Source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2011/03/25/morihiro_onodera_sells_mori_sushi_in_west_la.php
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
It?s Time For Radical Simplification of Old World Wine Labeling
I’m a traditionalist but also a realist. And I think now is the time to shake up the centuries old wine labeling and classification systems that have stood as a barrier to selling many Old World wines to American consumers. Case in point is Germany where a tradition of bad Middle Ages typography continues on [...]
It’s Time For Radical Simplification of Old World Wine Labeling originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/O3SxpboWGf4/
Discover Cannes in a new avatar
Cannes, which is already popular because of the international film festival, is even more popularized by the presence of the Hotel Martinez, one of the most expensive hotels in the world. The Penthouse suite here is adorned with extravagance throughout. Located on the seventh floor of the hotel, the suite covers an area of 2,000 [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/ePS32ASmZdA/
Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009
Outside here in Minnesota it’s in the mid 20′s Fahrenheit with a thick snowpack. It is far from springtime here but a bit of spring can be had here inside a bottle of dry ros�. Every spring and summer I resolve to drink more ros� but for one reason or another rarely do. So I [...]
Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009 originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/Sofm980mQUI/
Good News Spreads Fast
Word on the winners of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition is spreading like wild fire! A preview tasting for the media last week in Beverly Hills has generated a lot of buzz that we are really excited about! Take a look at some more posts: http://gastronomy-101.blogspot.com/2009/06/event-la-wine-competition-preview-and.html http://thirstyinla.com/2009/06/19/2009-la-wine-spirits-competition/ http://lablips.dailyradar.com/story/los_angeles_international_wine_and_spirits_2009/ http://www.womenwine.com/posts/journals/18487-winners-of-the-2009-la-international-wine-competition
Tasting Report: 2008 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
From the first sip I could see my way to the 94 point rating Wine Spectator bestowed upon the 2008 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - and that's not always the way it goes. The wine immediately reminded me of some of my favorite California Pinot Noirs. It's more restrained than the Kosta Brownes I've had, and doesn't have the earthy nuances I've enjoyed in Sea Smoke's wines. It delivers generous fruit, but it also has this subtle tobacco leaf note I've enjoyed in wines from Clary Ranch and Belle Glos Las Alturas.
For me, a great Pinot Noir is as much about what it doesn't have. So many reveal stemmy/green aromas that I find distracting. Some of my favorites (Zepaltas, Radio-Coteau, and Red Car) succeed for their vibrant purity, lacking any off notes.
This wine isn't necessarily a bargain play at $45. I just think it absolutely steps up and delivers exactly what I'm looking for in a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. And that's what I expect in a $45 domestic bottle of wine.
It might be hard to find the 08 around anymore and the 09 is already in stores (2009 will probably be a more highly regarded vintage for California Pinot Noir). I'll look forward to trying the 09. Note this isn't the "Crossbarn" bottling I'm referring to which sells in the $30s. I haven't had that wine but just thought to point it out in case you see the Crossbarn pop up in searches.
Here are my notes:
2008 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
14.5% Alcohol
3,644 Cases Produced
$45 Release Price
Purchased at: Hingham Wine Merchant
Visually it's slightly dark for Pinot and perhaps veers more towards purple than it should. On the nose it is very pleasant with freshly cut strawberries and a hint of tobacco leaf. On the palate is where this wine really steps up and leaves $20 Pinot Noirs behind. It pours on clean elegant fruit and adds some beautiful slightly-sweet spicy flavors. Silky smooth without a hint of a green or off note. Man, I wish I would have bought more of this.
95/100 WWP: Classic
See other reviews on CellarTracker
Find it in retail shops on Wine-Searcher.com
New Wine Bill In Congress Takes Aim at Consumers
As promised, America's beer and wine wholesalers have again convinced a congressman to introduce what can only be called the "Wholesaler Protection Act". What was hr 5034 last year is now HR 1161. Representative Jason Chaffetz (R) from Utah is...
A Little Competition Never Hurts!
That’s right – it’s time. The Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition begins tomorrow. Nearly 100 international judges, more than 3,000 international wines. Who will take the gold? Keep coming back to find out more information about the 3-day event and watch for judges to be blogging and twittering in between judging!
Monday, 28 March 2011
Weekend Boston-area Wine Tastings
Lots of notable tastings in the Boston area this weekend (March 19th and 20th, 2011):
Any other wine related stuff going on in the Boston area you'd like to mention? Leave a comment to share a tip.
- Plumpjack/Cade tasting at Newton Lower Falls
From noon - 4 pm Saturday they'll be pouring wines from Plumpjack along with their newer label Cade. I had an '06 Cade Howell Mountain recently and thought it was an incredible wine. I stopped in their yesterday and noticed they had some well-priced bottles of Seghesio (Sangiovese, Barbera) kicking around after their tasting earlier this week. - Spanish Festival
Wine ConneXtion in North Andover on Saturday from noon - 5 pm. - Shawsheen Village Liquors Spring Tasting
From 3 pm - 6pm on Saturday they're holding their Spring Grand Tasting. - Spring Tasting Extravaganza at Fifth Ave. Liquors in Framingham
From 2 pm - 5 pm on Sunday they're pouring 50+ wines at special event pricing. Visit their site to see a listing of the wines. Thanks to reader KC for the tip on this one.
Any other wine related stuff going on in the Boston area you'd like to mention? Leave a comment to share a tip.
Wine Publicists Promoting...Themselves
This particular irony will have gone unnoticed by most people: Publicists aren't particularly good at promoting themselves, their businesses, their capabilities and their success. Today, I spoke with a fellow publicists who was wondering, essentially, "what's the best way to...
Deluxe or Do-it-Yourself: The Wine Cooler Solution and Giveaway
At some point in a wine enthusiast’s journey, for reasons practical or aesthetic, there comes a time when a refrigerated wine storage solution jumps onto the wish list. If you don’t have a wine cooler (or, even if you do) you’re in luck because I’ll be giving a Kalorik 21-bottle wine cooler away to one lucky commenter to this post, a $300 value.
For me, I lucked into a wine fridge as a way-too-generous wedding gift nearly six years ago. One of my best friends (and a groomsman) gave me a bottle of 1999 Joseph Phelps Insignia and a Danby Silhouette 51-Bottle Dual Zone Wine Cooler. Getting married in your thirties does yield benefits – the gifts are better, certainly.
Since then, much to my wife’s chagrin, I’ve also managed to overtake the garage refrigerator in addition to using a dedicated full-size 1950’s-era vintage refrigerator (set to cool, but not cold setting) in my basement that I use for reds and whites that are in the drinking queue. Aside from general cellaring in my basement (no furnace heating so it stays 58 degrees year-round), I have my refrigeration needs well-covered and it all follows a circuitous path to my palate in a system that only makes sense to me.
When looking for a refrigeration solution, the options are clearer. There are two paths: The do-it-yourself (DIY) practical path or the aesthetic (read: cool and more expensive) path.
If you’re on a budget and not concerned with looks, you should take a look at a nifty gadget called the Wine-Stat II that works with any refrigerator, including the 1970s avocado green model that is probably in your grandparent’s garage.
Hardly a new development, the original Wine-Stat was developed in 1984 before later being replaced by the next generation Wine-Stat II. Invented and sold by Bill Happersett, the Wine-Stat II is about the size of a television cable box and acts approximately in the way a light dimmer does.
In the same manner that a light dimmer controls lighting to degree of brightness, the Wine-Stat II controls temperature on any refrigerator allowing a wine enthusiast to take the guesswork out of temperature control.
Would you like a perfect 55 degrees for your special reds? For $149 the Wine-Stat II lets any wine enthusiast turn an old refrigerator into something useful.
On the aesthetic side of the equation, the options are more plentiful.
Search for “wine cooler” or “wine refrigerator” at Air & Water or Amazon.com and you’ll find more brand names and size options than you’ll probably care to research and all of them are reasonably expensive, at least as compared to a regular dorm size or standard refrigerator. Yet, they all have the very important aesthetic aspect of having a glass door, temperature control and some level of stainless steel for the modern kitchen look giving them an appearance of a lifestyle tool that can reside where it must combining form with function.
For my part, I’ve been happy with the Danby, but if I were going to supplement with a smaller size unit for my kitchen (countertop or built-in), I’d look at a couple of other brand names including Kalorik, an appliance manufacturer who seems to hit all of the consumer review factors (no Freon, low energy usage, quiet, no vibration) at very competitive prices.
And, kudos to Kalorik and their online retail partner Air & Water for graciously offering to give one Good Grape reader the opportunity to win an absolutely free, shipping paid 21-bottle cooler (link here for details on the wine cooler).
The contest will be open from Sunday, March 27th at 9:00 pm EST to Tuesday, March 29th at midnight EST. Here’s what you need to do to win: Leave a comment on this post and answer this question: Which of the wines that you own would you want to put into your wine cooler first? That’s all. Did I say the wine cooler is a $300 value?
If you want to want to earn a second entry into the random drawing, simply tweet this: 21-bottle wine fridge giveaway from @goodgrape at Goodgrape.com. Comment at GG to win! Provided by the folks @teamkalorik
Good luck and thanks for reading Good Grape: A Wine Manifesto.
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/deluxe_or_do-it-yourself_the_wine_cooler_solution_and_giveaway/
Piney Woods Wine Trail
Windows Live Tags: Wine Trails,Wine Trail,The Grapes around Texas,East Texas Wines,East Texas,Texas Wine,Piney,Woods,Wine,Trail WordPress Tags: Wine Trails,Wine Trail,The Grapes around Texas,East Texas Wines,East Texas,Texas Wine,Piney,Woods,Wine,Trail PINEY WOODS WINE FESTIVAL For great wines, food, music and shopping in the beautiful city of Mt. Vernon, Texas right off I-30. Taste your way through the diverse wines of [...]
Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2011/01/30/piney-woods-wine-trail/
Sogg Blogs Truth About Wine
Former wine critics don't go away, they just blog. And this is a good thing. For many years, Daniel Sogg worked on the West Coast for The Wine Spectator. He reviewed wines, wrote features and wrote news reports. He understands...
Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009
Outside here in Minnesota it’s in the mid 20′s Fahrenheit with a thick snowpack. It is far from springtime here but a bit of spring can be had here inside a bottle of dry ros�. Every spring and summer I resolve to drink more ros� but for one reason or another rarely do. So I [...]
Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009 originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/Sofm980mQUI/
Piney Woods Wine Trail
Windows Live Tags: Wine Trails,Wine Trail,The Grapes around Texas,East Texas Wines,East Texas,Texas Wine,Piney,Woods,Wine,Trail WordPress Tags: Wine Trails,Wine Trail,The Grapes around Texas,East Texas Wines,East Texas,Texas Wine,Piney,Woods,Wine,Trail PINEY WOODS WINE FESTIVAL For great wines, food, music and shopping in the beautiful city of Mt. Vernon, Texas right off I-30. Taste your way through the diverse wines of [...]
Source: http://thegrapesaroundtexas.com/2011/01/30/piney-woods-wine-trail/
Sunday, 27 March 2011
The Lies and Fallacies Behind the Wine Bill HR 1161
What lies and fallacies lie ahead in the effort to prevent America's beer wholesalers from passing HR 1161 and keeping craft beers, wines and a spirits out of consumer hands? This one: "the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution created...
Merry Christmas
I wanted to take a quick moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope you’re all able to spend time with family and friends as I have during these past couple of days.
Changes??..Coming
I haven’t been around here to write in some time, but things are going to be changing a bit on this blog. To start, at Uncorked Ventures we are launching our own official company blog which should allow me to use this space to talk in depth about other factors in both my personal and [...]
Davis Bynum, Pinot Noir 2008
Davis Bynum is a�venerable name in California Pinot Noir having made their reputation back when Joseph Swan was still with us. Founded in 1973, Davis Bynum was the first to produce a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley; from the now legendary�Rochioli Vineyard. And this heritage lives on even after the sale to [...]
Davis Bynum, Pinot Noir 2008 originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/6sxRm_z4EEU/
Canonica A Cerreto Sandiavolo 2004
I just had this lovely Italian wine the other day. It's a so called SuperTuscan so its made of other grapes that the local Sangiovese. The Canonica A Cerreto Sandiavolo 2004 is made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. Canonica A Cerreto is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico area in the town of Castelnuovo near Sienna. They also make traditional Chianti Classico but this one is their top wine only produced in the best vintages.
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/46/canonica-a-cerreto-sandiavolo-2004/
Born Digital for the best online wine content
What was the best wine article or video that you read in 2010? For many people, the answer is probably something the rest of us have never heard about. It might have escaped our attention, it might have been by someone who doesn’t publish that regularly, or more likely, it was written in a language [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/-3nU9qKqKDA/
What?s so Odd about Oddbins?
Oddbins is in trouble, and it needs a new lease of life, and probably a new investor, to survive, but brands CAN survive repeated near-death experiences if they have something to live for. Newspapers and the wine media are full of doom and gloom stories about the future of Oddbins, once the UK’s coolest wine [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/4LLV9rRfbUM/
Online Wine Writing and the Trust Divide
For about $100, the cost for a couple of profile tests, I’ve gotten to know myself better and hopefully you’ll get to know me better, as well.
Why would you even care? Maybe you don’t, but as a reader of this site you are a participant in reading the scribbling’s of an online wine writer. As Woody Allen said, “90% of life is just showing up.” By showing up, you are part of my wine life as well as others that take to their computers to live their wine life out loud.
Recently, spurred by year’s long acrimony that continues to rear its head every couple of months, I’ve been thinking deeply about how to overcome what I perceive to be a lack of institutional trust with online wine writers. It seems it’s not enough to write well, often and with knowledge of the subject. Derision is still manifest. This derision is not necessarily directed at me, but of the genre of online wine writing in which I choose to participate.
I have identified four contributing factors:
Systemic skepticism. Our national trust, according to the 11th annual Edelman Trust Barometer, has fallen precipitously low across business, government, non-profit and media. There’s never been a better time to not trust what you hear, see or read.
Information ubiquity. There’s too much information and opinion. The signal-to-noise ratio is dangerously skewing towards noise. While I don’t have facts to back it up, I would hazard a guess that the last five years has seen a greater quantity of wine writing than the previous 20 years combined. Here, when everybody is a critic, nobody is a critic. Put another way, when you’re supposed to trust everybody you end up trusting nobody.
Insularity. When I made my two year long sojourn into the wine business, virtually every meeting amongst relative strangers started with a recitation of their resume; this is a phenomenon I’ve not seen repeated in other industries. In the wine business, your credibility was vetted within five minutes based on who you know and where you’ve worked, not your bona fides. It seems interlopers need to earn their merit badge, a difficult and long proposition denoted by tacit approval and tenure, not a meritocracy.
Brands. Whether we want to admit it or not, brands, especially media brands, lend credibility to writers. Without naming names, a review of the weekly Wine Opinions “Wine Review Weekly” will reveal wine writers with column inches in major dailies that possess less experience than many online wine writers who don’t have a masthead with an engendered brand that burnishes their personal star by proxy. When talent is equal between two writers, the reader will defer to a brand—that’s marketing 101, and true of our media consumption, as well.
But, where to go from here?
Recently, online wine writer Pamela Heiligenthal asked an open-ended question about whether online wine writers should earn one of the alphabet soup wine certifications. She took lumps for her opinion, but I have a hard time arguing with her premise. Those that are serious about wine and writing will undertake a commitment to demonstrate knowledge in the form of academic achievement. Absent a brand, demonstrated knowledge is a hallmark of credibility. And, online wine writers will likely always face limited resources in creating a trustworthy brand.
In addition to demonstrated wine knowledge, I would also humbly suggest a move towards conscientious disclosure that leads to a holistic professional view of a writer that engenders trust.
In the realm of consulting and services-based business development, a touchstone is a book and philosophy called, “The Trusted Advisor.” The premise of the book is the equation that goes into creating trust-based relationships with your clients. In the case of the online wine writer the clients are readers.
In my view, the notion of so-called “transparency” online is a false positive and a little bit of bullshit, because a reader doesn’t know if you’re trustworthy so quantifiably alleviating that question is an imperative. Addressing that, a methodology has grown up around, “The Trusted Advisor” and includes a “Trust Quotient.” In loose terms, a Trust Quotient is made up of your credibility, reliability, and intimacy, divided by your self-orientation.
The Trust Quotient begins to alleviate whether an online wine writer can be “quote/unquote” trusted. But, it’s not the only factor. There are other factors, as well – what are somebody’s strengths, for example. A blog like mine that deals in issues and ideas may not engender trust if the style is contrary to my strengths. Here, the Clifton StrengthsFinder extrapolates on what I’m good at.
And, finally, a more subtle issue: How does a wine writer work? What’s their working personality? Are they subject to irrationality and flights of fancy that impact the quality of their work? The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator® measures psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.
These factors combined:
* What is your wine knowledge base?
* What do you do well / what are your strengths?
* How do you perceive the world and make decisions / what’s your style?
* Are you trustworthy?
All make up the whole person that fills in the credibility gaps that are otherwise deficient in a one-dimensional view of a writer through his or her writings.
So, I’ve created my own equation. If you know me, you would know that a math equation is the last thing that’s a strength, but this is relatively simple. My equation says: Respect = Your Knowledge + Your Strengths + Your Style divided by your Trust Quotient.
Assuming that those factors come out positively, than, ultimately, an online wine writer should stand in judgment against any other wine writer regardless of the masthead they write for.
In that vein, here are is the $100 bucks worth of analysis that I’ve spent to understand myself a little bit better. As my profiles indicate, I’m driven, work towards expertise, I’m self-confident, strategic and an achiever. To that end, I’m willing to stand in the court of public opinion in order to earn your trust and respect.
Jeff Lefevere’s Knowledge (Goodgrape.com archives from 01/05 – 02/11)
Jeff Lefevere’s Trust Quotient (initiates a PDF download of my actual report)
Jeff Lefevere’s StrengthsFinder (initiates a PDF download of my actual report)
Jeff Lefevere’s Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (initiates a PDF download of my actual report)
Finally, if it seems like I’m defensive, I’m not. My personality profile indicates that I’m a leader, responsible and accountable; it’s a mantle I take on for all online wine writers.
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/online_wine_writing_and_the_trust_divide1/
The Grapes around Texas at the Grayson Hills 2010 Grape Harvest
Technorati Tags: Grayson Hills Winery,Wine,Texas wine,Texas winery,Texas Grapes,The Grapes around Texas,The Grapes around Texas.com,Cab,Texas Winery’s,Grayson County,Grayson County Texas A wonderful Day at Grayson Hills! 
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Napa Valley Golf Courses ? Any Good?
Every now and then we receive an email request asking that we recommend a good place to play golf while visiting the Napa Valley. I guess people do like to do other activities besides taste delicious wines and enjoy gourmet meals when in the Napa Valley. Continue reading
Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/napa-valley-golf-courses-any-good/
What Wine Criticism Could Be
Ben Ratliff is the Jazz Critic for the New York Times. If you look at his self-written bio at the Times he serves up what I've always thought would be a thrilling approach to wine criticism: "Music criticism can be...
A ?Zinful? Experience
Last Saturday I was lucky to be able to attend the Zinfandel Festival at Fort Mason in San Francisco. ZAP, The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers celebrates Zinfandel America?s Heritage Grape and is dedicated to preserving the history of Zinfandel through the Heritage Vineyard at UC Davis. It is the largest single varietal tasting [...]
Changes??..Coming
I haven’t been around here to write in some time, but things are going to be changing a bit on this blog. To start, at Uncorked Ventures we are launching our own official company blog which should allow me to use this space to talk in depth about other factors in both my personal and [...]
Last Chance for the Murder at Mardi Gras ? March 5 at Cross Roads Winery in Frisco, Tx
Tickets are selling fast so get yours today. Each person gets their own bottle of wine for the event. Do not be left out. I will be attending????.. The honor of your presence is requested at the annual Krewe of Midas Masquerade Ball. Our King, Pierre DuPre, and his Queen, Melissa F. DuPre look forward [...]
Last Chance for the Murder at Mardi Gras ? March 5 at Cross Roads Winery in Frisco, Tx
Tickets are selling fast so get yours today. Each person gets their own bottle of wine for the event. Do not be left out. I will be attending????.. The honor of your presence is requested at the annual Krewe of Midas Masquerade Ball. Our King, Pierre DuPre, and his Queen, Melissa F. DuPre look forward [...]
Winner Announced in BuyWithMe/Wine Enthusiast Giveaway
Related to this offer, I ran a contest to give away one of the vouchers - courtesy of BuyWithMe. Each comment left on the blog post received one entry, and each person who linked to a specific item on Wine Enthusiast's website received an additional entry. I count 13 entries from these, each numbered in the order they were received. Michelle, the first commenter, gets entries number 1 and 2 because her comment included a link for example. I couldn't tell whether Rosie888's comment was legit (it seemed primary aimed at promoting another site) so Jay gets entries 3 and 4.
I also received 4 entries via E-mail: They get entries 14-17.
Finally, 6 entries via Facebook: They get entries 18-24.
I then drew a random number between 1 and 24 and the winning number was 16:
Congrats, and thanks to everyone for their interest. Thanks to BuyWithMe for sponsoring the contest and to Wine Enthusiast for running the deal. If you were waiting to see whether you won the contest to decide whether to buy the voucher from BuyWithMe it's still available through Sunday night:
This $25 for $55 BuyWithMe deal runs through Sunday night.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Napa Valley Events Coming to Town
The four major nonprofit agencies throughout Napa County have launched Napa Valley 360, an online auction designed to bring one-of-a-kind Napa Valley experiences to top bidders. Funds raised for this auction will benefit the 8,300 Napa County community members who are supported by Family Service of Napa Valley, Calistoga Family Center, St. Helena Family Center and Cope Family Center.
Continue reading
Continue reading
Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/napa-valley-events-coming-to-town/
West Concord Wine & Spirits: 25% Off and Grand Reopening Tasting
For more info including a list of the wines being poured along with discount pricing click here.
2011 Wine Marketing Report Edition No. 1 Pt. I of III
Unless you’re Rip Van Winkle snoozing since 2004 and awakening in the early spring of 2011, it’s not hard to persuasively argue (to say nothing of intuitively understanding) that digital marketing (in all of its permutations) is foremost on the minds of wine marketers for direct-to-consumer engagement.
That’s the fact. Here’s the reality: It’s wild and wooly out there. Making sense of it is beyond any one person and yesterday’s Twitter account is tomorrow’s old news. Yet, trying to figure out any one thing (like geo-location, for example), can take you into Alice’s rabbit hole leaving you more confused than when you began. This, I know.
Continuing what has always been a part of what I write about here – the intersection of wine marketing and wine enthusiasm – I’m altering these posts to, at the least, be more findable on the site by headline if not style.
Generally, I like to take sides on an issue and make hyperbolic proclamations that read like mandates (um, Glenn Beck without the apocalyptic bombast?). Instead, with this incrementally re-jiggered series of posts that will occur once every month or two, I’m choosing to just simply discuss a few things that have wine marketing implications (that I find of interest) while offering some context that I find equally interesting.
Of course, first up is the wine industry’s favorite internet poster child: Gary Vaynerchuk.
Gary V. and Dailygrape.com
On Monday, March 14th Gary Vaynerchuk announced on the 1000th episode of WineLibraryTV that he was re-deploying the web-based show that launched him into pop culture. During what he described as an “emotional” episode that seemed to me to have all the emotional sincerity of somebody cruising up to their baby mama’s trailer park in an Mercedes S-class to drop off eight months of child support back payments, Vaynerchuk revealed that the newly created Dailygrape.com would be the new home for his wildly popular wine review show.
WineLibraryTV (WLTV) isn’t going away, per se, but it will now only be used for special interviews and one-off activities, according to Vaynerchuk.
Citing a need to, “Innovate” and get out in front of trends, Dailygrape.com is available via your web browser and optimized for viewing on iPads and iPhones. As an iPhone/iPad application, Dailygrape offers a number of features for community and user wish lists, and access to additional Gary Vaynerchuk reviews.
Speaking of reviews, Vaynerchuk promised more of them, which he will deliver on…for the introductory price of $2.22 a month through the rest of year, delivered in a monthly newsletter. More on this in a second.
A couple of things jump out to me about Vaynerchuk’s move to a de-couple himself from his retail operation, WineLibrary:
1) He’s smart to not let his charisma and personality take him in business directions away from the core of what got him to this point – wine. Does Oprah become an icon and build a media empire if she took a left turn out of her afternoon chat fest three years in?
2) He’s smart to re-brand because his shtick is intrinsically linked to WineLibraryTV and his WLTV patois has a finite audience. The early returns on his first two episodes at Dailygrape.com indicate Vaynerchuk may be toning his act down from outsized caricature to energetic everyman. This can have a direct correlation on potential audience growth.
3) In order to be taken seriously as a wine critic, where there is ample room for deification with a younger generation, Vaynerchuk had to separate himself from the frequent denunciations that a reviewer can’t be impartial if they’re selling the wine, as well.
4) Dailygrape.com doesn’t offer an RSS feed – which means Vaynerchuk is no longer syndicating his content – an online model that has been predominate over the last decade; the notion that giving content away for free, everywhere, can help build a brand. No, instead of going to Google Reader to watch the show, you’ll have to go directly to the site, or the iPhone/iPad compatible application on your device.
This “innovation” that Vaynerchuk speaks of seems to me to be more of business-savvy maturation and a necessity with an eye on the next couple of years of sustaining growth for his personal brand.
What’s he’s doing is using internet feedback as a large focus group to answer perceived negatives while at the same time creating a branded media property separate from the womb of his retail operation, positioning himself as an accessible wine critic for a new generation. Rachael Ray has her 30-Minute Meals and Vaynerchuk is building on wine criticism. Through this process he’s also showing his cards for what we’ll be talking about two years from now, which will likely include:
1) Remember when we didn’t have to pay for anything on the internet? Vaynerchuk goes premium offering exclusive content to subscribers.
2) Vaynerchuk the respected wine critic with a fast-growing subscription-based newsletter, widening influence and Dailygrape shelf talkers at retail stores nationally
3) Multi-platform ubiquity
4) Extensible branding and the foundation of a media company à la Oprah’s Harpo Productions and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
In sum, I’m careful not to confuse “innovate” with “necessitate” and, truthfully, it seems like the changes Vaynerchuk is making are as necessary as they are cutting edge yet I have a sneaking suspicion that Vaynerchuk’s star is not only going to get brighter, but he’s going to convert detractors in the process.
To see how my Vaynerchuk analysis skills were in March of 2007, a little over a year into WineLibraryTV, click here.
Next up: Pts. II and III of this post series.
Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/2011_wine_marketing_report_edition_no._1_pt._1_of_3/
A Visit with Winemaker Vince Tofanelli
It is such a wonderful change of pace to visit a winemaker like Vince Tofanelli. Too often when we visit the Napa Valley we get caught upby the big and the fancy wineries and tasting rooms and tend to overlook the smaller names of the Napa Valley. Continue reading
Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/a-visit-with-winemaker-vince-tofanelli/
A letter About The Wine and Beer Wholesaler Protection Act
HR 5034, the bill introduced into Congress last year that would have altered the balance of power in the realm of alcohol beverage sales and consumer access to favor middlemen distributors, is still on the mind of many in the...
Is the 2009 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel as Good as the 2007?
Sometimes I think it's irrational - that I'm hanging on to a notion I've had in my head of a wine that jumped out at as being a great value that future vintages could never live up to. A "first born" syndrome so to speak. I loved the 2008 Trentatre Rosso I wrote about recently and found notes saying it wasn't as good as the 07 interesting. Like this one - "a shadow of the 07". I've never tried the 07 but maybe if I wouldn't have been so impressed with the 08?
What's got me thinking along these lines is the arrival of the 2009 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel. Prior vintages of this wine has been mainstays in this value hunter's wheelhouse. When you meet a guy at the neighborhood block party that brings an 07 Seghesio you know he's a wine guy.
The 06 vintage is where I first took notice of this wine and in 07 it garnered a 93 point Wine Spectator rating and landed in their Top 10 list. Early impressions of the 08 left me feeling like something was missing from the wine - a similar flavor profile but less oomph. Spectator rated the 08 88 points - a large drop from the 07. Combined with a slight uptick in street price (from around $16 to $18) I didn't buy more of the 08.
The 09s are now replacing the 08s on retailer shelves so I was interested to try the wine and compared it side by side to a bottle of the 07. Bottle age plays into the mix but it was an interesting comparison for sure. For me, what the 07 has that the 09 lacks is this savory kick at the backend that sets it apart and keeps the wine enjoyable sip after sip. The 09 is soft, round and luscious. It's a great wine, but sadly I can't consider this a return to glory of the 06/07 vintages - at least not with what the wine is showing right now.
Maybe bottle age will reveal more of these secondary characteristics - I don't think I was so impressed with the 07 when it first came out either.
2009 Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County
Street Price: Around $18
15% Alcohol
Big, round and soft. Conceals its 15% alc magnificently. Violets and ripe plums on the nose. Tannins are soft and acidity is minimal. Better than the 08 when it was first released but not as good as the 07 with a couple years of bottle age.
A nice sub-$20 Zinfandel.
90/100 WWP: Outstanding
I'd put the over/under on Wine Spectator's rating of this 2009 at 90 points. We'll see what Tim Fish has to say soon.
Have you had this wine? What did you think of it?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/F9ZRuiGtmKY/is-2009-seghesio-sonoma-county.html
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