbiolo and Dolcetto. Again, dead ringers for their Italian counterparts. Nebbiolo from California NEVER has this kind of Tannin and earthiness!
So with a few wines left to go through yet, I felt like i had a firm grasp on what is going on inside the bottle. These are all wines that make you reconsider whatever you feel or felt about Bonny Doon. They remind you why Randall Graham got to be so famous in the first place, by making great, interesting, challenging wines. The Bonny Doon story can't really be told without discussing the other exciting concepts Randall has championed over the years. Remember his burial of corks? How about his take on Dante's Inferno? The story of the alien spacecraft? So what is he up to these days? First, all wines are now from either sustainably farmed vineyards, organic or biodynamic. How about Bonny Doon is now including all ingredients on their labels? And then there's sensitive crystallization. I can't think of the last time a concept in wine was so complex that it required hours of reading to just begin to understand what it means. The Ca' del Solo wines all have an image on the front of the sensitive crystallization of that particular wine. Sensitive crystallization is basically taking the wine (or grapes or plant material) combining them with cooper chloride in a petri dish and letting the liquid evaporate. What is left are these images of crystals that apparently tell one (that knows what to look for) all about the wine. They should show life force, balance, health in the wine. This is a concept that goes hand in hand with biodynamics. This is all an attempt from Randall to peer a little closer into the grape, the vineyard, the terroir, analyze what it gives back and frame this in a visual representation. Pretty heady stuff indeed.
Perhaps the thing that's makes Bonny Doon such a special producer is their spirit. Embracing something new and exciting not just for changes sake but for the progression of quality, discourse and responsibility. Bonny Doon takes risks everyday in the noble pursuit of enhancing your wine drinking experience. All I needed to do to understand this was drink some of their wine.
I am a failed film student. I've always had an eye for "that thing" the power of the word, or the music, or the action, or even the choreography to inspire, and give emotion. I've never been able to create it though.
In deciding to begin this upstart luxury business, I was often struggling to justify the why. I felt like I was standing at the end of the diving board saying: "This is Crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy" (a la Clark Griswold). I was in need of inspiration and courage. I felt like I had the concept down cold, but it can be difficult to make that leap.I remember feeling sorry for myself, when I came across this:
Most of you have already seen this, I was late to the game. But it blew me away. It was perfect. I tend to get obsessive,and I became obsessed with this. I looked up Matt, and on his site I discovered "TED".
TED is Technology, Entertainment and Design conference, made up of 20 minute speeches by extraordinary individuals.
It was here that I began to watch these inspiring videos about people thinking differently, solving problems everyone says are unsolvable, and generally succeeding in the face of naysayers. People I already respected, like Malcolm Gladwell, and Tim Ferris, Nate Silver, and even Bill Gates, along with physicists, biologists, atheists, athletes, activists & authors. The theme was the same, we, as a society have a very myopic view of reality, and society tends to want to keep individuals at the baseline of success.
I also long ago discovered Vaynerchuk, and I'll mention him again here. His business blog, not his wine blog (although I subscribe to this one too), is the one that draws me in. He's not revolutionary, but he has vision, and he's sharp and adaptive. His comments are inspiring on a daily basis for me as well.
All of these factors made me want to put together a video that inspired wineries to take action to make their voices heard. My first few versions were enough to get my brother Brad involved (although, the correct term is probably intervened). Brad works for an amazing company called Bridge Worldwide. He is a project leader for teams that develop really amazing web content for a diverse array of companies. He took my crappy 20 min Powerpoint, interviewed me, helped me distill down my ideas, and publish a kick ass site and video. This in turn was my presentation to recruit each of the wineries I now represent (18 and counting).
This journey thus far has been amazing! I have already accomplished so many of the early critical factors for success that I drew up that I've needed to adopt a new strategy that uses my time in markets a little more efficiently. Building this portfolio has been far easier than I thought it would be. I need to give all the credit to my chain of inspiration. If you would have asked me 6 months ago what the road map would be, i didn't know. But I knew I wanted the outcome to look like this. At some point, all of these inspiring personalities, putting it out there on the net for free, got me to jump off the diving board. Thanks!
Robert Parker is an easy, slow moving target. We in the wine industry like to dismiss his motivation, power and palate. I'm here to defend him. When Parker started, about 30 years ago, when ratings didn't really matter much. He didn't envision a world where his scores would fill the void. His intention was to bring a little organization and reason to the vast, confusing world of wine. Labeling was different back then.The consumer was easily confused. Wine also was much cheaper than it is today, so ratings were taken a little less seriously. In the years since, Parker has remained consistent in his Independence and palate.I know what he's going to like just as I know what my wife will like. We sit around and talk about "Parker wines". He likes concentrated jammy, almost sweet wines. This doesn't make him less of a person, even though he and I like different wines. This doesn't mean he has less of a palate than anyone else. His writing is astute and descriptive. His editorial comments are always right on. I've heard he doesn't write tasting notes while at the wineries, but remembers everything. He has also remained independent. When is the last time you though he was giving a higher score to Columbia Crest than they deserved and suspected that they may be in his pocket? With all the "controversy" surrounding the little travelgate thing happening right now, it's really a testament to how clean he has always been. Here is why Parker is great: He has given voice to the small wineries. By treating every producer the same regardless of marketing budget, distribution, etc, he has leveled the playing field. Thus, allowing small producers to emerge in this wine-saturated landscape. Because he cares only about the highest quality wines, he searches far and wide to taste everything possible. Think about how many tiny, mailing list only wineries have thrived because of what Parker said about them. You may not agree with his ratings, but at least you don't need to put your arm around Marvin Shanken to get them...
I am truly lucky. I was able to put together a "dream list" of wineries to represent quite a bit easier than I expected. I represent many producers that I have tremendous respect for. They took a leap of faith with me, and rightfully so, that leap only will last so far on goodwill alone. My primary goal is to find homes (distributors) in each of my primary markets for 17 wineries plus 1 importer. Last week was a big week, I found 5 new homes over 3 states. Progress is expectantly slow, but with solid wines and presentations and good market intel, I'm confident I can find the right long-term fit for everyone. I was (naively) expecting that each of these small wineries would eventually take on a collective conscience. A diverse, but unified voice. What I am instead seeing at this stage of the game is that each of these wineries likes things done a little bit differently. At some point in the future, I will have a strong track record I can point to, and I will be able to take a different tact when dealing with these differing philosophies.I love that each day, and each interaction presents a chance to learn a lesson and develop my approach.
Lesson #1-"Trust Me" is not reassuring. That leap of faith is not solidified by that famously laughable Indiana Jones quote, but in the back of my mind I wish it were.
Lesson #2-Any concern is a real concern. The collective white noise of communication can easily drown out subtle concerns about details. It's important to recognize each concern and give it the respect and credibility it deserves.
Lesson #3-I should always be available and accountable- I know I'm busy, but that doesn't matter to the client. What matters is how well I am representing them and their vision. From afar, it may be tough for them to see until I can produce results. For many producers, this hasn't happened yet.Sensitive to this, I need to be available and have a strong vision and strategy for each producer.
Lesson #4-My brand and the other winery's brands within ampelography are irrelevant to the winery I am dealing with at that moment. The winery wants to know I am focused on them. Talking about other wineries makes it sound like I'm focused on someone else.
So what am I doing wrong? Nothing. I am just learning how to communicate better (not necessarily more).When I set meetings, present wine, or decide to not set meetings, I need to be accountable in each instance. I need to be able to say what is going on with the strategy, and ideally head off concerns at the pass before they feel they need to approach me with them. Keeping the client happy is not about appeasement, but about helping them to eventually "trust me". I can't possibly expect them to do this out of the gate. I've already asked them to trust me more than any sane man would. I need to prove to them that my methods and strategy are sound. I need to let them see how the proverbial sausage is made. Many of these wineries are run by winemakers and all are family owned. Something that should not be taken lightly. I will need to make sure I do everything I can to earn their trust. I need to be a sincere advocate for their business and the health of their growth. I will also need to make sure I am sensitive to their concerns and make sure I put them at ease with each concern.
I have known about Ampelos Cellars for a while now. My good friends Dave and Craig at Jaffurs Wine Cellars turned me on to their vineyard with what Jaffurs claims to be his best bottling of Syrah. Then I heard about their embrace of Biodynamics. Eventually, they showed up on Vaynerchuk for a 2 parter about blending (see both videos below). This time, it stuck. I reached out for Peter and Rebecca on the same day they reached out for me (they heard about me from the guys at Jaffurs!). We hooked up and discussed opportunities. Once we all decided that it might be a good fit, they sent me some samples. This is often one of the great perks of my job! We tasted through the wines last week. The Syrache, The Gamma Syrah and the Lambda Pinot Noir. Each had tons of personality and concentration. I called a few friends out that way, and the feeling was as I suspected, Ampelos is one of the hot rising stars of Santa Barbara. I am thrilled to announce the addition of Ampelos Cellars to the ampelography portfolio.
One of the most crucially important figures in the evolution of Santa Barbara Wines was in the background for much of the region's development. Schooled under Andre Tchelistcheff at Buena Vista, Rick Longoria was greatly influenced by this master of the craft. Beginning with Firestone, then J Carey and eventually with Gainey. Rick helped to establish a European style with the fledgling SB County vines. Longoria started his own winery in 1982, but continued to work for other wineries until 1997. He eventually saw his dreams come to fruition with opening his own tasting room in Los Olivos and most importantly, he planted his estate Fe Ciega Vineyard in Sta Rita Hills.The centerpiece of his production, Fe Ciega yields some of the most dramatic and refined Pinot Noirs in the region. Rick also has a thing for Spanish Varietals (as do I)and produces an Albarino and Tempranillo. One of Longoria's most famous wines is the Blues Cuvée, a proprietary Red Blend largely based on Cab Franc. The wine always carries a different artists interpretation of Rick's musical passion-The Blues.Additionally, Longoria is making great Syrahs and Chardonnays as well a a bevvy of non-estate Pinot Noir. ampelography is thrilled to represent this true pioneer and visionary!
Gary Vaynerchuk is quickly becoming ubiquitous in this industry. It's very important to listen to him and imagine for a second what his audience looks like. He has 350k followers on twitter. He is younger than us, and is audience is much younger. This is where the opportunity lies. If you/ we can connect to these people or using these methods, we will drive our own business.
A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to visit The Greenhouse Tavern just before they opened. This is one of the most exciting new restaurants in the midwest if not the country.
I read the papers just like you. I watch the news, I catch the scroll at the bottom of the 24hr news networks while sitting in my accounts. Despite the popular opinion, the media isn't driving us into a recession, it's likely inevitable. I can make a pretty compelling case that the people in the wine industry most affected by the economic state, are making it worse for themselves. Distributors and Retailers are in full on panic mode. I keep hearing the line "in order to sell more wine and remain more competitive, retailers need to sell $10 and under wines". I keep hearing from distributors that they can't sell mid-priced wines and higher anymore, and that the market doesn't have room for these wines anymore. I believe these are dangerous approaches. Wine sales are slumping a bit, but they are above this point last year. And they are about flat with 2007, which is much higher than 2005 or 2001. We have been spoiled by a seemingly endless growth cycle in wine sales. The growth will be much slower from here on, at least for a little while, but it's still growth. Consumers that I've spoken with haven't really changed their habits much either. I'm sure that there are consumers that previously bought $20 bottles on a regular basis, but are now buying $12 instead, but I haven't come across any. So, retailers, thinking they are ahead of the curve, have bought big on cheap wines and promoted them heavily. They have in effect sold their customers down. This is a bad plan. Rather than focusing on getting customers excited about new and exciting wines and great vintages in Europe and California, they are looking for the next yellowtail (which single-handedly created a depression in sales for quality Aussie Wines). Distributors have panicked even worse! Since every retailer overbought during the holiday season, they had plenty of remaining inventory during the already slow months of Jan-March. The sales numbers were down percentages that make managers fear for their jobs. But they were down these percentages in the smallest months of the year, so the real dollars down was not as bad as the percentage said. As a reaction, the managers started dumping quality mid-priced brands in favor of finding the next yellowtail. In essence validating the retailers stance. I have no less than 4 shirts in my closet that have an argyle pattern on them. I didn't go out and buy 4 at once. Argyle was a pattern of choice for the last few seasons in many of the clothing stores I frequent. Subliminally, they sold me on the latest trend. And when all was said and done, I had at least 3 more pieces of Argyle patterned clothing than any self respecting man should have. I like argyle, but I didn't need it. The clothing industry embraced it, and I bought it. The wine business is doing the same thing right now, except this years "fashion" carries a lower price tag and lower profitability. The people that already sell the cheaper wines are rejoicing, for them, these are the salad days. "Of course consumers are looking for value comfort wines". So now, sales and profits will go into the tank. Guess what else? Consumers that were shopping independent retailers because their wines were better than the grocery stores now have no reason to go to these shops. When independent retailers try to go toe to toe with grocers, they have no chance, and that is the path they are leading their customers down.
This is a great presentation about Brands vs. Logos, etc. Wineries seem to need a little help with the whole branding thing. This is a pretty good calibration tool to make sure you're pointing in the right direction.
What is Pinot Noir supposed to be? This is the question that Oregon Pinot producers often ask themselves and each other. I was fortunate enough to attend the famous Oregon Pinot Camp in 2004. It was here I met Annie and Scott Shull, owners of Raptor Ridge Winery. During our several days in camp, Scott hosted a seminar about Oregon style and how the Pinots in Oregon live in a 3-dimensional spectrum of styles defined as opulent, elegant and age worthy, with each sharing a common space. After tasting through many wines that demonstrated the diversity of style, I really began to classify all Pinot in this spectrum. The fact I kept coming back to over and over, is that there are many excellent examples of opulent new world Pinots, and opulent and age worthy wines.For some reason, the intersection of elegant and age-worthy seemed inconsistent at best. Many producers that try to occupy this space fall short and are very vintage dependent. I felt at the time, that Raptor Ridge was one of the few producers that was really hitting this balance well. I have been chasing Raptor Ridge for almost 5 years, ever since Pinot Camp. As I built an Oregon portfolio with my last distributor, I kept harassing Annie. Finally, through a series of fortunate coincidences and timing, we finally hooked up, and now I am proud to announce the inclusion of Raptor Ridge in the ampelography portfolio. These Pinot Noirs are outstanding! The alcohols ride in the mid 13% range, and the wines have both fresh acidity and nice tannin backbone. Beautifully aromatic, I imagine these wines will really develop in the 3-5 years from vintage range. Located on the side of Chehalem Mountain, and with fruit contacts from Shea Vineyard and Meredith Mitchell, Raptor Ridge Scott knows how important vineyard work is, and spends most of his time during harvest in the vineyards. The winery is named after the birds of prey (Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels, Sharp-Shinned Hawks and Owls) that make Raptor Ridge their home.
As more people and are becoming more connected, there is a notion that working smarter can replace working harder. This is FALSE! A web presence is vital in today's tough market. This economy is taking it's toll. It may be cliche, but those that hustle will sell more wine. Consider part of the hustle to be your web presence. Blog, post, tweet as much as you can (as long as the content is good). Hustle in front of the computer, or on your laptop, or phone. Use your downtime to get the words out there. Putting the hours and sincere effort in right now is irreplaceable. What else is irreplaceable? Time in front of actual people pouring and talking about the wines. You need to have a presence in the public as much as you have a web-presence. Be in accounts and schedule events. Physically being there is not enough either though, you need to be a presence. Have a personality, an energy, a confidence. Engage the people tasting your wine. Your enthusiasm will make the wine taste even better. The more presence you have in a tasting, the more it will parlay into web presence. Embrace cross promotion! Get people to come out to your tastings with your web presence. Make the tastings so great that people will spread the word through multiple medium. Make sure they know how to find you on the web. Making your efforts pay off is the best way to work smarter today.
When we talk about Web 2.0, or Wine 2.0, we are often discussing connectivity. How often and how quickly do you communicate? Has the 2.0 world added benefits to your world. Are you able to do things now that you weren't before? Sometimes the answers are mixed, but there is a palpable sensation that everything is about to break wide open. All at once, progressive minded individuals in the world of wine seem to to coming up with the same ideas at once. One such idea, is remote winemaker tastings. Winemakers know their wine better than anyone, but their job lies in the cellar. This is what they are meant to do. The time on the streets, that's better left to salespeople. Winemakers have a bit of justified disdain for the whole dog and pony show. But their insights are invaluable. When winemakers discuss the wines they made, the result is a different level of understanding. Unfortunately, this usually meant either you going to see them, or them going to see you. For Ohioans, this isn't necessarily practical. So City Cellars in Downtown Cincinnati is teaming up with Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles to offer a live feed wine tasting on Tuesday. Winemaker Amanda Cramer has an impressive resume, and this should be a fascinating interactive talk. They will be using Skype for the 2 way conversation. Currently, I am working with Niner to help develop new formats for such tastings that employ a more powerful and syndicate-able program. We are also working on a way to do live tastings, viewable by anyone over the Internet with the ability to do live chat during the event. This may not be totally revolutionary, but this application of the technology seems unprecedented. This could open a Pandora's box of amazing event opportunities. Can you imagine connecting with Winemakers a world away? Live feeds from vineyards? The possibilities are exciting!
Do you still read the morning paper every day? Me too. Guess what? I rarely find 1st section news that is still news to me. I have become so connected that I already know most of the big stories before I read them. My daily ritual includes silence, coffee and the paper, so I don't expect this to change anytime soon. My newer rituals include checking the news feed before bed. I know what people tell you about getting on the computer before bed, but this helps me sleep better. I have also done a pretty good job of being early in the curve for information within my industry. In fact, I really read every link on the right, and will always read every link on the right. This will always be the site I will use rather than an RSS feeder (which is still incredibly useful). Not once, but twice in the last 2 weeks, I have unearthed business opportunities on that feed on the right. I read email constantly. I have a blackberry. I don't spend ridiculous hours in front of the computer, but I definitely make good use of my time staying on top of what is going on. I don't understand professionals that don't reply to within 24 hours 90%+ of the time. This is a huge pet peeve. This is also a new acceptable form of unprofessional ism. This is wrong. The only thing worse is when people don't return phone calls promptly. So here's my story from today. As I was reading my blogs and news of the day, I came across a piece about a winery that I covet and am trying to add to my portfolio. I read it, and forwarded the link of to the person that I've been going back and forth with. As it turns out, I was the first person to tell him about it. I was lucky, but I made my own luck, I wasn't online when it was posted, I was out selling wine. Instead, during my routine, I caught this items, more than 2 hours after it posted. Now here comes the what if. What if this is the "make or break" moment? In my eyes, this is such an important and coveted piece of my puzzle, that if I were to somehow put this together, years from now, this could be one of those moments. There was no way for me to know this was going to happen. It may never lead to anything. That said, it's worth recognizing that I put myself in this position. Staying in touch is crucial. Making technology and your time work together is crucial today. Everyone will experience a certain amount of failure in life, but you can't hit 500 home runs if you don't get the at bats. Today, I gave myself 1 more at-bat.
The "old boy" culture of the wine industry is dying a pretty quick death. Deeply and long held beliefs about how to buy loyalty are becoming passe. The old way of bribery with court side seats, or free wine is being replaced, at least in some circles. Want to know how to get loyalty? Help your customers improve their business. This should be at the heart of why every person sells wine. Healthy customers makes your business healthy. The lack of this understanding is at the very stench of corporate insincerity. Old tired lines like "in these tough times, people are looking for a brand they are comfortable with" is absolute selfish BS. It shows immediate disdain for each customer by over simplifying the complex economic effects on the wine industry.
I don't believe in dealing, I do believe in being a valuable resource for my clients. I rarely say no to an event. Many of my competitor scoff at this idea, but now, they can't wait to get me off the streets. I volunteer to present staff training with wines that aren't mine. Why? 2 reasons, increased exposure to competitors wines make me more relevant. And, irreplaceable expertise. When the competitors can't speak as eloquently about my wines as I can about theirs, it puts them at an immediate disadvantage. Engaging your account's staff is a sure-fire way to build your business. Sommeliers don't come from the roofing industry, they work their way up. They all worked as a busboy or hostess. somewhere. Don't you wish you would have caught them on the way up? If you treat every support staff as part of the equation, you will be rewarded as their careers blossom. even if it is a relatively low rate of return. If you invest yourself in education, and having the patience to know all of the servers at your best account
The most important part of being involved though, is the value of "co-ownership" of your account's wine program. A genuine and sincere interests in the very best wine selection or list, will come back around. Invest your time and candid opinions. Help your accounts to be as competitive as possible. A big chunk of my wine education came from my reps when I was a buyer. If you help your accounts, and represent great wines, the placements will come naturally and every will feel better for it. If your trying to manipulate rather than educate, you will have no loyalty or credibility. 2 qualities you just can't buy.
Blogging is often considered the current accepted form of narcissism. While I don't totally disagree with this estimation, blogging has become a vital part of our niche culture. As we become more niche and specialized, blogging carries more of a voice. In the world of wine, blogging has certainly taken hold. In fact, you're reading a wine blog right now. For me, it's good to have a creative release, even if no one reads it. Opinions are important in my business, and this helps me to flesh out my thoughts on complex and what I think are interesting perspectives. More important for me to write, is for me to read. I try to keep up with some of the more important wine (and food and marketing) blogs on a regular basis. This keeps me abreast of developments within my industry. The more I read and listen, the quicker I can recognize emerging regions, techniques, and trends. This is crucial for what I do. It allows me to remain competitive from a seemingly non-vital part of the country (NW Ohio). This week, I came across a winery that I had never before heard of, while reading a blog. I was fascinated by their approach to filling a big need in the market, as well as their attention to quality. I googled them, contacted them via their website, and have received comments back from 2 of the owners. I will speak with them next week about ampelography, and what they are doing, and whether it is a good fit. Blogging is helping me to do business. It doesn't replace many of the aspects of the traditional way of doing wine business, but it certainly complements it. Recognizing this is a crucial aspect to Wine Web 2.0, accessing and reacting to information faster than was previously possible.
As I was putting this portfolio together, I asked my friends in Santa Barbara to recommend some new producers. One name kept popping up, Demetria. Demetria was established in 2005 when they purchased the former Andrew Murray property in Santa Ynez Valley. It's a property I knew well, and have visited it several times. The vines are pristine, I knew they were planted with great rootstock. I was especially intrigued about Deemetria's approach to farming. They subscribe to biodynamics. I am at heart a skeptic. I also know about biodynamics from my Uncle, who is a Rudolph Steiner devotee. But here's my take on this. Every winery I have ever come across that uses biodynamics is of exceptional quality. I believe that this sort of caring for the earth and the vines is a very interesting and exciting approach. It can't help but raise the quality of the end product. I applaud the efforts that Demetria is taking for both the environmental impact, and for the painstaking commitment to quality. So how are the wines? Well, they're terrific, Demetria makes Rhone varietals form their Santa Ynez Estate , and , they make Burgundian Varietals from their Estate in Santa Rita Hills. I've tried red and white from both locations and each wines shows a restraint, complexity and a sense of place. These were exciting wines to try,and I can't wait to start showing them to my accounts and friends
I met Benjamin Silver about 10 years ago in SB. At the time, he had just launched his winery, and was starting to take a stab at Italian Varietals grown in and around Santa Barbara. What struck me about him though, was his sincerity and easygoing confidence. I could tell Benjamin would be a great winemaker, at that time, he actually already was. Benjamin grew up on the East Coast, and studied to be a Veterinarian. As is so often the case, the wine bug bit him. He moved out west upon graduation, and landed with Zaca Mesa. He worked his way up through the ranks and learned the lay of the land. When he began making his own wines, he took a European approach, although, not a French but rather and Italian passion for the wines. His mere attempt to wrangle Nebbiolo in Santa Barbara and create a world class bottling would have seemed crazy, except, he succeeeded. Many people will vouch for the quality of his Italian Varieties. His best wine, may be his Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir. Fruit from this vineyard is coveted, and usually only 6 producers get thier hands on it in any given vintage. The fact that he has made this wine so many times speaks to his proficiency. Silver has tightened their focus in recent years, and is now focusing on the traditional SB varieties along with a Cab/ Sangiovese blend or 2. We are extremely pleased to reunite with the wine sof Benjamin Silver.
Langdon Shiverick Imports was founded over 20 years ago when Louie Langdon and David Shiverick teamed up to import some of the finest wines from Europe. David Shiverick eventually purchased the company outright and has been searching for and representing some of the top estates in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. David is very well-known for his ability to find outstanding producers in Europe and then developing the wines through a distributor network of twenty states. Many of the producers are very highly rated and although limited in quantity, he makes sure all markets have a chance to purchase his wines. Robert Parker once said "David Shiverick maintains a remarkably low profile in view of the high caliber of his portfolio. The estates are not always household names and that's the reason why wine insiders are his biggest fans."
David's portfolio now contains over 50 top producers. Ampelography is very proud and excited to now represent Langdon Shiverick Imports. In the coming weeks, I will post about many of these individual producers.
Thanks to JD Johns for his contribution to this post.
6 years ago, I was a Sommelier at a really good Restaurant in Santa Barbara. My view every day was of the beach, I watched the sunset over the Santa Barbara bay every night. I had autonomy of a 500 bottle list, and loved my job. I never really liked salespeople, even though I dealt with them on a daily basis. I always felt that a necessary evil of the wine business was that occasionally, people needed to sell wine that they didn't like. If my opinion and knowledge were my source of credibility, how could I ever maintain that being obliged to sell wine insincerely. This was easy to say as a Sommelier, and easier to do. I was approached many times to try my hand at selling, and I always said "no thank you". One day, The Henry Wine Group came a knockin. I quickly said no, but for some reason, I tossed and turned over my decision. I came back and accepted this time. I decided that if I were to ever make the leap, this is the situation for me. I was very comfortable with my job, and didn't feel like I was challenged anymore. This decision changed my life. Henry was the perfect company for me because for 2 reasons: a) Best Portfolio in California, huge with great imports b) very professional organization. They taught me how to sell and be honest and upfront. No dealing, everything above the table. They taught me about the value of being knowledgeable about wine. It is these lessons that have a will carry me through my entire career. Once you decide what type of salesperson to be, the rest is easy. I decided to be myself, with opinion (but not opinionated, you don't need to be an expert at everything), and curious (always learning). This gives me consistency. It also serves me well as the choices I've made and opinions I've given were always for the noble pursuits of servicing or educating my customers. If my restaurants can't use the information I give them to sell more wine and improve their wine program (both are equally important), then I have failed. I could easily sell wine with animals on the label all day long, but then, who have I benefited? In this business, you always have 3 customers in each transaction: Your account, Your supplier, and the company that signs your check. If you don't represent the right wineries, someone else may suffer, usually, this is your customer as you shill mediocre crap with your supplier or employers best interest. I had to find a way to appease all 3. The only real way to appease all 3 was to only represent producers I believe in. So now I have assembled a portfolio. It's not finished yet, but it's starting to look like something. And this is exciting. It's all producers I believe in. There are commonalities to all of them, but that probably just reflects my personal opinions. Now I can walk into any restaurant or Retail store, represent these 13+ producers and hold my head high because I'm proud of these wines. That's how I sleep at night.
Every now and then, you come across a winery that is just doing everything right. Not flashy, no gimmicks, just really cool people making and selling great wine. That describes Anne Amie Vineyards to a "T". Anne Amie is the baby of Robert Pamplin, Philanthropist, Author, Minister, Environmentalist, Educator, and much more. He purchased Chateau Benoit in 1999 in Willamette Valley. I can't speak to the quality of the wine prior to his purchase, but my understanding is that there was a lot of unfulfilled potential. He changed the name, and began bringing in some pretty key personnel. They kept one vineyard with Muller Thurgau, and pretty much replanted, grafted and generally changed everything else. They also purchased 3 additional estate vineyards. Most plantings are as recent as 2000-2001. Benoit had been producing every wine imaginable, but now, Anne Amie would, appropriately, focus on the 3 Pinots. L.I.V.E. and Salmon Safe practices were instituted, and Anne Amie was eventually certified. With prime vineyards containing a diversity of Clones and Soil types, blending would be key. Single Vineyards bottlings can show great style, but many believe that blending different elements can result in a superior wine. The answer is there's no right answer, just style preferences. The results of Anne Amie are hard to argue against though. Using the right amount of age, and master blending results in very complex refined Pinot Noirs. The whites show the only flashiness, with rich Pinot Gris and racy Muller Thurgau, the whites have found thier own cult. As the wines gather age, and the winemaking and winegrowing team continues to flesh out the nuances of the grapes, this is a winery that is already making great wines, but has an even brighter future!
Thanks Craig, for sharing this fascinating video. This video shows the backlash we're starting to see against the "Parker style". As I speak with younger wine drinkers, they are beginning to appreciate wine with character. I have also had discussions with almost every producer that ampelography represents about their style, and how tastes are coming back to wines with lower alcohol. Creative and credible marketing can replace scores!
I've been a pretty big fan of Oregon Pinot Noir since about the 1998 Vintage. This was further solidified during my time at Oregon Pinot Camp. I'll eventually wax poetic about why Oregon Pinot Noir is a s good as it is. One of the hottest producers in recent years has certainly been Lachini Vineyards. Ron Lachini has a long standing passion for Pinot Noir. In 1997, he and his wife, Marianne moved from California to Oregon to find a vineyard site. The discovered a plot of land, 47 acres, in Newberg with nice, shallow Willakenzie soil. Their first vintage was 2001. Since the Lachinis started, they have added World Class Winemaker, Laurent Montelieu, and Peter Rosback, of Sineann (ed note: crazy good wines) for the "S" bottling. They have also paid special attention to their farming practices. They are moving towards Biodynamics, are Salmon Safe, and participants in L.I.V.E. "Low Input Viticulture and Enology, Inc. program (LIVE, Inc.) is a program providing vineyards and wineries official recognition for sustainable agricultural practices that are modeled after international standards such as the practice of Botanical diversity in the cover crop and management practices that favor beneficial insects." Oh, by the way, the wines are outstanding! It's apparent that the Lachinis are looking to Burgundy for thier Pommard style Pinot Noirs. Great tannin structure and ageability. Lachini is one of the most exciting new producers in Oregon.
In the Wine Business, one of the characteristics that separates the everyday portfolio to that of distinction, can be the ability to see see the potential of greatness. I have known Buttonwood wines for about as long as I've been in the business. I bought them and enjoyed them, but always viewed them as a good value, but unremarkable. Sometimes the thin line that lies between vision and potential is never crossed. Understanding the potential and matching it to a vision is a very difficult thing to do. We see a square peg in a round hole quite a bit. Once upon a time, every varietal was planted throughout Santa Barbara. Now that has been refined as visionary wineries refined their scope and found what worked. Because of the microclimate on the Eastern edge of Santa Ynez Valley, Bordeaux Varietals planted here have gotten pretty good. Buttonwood planted about a third of their 100+ acres to vineyards, largely Bordeaux Varietals. The winery is almost 30 years old, what's changed? As is so often the case, the Winemaker. Karen Steinwachs has some really good experience working at 2 of my favorite wineries, Foley and Fiddlehead. 2 years ago, she came to Buttonwood and truly helped to improve what they were doing. They already had pretty good fruit sources, but how could this translate into wines of character? Karen surely must have looked to Bordeaux for inspiration, but probably not Pomerol or Medoc, but Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, or the satellites. As I've tasted through Karen's wines, her Sauvignon Blanc could easily pass for good Bordeaux Blanc. She's not afraid to use some Semillon, and they exhibit a richness and minerality you don't often see in California, along with a nice musty, earthiness. So far, the reds are showing great earth and restraint. These are wines that have their own distinct character and are a tremendous value. I'm excited to see where these wines go from here!
Niner Estates came to me through an old friend from my days in California, Ken Bryant. Ken, now the National Sales Manager for Niner, is gregarious, friendly and charismatic. You can really see the energy of the room change when he's in it. We were catching up about 6 months ago, and he told me about his new position at Niner. I'd never heard of Niner before, so Ken sent me a case of samples. As Heather & I tasted through them over the course of a week or so, the wines kept getting better and better. After we finished, I began to get the full story from Ken. The winery, established in 2001, was based on 2 Estate Vineyards, Bootjack Ranch and Heart Hill, both planted by legendary viticulturist Jim Smoot. The rest of the management team brought tremendous experience capped off with winemaker/consultant, Chuck Ortman. Eventually, they would find a full time winemaker in Amanda Cramer, who has worked at Chimeny Rock, d'Arenberg, Casa Lapastolle, and with the famed Heidi Barrett. Amanda has clearly put her thumbprint on these wines, which are like no other I've had from Paso Robles. The wines has a great richness of texture and each is dark fruit driven. I've tasted stunning examples of unruly varietals like Barbera and Sangiovese as well as Cabernet that tastes like Napa bottlings of twice the price. With a tatsing room scheduled to open in late summer, Niner Estate has all the pieces in place for great success. It's very exciting to add them to our portfolio.
What happens when you take one of the hottest winemakers in California, Celia Masyczek, and combine that with Howell Mountain Fruit? Cornerstone Cellars. If you read Wine Blogs, you probably know about Craig Camp, if not, check out the Wine Camp Blog on the links portion in the left margin. Craig is one of the the top bloggers, and expert sales and marketing gurus. He landed at Cornerstone about 6 months ago. I've know both Craig and Cornerstone for some time. The business seems like it keeps getting smaller! I've been a fan of the Cornerstone Cabs for a while. Their powerful, age necessary, Howell Mtn Cabs are a bit of a throwback. The Napa bottling is slightly more fruit forward, but should still lay down for 5+ years. Production is limited to a mere 1800 cases. They have been making great strides at sustainability from a winemaking perspective and are sensitive to their carbon footprint. These world-cals Napa Cabs are a great addition to ampelography!
Anyone that loves to sell wine knows that telling the story is the best part. CG di Arie has the most unique story of all. Chaim, owner and winemaker is known as Cap'n Crunch! Why? Because he invented it! In fact, Chaim was such a prolific food scientist, that his worked shaped your childhood, at least from a food standpoint. Astronaut Food, Hidden Valley Ranch, Power Bars, Crunchy breakfast cereal, Chaim has his thumbprint all over the salad days of Food Science. He retired in 1998 to follow his dream of starting a winery. He and wife, Elisheva, purchased over 200 acres in El Dorado County. With a new approach to winemaking technology, Chaim has built a gravity flow winery on a hillside for Zinfandel and Rhone Varietals. He has also pioneered a technique called submerged cap fermentation, that allows skin contact without releasing volatile flavor components. By treating his wines in such a way, he has developed a "House Style" that emphasizes texture without being too alcoholic or tannic. Couple the new approaches with his fruit sources, which include the original "Grandpere" vineyard that Renwood made famous in the 1970's, and the potential is endless!
Drew Family wines have been sort of ubiquitous throughout and within my Wine Career for the better part of the last 10 years. Back in the day, I was a big fan of Babcock wines. They made a ton of different wines,all interesting, but really rocked the Pinots and Syrahs (Not to mention the Cab franc!). At this time, Jason Drew was one of the Assistant Winemakers. I was honored enough to host Bryan Babcock's only Annual Winemaker Dinner in Santa Barbara. On one occasion he trotted out his 2 assistant winemakers and Peter Cargasacchi of Cargasacchi Vineyards. This is when I met Jason. Even though we're about the same age, Jason, had already finished a successful Growing career and now moved on to Winemaking. This seemingly rapid career growth came from a very unassuming source. Jason has an easy temperament and tends to pepper sentences with phrases like "right on!". Eventually, he started his own winery, and eventually left Babcock with the blessing of Bryan. His early releases were exciting and good as he began to find his style. Eventually I brought his wines to Ohio, and he has clearly evolved. Jason is now making World Class Pinots and Syrahs. He is certainly on a very short list of coveted new producers of Pinot Noir, he has received quite a bit of play in the press giving him scores that are really impressive, but not from the Oak-Monster loving critics that have initials like J.L. and R.P. One thing I really like about Jason's wines are his ability to bring unexpected flavor components to wines. He is sourcing quite a bit of fruit from Mendocino now, and has really championed this up and coming appellation. In addition to his Mendocino Wines, you will still find first rate bottlings from the Central Coast. I can't help but believe that Jason's background in Vineyards helps him to really find the true fruit character. I couldn't be more excited to once again be representing the wines of Jason and Molly Drew.
Eric Ross is a boutique winery in the heart of Sonoma. 15 years ago, 2 Photographer friends from the Bay Area that shared a passion for many thing including baseball, food and wine decided to try their hand at winemaking. The winery is now solely in the hands of Eric Luse (John, original partner, retired a few years ago). Eric's opinions about the style of wine and french food set the house style. He makes Pinots and Chards with character, balance and restraint. Carignane finds it's way into several bottlings, and Eric has actually tamed this varietal. Perhaps Eric Ross is most famous for their Zinfandels. Made from a variety of great vineyards over the years, the Zinfandels are powerful and earthy but not overly extracted. Zinfandel can be a product of it's terroir as much as many of the more esteemed varieties, Eric has learned what this finicky variety needs to show it's true character. All this and the inclusion of several Rhone varietals make this an exciting winery to represent.
One of the events that reshaped my entire perspective on California wine took place in a "potato bunker" in Dry Creek in 2006. We met Doug Nalle at his winery. He was very skeptical as to why we were there ,and why we would want to sell his wines. Doug is maybe the most opinionated Winemaker I've ever met, a claim he would gladly admit to. Doug suspiciously tasted us through a lineup of wines, as he began to realize that we sort of got it, he started digging through the back of his winery, reminding me of Yoda in his excitement. He broke out 15 year old Zins that had alcohol in the mid 12% range. They aged like Bordeaux! Doug has mastered the art of making beautiful wines with low alcohol. He is best known for his Pinot Noir (which has a very apparent Lactose quality you rarely see outside of Burgundy)and Zinfandel. His Zins will reboot your perception of the entire varietal. elegant, acid structure, balanced red fruit. Old Vine extraction is maybe a little overrated. Doug told me last week that Zinfandel is the absolute hardest grape work with. He also proudly declared that high alcohol wines are falling out of favor, a statement I agree with wholeheartedly. Never being one to follow trends, his high quality wines are very consistent in their style. It's nice to see the seachange come back to lower alcohol wines, but even if it didn't, I'd know that Doug would continue to craft long lived benchmark wines just as he has been for 20 years. We are proud to add Nalle Winery to our portfolio. If you are looking for some good wine geek entertainment check out his side labels for his Zins on his website.
Anyone that knows me knows that I looove the Rhone. Almost more importantly, I am fascinated by US producers that come very close to replicating Rhone wines. In the coming days, this will be a recurring theme. I met Dave Corey on Facebook. I'd never met him, got a friend request, and saw that we knew like 6 of the same people. So I friended him (like you've never friended somebody you don't know). And then I checked out his site. One Friday, about a month ago, he said "anyone know a good California Broker?" and I said, half jokingly, "How about Ohio? (I was just putting a wish list together) He responded with a sort of strong opinion about how someone really needs to understand wine to sell his. This sounded like a challenge right up my alley (witness one of tomorrow's announcements)! I convinced him to send me some samples, and guess what, they were awesome! The only white he sends me is primarily Grenache Blanc; clearly he has confidence in his wines. Each of the wines have structure and balance, tons of Grenache and Rhone Varietals. We chat a few more times, and as he loosens up, I realize that not only does he have some strong opinions, they seem to be correct, even if sometimes unpopular. Want to know how to pick out a great winemaker? They are usually the most righteous. Core is an excellent producer with a few different labels under it's umbrella. This one will be fun! Learn more here.
We are very excited to make our first winery announcement. We will be representing Medlock-Ames! If you aren't familiar with this exciting winery, check out their website here. Perched atop Bell Mountain in Alexander Valley, they are crafting Bordeaux Varietals with great style and structure. The quality that I always am reminded of is the texture of their wines. The tannins are from the beautiful fruit they use, not from oak. As a result, their wines are like velvet on palate. This winery is completely off the grid. They are solar powered, and use organically grown grapes. Gravity flow, low yields all the right things. Read more at their site, and keep an eye open for tasting notes.
I have a really good friend in my cousin's husband who hails from the Atlanta area. Among other things, he is a huge Georgia Tech fan. Me being a pretty big Wolverine's fan, listen attentively to his comparisons of the vapid nature of both Georgia and Ohio State fans. We unofficially agreed years ago to root for each others teams out of respect for each others sports views. Somehow, I now despise Georgia Bulldogs just as I despise Buckeyes. I am now beginning to rethink my position. As I have been trying to build this business, I have called upon many friends and associates for counsel, one individual has been especially helpful and dependable, Mat Garretson. First, checkout his blog, it's a hoot. You may not make the connection, but Mat Garretson is best known as the proprietor and winemaker of Garretson Wine Co in Paso. He had so many great lines on his website and tshirts, one was centered around hi wine called "Craic" (pronounced crack). I also remember something to the effect-"No Chardonnay, No Cabernets, No Whining" Sadly, Mat had to pull the plug on the winery back in November due to a very tough business climate. As Mat has been networking looking for his next move, we hooked up. His experience and perspective has proved to be invaluable. It continues to prove that every connection you make in this, or any business can come back to be worth it's weight in gold. Respect your connections! As you climb any ladder, it's often the people above you that can bring up to the next rung. Mat will land on his feet,and has some solid options in front of him in the Wine Business. He is also a big Dawgs fan as evidenced by this label. So between Mat,a nd the fact that the Lions are probably going to pick Matthew Stafford #1 (and set the organization back another 5 years). I'm starting to feel like I may need to rethink my stance on the "Dawgs"!
As we are getting closer to our official launch date (4/1/09), I am finding that there are a few details that need to be handled. The inevitable exchange of information and paperwork from the wineries. The actual business needs to register with the state. And then there's all the liquor licensing, for each state. Not so fun, but getting done. Think of me Friday as I spend more time than I'd like talking to each individual state liquor board. Good news, looks like we added winery # 10 today. This is a big deal. 10 is the minimum of where I wanted to start. I am pretty confident we'll get 2-3 more through the weekend. I've got my fingers crossed about that one I mentioned yesterday also.
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!!!
I learned something 2 weeks ago, that now has worked it's way into my skill set. I learned how to make sure you have a message. I am applying this to a wine brand. as I'm thinking about producers and their wine lineups, I'm am seeing that there is opportunity in narrowing the focus. In France it's easy, if you're in Burgundy, you make Burgundy, you can make chardonnay or pinot or both. That's pretty much in. In California, you have about 150 choices. What if you want to make everything? Well, I guess that's what a wine club is for. For my purposes, it helps if i have one line about a producer to explain their story. Sometimes it's hard to figure out what that one thing is, but it's getting easier. I've learned that I don't need to categorize based on the varietals grown. Maybe there's a common thread running through everything... hmmm....
I decided that one of the cool elements of this company would be based upon a seemingly forgotten concept, a handshake deal. A handshake deal means more than any binding contract. It brings sincerity and honesty to the dialogue. What it doesn't do is define the threshold. It's almost like when you're a kid and you're not sure when someone becomes your girlfriend until you hear them say it. I think I "officially" have several wineries, but the official announcements are yet to come. This is mostly due to my neurotic nature. Who do I announce first? How do I not offend anyone? Does anyone even care besides me? Probably not! Stay Tuned, I'll start naming names this weekend.
As I began to flesh out the concept of a Sales and Marketing company, I began calling some of my friends on the production side to get their thoughts. My timing was lucky. Many were looking for some help selling in secondary markets. With the economy stagnating, producers that would ordinarily consider adding employees might need to curb growth. Smaller producers were also having a very tough time having their voices heard within the larger markets in the Midwest. I started asking a lot of detailed questions, and got a lot of answers. What I discovered was the more I asked, the more my concept fleshed it self out.
First post was about how I got the ball rolling, I'll break the time continuum a la Lost once in a while. This one is what's happening right now. I have had many people read all of the Q & A's on the home page,and I keep finding myself writing editorially. The problem with this is that when I write a Q & A specific to business, I need to "can" the editorial. I feel like it is where it needs to be now (at least until someone else inspires me to fix it). I have edited that thing 5 times, and Brad has re-posted that many times. Brad also did a great minor tweak to the video. Tightened up the language and made the map part linger a bit longer. I really do love that video. The song is Spoon "The Book I Write". It's from the movie Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell. Spoon is probably one of my favorite bands from the last 5 years, and the energy is perfect. Everything is moving very well, thanks in large part to freinds and family helping out. I can already tell, if this is successful, it will be because it was a collaborative effort. On major hurdle passed today, got a positive email from someone I will need to work pretty closely with. Let's just say I wasn't sure what I'd get, but so far so good.
About 6 months ago, I really began to feel that there was a need in the wine industry for advocates. I don't just mean people that got behind and supported something. I mean people that really got their hands dirty. People that felt that there was good work to be done, and that great wine (and great food) was worth championing. To me this is the difference between active and passive (thanks to a friend of mine that remembers high school English better than I do, now I have this stuck in my head). This is totally selfish, and self important, but the need exists. The need also existed for myself, and a few other like minded people, to control our own careers. You are only as good as the producers you sell, absent of any creative output, that defines you. I've been working the distributor side for a while now, and it suites me pretty well.However, I felt like I was obliged to do a lot of stuff I didn't really like, to do, and the stuff I really liked to do was happening less and less. This is no different than any other job, but the bigger you get, the less sense it makes to have a wine geek like myself pitching chains. So change is all around! Cliched but true. You make your own luck. whatever. I took stock of what I'm good at, what I like, what I'm not good at, and what I don't like to do. I also discovered that there are great producers that make great wines, but they're not selling the right amounts in my geographical region. Could this be a business idea? There are a lot of wineries whose products I really love. Is there a way to align myself with them? What am I good at? Enthusiasm of a little school girl, a pretty good palate, creative problem solving,biting sarcasm (this doesn't really help anyone), and a utopian wine idealism. OK, pieces are in place, what comes next?
Posts
