Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog

American Wine Blog Awards Update: Almost Ready to Announce Finalists

We are only a few days away from announcing the finalists in each of the seven American Wine Blog Awards categories. I'm thinking early next week at the latest.

The judges have all informed me that the process of looking through all the nominated blogs has been a great experience for them. While each of them is very familiar with the blog format and wine blogs, none of them had taken the opportunity to delve into the world of wine blogs in such an intense fashion.

I actually visited each and every site nominated prior to sending them off to the judges. I was just looking to make sure they all had the requisite number of posts and that they fell into the correct category. I look at blogs fairly often. But going through them all in a single day was enlightening for me also.

There is great stuff being done in this genre. But there is also room for lots of improvement. And I got lots of ideas for FERMENTATION. Remember, stealing borrowing is a compliment.

That said, look for the finalists in each category to be coming your way very soon and for the voting to begin.

Surveying Direct-To-Consumer Wine Sales

WineBusiness.com pointed me toward a very interesting article by Wines & Vines magazine   that explored a survey that publication had conducted with wineries on the issue of direct-to-consumer shipping. Direct-to-consumer shipment of wine is by far the most exciting sales channel and the most quickly developing channel for sales in the wine business.

The article in Wines & Vines indicates that in general wineries are happy with their efforts in this area and generally happy with the results. However, it also indicates by the relatively large number of respondents indicating their is LOTS of room for improvement that a great deal of education in this area is necessary.

Perhaps I missed it, but it seems to me that there is a real need for an in depth series of seminars or a conference on the issue of direct-shipping. I can think of a variety of companies that deal in this area that would most certainly bring much to the table at such a conference.

Most certainly this kind of conference would want to deal with:

-Compliance
-The Changing Legal Landscape
-Web design that is customer friendly
-How to run an effective e-mail campaign
-Effective Wine Club Strategies
-Tasting Sales Strategies
-Database Management

For the winery that sells between 3000 and 20,000 cases of wine per year, direct-to-consumer sales can be the channel that literally makes or breaks their profitability. A few wineries we work with at Wark Communications have specialized in Direct-to-Consumer sales and demonstrated that it can work to sell upwards of 10,000 cases per year, with wholesale and FOB sales far down the ladder in terms of percentage of sales.

There are nearly 5,000 wineries in the United States  today, a figure close to double that of just 7 years ago. Combine this with the consolidating distribution tier and with the growing acceptance and expectation among consumers for direct access to companies products and you can see how direct-to-consumers sale is a big part of the wine industry's and wine lover's future.

Recognition Beyond Ratings

So I'm sitting around a table listening to Will Bucklin, Jeff Gaffner, and Joel Peterson have a conversation. What do they all have in common? You'd be hard pressed to find three people who have a more hands-on and theoretical knowledge of Old Vine, Field Blend Zinfandels from Sonoma Valley.

I was at the table just for the ride. There was a writer there too who was interviewing the three of them for a story. But you wouldn't have known it. These three guys were carrying out on a conversation that, shall we say, got to fine points of issue.

For example, the three of them were speculating pretty damn knowledgeably on how the different localized cultures of various parts of late-19th/early-20th century Sonoma were such that the character of field blend vineyards planted at that time reflected the different ethnic make ups and experience of the folks that lived in the localized areas. For example, the character of the field blend vineyards in Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley tend to emphasize different combinations of varieties in part because of the different types of communities that lived in small areas. We know this because some of these vineyards still exist. We also know it because of guys like these three.

Bucklin, Gaffner and Peterson specialize as much in being caretakers and preservationists as they do in winemaking and tending vineyards. These are the guys that deal in 100+ year old vineyards. They think deeply about the meaning of "old vine". But most of all they clearly feel a responsibility to the community of wine and the culture at large to preserve the amazing vineyards they work with and make wine from.

As they talk about these things, swapped stories, thought out loud about the future of Old Vines and field blends, and exchanged information about events and trends that occurred or began 150 years ago it struck me that these true, Old Vine vineyards that remain in Sonoma Valley and other part of California truly deserve a kind of recognition that goes beyond ratings, designations on labels and special corners of collectors' cellars.

What the true California Old Vine, field blended vineyards need are official status as Historic California Landmarks.

I've seen historical landmarkers on the side of the road that refer to broken down buildings barely standing, to places where famous people were born or slept, to places where something happened but there is now no trace.

Buena Vista Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma is a California Historical Landmark. As is the location near the Old Sebastiani Winery in Sonoma.  What's different  about Old Hill Ranch, Barricia Vineyard, Casa Santinamaria Vineyard,  Pagani Ranch, Rossi  Vineyard,  and Shaw Vineyard  is that they are truly LIVING  history sites. These vineyards produce grapes in largely the same  way they produced  grapes for the people that planted them more than 100 years ago.  They are windows into the culture of  the immigrants to the region and the society of early Sonoma County.

How the Cabernet producers of California could ever muster the cajones to oppose the designation of Zinfnadel as "The Official California Grape" I'll never know. Equally puzzling would be any argument against designating these historical vineyards as Historical California Landmarks, plaques and all. Someone should start a movement to do just that.

The first step would be to put Bucklin, Gaffner and Peterson in a room together, let them start talking, record it, then give that recording to the folks who make the decisions on Historical Landmarks and have them listen to it as they walk the Old Vine vineyards.

Zinfandelisticdelightomania

The latest issue of Connoisseurs Guide to California Wines pays tribute to Paul Draper at Ridge and Ridge Vineyards in general as being among the most responsible for popularizing Zinfandel. If you added Joel Peterson of Ravenswood to this list you'd have it covered.

However, at this point in the career of Zinfandel, you have to add Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) to the list of those who are instrumental in the success of Zin.

This weekend's ZAP tasting in San Francisco was remarkable...in a number of ways. A few observations are in order:

1. NOBILITY
There are those who don't consider Zinfandel a "Noble Grape". Seeing the real seriousness of the procurers and the seriousness with which the attendees take this grape, you can at this point write off those would would continue to put Zinfandel outside the pantheon of Pinot, Cab, Chardonnay, Riesling and the other "Nobles".

2. "MINE"S SMALLER THAN YOURS
I can't tell you how many producers I visited with made a point of telling me that they prefer to make their zin in a more restrained style than  "others". This is significant if only for one reason: The trade is recognizing that there is a desire out there for balance over brawn.

3. ROSHAMBUS
It was great to see Roshambo at ZAP in such a visual way. They just sold their iconic winery in Russian River Valley to Silver Oak and many folks wonder what will become of this unique brand. The "ROSHAMBUS", decked out in Roshambo colors and a portrait of owner Naomi Brilliant bedecked in boxing attire should help dispel any idea that the Roshambo brand and attitude is going away.

4. D-CUBED WINERY
Yum!!!

5. GOOD ORGANIZATION
Sure it was crowded (8,000 folks, I'm told), but I'm amazed at how smoothly this event goes off given all the potentials for disaster. I never wanted for bread, cheese, water, spit buckets and it was never hard to track down a volunteer if I needed help or had a question.

6. FATIGUE
At about 40 wines I lost palate. In fact I remember tasting a Zin and thinking, "My God, I can taste nothing!". I sniffed, tasted again. "Nothing". And I thought, I've judged well over 100 wines in a day without this kind of palate fatigue. I think that it comes down to the process of walking and talking, and carrying stuff around, being careful not to walk into wine glasses, etc. that leads to this kind of early fatigue. On the contrary, in a judging environment you've got nothing to do but sit, taste and think. Maybe I'm just getting older.

VERTICAL OLD VINE
Saxon-Brown was sporting a 1997-2003 vertical of their old vine zinfandel. That was a treat to compare and see the thread of a single vineyard show through vintage after vintage, and see how even with layer of age one can still find that terroir thread. After getting back to Sonoma Valley I actually drove to this vineyard to take a look at it. It is indeed a site to see.

Wine Blogs Just Aren't that Interesting

Last night I sat down in the studios of KRCB-FM for an interview with Michele Anna Jordan, host of Mouthful. My co-guest was JohnG of Quaffability. We were there to discuss the wine blogging phenomenon.

This was the fifth radio interview I've done in the past couple of weeks on the subject of wine blogs and a very interesting pattern has emerged: Nearly every interview moves past the issue of wine blogging into a wide ranging discussion of wine in general.

Michele had a number of very good questions on wine blogging...more than most interviewers. But in the end the discussion went toward Beaujolais, Kermit Lynch, high alcohol wine, wine and elitism and other topics that aren't about wine blogging at all. The same pattern as in other interviews.

I know why this is. The topic of wine blogging is really no more interesting that the topic of how a wine magazine (or any magazine for that matter) gets published or how many readers a wine magazine has. After a while, after you explain the arcanities of how a blog is easy to publish, there is not much more meat on that bone and you start to turn to the real question: Why do you blog or Why do you read a blog? Once this question is on the table you can take it anywhere.

The point is, wine blogging and blogging in general isn't that interesting as a topic. What's really interesting is content, why one choose to write about a subject, and what that subject means to the writer and the reader.

By the way, Michele Anna Jordan is one of those folks who by her enthusiasm for food and wine and her prominence as a writer and personality in Sonoma County, has really come to help define the foodie and wine community in this important food and wine region. I'd been in her studio before with clients when they were on her show, but never interviewed myself. It was a treat. Her well of knowledge allows her to ask very good questions.

A Mouthful of Wine Bloggers

Two wine bloggers will grace the KRCB-FM studios tonight at 7pm on Michelle Anna Jordan's "Mouthful" show.

Myself and John from Quaffability will try to guide Michelle's listeners throught the world of wine blogs and wine blogging, pointing them to great blogs and speculating on the future of this medium.

To listen live TUNE IN HERE.

The Terroir Paradigms

The philosopher of Science Thomas Kuhn famously suggested that it is impossible to fully understand one paradigm through the conceptual framework and terminology of another or rival paradigm.

I've been thinking about the notion of terroir some more and it strikes me that we may have rival paradigms in play when it comes to terroir that make it difficult to achieve a singular "philosophy of terroir".

THE TERROR PARADIGMS
The two terroir paradigms at play seem to be the Old World vs the New World paradigms. The Old World paradigm has its core the ideas that are fully undeveloped in New World wine regions.

Consider Europe where for the most part wines are identified by their place. We drink Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rioja, Champagne. We don't drink Merlot Blends from Bordeaux or Pinot/Chardonnay blends from Champagne. Pinot and Chardonnay ARE Champagne...by law.

This is a very unique way of thinking about wine. But more important, it is a way of thinking about wine that effectively takes "varieties" out of the equation. Unlike in the New World winemaking regions, Old World wine drinkers simply don't talk much about which variety is best suited to the region. That kind of question would be beside the point to a Burgundy drinker. The more important question is what is it about the region that makes this Burgundy taste the way it does.

On the contrary, I've never heard someone ask, "What is it about Russian River Valley that makes Russian River Valley taste the way it does?"

When you can't ask the same questions about wines grown in different regions you are looking then at two different paradigms.

THE CULTURAL AND IDEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THE NEW WORLD TERROR PARADIGM
The New World winemakers, when they think about terroir, are these days debating which variety is best suited to a region. We hear things like, "Carneros is best suited for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir" or "Marin County wine growers are discovering that Riesling might be the best variety for that terroir". One might argue that this is a less mature way, or a less mature paradigm, for examining terroir. But it is not. It is a way of looking at terroir that is dictated, I think, by an altogether different national culture and ideology.

It seems very unlikely to me that any American-based regulatory body will ever dictate which varieties must be used in a wine in order to place a particular appellation on that wine.  Before this could even be considered seriously we'd have to  have a winegrowing region where the fortunes of the majority of winemakers were so completely tied to a particular variety that the idea of a wine being produced with that appellation on it that also was not made from this dominant varietal would have to be considered a significant economic threat to the integrity of the region.

You might argue that such a situation is developing in Napa Valley where Cabernet is increasingly dominating the vineyards and wines. Still, this situation, I don't think, could ever develop to the level that the economic considerations of monovarietal winemaking region would over come the libertarian inclination of the American culture and people. Such a development could only occur in a future America in which our entrepreneurial and libertarian inclinations had been so undermined by economic based fears brought on by a paranoia that regulations of this type appeared to be the only way to preserve localized industry.

The collectivist attitude and culture that exists in the Old World, however, allows regulations of the type that would never exist in America. Yet, I don't think this means we will never see a paradigm shift  among New World and American winemakers that would allow us to understand terroir from the same perspective, or from within the same paradigm, as the Old World Winemakers understand terroir.

MOVING FROM VARIETAL PARADIGM TO PLACE PARADIGM
The pace of change among American winemakers and grapegrowers is leading them down a path that has them determining with some finality which varieties are best suited for particular regions. The regions tend to be defined by the boundaries of the federally determined AVAs but not in every case. For example, there are non-designated sub-regions of the Carneros region that are viewed as best suited for Merlot. Nevertheless, the main pursuit now is determining what grows best where.

Sometime in the near future this issue will be decided and the real substance of the American Terroir Paradigm will emerge: What characteristics of a Russian River Pinot or Russian River Chardonnay or a Russian River Zinfandel can the consumer expect? When this becomes the dominant question we will, in the New World, find ourselves asking very similar questions to those asked in the Old World about Terroir. We will simply have more questions to ask.

These are generalizations about the current state of the terroir debate that takes into account two generalized terroir paradigms.  It should be noted however that in some cases Americans and Old Worlders do currently look at terroir from within the same paradigm.

THE SINGLE VINEYARD LEAP
Single vineyard bottlings have exploded within the American wine making world over the past decade. Because these single vineyards tend to be planted to a single or two varieties we are evaluating the wines made from them on the same basis that Old Worlders evaluate their Burgundies, with the acknowledgment that a single vineyard bottling (or old world appellation) assumes one or two varieties are at the foundation of the wines. When we talk about wines from the Allen Vineyard or Martha's Vineyard or Hayne Vineyard we know we are talking about wines of a particular variety and, more important, what that particular plot of ground will deliver to the wine that carries its name. This is a very "old world" concept; a very "old world paradigm" for understanding terroir and wine.

Finally, one more observation on Terroir Paradigms. The idea of understanding wine from the perspective of Place is something that the average, say, French wine drinker embraces with very little effort. It's an idea that is part and parcel of the wine buying and wine drinking experience. Even those who know little about wine drink it with a near unconscious understanding of the Old World Terroir paradigm.

Yet in America, even the idea of varieties being linked to certain regions (The American Terroir paradigm) is a near wholly undeveloped idea among the average drinker. This is  the factor that leads me to believe that while sophisticated drinkers in America are starting to link varieties with place, it will be well beyond my lifetime before the average consumer understands that Green Valley Pinot Noir has a certain characteristic different from Santa Lucia Highlands.

And yet, to insure the growing interest in wine remains growing, it is critical that America's wine educators always attempt to drive home the idea of variety linked to place and even the idea that varieties planted in different places deliver different characteristics that can make the exploration of wine a lifelong and never ending pleasure. This, it seems to me, is the primary job of the American wine educators.








 

Charity Aucitions in Corn Country Vs. Wine Country

I've always wondered what kind of charity auction parents who live in corn or cotton or soy bean country have to raise money for their local schools. The dinner and charity auction is the preferred method of raising funds, particularly for private schools, but also for public schools more and more.

In Wine Country we have a standard event: The Wine Dinner and Charity Auction. We parents pay $70 to $150 to go. We get a great meal, usually created by a local chef, then we bid on auction lots, primarily wine-related auction lots.

I've helped organize these events. I've called winery after winery and procured a number of very cool big bottles, vertical collections, special tasting certificates and such. All over wine country this sort of event occurs.

What do they do in Corn Country?

I bring this up because I got notice of the granddaddy of this kind of Wine Country event: The Justin Siena Wine Auction of Napa-Sonona. This school has raised more than $1 Million over the past six years alone through their annual auction and dinner. This year's event happens on March 24 at Justin Siena High School in Napa.

Justin-Siena High School was founded forty years ago by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael and the Christian Brothers of the San Francisco District. A number of "wine kids" attend the school. The upshot is a collection of KILLER wine-related auction lots. They even bring in the great wine auctioneer David Reynolds to get the bids going and going and gone. 

While you want to have big bidders at these kind of events, I've always found that the key is to have lots (usually the silent type) that anyone attending can afford to bid on. No matter their means, folks like to walk away from these kind of events having won a lot, even if it's not a vertical collection of Screaming Eagle magnums.
Still, I'm wondering how they do it in Corn Country and Soy Bean Country. Does there exist a very special plot of land in Corn Country from which extraordinarily high quality bushels of corn emerge and that have specific terroir-based characteristics that would lead a number of parents would bid on them?

The Octopus

I was trying to think of a good way to describe the power that the wine wholesalers have accumulated over the years; a good way to indicate the real heft of their influence; a way to demonstrate what happens when the number of middle men shrink in number while suppliers increase; a way to demonstrate the kind of entity that is created when the state mandates monopoly status on a small number of businesses.

Then, the Dallas Morning News did it for me. From a story headlined "Liquor Wholesalers Ply legislators with Cash" comes this lead paragraph:

"AUSTIN – Liquor wholesalers dumped nearly $1.7 million on Texas lawmakers in the weeks leading up to the 2007 Legislature while pushing for changes that would allow them to sell booze directly to restaurants and bars."

The story goes on to say:

"They spent nearly five times more on lawmakers in the past 10 weeks than they did in the entire year before the 2005 session."

$1.7 Million!

$1.7 Million!

I typed that twice on purpose.

Wholesalers have every right to participate in the political process, be it by lobbying, giving campaign contributions or trying to influence the public. I would never suggest they don't have this right.

However, one has to wonder if there is any concern in government circles about the kind of power that would result in $1.7 million being donated in ten weeks and if it is the kind of power the government wants to be granting.

By mandating that liquor wholesalers be given a piece of nearly every alcohol related transaction, legislators are guaranteeing that wholesalers will amass the kind of power that allows them to give $1.7 Million dollars in a ten week period.

Now, consider that wholesalers have been granted a state mandated monopoly for more than 70 years. Consider that the number of wholesalers has continued to dwindle. Consider that the size of the American Alcohol pie has gotten bigger and bigger. Consider that the number of suppliers (wineries, brewers, distillers) that want to access the market wholesalers guard by grant of the state has risen steadily over the years.

Does anyone remember the novel By Frank Norris entitled "The Octopus"? It described the influence and effect of the early railroad barons who were able to obtain enormous power as a result of the monopoly they had over railroad service. It described the power they had over the growing number of farmers that relied upon the Railroad to get their grain and produce to market. It described being at the mercy of a monopolistic band of folks whose power was so great they could dictate the pace of regulation in capitals.

The Turning Tide of CA's X-Treme Wines?

For those of us that believe Californian wines have tended toward the overly extracted, alcoholic and bombastic over the past decade or so, there is always the hope that the tide will turn; that the pendulum will swing in the other direction toward more restraint and balance. We are looking for signs.

I found a promising sign.

Such a sign is likely to come from someone who tastes lots of wine and who also has noticed the tendency (rush?) toward bigness. My sign is Stephen Tanzer, publisher of the International Wine Cellar newsletter.

In his latest newsletter, Tanzer writes the following in lead up to reviews of a few new releases:

"As long time readers of this publication are aware, I'm a major fan of the best wines from California, yet I'm constantly amazed at the way some publications grossly overrate wines that are simply large. Those who taste too much or too fast may be scoring wines on their immediate "impressiveness" without sticking around long enough to discover how boring or overbearing many of them can become as they open in the glass. Wines that catch one's attention on first sip can quickly become repetitive and hard to swallow—and these bottles are as likely to cost seventy-five bucks as twenty-five...."

"Happily, current evidence suggests that many producers in California are finally backing away from X-treme wines. Some of these winemakers have decided they don't enjoy these heavy drinks after all; others are dissatisfied with the way some of their past vintages, from overripe or overworked fruit, are developing in bottle. Even sky-high ratings can't make these wines easier to drink..."

Now, I don't know how many bottles of CA wine Tanzer tastes over the course of a year, but I sure do know it's more than me and more than most. It's a good sign that he sees evidence of the backing by winemakers from X-treme wines.

This kind of affirmation from a top critic is the kind of thing that helps turn the tide further. Steven Heimoff of the Wine Enthusiast has also been attempting to draw attention to more balanced wines.

Perhaps the tide is turning.

Dog of Wine

I have to admit upfront that I was completely prepared for this book to be filled with those schlocky, wince-inducing pictures of dogs dressed up as firemen, Liza Minelli and Rhett Butler. You know the kind of things I'm I'm talking about.

Yet, to my surprise, Wine Dogs: USA Edition was a substantial volume filled with really remarkable and beautiful photography of those dogs that grace the grounds of wineries across America. The book itself is very well made with heavy binding and substantial paper to hold the photography. Bottom line: It's a keeper.

I can't imagine how long it took to prepare this book. It's not as though winery owners sent in photos of their pets for publication. Rather, the authors and publisher went about photographing each dog, rarely with owners in the photo. Littered throughout the book are short articles on the relationship between dogs and wineries, winemakers and dogs by some very interesting wine folk including Robert Parker Jr, Dan Berger, Bruce Cass, Cole Danehower, Harvey Posert, Darryl Roberts, Joshua Greene, and others. In the end, however, Wine Dogs: USA Editon is about the dogs, their personalities and exceptional photography.

Wow...hard to believe it's been over two years before I recommended in this blog a book about dogs.

Wine Dogs: USA Edition ($39.00)—Giant Dog Publishing

Wine Blogs Into the LIght?

Maybe Wine Blogs are moving out of the realm of relative obscurity and into the light.

The Q&A linked to above ran in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here in the heart of Wine Country, a locale that probably has more interest in things wine than other area's of the country. Yet as we know, folks around the America are thinking more and more about their home towns as "Wine Country".

While I didn't pitch the idea to the newspaper of having this Q&A, I can see wine bloggers around the U.S. making contact with editors at their local daily and letting them know that a member of a growing sub-group of bloggers is right in their back yard. Wine Bloggers: Consider reaching out and help raise the tide.

Warning: Wine Nudity Ahead

I recall the day when I thanked God for the inherent prudishness of the Federal Government. It was that prudishness that delivered to me one of my favorite experiences as a wine publicist. Alas, it seems these days the Feds don't have time to protect the sensibilities of wine drinkers from "offensive" images on wine labels.

It must have been around 1991 when working at a PR agency, I was assigned to work on the Clos Pegase account. It was a great appointment. Clos Pegase was, and still is, headed by Jan Shrem, a man whose inclinations, and means, led him to collect fine art. Some of that art made it on to his reserve "Hommage" wine labels. The 1988 Hommage held an image from Jean Dubuffet entitled "nu chamarre" or "Bedecked Nude". The semi abstract painting of a man showed an equally abstract rendition of the man's genitals. The Feds would not approve the labels as it was considered by them to be "obscene."

That judgment was, of course, a gift to this publicist as it caused Mr. Shrem to have to "castrate" part of the label to get it approved. What fun it was to promote that story to the media.

Which brings me to the sorry state of morals at the TTB (the federal agency that approves wine labels) today.

This last weekend Ginny and I had the occasion to get together with our gang, our crew, our best friends. This group tends to do the same thing when we are together: eat, drink, talk, laugh, drink, eat.

One of my contributions to the table was the 2004 Loimer Spiegel Gruner Veltliner. A very nice wine. Yet, it possesses a label that would never have been approved back in 1991. Oh....how the prudes have fallen!

Everyone got a good laugh out of this label (and the wine was quite nice too). Yet, it occurred to me that if the Feds are going to approve this type of label then there is little chance of using the the protective and Nanny-ish urges of the federal government to gain publicity by crying out "Prude!...Ridiculous!...Artistic Persecution!" That path to gaining attention seems, alas, off the table.

There's nothing about the Loimer label that is over the top or scandalous. Still, it further occurs to me that when the renowned prudishness of American culture is no longer in evidence, there must be a tendency to go over the top, to be scandalous, in order to get attention. And once that contest starts, well, you get MTV.

When Gay Marriage and Alcohol Politics Collide

I'm sure every wine lover has been waiting, breath held deep, for the moment when the volatile issues of Gay Marriage and Alcohol would be linked. Well, wait no longer.

In Georgia, where Governor Perdue was happy to abide by a referendum of the people on the issue of Gay Marriage (it was voted down), is a bit less inclined to follow the will of the people when it comes to Sunday Alcohol Sales:

“When you ask people generally if they want the right to vote on anything — what kind of toilet tissue the state ought to use, or anything like that — they’ll typically say yes...You have to always be attuned to where public opinion is, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to follow that. A good leader always leads in a way they think is the right direction for Georgia on significant issues,” he said on the radio show....Think of it this way, it really helps you plan ahead for the rest of your life — buying (alcohol) on Saturday, rather than Sunday. Time management.”

 

As it turns out, 66% of Georgians voted to repeal a law that prohibited Sunday beer and wine sales. The legislature is set to codify that statement with new legislation allowing  such sales. As you can see, the Governor who happily clung to the will of Georgians on Gay Marriage isn't quite able to do the same with wine sales.

Jamie Ensley, President of the Log Cabin Republicans, though surely a tad bitter over previous political results in Georgia, does hit it on the head with this comment:

“Gov. Perdue said on gay marriage, ‘I think we need be very respectful of the people's voice and listen to that.’ What Gov. Perdue is telling us is that repealing Georgia’s Blue Laws is the will of the people, but it conflicts with his personal views, so he’s going to veto it, and as an added bonus, he’ll make his right wing conservative voting base happy”

The politics of Alcohol in America are complicated enough without bringing gay marriage to the mix. But the point here is well made by Ensley and, of course, by the Governor's actions. While Gay Marriage tends to be a Red State/Blue State issue, alcohol issues don't always break down that way. In this case, the Governors conservative views dictate his hypocrisy. But being pro alcohol sales does not necessarily equate to being a liberal or conservative.

When it comes to issue of shipping wine to consumers a number of Republicans and conservatives have lined up on the side of free and fair and non-discriminatory markets. In other places Democrats have heeded the call for fairness. Often times the political lines are blurred. More often than not, it's about money...where it flows from and to whom it flows that dictates political positions.

But in this case, it's just a matter of hypocrisy.

$7, $15, $25, $50, $100 for a Wine: What's the difference?

Wine Business Monthly's Cyril Penn reports in the San Francisco Chronicle that we are buying more expensive wines than in the past.

For the record, in this calculation "expensive" equates to $15 and a above. Without seeming like a snob, which I realize is hard at times for me, that doesn't strike me as "expensive". However, in the overall scheme of things (that "scheme" being what most people tend to spend on wine) $15 is "expensive".

According to Cyril's reading of AC Nielsen reports, $15+ wine sales grew 41 percent between January 2004 and October 2006.

In my mind this trend must correlate to higher levels of disposable income in American's pockets. It might also relate to an slowly increasing price structure for wines that had been near or beneath $15 per bottle.

I went back and took a look at the average price of a wine that I buy. Note this is what I buy, not what my wife buys. She tends to drink wine more regularly than I and is more frugal. My average bottle is about $25. What's remarkable is the really amazing quality and variety of wines one can purchase at that price. A recent scanning, for example, of Winebid.com brings me wines from across the globe, well aged and new, sweet and dry, for about $25.

At retail I'll go over $50 for a bottle of wine on occasion but for that price I'm looking for an experience. I'm looking for something different, or at least something that promises me something I rarely get to taste. That's harder to find, but perhaps only because I've tasted through a number of wines over the years.

What does it take for me to spend over $100 on a bottle of wine? I'm looking for something that is rare. Something that delivers not just unique sensual experience but something that speaks to me about place, culture, history and my own personal circumstances. I don't have need for this kind of experience often. What's interesting thought is I almost never PLAN to seek out this experience through wine but rather am presented, surprisingly, with the circumstances.

I'm not sure what a person who is moving from regularly spending $7 for a bottle of wine to $15 for a bottle for a bottle of wine is expecting from their additional $8. Perhaps what they have is simply hope. I don't know.

What I do know is that this trend toward folks paying more for wine is good for wine industry. I just hope it pays off for the consumer too.

Something New is Demanded for Wine Distribution

News is out that the MKF Research Study on the American Wine Industry demonstrates that wine and grapes contribute more than $162 Billion to the American economy.

Pretty staggering!

There is so much interesting information in this report it's hard to really talk about it all. So I want to focus on one piece of interesting information:

Between 2000 and 2005 the number of wineries in the United States increase from 2,904 to 4,929: A 70% INCREASE in the number of wineries in the United States.

70 PERCENT!!!

There is no distribution system or company or set of companies anywhere in any of the states that can offer all the wines from all these wineries to the folks in those states. It simply cannot be done. Furthermore, no set of retailers in any particular state can offer that state access to all the wines that are produced from the 4,929 wineries across the country.

Wait...I misspoke..  There is in fact a distribution system that allows anyone anywhere to have access to all these wines: it's called direct sales.

Yet, across the country there are some very well-healed folks in the wine business who know they can't offer all these wines and at the same time telling regulators that consumers have no need to have access to all these wines, whether the consumer wants to find a retailer or the winery to sell it to them direct.

Thank God we have wholesalers looking out for the interests of consumers. Thank God wholesalers are there to tell consumers what they need.

When you take together all the wineries and all the retailers willing to sell direct, and you combine them with search engine technology, what you get is an amazing distribution system you can imagine. It's a distribution system that puts the power in the hands of the consumer, creates amazing opportunity for progressive retailers and smart wineries, provides huge opportunity for age verification services, likely increased the potential tax revenue for states, and, in the end, creates the perfect model of distribution for the 21st century....not the early 20th century.

The vast majority of wine sold in the United States comes from a relatively few number of wineries, distributed by wholesalers. Without the distributors to get these popular wines to market, we'd have no ready access to wine at all. So, no worries. The wholesalers aren't going anywhere.

However, it is time to consider major changes to the wine distribution system in America. We nee a new system that opens up the 4,929 wineries to consumers across the country, whether they buy these wines at local stores, from on-line retailers or from the wineries themselves. We need to assure that consumer choice is not blocked by unfair, discriminatory and monopolistic regulations meant to enrich a few and shut out the many.

Award Nominations Are Closed!

The Nomination process for the 2007 American Wine Blog Awards is over. We now move on to the judging phase. We will not be revealing the judges until after the process for the obvious reasons.

What the judges will do is look at the various nominations in each of the seven categories. The will evaluate them on the same criteria we offered for the nomination process. Together they will deliver 4 Finalists in each category.

Before the nominations are sent over to the judges they are being vetted for base qualifications: are they in English and do they have the requisite number of posts.

I hope to have the finalists named and the voting going in about 10 days. But no promises.

We'll be announcing the finalists not only here at FERMENTATION but in a press release to the wine media (in case you are wondering, the "Wine Media" also means wine Bloggers) and other folks in the media.

Thanks to EVERYONE who who took part in the Nomination process...On to the Finalists.

Wine Blog Awards News: Last Day To Nominate

Today is the final day to submit nominations for the American Wine Blog Awards. Once the nomination process is over we will collate the nominations in all seven categories and send them over to the judges who will then proceed to determine the four finalists in each category.

What that means is if you want to nominate a blog that has not yet been nominated, today is the day to do it. Links to all the categories for nomination are on the left sidebar.

Careers In The Wine Industry

Wow...Talk about Niche Wine Blogging!

How about a wine blog run by a recruiter for the wine industry about jobs and working in the wine industry? That's what Amy Gardner of Wine Talent has slowly (and quietly) started up at blog she calls "Career Advice In the Wine Industry".

I've never met Amy, but her embarking on creating a blog on careers in wine and working in the wine industry is brilliant, necessary and likely to bring her business down the road if she can maintain a steady stream of posts that offer good advise and insight. Amy is off to a good start with this revealing and thoughtful post on Mentors.

I must admit I'd never heard of  Amy's recruiting firm that she runs out of Sacramento. This is likely because it's fairly new and she started out specializing in the technical professions associated with wine.

I get contacted about 3 or 4 times a year by recruiting firms specifically to ask if I'd be interested in considering closing down Wark Communications and going to work for a company. I get contact a few more times by recruiters asking if I can refer them to someone for a specific position they are trying to fill. I always get a kick out of the latter type of request, especially if it results in a good match. The other kinds of calls ("Tom, if the position were right would you consider working for a single employer?) usually result in me finding out that I'd have to commute, drop all the clients we enjoy so much, take only a small raise if any, and buy a bunch of new suits.

That said, recruiters can be a huge asset to a person with special skills with drive and ambition. What Amy's blog has the potential to do is be a resource for those numerous folks who are seeking to get into the wine industry. It looks like Amy knows what it takes to get a job and that kind of information, presented well and regularly on her blog, could result in a regular readership that will have a large contingent eventually thanking Amy for the advice they read on her blog.

It's niche. But "Careers in the Wine Industry" could prove to be a great service.

Score One for the Cork Producers

It appears that word is out that 2 in 100 (2%) of screwcap-closed wines are infected with the smell of sulfur...or "likened by some to burning rubber, spent matches or even a schoolboy stink bomb."

This is still a rate of bottle taint that is at least half that of cork-closed bottles.

The news accounts that covered this discovery make note that the smell blows off. However, many folks are advising to stay away from RED wines closed with screwcaps that you plan to lay down, while going on ahead and not worrying about the whites that are meant for immediate drinking.

Score this one for the cork manufacturers who have been in an underground battle against the alternative closure manufacturers for some time.

But I have to pass on the interesting thing I found in one article on this subject:

"Geoffrey Taylor, a wine chemist who tests 14,000 capped bottles a year, admitted that he had found sulphidisation. “Screwcap problems are around 2 per cent for Australia and double that elsewhere."

Now, I don't know Mr. Taylor. He may own a Lab at which wineries have their wines tested. But 14,000 screwcapped wines comes to about 1.5 bottles opened per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Again, maybe he owns a lab or tests bottles opened at wine competitions. But that's a heck of a lot of screwcapped bottles of wine.

Stress, Wine and Disposable Income

If you aren't reading the Atlantic Monthly on a regular basis...well, I'm just ashamed of you. It is one of the top five magazines in America.

This month's issue is terrific and something in it caught my eye: The Great P.J O'Rourke's article on where Big Ideas will come from in the near future. Besides O'Rourke's always witty prose, the writer uses some very interesting maps to demonstrate where in the world conditions exist that will promote innovation in the coming years. Among those conditions are total children, total R&D expenditures, numbers of Female managers, primary education spending growth and net in-tourism..to name but a few.

What really caught my eye was O'Rourke's map that was created to confirm his analysis of which countries will drive innovation in the next few years: Alcohol and Cigarette Imports. About the map that shows the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Western Europe as the biggest net importers of alcohol and cigarettes, O'Rourke writes:

"That's one more thing about innovation: it's stressful. And who, among he world's innovators are so stressed that they have to bring in stress relief from overseas? That would be the Americans, the Japanese, the Taiwanese, the South Koreans and the Continentals in Western Europe. You folks look like you need a drink. Innovation is a damn big job. Congratulations, Have a Cigar."

The connection O'Rourke makes between innovation, stress and drinking I think is partly tongue in cheek. The connection is likely more to do with disposable income.

Consider the top wine importing nations: the UK, U.S., France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Japan, Canada (not in correct order). What they have in common is, again, being among the top countries in the world based on per capita income. This translates again into disposable income.

So...consider China: Per Capita Disposable Income is rising at a double digit pace for the past few years. It's no coincidence that their wine imports are increasing also. It turns out home grown Chinese wine production is growing also. I suspect innovation will also come out of China in the next few years.

In any case, one never know where they are going to find intriguing wine-related ideas. Though it should not be surprise that they come out of the pen of P.J. O'Rourke an the pages of the Atlantic Monthly.

Wine Blog Awards News: Update 3—Link Generosity

With only four days to go in the nomination process for the American Wine Blog Awards, I'm looking at roughly 540 comments placed in the seven award categories. Many of those comments have more than one nomination. In other words..."oh my God...am I glad I'm not one of the judges!"

If you are wondering why this initial nomination process has been such a success I can offer a number of explanations. However, perhaps the most important reason IS THIS.

There have been a lot of folks out there who are VERY generous with their postings when it comes to the American Wine Blog Awards and, as a result, helping to get the word out. I'm grateful for the help.

I expect that by Thursday, when the nomination process closes, we will be looking at something along the lines of over 600 comments placed in the various awards categories. We'll work our buts off to to get this info collated and off to the judges as soon as possible.

Wine blog Awards News: Update 2--400 Nominations

As of 10am today, nearly 400 separate nominating comments have been placed in the seven categories for the American Wine blog Awards.

Clearly, the readers of FERMENTATION are among the best nominators out there. It's amazing.

Interestingly, the category with the fewest nominations to-date is "Best Graphics on a Wine Blog". It's curious why this would be the case. Perhaps folks don't think about graphics as much when "reading" blogs. However, the art of drawing a reader into a post or even  a blog with well constructed and well placed graphics is something of well honed craft.

Keep up the nominating.

Suiting Up...Wine Style

Sometimes, when you are lucky, you get the chance to suit up and work alongside the righteous.

You know who I'm talking about: those folks you've admired because they are fighting the good fight and pushing forward a cause that is entirely bonafide, righteous and without fault.

When you get this chance...you should do it. I did.

Wine Blog Awards News: Update #1

WE BEAT THE MOUSE

It appears the nomination process is off to a good start. About 150 nominations in seven categories have been offered.

BUT WE NEED MORE.

Yesterday we used BusinessWire to send out a press release on the Awards. BusinessWire is the top media distribution company in America, issuing well over 1000 press releases per day into the mailboxes of journalists and Investment Research types.

It turns out, as I write, that this release on the American  Wine Blog Awards is is the 4th most read press release issued by BusinessWire.  My account rep at BusinessWire, the very astute Dennis Staller, tells me this is a great accomplishment and likely a result of the release written perfectly for search engine optimization.

Perhaps. I like like to think it's because there is a thirst out their for information about and directions to great wine blogs and wine information.

The three press releases that have been read more often are from Northwest Airlines announcing new routes, from a company called G-Tech having something to do with MacWorld, and an announcement by SanDisk about their first Pocket Videoplayer. Oh...right below us on the list of most read releases? A press release noting that the president of Disney will be giving the Keynote address at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show...We Beat the Mouse.

We'll be sending out another release when the finalists are announced and of course when the winners are announced.

If you are reading this and have not yet nominated any blogs in the seven categories you see listed on the left of this page, please do so! If the blog is not nominated, it will not be considered by the judges to be a finalists.

THANK YOU...to all those who have participated to this point.

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE:
My account representative tells me as of noon our release hit #2 on BusinessWire's most-read press release. And we're still ahead of The Mouse.

AWARD NOMINATION: Best Wine Blog

BEST WINE BLOG

Nomination Criteria:
Any wine blog in existence in 2006 that has produced at least 52 posts during that year and is written in English is eligible to be nominated for the Best Wine Blog Award. Nominees will have delivered an overall wine blog experience that continually entertains and educates its readers. Nominees should have brought an independence of thought and originality of thought to their wine blog. The quality of the writing, content and visual presentation of the Best Wine Blog will be very high. This Blog should have the potential to compete with other high quality wine information resources in any other medium.

USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST TO NOMINATE UP TO 3 BLOGS

YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS NOMINATION PAGE USING THE LINKS AT THE LEFT

Links to other categories' nomination pages:
Best Winery Blog
Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog
Best Graphics on a Wine blog
Best Review Wine Blog
Best Single Subject Wine Blog
Best Wine Blog Writing

AWARD NOMINATION: Best Winery blog

BEST WINERY BLOG

Nomination Criteria:
Any wine blog in existence in 2006 that has produced at least 52 posts during that year, is written in English and is the product of a winery is eligible to be awarded Best Winery Blog. Nominees for this award will have done the best work presenting wine-related subject matter from the perspective of a wine producer. Nominees should have utilized their unique position in the wine industry to produce a distinctive experience for the reader that both educates and entertains.

USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST TO NOMINATE UP TO 3 BLOGS

YOU CAN ACCESS THIS PAGE AGAIN BY USING THE LINKS ON THE LEFT

Links to other categories' nomination pages:

Best Overall Wine Blog
Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog
Best Graphics on a Wine blog
Best Review Wine Blog
Best Single Subject Wine Blog
Best Wine Blog Writing

AWARD NOMINATION: Best Wine Podcast or VideoBlog

BEST WINE PODCAST OR VIDEOBLOG

Nomination Criteria:
Any wine-related podcast or videoblog in existence in 2006 that has produced at least 24 episodes in that year and is produced in English is eligible to be nominated for the Best Wine Related Podcast or VideoBlog Award. Nominees for this award will have done the best job of utilizing the specific capabilities of audio and/or visual technology to entertain and educate its listenership or viewership.

USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST TO NOMINATE UP TO 3 BLOGS

YOU CAN ACCESS THIS NOMINATION PAGE AGAIN USING THE LINKS ON THE LEFT

Links to other categories' nomination pages:

Best Overall Wine Blog
Best Winery Blog
Best Graphics on a Wine blog
Best Review Wine Blog
Best Single Subject Wine Blog
Best Wine Blog Writing

AWARD NOMINATION: Best Graphics on a Wine Blog

BEST GRAPHICS ON A WINE BLOG

Criteria for Nomination:
Any wine blog in existence in 2006 that has produced at least 52 posts during that year and is written in English is eligible to be nominated for the  Best Graphics on a Wine Blog Award. Nominees should be wine blogs that go the extra mile to present a compelling visual experience for their readers and help demonstrate the potential of the blogging format. Nominees for this award should have made an extra effort to present its subject matter in a highly visual and graphic manner that is both entertaining, educational and thought provoking.

USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST TO NOMINATE UP TO 3 BLOGS

YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS NOMINATION PAGE USING THE LINKS ON THE LEFT

Links to other category nomination pages: 

Best Overall Wine Blog
Best Winery Blog
Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog
Best Review Wine Blog
Best Single Subject Wine Blog
Best Wine Blog Writing

AWARD NOMINATION: Best Review Wine Blog

BEST WINE REVIEW BLOG

Criteria for Nomination
Any wine blog in existence in 2006 that has produced at least 52 posts during that year and is written in English is eligible to be nominated for the Best Wine Review Blog Award. Nominees for this Award will have served its readers by providing independent, informed and well-presented wine reviews and recommendations for wines as a primary part of their blog.  The entire presentation of the review, from description, rating and graphics should be taken into account.

USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST TO NOMINATE UP TO 3 BLOGS

YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS NOMINATION POST USING THE LINK AT THE LEFT

Links to other category nomination pages:

Best Overall Wine Blog
Best Winery Blog
Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog
Best Graphics on a Wine blog
Best Single Subject Wine Blog
Best Wine Blog Writing

AWARD NOMINATION: Single Subject Blog

BEST SINGLE SUBJECT WINE BLOG

Criteria For Nomination
Any wine blog in existence in 2006 that has produced at least 52 posts in that year and is written in English is eligible to be nominated for the Best Single-Subject Wine Blog Award. Nominees should have as the focus of their blog a narrowly tailored subject matter. It might focus on an appellation or region, a particular varietal, wines from a particular store, wines of a particular price range or on a particular sector of the wine industry (excluding winery-run blogs). We are looking for those blogs that have done the best job of illuminating the particular and specific wine subject on which they’ve chosen to concentrate. They have illuminated their particular subject matter in an entertaining and informative way and with a unique voice.

USE THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST TO NOMINATE UP TO 3 BLOGS

YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS NOMINATION PAGE FROM LINKS AT THE LEFT

Links to other nomination pages:

Best Overall Wine Blog
Best Winery Blog
Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog
Best Graphics on a Wine blog
Best Review Wine Blog
Best Wine Blog Writing

AWARD NOMINATION: Best Wine Blog Writing

BEST WINE BLOG WRITING

Criteria for Nomination
Any wine blog in existence in 2006 that has produced at least 52 posts during the year, and is written in English is eligible to be nominated for the Best Wine Blog Writing Award. Nominated Blogs should have delivered outstanding prose and an entertaining writing style to convey original ideas. We are looking to honor those who deliver a unique voice, who write with style and who wrap that style around a core of originaltiy.

USE THE COMMENT SECTION OF THIS POST TO NOMINATE UP TO 3 BLOGS

YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS NOMINATION PAGE USING THE LINKS ON THE LEFT.

Links to nomination pages for other categories:

Best Overall Wine Blog
Best Winery Blog
Best Wine Podcast or Video Blog
Best Graphics on a Wine blog
Best Review Wine Blog
Best Single Subject Wine Blog

Wine Blogging: It's Good For Your Brain

On Monday upcoming we will begin taking nominations in seven categories for the American Wine Blog Awards. In advance of that I want to say a few things about Wine Blogs and Wine Bloggers.

First, wine blogging has undoubtedly been very good for Wark Communications. It has help me and our firm gain more recognition. But more importantly it has been good for my brain. I know I think about wine, the wine industry and wine drinkers since I started blogging in ways I did not think about these things prior to November 2004.

I'm willing to bet it's the same for other wine bloggers. This is good for the bloggers, for wine consumers and for the wine industry.

I know that the industry as a whole has in fact begun taking account of this horde of would-be literary interlopers that have crested the hill and are speedily making their way toward full membership in the wine industry and wine writing community. The industry reads you. They consider your impact. They are rooting for you too.

More important, consumers rely upon you now. Many of you are well aware of this. So are retailers and wineries. This means you all have a certain responsibility not only to yourself, but to your readers. I know there are folks who are counting on you. You need to keep this in mind.

The creation of the American Wine Blog Awards occured after across the field of wine bloggers and seeing not just those whose readership and talent had gained them some deserved notoriety, but as I continually saw new bloggers pop up weekly who clearly had new voices and new perspectives. Some of you are just so damned taken with the experience of wine you are driven to write about it. Others have a specific knowledge of wine and wanted to speak to a particular set of wine lovers. Others are in the business and saw a medium that allowed you not only to communicate to current and potential clients, but to offer a very unique expression of the wine experience.

The increase in really interesting voices has been near overwhelming. On occasion I've tried to point the readers of FERMENTATION to these voices, but I could spend every day writing about you. I can't do that. So, I wanted to create something that would attempt to draw attention to the world of wine blogging. The American Wine Blogging Awards is that attempt.

If you read blogs on a regular or semi-regular basis, if you are a wine blogger yourself, if you are a member of the wine industry that supports the wine blogging movement or if you merely like the idea of drawing attention to the efforts of dedicated folk I want to urge you to do something:

TELL OTHERS ABOUT THE AMERICAN WINE BLOG AWARDS.

NOMINATE BLOGS IN ALL SEVEN CATEGORIES

ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES AND CLIENTS TO DO THE SAME

For my part, I'll be doing everything I can to tell the world about the Awards, the nominees and eventually the award winners. Perhaps my goal of gaining exposure for wine blogging will truly pan out. Maybe it won't. But the effort is underway and your help is critical.

In the meantime, I want to give a shout out to all the wine bloggers who are working it, whether it's for yourself or your business. Well done. Keep it up. You're making an impact.   And remember: It's good for your brain.