Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog

Wine Link of the Day: Jack Handy & Paris Hilton

ROSHAMBLOG

Roshambo Winery in Healdsburg has made a career and created a devoted following by....now following. That is to say, Naomi Brilliant, artist and driving force behind the winery, rarely does things the way you'd expect a winery to do them. To further clarify, that's breath of fresh air.

I remember suggesting to Naomi a long time ago that she start blogging, that she possessed the perfect soul for such an endeavor. It appears she had other things to do...like making some beautiful wines. But now, with the help of Scott Keneally, it looks like they are well down the path to bloggersville.

With only a few posts under its belt, this winery blog clearly looks like it's going to be a fun diversion. We've already got appearances on the blog by Paris Hilton and Jack Handy's Sommelier, who makes an excellent point when he declares: "Don’t worry about accidentally pronouncing the ‘t’ in Merlot. That’s nothing compared to the time my mother caught me humping my bedroom"

All in all, very good stuff and good reason to return.

The 150th? Harvest of Grapes at Old Hill Ranch

I got to Bucklin's Old Hill Ranch this morning around 7:50am. They were finishing up the harvest of this 150 year old, dry farmed, organic vineyard that was begun yesterday. I was the last to arrive. Will Bucklin, vineyard consultant Phil Cotturi and the harvest crew were already well into it.

This is one of the more difficult vineyards to harvest. It is comprised of about 75% Zinfandel vines with the other vines made up of 25 different varieties...all inter-spaced in a near random fashion between the zinfandel. Today and yesterday only the earlier ripening Zinfandel was being picked. This means the crew had to very quickly distinguish between a zinfandel vine and what might be an alicante bouschet, carignane, barbera or Petit Sirah vine right next to it.

In some cases you can tell what's not Zinfandel because the grapes seem a tad less ripe. Or, the vine will look completely different. Or, you've got Will Bucklin there saying, "pick this.....don't pick this."

Because this vineyard is so unique the pickers are paid by the hour, rather than by the pound because they simply can't move as fast.

This is roughly the 150th harvest of this vineyard. The weather this morning was perfect for picking: cool and over case.

Following are shots of the harvest of zinfandel at Bucklin's Old Hill Ranch.

IN THE BIN...

TO BE PICKED IN ANOTHER WEEK

 

YUM....

BIN SORTING

SOME WEAR GLOVES, OTHERS LIVE WITH THE CUTS

A BEAUTY

GRAPES AWAY....

PICK, DUMP SORT.....PICK, DUMP SORT.....REPEAT..

REPEAT....

WILL BUCKLIN...SURVEYING THE CULMINATION OF A
LONG SEASON OF GROWING AND WORK

From Wine Blogger To Wine Writer

By all accounts of the participants I've talked to or read, Antonia Allegra's "Symposium for Professional Wine Writers" is a great success.

The 3rd Annual SPWW happens February 20-23, 2007 again at Meadowood in Napa Valley. And for those of you who writer or read wine blogs, something very cool has occurred: Alder Yarrow of Vinography.com is one of the featured speakers.

Let me put this in context for you. Alder will appear as a featured speaker alongside the likes of Eric Asimov (wine writer for the New York Times), Michael Bauer (Food Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle), Dan Berger (Editor at Large of Appellation America and one of America's most important wine writers), Anthony Dias Blue (One of the most prolific wine writers in America in the past 20 years), Elin McCoy (Longtime wine writer and the unofficial biographer of Robert Parker), Karen MacNeil (A great writer and one of the foremost wine educators in America), and Jerry Shriver (Wine writer for USA Today, America's largest circulation daily newspaper).

I guess what I'm getting at is that the pre-eminent wine blogger has been elevated to a position alongside some of America's pre-eminent wine writers. I like the implications!

For two or three years there has been a feeling of "novelty" surrounding wine bloggers. Clearly the newness of the medium and the largely unknown quantity of the bloggers themselves has led to this view of the genre. Add to that the hype that has surrounded blogging in general during this period and the novel character of wine blogging makes sense.

But I think we are moving out of the Novelty Stage and Adler's inclusion as a speaker at the PWWS is one very good indication. But there's more too. The medium itself has been embraced by a number of print journalists whose beat is wine (Asimov, Boone of the Press Democrat, Bonne of MSNBC, Fisher of Dayton Daily News, Feiring of Time). Also, we see wineries beginning to reach out to wine bloggers with samples, invitations to events and simply adding them to the media lists that are use by a number of folks to distribute press releases.

How wine blogging has emerged to this point is undoubtedly a result of the readers of blogs. You guys tend to spread the word of something good, something found, or something new in a way decidedly more evangelistically than the typical consumer of wine writing. Wine bloggers too are an amazingly congenial bunch that have gone out of their way to promote their peers and helped raise one another's profile.

What's left to do? We need a breakout wine blog. A "must read" not merely for those who readily look to the Internet for insight, but also for those who consume wine reviews on a regular basis including retailers, restaurateurs and wineries. When this blog emerges, it will left others around it. But that's for the future.

For now, readers of Vinography and other wine bloggers can take certain amount of pride in seeing Alder featured at the SPWW. He is the right person for job. The added benefit, from the perspective of the world of wine bloggers, is that hes co-speakers and all those other writers at the Symposium will take note of the level to which wine bloggers can rise.

Link of the Day: Wine Fairies Do Exist

WineFairy.com

Lynn Krielow Chamberlain might be the most prolific interviewer of wine folk in the world. Her Wine & Dine Radio has been broadcasting on the Internet weekly an over the airwaves for 8 years now. Her hourly show has attracted the top wine people in the world. What makes Lynn so engaging to listen to is the real enthusiasm she projects for the people and topics she covers on her show.

The WineFairy.com website is an extension of her broadcast. The design is a tad chaotic but you'll find  everything you need to know: who was on the show last week, who's coming up, how to listen, all about Lyn, as well as an index of all the guests who have appeared on her show over the past eight years. It's an impressive list to say the least. You'll even find  few wine bloggers that have graced her show.

How I Got Rich By Drinking

From the looks of the various studies that have emerged over the past couple of decades you might conclude that drinking wine is the cure for all ills.

Now I'm thinking that drinking might also be the cure for stagnant wages.

A new study conducted by the Reason Foundation in Los Angeles has concluded that Drinkers make between 10% and 14% for income than non-drinkers. Furthermore, social drinkers (defined as those who go to a bar at least once per month) make an average of 7% more income on top of the boost they get simply for being drinkers.

Why simply drinking moderately gets you an extra 10% to 14% income is not clear. The authors of the study seem to think it might have to do with the fact that moderate drinkers tend to be healthier overall.

The income increase that comes from going to bars is linked to the notion of "Social Capital", another way of saying that by going out and socializing you mean more people, expand your circle of acquaintances and are more likely to benefit economically.

So how cool is this? Drink Wine Moderately=Live better.  Drink Moderately=Make More Money.
"Hit the Bars=Make Even More Money. So we've got our health. We've got our wealth. I guess all
we need are a couple of studies that show by drinking moderately we will be better looking and have more sex.

A press release and a link to the entire study can be found here: KA-CHING

.

A Paternal Moment in Wine Blogging

I'm feeling rather paternal today.

A Wark Communications client, Goosecross Cellars, recently launched their own blog, aptly named, "The Goosecross Cellars Blog".

The Goosecross Cellars Blog is the second winery blog we've helped birth. The question with any blog, winery related or not is two fold: Can you write on a regular enough basis to keep the attention of your audience and can you deliver content that is both compelling and the unique voice of the winery.

I was extraordinarily pleased when I saw their most recent entry: " 'Great Wine' By The Numbers?" It's exactly the kind of post I like to see from a winery blog: it takes on a controversial subject with voice and opinion. In this case the topic is ostensibly Enologix, but substantially the idea that wine should reflect something real, not created.

Enologix is a consulting firm that helps wineries create wines that are more likely to get high scores from leading critics. Not a bad business model, eh? But I was happy to see that the Goosecross crew got right to the heart of the matter and nailed it:

"Who wouldn’t want 99 points? You can’t blame a businessman for trying to make a product that sells. As long as there’s been commercial winemaking there’s been that push and pull between the drive to bottle a unique artistic expression and keeping food on the table. But you’ve got to have a killer vineyard to even begin approaching these scores (I don’t think they’ve figured out a way to fake the fruit yet—stay tuned). It may be an antiquated concept, but would that vineyard make more interesting wine if the winemaker simply attuned himself to it by walking it frequently and making harvest decisions by tasting as well as testing?"

Goosecross is an interesting story. These guys fly under the radar in Napa Valley. Yet, they've achieved the remarkable feat of being able to sell 98% of their wine direct to the consumer.

Ninety Eight Percent!!! And we aren't talking a boutique winery producing only 800 cases per year. They've been successful in part because they perfected the art of reaching out to consumers early on and were never afraid to try something new. In addition to their blog, they also are the proprietors of "Napa Valley Wine Radio", a regular podcast that has gained a substantial listenership. They also have one of the most customer-centric web sites in the wine business.

THE GOOSECROSS CREW

I know, this sounds a bit like a commercial for a client. Chalk it up to that paternal thing I'm feeling. I simply get excited when I see anyone, client or not, do it right. Their post on doing wine right and focusing on creating something natural is exactly what many wine lovers are looking for from a winery they want to interact with.

Part of my job is to keep pushing the Goosecross crew to post more, develop their voice and not be afraid to step farther out on the blogging limb. They've begun to inch their way out there now. That is in  large part what many new bloggers do. They test the water, dip their toe, try something new and find the spot that feels comfortable.

On Happiness, Age & Drinking

When was the last time you saw someone or read an honest argument for the obvious fact that the drinking age in America should be 18 years old?

This idea is absolutely fringe at this point. Only the most ensconced politician in a district that supported them by 80% of the vote in their last election would even broach the subject...and even then they might lose.

The argument is simple enough. An 18 year old may fight and die in combat. An 18 year old may sit on a jury and pronounce their fellow citizens guilty or note. And 18 year old may vote, the most important right any American holds.

Yet, they may not lift, by law, a glass of Pinot Noir.

The argument against a lower drinking age has been a simple one: "If you drink, you will die."

It's pretty stark.

I got thinking about the drinking age in America upon reading two things: The Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America's (WSWA) support for H.R. 864, The Sober Truth On Preventing Underage Drinking Act ("The STOP Act”) and the venerable George Saintsbury's eloquent defense of drink.

But let's star with WSWA. HR 864 is a law that would essentially ask the federal government to do more to motivate minors not to drink. It creates report cards on states' efforts in this regard, provides funding for media campaigns, and creates more committees. All for $2,000,000 per year. The WSWA, the wine wholesalers lobbying group, has made a bit of a push lately to see HR 864 passed before congress adjourns in a week or so. I don't know if it will pass. But, I do know that WSWA's support for the law is disingenuous.

This is the first paragraph of a form letter they've asked a number of folks to fill out and send to their congressperson:

"We should all be concerned about underage access to alcohol, and limiting Internet alcohol sales will help curb minors’ access to this controlled substance."

"Limiting Internet Access".

Even when WSWA appears to be supporting simple legislation to educate people, they can't help but make a pitch to consumers to help them save their own hide. The entire bill, all 2,734 words, has exactly ONE reference to Internet sales of alcohol. Just one. Yet, WSWA appears to believe this one reference that asks the government to provide a report annually on what states are doing to regulate Internet sales, is the most important thing about the entire bill.

Time after time WSWA has been schooled when they attempt to push Internet sales of wine out of existence. They get spanked when they go to court. They get paddled when they try to release bogus polls. Yet they keep trying to sell the idea that kids are buying wine on the Internet and it must be stopped.

If WSWA is going to be so blatantly and transparently self serving, even when they attempt to portray themselves as the do gooders, they might as well just be completely transparent and lobby for a reduction in the drinking age to 18.  In approach would have the benefit of allowing them to be self serving (more people to legally sell wine too) as well as support for a positive, logical agenda (bringing our drinking age laws in line with the most important expectations we have for younger folk).

Ah...But then there is Mr. Saintsbury, a man I'd bet drank long before he was 18 and probably did it legally. And, a man of some literary girth.

George Saintsbury is among the famed wine writers to ever set pen to paper. He is was an English fellow who wrote, talk and apparently educated many about wine. H.W. Yoxall, who studied Saintsbury and was himself a student and witer of wine described him as

"a man quirky, perhaps and sometimes gruff, though of a general pleasant dry humour; very much what people call 'a character;' but always kind and generous to any youngster who showed an interest i any of his interests. And does not this personality emerge from every page of the Notes?"

"The Notes" is of course Saintsbury's famed "Notes on a Cellar Book", (1920) his great book on the wines he loved, drank and how to drink them.

I've been reading Saintsbury of late. And I found myself continually going back to his brilliant defense of drinking wine. I was reminded of it upon reading about WSWA's defense of making sure more people don't drink wine. Saintsbury's defense goes like this:

"One may...boldly say, with a certainty of saying the truth, that for every evil deed that fact or fancy or the unscrupulous exaggeration of partisans can charge on alcohol, it has prompted a hundred good and kind ones; that for every life it has destroyed or spoiled it has made thousands happy; that much of the best imaginative work of the world has been due to its influence."

I'm in favor of lowering the drinking age to 18, if only to assure that many thousands more find happiness earlier.

Where's the Wine (post)?

Did anyone notice that there was no post on Fermentation yesterday? (I hope so)

I did. In fact, it was the first time in more than two years in which nothing was posted at Fermentation on a week day when I wasn't on a vacation.

One thing I know is that  good blog, wine or otherwise centered, is consistent and delivers content on a regular basis. But what does it mean when you lie down at night and feel guilty that you didn't post anything?

The answer is that this feeling of guilt is a good thing, at least for me. It means that the commitment and motivation that first propelled me into this sphere is still with me. It means there is a healthy respect here for those who have chosen to grace this page with their eyeballs and minds.

The Kind of Wine Event I Like

Today Wark Communications will help Saintsbury carry out the kind of even that I am most fond of: A tutored tasting of wines gong back 20 years conducted and hosted by the owners of Saintsbury and their winemaker.

I personally like these events because they appeal to the geek in me, they give me time to really consider the way wines age and the pace is always appropriate.

The attendees will be mainly wine writers and members of the wine trade on an invite only basis and it will occur in San Francisco.

As a participant, I'm partial to tutored tastings because I'm a wine geek. The opportunity to delve down really deep into specific wines or producers is what wine geeks live for. As a publicist, I'm partial to them because they not only give the client a chance to offer their perspective in depth but they are also challenged. In front of them sit numerous members of the wine media who are extraordinarily well informed, geeks themselves, and generally very attentive. They tend to ask questions the dig down deep into the producer's intentions. This is a good thing. It gives the producer a chance to exchange ideas with a wiling audience that knows there stuff.

The problem with these events however is always the venue. While we will be doing this a one of the finest restaurants in San Francisco, it means a number of attendees need to drive a good distance. There is no way around this and it cuts down on the potential number of attendees.

What's the job of the PR guy at such an event? Generally it's stay out of the way, make sure your clients know what you know, make sure attendees have what they need or know how to get it, make sure the staff is on top of things, and keep the pace on track.

What's the expectation for such an event from the client's perspective? Simple, a chance to tell their story fully and in depth. That's it. Public and media relations is a long haul effort, an ongoing effort where everything that comes before informs what comes after.

How I Became a Great Wine Publicist

I've noticed something about the quality of my work and the service I deliver to my clients at Wark Communications: It has gotten better over the past 6 or 7 years. I might be inclined to attribute this to more experience but I just don't think that's the fact of the matter.

I think that this increase in the quality of my work is directly related to being more content in this period of time than any point in my life previously.

What changed is the arrival of Ginny

About seven years ago I met the person who in this blog I tend to refer to as "The Best Graphic Designer in the World". Alternately, I call her my wife. Today she is both those things but today she's also "The Birthday Girl" (which reminds me, I need to call her parents today and thank them).

Among the things the Birthday girl has done to make me more content and a better wine publicist are:

-Lowered her standards and married down

-Introduced me to the concept of optimism-in-practice

-Showed me how to more effectively commit to taking out the garbage

-Helped remove my fear of power tools

-Saved me from my own meager graphic design instincts

-Made the work that is a marriage, seem ridiculously simple.

-Encouraged my ongoing devotion to blogging, something that too often keeps me sequestered in my office when I should be sipping Ricard or Dry Rose with her.

Today is her birthday. That means my mind will likely be elsewhere.

Anyone who wants to send this amazing woman a birthday wish   is encouraged to by CLICKING HERE.

Happy Birthday Darling.

Should The Wine Spectator Promote My Wine Blog?

Vinography is the location of some of the best blog-hosted conversations in wine blogdom. This of course is due to Alder Yarrow's incisive writing and observation skill. I was reminded of this, and provoked to some deep thinking, when I read Alder's and his commenters' thoughts on Wine Spectator Matt Kramer's August 31 column in that magazine.

Alder points out in a post entitled "What is Matt Kramer Smoking", that Kramer, in writing about the problems and difficulties in recommending very low production wines, takes note of bloggers. In the course of saying that bloggers are guilty of this too, Kramer notes there are good wine blogs but fails to mention any.

This sort of got Alder's goat...that Kramer would mention there are good wine bloggers but fail to mention any of them in print.

And this leads me to wonder, is there any good reason why Kramer (and the Wine Spectator) should fail to mention the names of Wine Blogs) they like?

Now this might sound like the hubris of a wine blogger (me), but I suspect that Matt Kramer and the Wine Spectator, and for that reason any other wine magazine, has very few good reason to promote wine blogs for the simple reason that these publications are in business of two reason: Provide compelling wine information to their readers and provide their advertisers with an attentive audience. Pointing readers to other wine "publications", such as blogs, serves none of these purposes.

The hubris comes in where I suggest that wine blogs are competitors to Wine Publications such as the Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits, Wine News, Wine Enthusiast and Quarterly Review of Wines. To date, no wine blog has arrived anywhere near the level of readership or influence as any of these publications. Furthermore, it's unlikely that a pure wine blog will reach parity of influence and readership with them any time soon.

Still, if I imagine myself i the shoes of Wine Spectator Editor and Publisher Marvin Shanken, I can't imagine the circumstances under which I would give any ink to a wine blogger, let alone a print competitor. Now, I'd distinguish winery-written blogs from this formal ban I would impose. Winery Blogs are in now way the same type of competitor. That said, my job is to keep the wine soaked eyeballs focused on my own publication.

Of course I have no idea if this is why Matt Kramer failed to list any of the blogs he thinks are good. But it's beside the point. The point is to recognize that profit driven publishing enterprises have no business undercutting the advertisers they court by sending readers or potential readers to significant or even insignificant competitors.

Yet, it should be noted that the Wine Spectator does recognize the potential of the Blog. They've instituted a number of them, each written by various editors and writers. I'm sure what they see in them in the stickiness that can result from a regularly updated, more intimate and more timely presentation of their talent's views and idea.

The wine blogosphere, and individual blogs, will need to look outside the established wine print media for exposure. There are no two ways about this. So far, I've not witnessed a blog that has reaped the results of anything like an ongoing campaign to market their place on the Net. However, I'm absolutely convinced that if a good blog, such as Vinography, were to undertake such an effort they would reap tremendous benefits.

A collection of wine blogs would also benefit highly from a well coordinated outreach campaign that simply touted the benefit to wine lovers of looking to the blogosphere for their wine information, reviews and news. But again, no such effort has taken place. What publicity does come to individual blogs has resulted for the most part from happenstance.

What would it cost a blogger or collection of bloggers to put together and carry out their own campaign on behalf of a single blog or their collective? Mainly time. But it an investment of no more than $6,000 to $8,000 could result in tremendous exposure. I suspect I'm not telling any savvy wine bloggers anything they've not already suspected.

The Wine Experimentation Campaign

I had  chance to very briefly chat with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon the other day. In the midst of a short conversation he explained his belief that we live in a "post-varietal" world.

This would put him in line with Appellation America (a Wark Communications client) publisher Roger Dial who also believes the future of North American wine culture is terroir driven.

This idea that we are moving toward a terroir-driven understanding of wine in America doesn't necessarily conflict with the results of our most recent survey here at Fermentation. However, it doesn't necessarily speak to the importance of the producers in the minds of consumers.

Asked which factor among Producer, Varietal, Region and Label Appearance is most important in deciding  among wines $30 or more you've never tried before, fully 71% of respondents identified the Producer.

I wonder to what extent this overwhelming endorsement of the producer has to do with the amazing proliferation of new labels that have hit the market in recent years. With so much to choose from, many consumers simply return to what they know. This suggests that there is good reason to push consumers to experiment if the goal is to broaden the consumers' experience, or even if it is to ask them to branch out and try wines from emerging wine regions.

While I agree with both Grahm and Dial that we are at the starting line of a movement that will lead more consumers to investigate new regions and hence new wines and new styles of wines, I'm convinced that the idea of EXPERIMENTATION must be sold to consumer. A "move beyond the ordinary" campaign of some sort, either at a low key or well-structured way, is probably necessary to hasten a movement toward region as the defining concept that motivates wine drinkers, rather than brand or varietal.

Wine: A Deterrent to World Peace

I'm no expert on statesmanship. I've never been one. And though my post-graduate work was in the area of U.S. Diplomatic History that basically means I read a lot of memoirs, scanned a lot of maps, read letters between historical figures and poured over not a few diplomatic dispatches.

That said, I've always thought that the essence of statesmanship, particularly on the world stage, is founded on the idea that even the most average of statesmen must be willing to set aside personal motivations, put the interests of their countrymen first, and commit themselves to the notion that dialogue is in fact the primary tool for understanding your peers.

Where's the stuff about wine? OK.

I guess I was a little disappointed (shocked?) and disheartened when I read this in an article distributed by Reuters:

"The Iranian president, a strict Muslim, declined to attend a lunch for world leaders, including Bush, hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, ostensibly because wine was on the menu. Other Muslim leaders attended."

Let me make this a bit more clear:

"The Iranian president...declined to attend a lunch for world leaders...because wine was on the menu."

I know...there's politics involved. Middle Eastern politics no less.

One wonders if the simple presence of a fermented beverage is the best excuse a world leader could come up with for declining to be in the same room with an adversary. Maybe I'm just disappointed that the leader of one of the most important countries on earth and country that is a huge player in middle eastern politics, could possibly be so unimaginative.

Family Winemakers Returns to Its Roots

Back in the day, Family Winemakers of California was a fairly radical organization relative to the other winery associations that existed in the United States. This radical posture was due in large part to the leaders of the organization (Brice Jones (Sonoma Cutrer), Bill MacIver (Matanzas Creek Winery), Patrick Campbell, Laurel Glen), all huge advocates for the concerns of small wineries and family farmers. In fact, the birth of Family Winemakers of California came after an exodus of small and family wineries from the larger Wine Institute when many wineries became disillusioned. The believed that Wine Institute policy was geared to closely to its larger members.

That radical quality slowly seeped out Family Winemakers over the years as they became a well respected lobbying organization and the creators of the most important winery tasting in America.

Something changed yesterday when that organization turned activist and filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts seeking to overturn legislation that only allows wineries of certain, small production levels to ship direct to MA consumers.

They leveled the charge that this restriction is every bit as discriminatory as simply banning out-of-state wineries from shipping to MA residents, a condition that existed in MA and other states before last years Supreme Court decision in Granholm V. Heald.

In all the years that there have been court battles over direct shipping, I'm unaware of Family Winemakers stepping into the breach and filing their own suit. I want to find out why the change of heart now.

This case is pretty important and similar law suits will be filed in other states that have taken similar approaches. Family Winemakers will not necessarily have the MA wineries on their side. If Family Winemakers win the case and production limits on shipping are called unconstitutional,, it's nut unlikely that the MA legislature would simply respond by banning all direct shipping, including by local wineries.

There is risk here.

However, from a consumer perspective and from the perspective of wineries across the country this is a very welcome move. Having the authority of a well-know and well-respected organization of 400+ wineries entering the direct shipping fray is a very good thing.

Wine Tainting Screwcaps?

I've been an advocate of alternative closures (non-cork closures) for wine for quite some time. Simply, I think quality control is paramount.

That said, I was taken aback by a headline in The Telegraph that read: "SCREWCAPS BLAMED FOR TAINTING WINE".

Given the rather intense war of words and advertising between the cork producers and pushers of alternative closures, the headline must give the cork advocates something tasting to gnaw on.

The crux of the article is that at the International Wine Challenge in England tasters found that 2.2% of the screwcap closed wines were tainted in some way. The culprit was found to be a "build-up of sulphides which give the wine an eggy or oniony flavour."

And yet, way down deep near the end of the article we find this nugget, a nugget I suspect the Cork producers wish they could have claimed:

"Sam Harrop, a wine-maker who co-chaired the tasting, said that the problem with screwcaps appeared to be related to their greater efficiency as a seal and that companies who had been using them for a long time had all but eradicated the problem."

I wonder if there was another headline that might have more accurately assessed the discoveries of the tasters at the International wine challenge?

Selling Wine & Telling Stories

HERE is a really good promotion that the folk over at Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines are putting together to honor the Beaulieu Georges de Latour Private Reserve, a wine that is truly an historic CA wine.

They want anyone with a good story about this wine to write in and share it with them. The best stories will show up on their website and the very best will end up in an advertising campaign.

In the first place there just aren't that many American wines that could justify a call for stories about them. Very few have been made continuously for as long as the BV Private Reserve that also have standing as an iconic wine.

And I love the interactive quality of this promotion.

If you want to add your BV Private Reserve Story to the mix you can do so HERE.

I'm not sure the BV Private Reserve Cabernet is what it used to be. However, I am sure that this wine, in a number of vintages was among the best made in California. The current release of BV GDLT Private Reserve is the 2002 Vintage. It is priced at $95.

Currently Winebid.com has a number of older vintages of this wine on the block at prices that are lower than the release price for the new vintage. The most interesting items are a 1971 vintage for $80 and a 1982 vintage for $55.

I submitted my own Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon story. It is reproduced below:
--------------------------------------------------
I can't say I'm proud of this story. Nor can I bring myself to say that under similar circumstances I would not do it again.

It was 1985, my first year in college and the year I started to really indulge my growing interest in wine. I'd read the books, bought the cheap stuff, scanned the history of CA wine and was ready to move on to the good stuff.

At the local beer-infested liquor store nearby Humboldt State University in Arcata, California I began my search for "the good stuff." The selection at the store the sold us our kegs was small.

But, tucked away was a bottle of 1978 BV GDLT Cabernet Sauvignon.

I'd read about this wine. I wanted to try this wine. The price however was more than I could afford.

Then it struck me that the person at the check out counter, a young man who was also in my history class, had proved himself regularly to be dumb as a sack of nails. He was also one of the greatest wine chuggers I'd ever encountered. It struck me that he'd have no knowledge of wine.

So I did it. I furtively peeled off the price tag from the Barefoot Cellars wine and placed on the BV GDLT 1978 Cab: $3.99.

I walked up to the counter. Placed it in front of the sack of nails, watched him ring it up, paid my $3.99 and left.

I known. I know. But it's just very unlikely that anyone frequenting this particular store would have appreciated it.

I brought the 1978 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve back to the dorm and drank it as I thumbed through the various wine books that spoke of this wine. It was my introduction to the great wines of California.

I suspect we all have a sordid past. We all have things we are ashamed of. And I readily admit that what I did was...well, not legal. That said, the guilt I carry with me over this incident has been assuaged over time by any number of really good rationalizations. The one that sticks with me today is that the wine was REALLY REALLY good.

Is There Any Place Safe for the Sale of Wine?

I must admit, I am fascinated by the campaign in Massachusetts that has that state deciding whether or not wine should be sold in grocery stores. Currently one must go to a liquor store to buy wine.

There is a good deal of money being spent with grocers on one side of the fight and liquor stores and distributors on the anti side of the fight.

What struck me in the articles I've been reading about this campaign is that the distributors 1) don't want wine sold in grocery stores and 2) that the argument they are making against grocery sales of wine is that it will be easier for minors to get their hands on wine.

First, why would distributors of wine not want more outlets at which they can sell their wines? I hasten to think that it might mean more work for them as they would have to make more stops.

Second, it's cracks me up that for a decade distributors have been arguing that on-line sales are bad because there is no face-to-face transaction, which will lead to minors being more likely to get their hands on wine. Now, at least in Massachusetts, they seem to be arguing that even face to face sales are dangerous.  In THIS article we have those aligned against the proposed law allowing sales in grocery stores saying that shoplifting by minors is more likely to happen in grocery stores.

Why do I get the feeling that distributors  would prefer there be one store in each state where wine can be purchased. They wouldn't necessarily own the store. However, it would mean they would have only one stop to make, one buyer to take on trips, and they'd only have to have one truck to deliver the wine (however, it would have to be a big one.)

Why You Buy: Survey Results

So here's what I wanted to know: What prompts you to buy a  wine you've never had before given only the information on the bottle?

The answer? In general, you told me that the producer and the varietal hold equal sway over your purchasing decisions. When asked "In general, and all else being equal, what is the most important factor in your decision to buy a wine you've never tried previously," 33% said producer and 31% said varietal.

The price of the wine, however, is an important factor in your decision making. When considering buying a wine that is $15 or less, upwards of 42% said Varietal is the most important factor in your buying decision.

Yet, once you start contemplating wines over $15 a bottle, everything changes. For wines costing $15 to $30 a bottle  52% of you said the producer is the most important factor. For wines over $30 per bottle fully 71% said the producer was the most important factor in your decision to buy a wine you'd never had.

My take on the seeming power of the producer to prompt purchases by Fermentation readers (who tend to be fairly savvy wine buyers) suggests a certain power in branding, in creating a bond between the market and the maker. It's been suggested that brand loyalty is a think of the past. No.

I admit I was hoping that "Region" would be a more important factor to more of you. In fact, to telegraph that hope I did ask this question: "Are you willing to pay more for wines simply because they are from a particular region?" Sixty Six percent of you said, "yes."....Good for you!

Yet it appears there is little demographic difference between those who would pay more for wine based on the region it came from an those who would not. However, those who would pay more for wine based on region tend to describe themselves as having "expert" wine knowledge a twice the rate that those who won't pay more.

This makes a lot of sense to me. Roger Dial, publisher of Appellation America, describes "region" as the most obvious element of wine for people to explore once they have investigated the varietal.

"After you taste taste and understand the 20 or 30 varietals that make up 99% of the wine, the next step up the educational ladder is region," says Dial. "You might want to explore all those producers that make merlot, but that's an impossible process. It's much easier to start to distinguish between merlots from Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Italy, Chile and Washington State."

You can look at the Results of the "Why You Buy" Fermentation Survey by clicking HERE

Wine and Where the Kangaroo Resides

The governing body in France that grants appellation status to wine growing regions has added 4 new appellations to the over 400 that currently are recognized in France.

There are apparently some who are quite unhappy about this further carving up of France's vineyard lands:“France's wine industry often operates at different speeds with little co-ordination or coherence,” said Jean Clavel, head of the Coteaux Languedoc AOC region.

“This decision by INAO is the fruit of 10 years of work by different committees. The wine world moves at the speed of the internet and this decision seems to me to be completely out-dated.”

The point M.Clavel is trying to make is that appellations are outdated in a world that is seeing most wine being bought based on price and varietal, rather than an obscure place name on the label. The point is also one born out of the fact that French winemakers are having a harder and harder time competing with New World wines that really have little concern for the idea that where grapes are grown really has much meaning to the consumer who appears more concerned with the species of animal on the label.

I would argue that the problem is not that consumers don't care about the place the wine was made or don't care about "terroir", but rather there is a lack of imagination on the part of those who do think place is important and that "terroir" can define a product.

It's a lack of marketing imagination to be precise. Pretty soon someone is going to figure out that if you can make a bottle of wine a substitute for "being there", then all you have to do is make where ever "There" is a locale people want to be. It appears  number of French vintners, marketers, exporters and importers of wine have forgotten the power of envy and desire when it comes to marketing.

They should consider what that the set up from admiring a kangaroo is an admiration of the place where the Kangaroo resides.

More...Great Underappreciated CA Wine Estates

In the voluminous amount of words that are dedicated to the conversation on wine both in print and on-line there is a tendency to focus on what's new, what's hot, what's cultish, what's fashionable. This makes sense. "What's New" is often what's interesting.

But in the process it's often the case that wineries that have been around a long time and consistently produce wonderful wines get overlooked.

Eric Asimov at his Blog "The Pour" makes just this point by listing his "Great under-appreciated California wine estates". His criteria is simple: Must be in business 25 years and must make consistently wonderful wine and he must like the wine.

It's a good list and I suspect he could have gone on to list a great many more, but simply didn't have the time and didn't want to create post of monumental length.

So, allow me to add my two cents to the mix.

FOPPIANO VINEYARDS
Great Petite Sirah...consistently

GUNDLACH-BUNSCHU
Talk about being around  long time. Wonderful consistent wine.

MATANZAS CREEK
Merlot! The original great American merlot producers

CONN CREEK
These guys made some amazing wines in the 1980s and 1990s

CHAPPELLET
Chenin Blanc...Really Really good chenin blanc year after year

Tipping, Bribes and Wine

How much do you tip in a restaurant?

I tend to go wit a standard 20%. If the service is just south of par I give the server the benefit of the doubt and continue along with the 20%. If the service is really bad, I go south of 20%.

The interesting question is, do you apply that 20% to the wine you ordered. I never do, at least if it's a bottle of wine I've bought. Part of the service I'm tipping for is for th waiter to bring me my meal, and the bottle of wine is part of my meal.

An interesting article appeared today in the SF Chronicle about a group of servers that has formed to convince restaurants to add a standard 20% service fee to the check. If this were done, would you also tip? I probably would not...unless the service were so stellar that it surprised  me.

But here's thing about tipping: There is a big difference between the tip you give at a restaurant and the tip you give in other circumstances. As the article in the SF Chronicle notes, "Tipping is about buying social approval." There is no question about this and the key is that the tip comes after the service has been rendered. In other words, the tip is actually a payment for service. The key to understanding the power of the tip is in understanding when it is offered.

Tips in advance of service rarely happen in a restaurant setting. It's outside the restaurant setting when I really start to think about my tipping practices.

In other words, I'm thinking about the power of the   bribe, er...TIP

A pre-tip in my mind is an investment. You're using it to let a service person know there there is good reason to pay attention to you. There are a number of situations in which bribing pre-tipping is an excellent investment:

1. IN A CROWDED BAR WHERE YOU WILL BE FOR A WHILE
In this case you want to be sure that the server gets back to you on a regular basis. If the first round of drinks costs $20 and I know I'm going to want more rounds an the place is crowded, I'll usually give the server an extra $10 and simply say, "will you check on us in a while?"

2. UPON CHECKING INTO A HOTEL WHERE YOU WILL BE STAYING A WHILE.
If the cost of your room is between $200-$300 per night, a $50 tip to the person checking you in will often get you an upgraded room. It's a simple procedure. Put a $50 bill on the counter and ask if they could look to see if any upgraded rooms are available.

3. THE CONCIERGE
If I'm going to be using the services of the Concierge over the net few days I'll go over to them, introduce myself, ask a very simple question that can be answer with no effort, then leave them with a $20 tip. .

Finally, what about tipping in a winery tasting room? I've done it on occasion to reward really top notch service, but that is very rare. Today's article by Peg Melnik in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat explains it best:

"No need to pester the tasting room staff about its tipping policy. Here's the story, plain and simple: There's no expectation to tip.

"It's pretty much the general rule," said Philippe Thibault, hospitality operations manager of Chateau St. Jean. "Once you pay a fee, you're not expected to tip." Fees typically range from $5 to $20. Of course, if a customer offers a gratuity in recognition of a particularly helpful and informative staff, they won't say no. "We tell the staff to keep it because it's awkward to say 'thanks but no thanks,'" Thibault said."

The Wine Shipping War is over....BUT..

You know that whole battle between distributors of wine and wineries?   That one that has the wineries wanting to be able to ship and sell their wine direct to customers while the distributors don't want any direct sales to happen? That one?

It's over.

Between last year's supreme court victory, the number of states that have given in and allowed direct shipping and the seemingly ongoing self mutilation the distributors have engaged in as they try to convince us that 16 year old want to buy Chateau Lafite the who battle is over. Direct shippers win. the battle of ideas is clearly over on that front. What's left is for the battlefield to be cleaned up as more states open their borders and retailers be given the right to sell direct just like wineries have.

However, distributors across the country have their eyes on a new prize: putting as many small, family-owned wineries out of business.

The plan to do this is centered around distributors' attempts to get states to take away wineries privilege to "self distribute": sell wine directly from the winery to the retailer and restaurant without using a wholesaler. Many states grant wineries this right. However, if the distributing middle men have their their way, small wineries in states across the country will be forced to use distributors instead. And when that happens, wineries are at the mercy of a state-imposed partner that doesn't care if the winery succeeds or fails.

This is exactly what happened in Virginia last year when the state revoked the wineries long held right to self distribute. Why did the state do this? Because the well-monied distributors paid them enough to get it done. Why did the distributors want this? Because a court case in Washington State informed us that allowing in-state wineries to self distribute while prohibiting out of state wineries from doing the same was unconstitutional. States either had to all wineries across the country to sell to the state's retailers and bypass the distributors or let no wineries do so...including their own in-state wineries.

So why shouldn't Virginia just let any winery anywhere bypass the distributor? Why not let Kendall-Jackson, Screaming Eagle and William Selyem sell direct to Virginia retailers?

There is no good reason not to allow this...unless you are a distributor that would lose money as a result. In other words, Virginia's wine and beer distributors have bought themselves a state and a monopoly via campaign contributions.

But something interesting happened on the way to the Virginia Distributors' Monopoly    the other day. That state's wineries and grape growers had a meeting.

In fact, they had a meeting with local and state politicians and got in their face about the gross inequity that results from their self distribution rights being stripped from them and the prospect that many of them will face bankruptcy because distributors just don't care to sell their wines.

This kind of get together and pressuring of state representatives is the first step in the kind of process that will break the stranglehold of the monied distributors.

Among the things that did not go unsaid at this meeting in Virginia:

-Some of the representatives have very lose ties to distributors
-Lots of money is flowing from distributors to lawmakers
-Distributors don't care about Virginia's wineries
-Many Virginia wineries will go out of business if the system isn't changed
-The practice of selling from producer to distributor to retailer/restaurant is outdated.
-Distributors only care about money, Virginians ought to care about fairness.

If these points are repeated to every politician in the state of Virginia on a weekly basis and if these points are delivered to the media, local and national, on a weekly basis then Virginia's wine industry might have a chance at survival.

Tish Critiques the Wine Critics

W. R. Tish has had the second half of his long article on America's glossy wine magazines published by Wines & Vines magazine, a trade publication.

No one will miss the irony that Tish delivers has he rates the glossies on a 100 Point scale. I won't give away the outcome of Tish's exercise in critiquing the critics other than to say that Wine & Spirits Magazine comes out looking good in his estimation.

Tish focuses on three publications: The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits Magazine. He left aside at least two other glossies that I hoped he would have focused on: Quarterly Review of Wines and The Wine News. Both these publications have been around quite some time and both deliver first-rate, well-written articles on wine produced by some outstanding writers.

For those who never consider advertising in the wine glossies, perhaps one of th most interesting elements of Tish's article is a little graphic that highlights the circulation of the three magazines he focuses on along with the cost to advertise and the "CPM" of each magazine: Cost Per Thousand. The CPM is a method of comparing the cost of advertising in different magazines. Essentially you divide the cost of a full page, color ad by the number of thousands in the magazine's circulation to come up with the cost to reach 1000 readers in each publication.

You are going to be surprised at the figures delivered in the graphic on this topic that accompanies the article.

In the end, you get the impression that Tish isn't so impressed.   That's something to consider. Tish is a former Editor at Wine Enthusiast. Yet, consider the task of a wine publication. They are writing for a fairly small group of folks. Let's face it, outside those in the industry, who really cares about the quality and character of the 2005 harvest in Chateauneuf du Pape? The response the obvious answer to this question has been the creation of other wine publications that seem to take a different approach to wine: making it out to be a lifestyle. Wine X Magazine and the newly launched Wine Adventure are just two that come to mind.

The folks at the Wine Spectator figured out this inherent problem some time ago. When I first started working in the wine industry around 1990 the Wine Spectator was a pretty geeky magazine and had been for quite some time. Not long after that a number of stories began to appear on a regular basis that focused on travel, going to spas, Which steak knives to buy and the best place to buy cheese. These lifestyle articles were combined with continuing coverage of the hard core wine topics and, voila, you've got a magazine that appeals to those folk who like the "idea" of wine as it does to those who want to know the character of the 2005 vintage in  Chateauneuf Du Pape.

Most of the other glossies followed the Wine Spectator's lead because they all knew it was the thing they had to do. The hard part is keeping your base of wine geeks happy while broadening the scope of what they covered in their publications.

I have to end this post by quoting Tish. He compares each of the three magazines he reviews to a wine:

"Wine & Spirits might be a Grüner Veltliner—chic in an esoteric way, and now bidding for wider recognition to match its appreciation among retail/restaurant savants. Wine Spectator seems to fit the mold of a 2000 Bordeaux classified growth… established, revered, providing satisfaction to those who have it in their cellar, so to speak, envied by those who don't have access to such lofty rank. Wine Enthusiast seems to fit the persona of White Mare 2003 California Cabernet Sauvignon—basic juice, nicely packaged."                        

Where Wine Criticism Merges into Dictating Taste

Wow...talk about the power of the wine critic.

It's one thing to bestow a wine with a score of 75 points or one star and leave for the consumer to decide after that. It's an altogether different thing to ban the sale of wine in an entire country because there's something about its color, aroma or taste you don't like.

That appears to be the case in Russia where the all powerful "Rospotrebnadzor", that country's consumer rights and sanitation department, announced that it has rejected for sale in Russia 11 Ukranian wines because they "failed to meet organoleptic requirements (taste,  aroma  and  color)."

Keep in mind, this kind of determination is apparently different than a rejection of wine based on sanitary conditions noted in the wine. Someone at "Rospotrebnadzor" simply doesn't like the wine, so....it shan't be sold.

Winemaking in the Ukraine has a fairly ancient history and those wines from the Crimea are considered to be among the best produced in the Near East.

One has to wonder if there are any politics behind this banning of certain wines. Or, perhaps Russia is simply taking the guessing out of the wine buying process by dictating what kind of wine and what type of tastes are appropriate for that country. Seems we've seen this approach from that neck of the woods before.

Wine Business On the Radio

If you have very little to do today at 1pm PST you can can me appearing on "WineBiz 2.4" on the mighty KSVY 91.3.

Hosts Richard "Kaz" Kasmier and Erik Aho put on a great show every week at this time. They cover the news and business of wine. Kaz is the winemaker while Erik is the lawyer.

Me? I guess I'm the monthly color guy. It's a fun gig that finds the three of us ranging over a broad array of issues concerning wine and business.

WineBiz 2.4 is streamed live, so if you are so inclined have a listen...or better yet, listen and call in with your thoughts on our subjects.

The Impact of Wine Pricing Transparency

Imagine walking into a bookstore and finding that novel you've been looking for. It's right there on the New Releases hardback table. The inside flap, right there on the book, notes the cost is $25.99. You bring it up to check out counter and they inform you that the cost is actually $39.00.

Welcome to the wine industry...well, sort of.

Wineries don't print their suggested retail prices directly on their bottles or labels. But they most certainly do have one. The suggested retail price of a wine can be found at the winery's tasting room, at its website or by doing the math based on the price at which a winery sells their wine to a distributor. Distributors and wholesalers buy wine at 50% off suggested retail,  a price that allows them to mark it up to the retailers to whom they sell and allows the retailer to market it back up to suggested retail.

The dynamics of this dance are changing in the slightest way. Campo alla Sughera, an Italian winery in Bolgheri, has announced it will begin printing its suggested retail price right there on the bottle. (hat tip to Gerald at Weimax for point me to this bit of news).

This is pretty novel stuff. I've never seen a bottle of wine before that actually had the wineries suggested retail prices right there on the bottle. Campo alla Sughera explains their actions this way:

“The initiative by Campo alla Sughera came out of the need to contrast the excessive price hikes for wines, a bad habit that damages the image of producers and blocks fruition on the part of consumers. Most probably, many restaurants and wine bars, attentive to strategies for sales as well as for their clients, will apply a price lower than that suggested on the label, and in this case…”.

Restaurants simply don't sell wine at the retail price. In fact, the price of a wine at a restaurant is often two to three times the suggested retail price. They justify this in any number of way. The issue of restaurant pricing rarely comes up  the restaurant. You look over the list, make your pick, and make your order.

That dynamic is going to change for the folk who purchase the Campo Alla Sughera bottles, isn't it.  Imagine ordering that bottle of Campo, having the bottle brought to the table and finding the price on the bottle is two times less that the price on the menu. Restaurants are going to become a bit more skilled at explaining their pricing scheme.

The Politics of Honesty and Wine

Massachusetts is one of those places that still has amazingly antiquated laws on the books regarding wine and alcohol.

One of those laws allows wine only to be sold in "package stores". Basically a "package store" is a liquor store. The law is being challenged and it looks like People are in favor of it.

The proposal in MA to end the package store monopoly on wine sales doesn't so much have an organized opposition as it does an organized constituency that will be hurt by the change in law.

Can you guess who is against it? Ostensibly it's an organization that call itself the "Wine Merchants and Concerned Citizens for SAFETY."

And guess who is for it? That's correct. Supermarkets and grocery stores that will now be allowed to sell wine next to the sausage, pesto sauce and filet of sole...exactly where it should be sold.

You've got to feel a little sorry for the "Wine Merchants and Concerned Citizens for SAFETY." What are they going to say? "We oppose this law because it will make our lives more difficult? That's not much of an argument up against the Supermarkets' pretty reliable claim that it will make everyone's life easier since they will no longer have to make an extra stop just to pick up their Pinot.

So, instead of making the self serving argument that happens to be the honest argument, they are forced to make this argument:

"Amber Rieg, the coalition's spokesperson, said small-business owners would suffer if more supermarkets were allowed to sell wine. She also argued that supermarkets don't have the controls in place to effectively monitor sales to underage shoppers.

"Convenience shouldn't be the main point. It's about responsible sales," she said. "Everybody who goes into a package store is expected to be 21, so if someone comes in who looks a little young, they're always going to stand out."

It's a little pathetic and I feel sorry for Ms. Rieg for having to be the one to have to say this sort of thing. Why not just make the argument that it has worked fine to this point and the law in place now, antiquated as it is, allows other business to flourish rather than giving it all away to the Big Retailers. This argument, while still self serving, at least has the benefit of being honest, if not particularly compelling.

In The Presence of Greatness

Finding yourself in the presence of greatness can be a near overwelming experience. I'm not talking about walking into an elevator and finding yourself hip to hip to Tom Cruise. I'm talking about experiencing the kind of transcendent greatness that is almost only delivered by those rare artists that build steps for others that no one knew previously could support the kind of achievement these artists deliver.

I saw the 81 year old Oscar Peterson perform last night to a sold out crowd at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, California. Peterson has been accused, like Mozart in "Amadeus" of playing "too many notes". Clearly he could not have laid his fingers on enough of them last night to satisfy me or anyone else in the crowd.

Peterson travels by wheelchair these days and is accompanied by an aid. A stroke a few years back nearly ended what was unquestionably one of the greatest artistic careers music has ever created. But he bounced back. Shuffling across the stage to a huge grand piano, Peterson made his way with an occasional nod to the standing audience. Even beneath the thunderous applause for him as he made his to his instrument, you could clearly detect the held breath of those who, like me, hoped he would make it across the stage.

He did.

There is very little that can be said about Oscar Peterson without repeating past honors. His huge hands move across the keyboard with an effortless grace that makes it all the more amazing when those notes and commanding melodies and and modal tones envelope a room. There is no indication of age or stroke or slowing down when Peterson plays the piano. His fingers and hands appear to be infused with a memory that prevents any obstacle from getting in the way of his art.

I've yet to experience with wine an occasion that I could so clearly describe as "being in the presence of greatness." This is particularly true after being reminded of what I mean by that idea last night as I sipped on a couple of Manhattans and watched this virtuoso.

I've drunk great wines, wines that are honored by their singularity (Petrus, Grange, '74 Martha's Vineyard, etc). But it's not the same. While winemaking can surely be described as an art, it is not an art that we see continually evolving and not one that continually reaches new heights. Nor do we generally see a wine or winemaker help redefining the art the way Peterson, Monk, Coltrane, Tatum and the others in that pantheon have.

This is not so much a knock on wine-as-an-art, but rather an acknowledgment that as an art, wine has its limitations.

It doesn't appear that Oscar Peterson does.

The Consiglieri of Italian Wine

You get the impression that Alfonso Cevola is a member of that secret band of men who actually would trade it all in for a chance to be a member of Corleone Family. It's not that he wants to run a crime family, rather he has an attraction to the strong ties the Corleone family creates among its members and its Italian cultural heritage. He, like me, probably understands The Godfather Trilogy, not as a story about crime and murder, but about family and the bonds that hold them together.<