good grape daily: pomace & lees free run: field notes from a wine life around the wine blogosphere wine: a business doing pleasure good grape wine reviews new world influences red wine wine white wine wine blog news robert parker wine bloggers notes & dusty bottle items wine sediments wine business historical wine book excerpts wine blogs tasting safari: wines you can buy online cluetrain manifesto revisited winecast: a year in collaboration wine spectator wine blogger robert mondavi wine marketing indy food & wine vin de napkin vinography wine blogging dr. vino appellation watch: midwest regional review new vine logistics alice feiring wine books luxury wine tom wark natural wine gary vaynerchuk american wine blog awards wine critics wine reviews cameron hughes wall street journal wine best wine blogs wine writers best wine bloggers biodynamic wine california wine a really goode job robert mondavi day robert mondavi winery fermentation blog penner-ash wine research wine ratings fred franzia tyler colman steve heimoff oregon pinot noir wine tasting notes vintank trader joe's wine wine and spirits daily silver oak indiana wine matt kramer champagne slender wine direct-to-trade murphy-goode winery inertia beverage group wine technology notre dame football stormhoek wine enthusiast bordeaux sparkling wine wine and the economy wine distribution wine.com terry theise biodynamics allocated wine wine news reading between the wines rodney strong the wine makers tv inniskillin hr 5034 oregon bounty wine advertising oregon cuisinternship wine review jim laube wine ethics appellation america gourmet magazine three dolla koala sonoma pinot noir rockaway wine market council open that bottle night zinfandel wine online lynn penner-ash winery marketing wine trends sommelier journal wine advocate rockaway vineyards good grape augmented reality hugh macleod pinot noir crushpad wine cellartracker dan berger amazon.com southern wine & spirits 100-pt scale grape stories wine & spirits magazine mike steinberger church wine santana dvx au revoir to all that formula business ordinance .wine geocaching brigitte armenier rockaway wine red bicyclette social media topps augmented reality rancho zabaco zinfandel woot wine the new frugality patio wine bryan q. miller argentina wine zephyr adventures barolo fermentation anthony dias blue home winemaking consumer shopping research the best pinot noir food & wine magazine a year in wine apple iphone man's search for meaning st. helena catholic church new zealand wine sanford chardonnay lettie teague nba liquor advertising noble pig award of excellence ericca robinson andy warhol quotes wine appellations reset "old world wine darwinism wine star awards tastingroom.com bruliam wine generation y. wine april fool's day wine snooth karen macneil music and wine german riesling secret sherry society cult wines wine video game russian river valley pinot clos lachance dr. oz yellow tail wine jon fredrikson wine blogging wednesday climber red priceline.com drew bledsoe amazon.com wine california cabernet paso robles wine sales hailey trefethen park avenue catering fine wine marketing wine tasting journal wine competitions national beer wholesalers association robert parker's bitch eryn supple the grateful palate heidi barrett john james dufour america eats willamette valley wines of chile specialty wine retailers association judd's hill rose wine recession wine wine & spirits daily firestone vineyards wine trivia adler fels wines & vines kelly fleming interview the pour oregon food and wine dan cederquist parks and recreation wine umami swanson alexis cabernet disney wine program value wines brand butlers american wine blogs forty-five north winery wine press release hong kong u.s. wine 2006 hess collection monterey chardonnay wine economy mary ewing-mulligan non-profits and wine ebob bodeans mitch schwartz hourglass cabernet italian wine merchant dependable wine sutter home videos inexpensive wine jay miller keep walking wines that rock steve perry aussie wine glut clary ranch pinot noir john tyler wine michael steinberger value wine jamie oliver paul blart: mall cop phillip armenier red bicyclette pinot noir wine blogosphere ge smart grid augmented reality trefethen family vineyards california zinfandel wineshopper aspirational marketing clark smith wine book publishing russian river valley ani difranco peru wine trip barbaresco korbel wine blobbers oregon travel tokalon winery not-for-profit jess jackson massale selection wine & spirits magazines kenny shopsin next generation apple the psychology of wine the vintners art australian wine vinexpo jay mcinerney the gaslight anthem the pioneer woman james laube sylvester pinot noir goodguide kelly fleming national wine & spirits kurt andersen " "new world wine" poseurs macari vineyards sette 7 swanson vineyards sunbox eleven wine winery sponsorship champagne sales wine criticism cork'd 2008 vina mar reserva sauvignon blanc randy caparoso wine + music midwest wine culture chimney rock elevage cornell enology wine tycoon game stavin hunningbird wine beaux freres jon bonne the wine case climber white agency nil charlie weis sugar free wine a very goode job 2007 sean minor four bears pinot noir trefethen generation y and wine 2009 auction napa valley sonoma county wine wipes san francisco wine competition clary ranch tim hanni the winemakers tv australia wine fantesca judgment of paris women in wine oregon pinot gris three-tier carmenere wine heist purpose-idea rose wine sales vincellar dominic foppoli discoveries pathfinder wine bar bets 1% for the planet wine industry news negociant wine business monthly 2008 food & wine winemaker of the year eric asimov travel oregon jordan winery amy poehler wine micro sites umami chris phelps vegas wine qpr wines jimmy clausen winery hospitality 2007 forty-five north cabernet franc alpine for dummies 2008 honig sauvignon blanc ed mccarthy wine to relax erobertparker little zagreb wine magazines howard schultz paul mabray wine blogging ethics youtube cheap wine wine bard weds wine dj journey three dollar koala pinot noir reviews chronicle wine bad wine mumm napa slate wine columnist wine pricing wine blog awards 2010 bottle shock movie sketches of spain red bicyclette court paul gregutt trefethen oak knoll cabernet sauvignon zinfandel reviews tasting note desciptors natural winemaking wine content klinker brick maria thun the press-democrat oregon cuisinternship winner blog contests preakness stakes pork tenderloins wine & spirits restaurant poll 2010 eat me kenny shopsin amazon kindle wine politics what is terroir wine purchasing wine nose good wine under 20 the hold steady paste magazine sensory evaluation petite sirah wine points cabernet bottle shock economy chronicle wines vignoles wine columns mirror wine joe roberts e-myth revisited bennett lane winery champagne and business a history of wine words marco capelli music + wine indianapolis patz & hall sonoma coast pinot noir notes on a cellar book wine tycoon video game oak alternatives zap wine jr. san francisco chronicle wine ice wine c.g. di arie radiohead doubleback wine chateau thomas wine parker defamation blackstone wine trefethen fallow obama napa valley auction sonoma county wine french wine marketing vino chapeau wine medal winners petaluma pinot wine industry whuffie factor wine reality show wine label design duane hoff resveratrol woman in wine organic wineries oregon wine snobs wine is the new black expensive wine will hoge wine spies gapingvoid rose summer wine corkd foppoli wines tamari torrontes dirty south wine firestone contest doug frost vintage of the decade markham mark of distinction sonoma wine company spike your juice celia masyczek jim koch pinot main street winery obama wine digital signage wine retail the fifth taste dominus bellagio wine the wine blue book conundrum winery customer service julie and julia texas for dummies wine collection shorttrack ceo scott becker randall grahm party of five theme song wine spectator restaurant awards zig ziglar drvino.com wine direct shipping wine humor altar wine good wine livingston cellars persimmon creek vineyards liberty school cabernet sauvignon german wine oh westside road wine health research 2007 waters crest "night watch" late harvest wine clif bar wine cheap wines rick mirer indiana miss america lewis perdue pbs john trefethen elliot essman wine intelligence research steroids in baseball publishing trends wine laws biodynamic alpana singh dos equis commercials wine and sense of smell tim mondavi rachel alexandra 500 things to eat before it's too late wine & spirits guinness beer 2006 brancott pinot noir wine public relations facebook + wine millenials and wine penner ash deb harkness cowboy mouth wine evaluation dark & delicious biod jim gordon kelly fleming wine mike hengehold traminette wine mobile applications rick mirer wine wine blogging tips professional culinary institute adobe road the the lost symbol wine stories wine 2.0 schotts micellany hugh johnson alloutwine cooper's hawk winery triple bottom line zinfandel producers california wine for dummies best wine blog us wine sales dessert wine di arie rose napa cab. napa cabernet amazon wine constellation wine washington wine john hughes '47 cheval blanc bordeaux reconquest santasti kevin zraly paul clary sweet wines lonely island where the hell is matt southern gothic wine food revolution french paradox dark side of the rainbow gallo thomas pellechia wine spectator top 100 2009 cinderella wine deck wine lindsay ronga batgirl wine top chef hardy wallace firestone wine contest burger wine iphone wine mobile apps winery promotions whole foods wine first blush juice cult cabernet boston beer company trinchero wine tasting rooms viktor frankl chateau petrus barack obama + wine sanford pinot noir rombauer digital marketing obama inauguration michael ruhlman wine spectator wine reviews karadeci the business of wine terroir wine branding global wine partners wine terroir southern wine and spirits wine lists adam strum tinybottles 100 point system vineyard church communion wine mark squires wine and music scheurebe sherry wine tycoon healdsburg cluetrain manifesto down under by crane lake unified symposium jackson-triggs vidal ice wine clif winery name your own price mirror wine company indiana gourmet food allocated cabernet the wine line core wine drinkers janet trefethen bruce reizenman luxury wine marketing wall street journal wine columnists "frankenwine" wine authors nbwa old vine zinfandel wine expedition fat tire beer mothervine supplements continuum texas bbq wine pairing prince's hot chicken king estate guinness advertising 2007 stoneleigh pinot noir wine pr wineamerica wine wisdom lewin's equation 1winedude chacha rudolf steiner expensive wine trends wines and vines kelly fleming cabernet the new yorker ted lemon whyte horse winery iphone wine apps. palate press wine blogging strategies wine certification the traveling vineyard wine and art jason kroman alloutwine.com wine mou hess collection wine social media wine cartoons alan goldfarb fusebox wine moms who need wine ted jansen hourglass wine murphy-goode wine trading down dip johnnie walker chateau latour planet bordeaux sherry wine paul clary blog gracianna wine
November 9 2009
Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass …
Veterans Day
Both of my grandfathers served in WWII and my Dad served in Vietnam. Despite growing up in a family in which service to our country was a reality, it wasn’t talked about much. Instead, it was acknowledged by dated Technicolor pictures of handsome men in uniform, their tremulous smiles denoting the unknown, along with other artifacts like heavy wool blankets, decades old, a memento to go along with the VFW membership, used by the little people in the family to keep the winter chill at bay every December, an itchy training ground for the holiday sweaters foisted on us in the weeks to come.
While I broke rank (pun intended) and didn’t serve, as the men in my family before me, I always call my dad on Veterans Day and thank him for serving. And, I would certainly do the same with both of my Grandpas if I could.
In keeping with Veterans Day, David Honig, Founder of Palate Press, wrote a brilliant article that traces his grandfather’s steps while serving the U.S. in WWI France. Via letters home, today’s sacred heirlooms, David traces Archie Brick’s route through France while offering asides with contemporary beverage reviews analogous to the region in which his Grandfather was located. It’s simple, it’s brilliant and I strongly urge you to read it today in homage to all those that have served our country so nobly.
The only Thanksgiving Wine Recommendation I will make
It’s getting to be that time … time for Thanksgiving wine recommendations – an event that roughly coincides with the release of Beaujolais Nouveau – a duopoly of wine events that wine writers love like getting root canals and watching senior citizens eat corn on the cob.
The only Thanksgiving wine recommendation you’ll catch me making is one I’ve already made in a post from January 2008 – the 2006 Cellar Rat Pinot Noir crafted by Alan Baker at Crushpad from Wentzel Vineyard fruit.
From my one case allocation, I have three bottles remaining. Like most wine drinkers I’m a wonderfully polyamorous drinker so drinking nine bottles in the span of a 20 months indicates what I think of this beautiful wine; it was naturally inoculated, unfiltered and lightly oaked giving it a delicate balance in between Old and New World styles – rustic and earthy, yet fruit-forward, nicely structured with balanced acidity. It made a lovely companion to Thanksgiving last year and will do the same for my table this year, as well.
The Cellar Rat is hitting its peak and probably has two to three years left of optimum drinking. Alan, immersed in a new wine project called Cartograph, is selling the last 10 cases of his stash for a 20% discount from the list price of $42 per bottle if you buy a ½ case. Free shipping if you buy a case.
Two barrels or 50 cases of this wine were made. If you like the artisanal story factor, you like Pinot and you like excellent foot-friendly wine, you can’t do much better.
November 8 2009
Odds and ends from a life lived through the prism of the wine glass …
The Wine Success Paradox
My wife and I get together with a few other couples once a month to drink wine. It’s good, clean fun with each of us taking monthly turns hosting and selecting the monthly theme for our “wine club.” Every month, inevitably, in the midst of our Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot, Riesling, or Cab, we end up talking about sensory evaluation – what the heck are we tasting in the glass?
This past Friday night, there were looks of dumbfounded incredulity when I said I thought the Road 31 Pinot Noir we were drinking had a nose showing “mushrooms soaked in cherry coke with some tar on the edges.” This observation led to a conversation with one of the members of our club who, again, revisited his difficulty with learning about wine, a monthly occurrence. Chris is a CPA who runs his own business and specializes in tax accounting with a special expertise in parsing the U.S. tax code for small businesses. I have to note, I find it mighty odd that a guy who intimately understands the tax code has a hard time understanding what he is tasting, yet I don’t blame him for this shortcoming.
I’m reminded what the wine world too often forgets or takes for granted – the number of “wine enthusiasts” pales in comparison to the “wine interested” and it’s the job of everybody who has made their way down the learning curve to ensure that the wine interested stay interested and turn into enthusiasts.
Marketers use the AIDA model – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action – as a means to convey the cycle through which people traverse on their way to consummating action. To me, at least related to engaging in a new pursuit, it’s an incomplete analogy, because “success” isn’t accounted for.
When I first got into wine, I took up golf at the same time, making a very conscious decision to tease out the truths of both. Plain and simple, my interest in golf waned and got lost quicker than a 3-pack of balls caused by my physics-defying 7-Iron slice. I was bad at golf and my ability to get better didn’t look very good, at least relative to wine where I was really enjoying myself and learning, and growing. I gave up golf, putting my clubs in the corner of the garage.
In wine terms, I’m inclined to revise the AIDA model to be inclusive of the following:
Attention—Interest—Desire—Action—Understanding—Success = Passion
Just like my golf game, I think it’s easy to forget that virtually no one has made their way down the path to wine enthusiasm, beyond wine interest, if they haven’t had a measure of success. And, you can’t have success without understanding.
To me, the two biggest qualifiers to wine success are seeing the industry beyond the “lifestyle” that is perpetuated as marketing shtick and understanding what you are drinking. In doing so, consumers get a more holistic view of the wine world and they understand what they are putting in their mouth. It seems so simple, right?
There are a lot of folks who couldn’t care less about French wine classification, but everybody needs to understand industry environmental factors and what they taste in order to graduate down the path of wine success. It is core to wine appreciation to have context and to be able to stick your nose in the glass and smell some nuance.
Just a thought, but the unspoken paradox in the world of wine is the implication that knowledge, in and of itself, is most important. To me, all the wine 101 books in the world don’t mean a thing if somebody has an interest in, but cannot identify flavor components in wine and they don’t have the appropriate context to place the wine situationally.
I gave up on golf because it looked too hard to get to a level of competency. Fixing my slice was too daunting. How many “wine interested” people have given up on wine because they couldn’t get to a level of competency, sensory or otherwise?
… Speaking of Wine Enthusiasm
Two weeks ago I wrote two posts with suggestions for improvement for Wine Enthusiast magazine. Amongst many suggestions, I elaborated on what I perceive to be a need to ratchet down the “lifestyle” and provide more context for how the industry operates.
Over the course of the nearly four years of writing this blog, I’ve taken a fair number of shots at a fair number of targets, liberally sprinkling in constructive criticism. In doing so I’ve received my fair share of return criticism from people who didn’t appreciate or disagreed with what I had to say.
Of the numerous “nasty grams” I have received, one that I might have expected that never came would be from Adam Strum from Wine Enthusiast.
Instead, Strum, bar none, has been the one person who took the feedback with a spirit of professionalism and open-mindedness. Having shared several emails privately with Adam in the midst of and after writing the posts, I was dumbfounded that he was not only receptive to my suggestions, but he was going to review them for potential action.
To wit, last week Strum wrote a post at the Wine Enthusiast blog soliciting feedback on the appropriate mix of lifestyle content in Wine Enthusiast magazine, titling his post, “Wine as a Passion/Wine as a Business.”
In brief, I think our wine media fails most wine enthusiasts and I’m not alone in that thinking. If you’re interested in adding your opinion to the matter and giving it to somebody who is listening, mosey over to the Wine Enthusiast blog here.
Liquid Memory
Mike Steinberger, the wine columnist for Slate magazine, wrote a book this year called, Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France. Despite his book being good, presumably, he knows what it’s like to receive a crushingly bad book review. Because of this it makes his recent review of Liquid Memory by Jonathan Nossiter all the more credible (and interesting).
I’m an information hound and consume massive amounts of media. I cannot recall, ever, one author calling another authors work “execrable,” as Steinberger did in his October 30th column.
I’ve only made my way into about 20 pages of the stultifyingly boring book, “Liquid Memory,” but you can be sure I’ll read it through just to see if I find it as wretched and “deserving to be execrated,” as Steinberger and Merriam-Webster note.
November 6 2009
Last week I wrote a post about Champagne – specifically the strident protection of the sanctity of place in regards to what is called, “Champagne.”
In good form, the comments from that post exceeded the length of the post by a measure of 3:1 with some interesting thoughts about why “Champagne” should only come from the Champagne region of France.
To be honest, it’s not a subject that I’ve spent a lot of time studying. I don’t drink much Champagne (or sparkling wine for that matter) and I’ve never had a sparkler (Champagne or otherwise) that I’ve found revelatory. Call me an ambivalent Champagne observer, like most of America, whose interest in the subject was piqued by a press release from The Champagne Bureau.
When I write an op-ed piece I approach it like a journalist would approach any subject – first understand concepts and then understand facts on both sides in order to get to the essential truth. This post was no different.
The essential truth for me was the fact that the Comite Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) has their head in the sand about contemporary marketing practices and are stubbornly clinging to a sensibility that has them beating consumers over the head with negativity – “Only Champagne comes from Champagne. Don’t be fooled by marauders” (my words not theirs). To me, it’s a flawed way of going about communicating value.
So, it was with interest that I received two emails after I published my post – one was from a regular reader asking, with a sigh, why I opened this can of worms – the Champagne folks have protected their name for decades and it has been an issue that has been vetted ad nauseum over the years. The second email was from a PR representative of The Champagne Bureau who said that I misrepresented the point of the protectionist nature by the CIVC folks and The Champagne Bureau, the US arm.
In response to the first question, I have to ask rhetorically, have you ever purchased a used car and somebody says, “Hey did you get a new car?” To this, you reply, “It’s not a new car, but it’s new to me.” Well, this Champagne silliness is new to me after I made my way onto a PR distribution list. In response to the second inquiry, the misrepresentation issue, well, I’m not so dogmatic as to have an opinion and to hold onto that opinion without doing further investigation, especially when pushed to reconsider.
So, I started doing more digging. In particular, I happened across a fascinating and well-written 25-page paper from 2003 written for a Harvard law class that acts as a survey of the last 100 years of Champagne regulation.
In sum, the paper is about, “(the French are taking) great efforts to capitalize on the Champagne name throughout the world and aims to ensure that the French wine region receives these benefits exclusively.” It’s a nice piece of work and something I would recommend reading to anybody who wants a breezy overview report on one hundred years of Champagne history.
At the same time, I received another press release that indicated that The Champagne Bureau was awarding Schramsberg and Beringer with the First Annual Truth-in-Labeling Award of Excellence for leadership is accurate wine labeling.
I then followed up with The Champagne Bureau in an effort to have them elaborate on their position, and the suggestion the PR person had made to me privately that said, “The U.S. currently provides (consumers) with virtually no protection when it comes to sourcing the grapes used in the wine and accurately indicating its place of origin … let me know if you have any questions concerning the extent of this problem and its impact on U.S. consumers …”
In response to my inquiry I didn’t receive statistics about the alleged deceit that dupes the U.S. consumers. Instead, I got marketing one-pagers on protecting wine place names and Champagne as the only “true” Champagne.
Unfortunately, I’m still not getting it.
The crux of my original post was simple – if Champagne is used as the catch-all phrase for sparkling wine, like “Google” is for searching the Internet or “Jell-O” is for gelatin, then why not roll with the punches and tell a back-story about Champagne as a point of differentiation and let consumers divine the truth, while forsaking the “watchdog” aspect of their marketing which is, frankly, a bit of a turn-off.
The unfortunate reality in this examination of Champagne vs. sparkling wine is the fact that the majority (the vast majority) of U.S. consumers call all sparkling wine “Champagne.” In addition, I would posit, most U.S. consumers don’t give it a second thought because they associate Champagne and sparkling wine with special occasions – weddings, promotions, New Year’s Eve – it’s not a part of the wine stream of consciousness.
If the CIVC and The Champagne Bureau want to truly actuate a greater acceptance of true Champagne in the U.S., protecting their market share and stemming sliding sales, unfortunately, my position remains the same: spend your time actually marketing in new ways that create interest instead of playing campaign politics by focusing on attacking your opponents.
Perhaps my greatest takeaway, by analogy, is the fact that if an African-American with a name that harkens to Muslim origins (in the age of global terrorism) can win a presidential election by inspirationally leading with “Hope” and “Change” while not getting dragged down in attack mud-slinging, engendering respect on the world stage leading to a Nobel Peace Prize then that might be a page from the marketing playbook that would work for the Champagne folks.
A high-road approach engenders goodwill. And, perhaps in doing so, somebody will open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate more frequently instead of grabbing a sparkling wine like the new President enjoyed upon his win.
November 3 2009
In the second year of the single vineyard designate program from Rodney Strong I’ve learned something very important: these wines (two released so far, with a third on the way), while provocative with a come-hither look, are far too young to drink now and are much better on the second day; they’re kind of like, you know, if Nabokov made a batch of Chili.
In fact, the ’06 Rockaway, as beguiling as the ‘05, if not slightly more pensive, is smartly being released to market in February ‘10, allowing for some bottle age and integration. Upon my opening, it was hot, uncoordinated, and awkward – like a first kiss at a Prom after-party. After sufficient time in the decanter (forget about an hour – the Rockaway needs at least two hours of vigorous oxygen to start to show), it rounds into form and turns into a delicious, massive wine that belies its 15.4% alcohol.
The Brothers Ridge, for its part, a new release to market with the release of the ‘06 vintage, is also an Alexander Valley Cabernet at the same price point as the Rockaway—$75. However, the Brothers Ridge comes from vineyards east of Cloverdale, a northerly vineyard to Rockaway and the warmest spot in Sonoma County. Both wines were provided to me by the winery.
Now, while some will decry the “bigness” of these wines as a source of polarization, I’m not one of them. The alcohol can partially be explained by a quote attributed to Rodney Strong wine consultant David Ramey in the October 31st issue of Wine Spectator, he notes (not necessarily in regards to Rodney Strong specifically), “This issue of alcohol is overblown. That’s where our grapes our ripe. It’s California’s birthright.”
Who am I to disagree especially when the Rockaway, and its little brother, Brothers Ridge, straddle the line so well between ripe and “Californian” without crossing over into “hedonistic” territory, a connotation, to me, that has come to mean, “Australian cough syrup.”
Ironically, the Brothers Ridge, a straight varietal offering in contrast to the splash of Malbec and Petit Verdot (2% and 1% respectively) that made their way into the Rockaway blend, is more classically refined than its big brother. Both are a part of a triumvirate that will be complete when an offering called “Alexander’s Crown” is released in the future.
It should be noted that 2009 is a big year for Rodney Strong. Under the stewardship of owner Tom Klein, Rodney Strong continues to act as a pacesetter for the California wine industry, celebrating not just their 50th anniversary in 2009, but also celebrating, notably, the fact that they have become the first winery in Sonoma County to become carbon neutral.
While I vacillate on how I feel about the merits of being carbon neutral when it can be viewed in the same vein as checkbook philanthropy, I have to give credit to people and organizations that take the step forward instead of sitting on their hands. And, significantly, Rodney Strong has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability over a period of years, dating to 2003 when they first installed solar panels.
Likewise, Rodney Strong the winery earns my admiration when 20 years after the purchase of the winery from Rod Strong the man, they still honor his legacy by making a sizable donation to the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa based on a desire to support the arts and pay homage to the Rod who was a dancer and dance teacher, having danced internationally and on Broadway.
Critics, always ready to take potshots at PR efforts, will dub me a rube for buying into the perception of the largesse, but as a student of marketing, sustainability and good business, I have to note that Rodney Strong, with a multiplicity of efforts at greening, quality AND telling their story are hitting their stride.
2006 Rodney Strong Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon
Not quite as lip-smackingly good as the ’05, this is still a very good effort that needs time in the bottle. A nose of dark fruits – blackberry, black cherry, blueberry and cassis with hints of bay leaf, black olive juice and menthol gives way to plenty of stuffing on the palate with more dark fruit, menthol and black tea with a deep core of dark chocolate. The finish isn’t as impressive as the ’05 and the tannins are a little chewier, but this a very nice wine with pedigree that will round into shape over the years to come. 90 points.
2006 Rodney Strong Brothers Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
Big, bold black cherry juice with an earthier quality than the Rockaway. There’s plenty of fruit on the nose with pleasing and complementary floral and earthy aromatics with hints of green bean. The palate offers velvety blackberry, blueberry, menthol, and beet juice. More classically refined and less decadent than the Rockaway, the finish lingers with the fruit and leather to go along with fine grained tannins. 91 points.
November 2 2009
I am one of those people that believes life lessons and wisdom can be earned from every sip (and bottle) of wine. However, before I gained a global perspective through the wine glass, I learned the workingman’s perspective through the beer mug.
For two summers in college, circa 1993 and 1994, I moved furniture for a Mayflower affiliate in Mishawaka, IN. At that time it was a well-paying summer job—$7.00 an hr with the occasional cash job earning $10 an hour when a driver came in from out of town. Those were the salad days.
The college students that worked during the summers were always welcome relief for the full-time guys – both in providing labor during the hottest time of the year and in being unwitting recipients of the old gags that had long lost their originality with the crew of regulars.
In my mind, however fanciful it may be, I imagine my furniture moving days as equivalent to being a part of a crew and working a grape harvest – back-breaking work in the elements, a mix of full-timers and newcomers with a need to be semi-skilled, and an important, time-sensitive job at hand.
I learned a lot those summers, some of which came in the form of sage advice from grizzled vets via 22 oz schooners of Bud Light at the watering hole down the street – ironically called “The Office” lounge. Spending an hour at “The Office” was a small reward after a long, hard day of work – similar to the old axiom, “It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine …”
Some of the advice passed down at “The Office” isn’t repeatable, at least not in polite company. However, some of it is … thanks to Harry, Doug, Punkin’head (seriously!), Mark, Hob and a bunch of other guys that provided valuable lessons for a young, impressionable kid – on the job and at “The Office.”
Lesson #1: The job is bigger than you
It’s not about you. Scraping your arm or dinging an antique dresser going through a door threshold? Choose wisely what is most important to you relative to what pays your bills … (skin grows back, if you need a hint).
Lesson #2: Show up, shut up and hold your end up
Be on time, don’t complain and carry your weight.
Lesson #3: Respect those in front of you.
There is a pecking order and you are at the bottom.
Lesson #4: Your day isn’t done until the job is done
It may be 5 o’clock somewhere but you don’t finish working until the job is done (and there isn’t a dinner break) …
Lesson #5: Leadership is everywhere.
A good crew leader is essential to productivity. They keep the mood light, show up well to the customer, work you hard when needed, and are the first one to give you an “atta boy” for a job well done.
Lesson #6: Have a strategy before you start
Unless you’ve seen a 7,000 square foot house fit onto a 18-wheeler based on the spatial skills of a maestro, it’s hard to understand the strategic skill that goes into loading a truck. The crew leader is often the guy that does the least amount of physical labor but he’s the guy that makes sure that everything fits and when and how it fits. Trust me, there is strategy involved to making sure the project goes smoothly.
Lesson #7: Build a solid foundation
The surest way to ruin a load? Build it on a bad foundation at the front of the truck. 45 minutes of bad work at the beginning of the day will create problems you will have to work around the rest of the day. Do it right from the get-go and save yourself problems down the line
Lesson #8: If it doesn’t fit, try it from a different angle.
If something doesn’t seem like a good fit, try looking at it from a new or different perspective and see if that helps clarify the situation. Changing your point-of-view can create fresh perspective and new solutions
Lesson #9: Did I mention—always, hold up your end
It was the cardinal sin of sins to drop a piece. Bravado is for fools. It’s better to beg off something you can’t carry than to not be able to finish a carry (see also Lesson #1)
Lesson #10 It’s easier to push than pull.
Work smarter not harder. Save the heroism for firefighters and Superman. Work the path of least resistance.
Overall, it was an invaluable experience – some of the most fun I’ve had working. The job had teamwork, camaraderie, and goal-oriented satisfaction. And, while I think wine has given me lessons in graciousness and wisdom, these lessons wouldn’t be nearly as valuable without the lessons in hard work that came first.
* Photo credit for the 1st photo
* This post was adapted from a post that originally ran at my brother’s blog, Jimlefevere.com. As college students, we both learned that “humping” meant working your tail off to move a house full of furniture.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
Design by The Blog Studio
