Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog

An Ode..To Those You Need To Know'd

An Ode...
...To Those You Need To Know'd (offered with apologies!)

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Industry vs. Non Industry & The Internet

One of the most unique aspects of the just closed "Electronic Wine Survey" is the association of the respondents to the wine and food industry. Of the 266 respondents, fully 54% identify themselves as working in, producing a product for, or publishing information related to the wine or food industries. I don't know if other blogs have this kind of high percentage of industry folks, but I doubt it's too many.

This begs the question, how is the relationship with the Internet and wine different for industry-associated folks than those not associated with the industry.

To start with, those associated with the industry are far more interested in looking to the Internet for Wine Business Information than those not associated with it. 82% of industry associated respondents said they look to the Internet for wine business news, while only 30% of those not identified with the wine industry only "business news" as what they look to the Internet for. What do non-industry associated respondents want from the Internet? Wine Reviews. 82% of these respondents cited wine reviews as what they look for on the Internet. This makes perfect sense. On the other hand, it means I'm not serving half those who come to this blog.

It also turns out that folks associated with the industry show more appreciation for wine information published in print publications than non-industry respondents do, while non-industry respondents have greater respect for Internet-based wine information. This strikes me as intuitively rational given the relative importance print publications maintain in helping to sell and market wines.

As for buyng wine online, only 56% of industry-related respondents say they purchase wine online, while 66% of non-industry respondents claim to purchase wine online.

Non industry respondents also buy more wine on-line. 20% of this group reported buying 50% or more of their wine from online sources, while industry only 10% of industry respondents reported buying 50% of their wine online.

And it turns out that when industry respondents do buy wine online they are FAR more likely to buy their wine from a retail wine website than non-industry respondents. Industry folks reported buying from retailer web sites 42% of the time vs 27% of the time from winery websites. Non industry respondents buy from retailer and winery websites in equal amounts.

Another interesting discovery about the differences between industry-associated respondents and non-industry respondents is the number of different websites they buy wine from. Non-industry associated respondents buy wine from a wider variety of websites. 28% of non-industry associated respondents said they purchased wine from 5 or more websites in the past twelve months while only 15% of industry-related respondents were so promiscuous in their online buying habits. I can't quite figure out why this would be other than perhaps prejudice of association. It has been suggested that industry-related respondents likely have unique access to wines that are obtained off line. It may have something to do with the fact that industry-associated folks are somewhat less likely to actually buy wine online.

Now, here is one of the findings I found MOST interesting. When considering the downside of online wine buying, it appears that folks in the wine industry have more trouble navigating websites. 33% of industry respondents had complaints with online wine site navigation while only 23% of non-industry members had the same complaint. Meanwhile, 13% of industry respondents had complaints about checkout difficulties while only 7% of non-industry respondents had the same complaint.

What exactly does this mean? I suppose you could say they are less accustomed to buying wine online and therefore perhaps less familiar with the process. But let's face it, it's not brain surgery.

Finally, there is this nugget. Non-wine industry respondents make more money than industry members. Hmmm!?!

RECAP:
--Industry Respondents (IR) Look to the Net for Business News
--Non Industry Respondents (NIR) Look to the Net for Wine Reviews

--IR Have More Appreciation for Printed Wine News than NIR

--NIR Purchase More Wine On-line Than IR

--NIR Purchase a Larger Percentage of Their Wine On-line

--IR Are Much More Likely To buy From On-line Retailers than NIR

--NIR Use A Wider Variety of Websites To Procure Their Wines than NIR Do

--IR Have More Difficulty Navigating Wine Websites Than NIR Do.

--NIR Make More Money Than IR

 

The Van Morrison Theory of Wine

Having reconciled myself to the idea that there is no such thing as an objective criteria for quality in any category of wine, I began deliberating on what I think we all must do to bring reason to our palate and preferences; to put our preferential house in order, so to speak.

What I began looking for were other artistic (yes, artistic) creations that might serve as a model for my personal beliefs about wine quality. What I was looking for were expressions in other art forms that, for lack of a better word, "touched" me in a way that was inescapably real and visceral. Upon experiencing this unique sort of touch, I then asked myself what it was about the work of art that was able to move me...move me to tears, joy, elation, contemplation. If I could identify what it was that moved me through another art form, I just might have a model for describing what, for me, represents quality.

I found my model, and it wasn't too hard to find: Van Morrison.

Listening all the way through Morrison's "Moondance", "Astral Weeks" and "Hymns To Silence" albums touch me deeply, and they do so every time I listen to them. Absorbing Morrison's eloquent "Rave on John Donne", "Into the Mystic", "Crazy Love", and "On Hyndford Street" always stop me in my tracks.

So what is it about this music and artist that is so arresting for me personally? Authenticity. The authenticity of the sound of Van Morrison, the authenticity of the expressions in the works, the authentic input of unadulterated instrumentation carried out by the hands of man, rather that the 1's and 0's of computer-generated sound. There is Affinity to deal with here too. The connection that Morrison's music makes with me has a great deal to do with the substance of his message and feeling, most of which I clearly have an affinity.

Can a wine touch me in the same way? I don't know. I don't think so. But I do know that the qualities that I find in Van Morrison's music can be found in wine and I'm sure that when I see or taste their expression I'll know that I've come across my version of "high quality" wine.

It's important to begin here with the acknowledgment that there is a real similarity between great wine and great music. There can be no mistaking Van Morrison. No one else sounds like him. He has, as it were, a "house style", a sound that identifies him just as a great winery will also have a voice that comes through in all its wines. Perhaps its a deft touch. Perhaps it's a rustic-ness or a purity of flavor that runs across its wines.

Yet while always being unmistakably "Morrison", the man has investigated and experimented with many different genre of music from R&B and Rock n Roll to Country and Jazz. Wineries too do just this as they work with different varieties of grapes. The resulting wines will carry the voice of the winery, but the character of the grape will also come shining through.

Finally, in listening through Morrison's more than thirty years worth of recordings it's quite clear that the personal changes, tragedies, failure and victories that make up his life are communicated in his various musical stages, be they immensely spiritual in nature, Christian in substance, bound to his Irish homeland or born of his aging voice. Wineries too must reflect the changes they are confronted with and, like Morrison, seemingly unable to direct in the form of vintage variation. The winery will always have a voice and will certainly experiment with different varieties, but they too will be subject to the untamable variation in vintage.

So, we have a solid connection and similarity between music and wine that allows me to use the music model to understand and define my notion of "great wine".

Can then, a wine be, above all, "authentic"? Most certainly it can. A wine can be a representation of a place and people. It can in its origin and treatment be authentically OF a real place. And it can authentically represent the voice and interpretation of a winemaker or winery without losing that authenticity of place. That is to say, aging a wine in oak or whole cluster pressing the grapes or use of particular yeasts that are not native can all be expressions of a winemaker's unique touch or voice, and all the while not necessarily extract what the place from which the grapes came brought to the wine.

I think I need to admit that just as I have developed a certain intimacy with the music and message of Van Morrison, I'd need to develop an intimate relationship or understanding with the winery and its wines' 'places" to be able to say, "Ah, this is authentic". And this of course brings us back the fundamental truth that leads to this uncomfortably long  and indulgent post: that there is no such thing as objective criteria for greatness in wine, but rather only the comfort that comes with familiarity and affinity that lets each of us define greatness.

There is one more final question that all the above begs: Who's familiar experiences and affinities will define your criteria for greatness?

A Selection of Lyrics from Van Morrison's
"RAVE ON JOHN DONNE" From the "Inarticulate Speech of the Heart" Album

Rave on, you left us infinity
And well pressed pages torn to fade
Drive on with wild abandon
Up tempo, frenzied heels

Rave on, Walt Whitman, nose down in wet grass
Rave on fill the senses
On nature's bright green shady path

Rave on Omar Khayyam, Rave on Kahlil Gibran
Oh, what sweet wine we drinketh
The celebration will be held
We will partake the wine and break the Holy bread

Rave on let a man come out of Ireland
Rave on on Mr. Yeats,
Rave on down through the Holy Rosey Cross
Rave on down through theosophy, and the Golden Dawn
Rave on through the writing of "A Vision"
Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on

Rave on John Donne, rave on thy Holy fool
Down through the weeks of ages
In the moss borne dark dank pools

What Does It All Mean?

In the next few posts I want to examine the results of the "Electronic Wine" Survey. But in this first post I'd like to look at the overall results. There are some interesting findings when you start parsing the results, but for now let's look at the overall findings.

You can see the overall results of the 266 respondents yourself BY CLICKING HERE.

First and foremost, take note of the fact that nearly everyone that took the survey says they use the Internet to educate themselves about wine. Stunned? Good. I hope not. What they say they use it for is interesting however.While 45% say they use the Internet for "Wine Pricing Information", only 25% say they use the Internet for "Purchasing Advise". Meanwhile, 68% say they they are most likely use the Internet for finding "Wine Reviews". Now, combine this information with the fact that fully 40% of the respondents said they DO NOT use the Internet for wine buying. Perhaps this question was not phrased correctly. But perhaps it means lots of people look use the Internet for wine buying the same way they use it for car buying: They do the research on-line, then buy offline.

I must say, I'm surprised by that 40% saying they don't use the Internet for wine buying. This tells me that there is LOTS of room for growth in the on-line buying world.

Another interesting finding is how respondents view the utility of on-line wine information vs. print wine information. In general, respondents find the two sources similar in quality over a variety of categories. EXCEPT in the area of "Wine Pricing Information" and "Basic Wine Information". By far, respondents view wine pricing information better on the Internet than in print publications. This should be no surprise thanks in large part to folks like Wine Searcher and Snooth and others. But I was surprised to see the Internet get the nod in a significant way over print publications when it comes to "Basic Wine Information". Perhaps it's just the huge amount of Basic Wine Information that exists on the Internet that gives this venue the nod over print.

Now here's something VERY interesting: 60% of respondents said they purchase no more than 10% of their wine on the Internet. Maybe it's just my own experience that makes this a surprise to me. In our house upwards of 80% is purchased on-line. Still, I would have expected more. Again, this tells me there is huge potential for growth in on-line wine sales. And, by the way, take note that it's wine retailers that get a significantly higher percentage of on-line sales over winery websites.

What's wrong with the on-line buying experience. Clearly it's a lack of accessibility. Almost half the respondents cited "Shipping Not Available in My State" as the biggest problem with on-line wine shopping". What does this mean? Combined with the fact that more folks say they buy from on-line retailers than wineries, it means I need to work harder on behalf of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association to get more states into the game and thereby more consumers into the game.

Finally, who are the respondents? Well, we tend to be well-educated males between 40 and 60 years of age who make decent money. Who is surprised?

More interesting analysis coming. For now, take a look at the basic results HERE.

It's Child's Play

I sometimes run by my kids issues I am dealing with at work. I probably shouldn't mention this as clients of Wark Communications are supposed to think that what we do here is a bit more than child's play.

Anyway, this morning over "Eggs in Frame" we were discussing how wineries sell wine. I explained the state-mandated three-tier distribution system to the kids (which, oddly, they seemed to comprehend easily). One of them piped up and said, "I think the middle guys (that's the wholesalers) should have to sell all wines!"

...Duh!  I've thought about this before but when you suggest it to folk in the wine industry they look at you like they've just had a stroke and can't quite comprehend what you are saying. But the fact is, the kid is absolutely correct!

Any wine distribution system must satisfy three demands that are placed upon it:

1. The distribution system must allow access to the wines available in the United States. If it cannot or does not meet this primary goal, then the system is broken and inefficient.

2. It must provide a means for the state to regulate the distribution of alcohol. This means ways by which states can assure its rules and regulations are being followed.

3. It must provide a means by which the state can collect taxes on the sale of alcohol.

Clearly, where ever the state mandated three-tier system is in place, you have a broken system because the first, and primary, goal is unmet. In every state where there is a mandate that wine sales go through a distributor, only a fraction of the wines available in the U.S. are actually distributed by the wholesalers. Hence, broken.

There is a simple way to fix this problem if the states insist on continuing to subsidize the wholesaler tier through a state-mandated three-tier system that demands distributors get a cut of all wine sales.

STATES SHOULD MANDATE BY LAW THAT DISTRIBUTORS REPRESENT ANY WINERY OR IMPORTER THAT WANTS TO SELL WINE IN THAT STATE.

No picking and choosing. No denying wineries and importers distributor representation. No claims that there is no market for the wine when brands are denied representation. If states want to continue to subsidize the existence of wholesalers and to guarantee them profits, then wholesalers should also be forced to represent any brand that wants it, just as all brands are forced to use a wholesaler.

Now there is no guarantee that the wholesaler would actually sell the wines to retailers and restaurants in the state, let alone sample the products, just because they were forced to represent these brands. But that's OK. By guaranteeing all brands access to the state, the brands themselves can do the real heavy lifting and market their wines themselves, using the wholesalers as mere paper shufflers and logistics companies. This way the state and its political representatives are still able to give wholesalers something (a guaranteed profit) in exchange for their campaign contributions, yet also provide something of a functioning distribution system that serves the producers as well as the retailers and restaurants and, ultimately, the consumer.

This is not a perfect system. But it does remove most of the unethical qualities of the current state mandated distribution systems that provide wholesalers with subsidized profits through law, while not actually guaranteeing a rational or fair system of distribution.

Now, this proposal would not allow consumers to necessarily access the tens of thousands of wines currently available in the United States. In order to make the state-mandated three tier system truly rational, a true tax collecting vehicle, truly consumer-friendly and economically efficient, you'd need to provide an exception that allows consumers to purchase and have shipped to them wines from any retailer or winery in the nation.

I've got the kids working on this problem, too.

Totalitarianism and Gigantism in Napa Valley?

James Conaway is wrong about Napa Valley:

While at the California Preservation Foundation Conference in Napa Valley, Conaway said about Napa Valley (Quoting from the Napa Valley Register):

"Conaway said the undoing of the Napa Valley may be the sprawl of boutique wineries by rich newcomers who would sacrifice our natural and architectural heritage in the name of “showing off.”

First, would it be different if the sprawl of boutique wineries were being built by middle class, old-timers? Second, the implication in the idea that our "architectural heritage" in Napa is being sacrificed, suggests there is a style of architecture for wineries that is "better". Really? Better? How? This strikes me as a form of Nimbyism/Elitism/Good-Old-Daysism.

"He cited the architecture of Dominus Estate — a winery covered with stone-filled gabion enclosures — as an example of “totalitarian” design, an “unapproachable” building that serves the “vineyard elite” that now rule the Napa Valley."

Wow..."Totalitarian"?  It "serves the Napa Valley elite"? How is Dominus "totalitarian"? I need to remember this rhetorical tool. Think up all the words that have ugly connotations and use them when I want to criticize someone, regardless of whether or not these words have any relationship to the topic at hand. Maybe something like this: "In a Nazi-like yelp filled with fascist-implications, the author let loose with a sneaky blitzkrieg of commie-inspired accusations!"

"In the same vein, Conaway disparaged the Frank Gehry-design for what will be Hall Winery in St. Helena, a clear case of a building dictated by “fashion, not function.”

Since when is function the only thing to be considered when constructing a building? One suspects that the Palace at Versaille could have been far more functional were it built as a simple rectangle with only straight lines.

"Tourists play into this trend, Conaway said. “They’re attracted by the spectacular.” Be wary of catering to tourists, he said. “Tourism can devour the thing it loves.”"

Indeed, tourism has just killed the wine industry. I mean, imagine a winery actually including direct contact with the customer as part of their marketing plan. What are they thinking?? That's just crazy!!

"Conaway, who is an editor at large for Preservation magazine, said George Yount, the valley’s first white settler, would hardly recognize the place today. The Napa of his day was marked by abundant wildlife, clear-running streams and dense forests on the western hills, Conaway said. If conference attendees were to venture into the hills today, they would find forest “scrapped raw” by vineyard development, he said."

I have to assume this quote is taken out of context or at least the context of this quote just isn't included in the article but that it exists somewhere. George Yount? The implication is that Napa Valley would be better off the way George Yount found it in the middle to late 19th century with its Grizzly Bears running around in mass numbers and not a human being to be found outside of a band of Native Americans. I wish I knew what Conaway was trying to get at here.

"Perversely, the very success of the Napa Valley wine industry — wine grapes are “one of the most valuable legal crops in the country” — has created the conditions that threaten it, he said. The valley is attracting the mega-wealthy who want a piece of the action, he said. Vineyards have been planted on questionable terrain. The homes of the rich are infected by “gigantism.”"

What's the threat? Someone please show me the threat that are vineyards? And someone else has to point me to a time when wealthy folks DID NOT build larger homes for themselves?  "Infected"??? "Infected by gigantism"?  And finally, which vineyards have been planted on "questionable terrain"?

I wish I was at this talk, damn it! The message delivered by these quotes just can't be real. Can they? If these are the real thoughts of Mr. Conaway, then they must lead to his concluding of one of two things: It's just too darn bad what's happened to Napa Valley and we should mourn the loss of pristine wilderness or we should create laws that regulate how wealthy one can be to own a winery or vineyard as well as the style of architecture that is allowed on private property.

Take The Electronic Wine Survey...It's Closing Soon

The "ELECTRONIC WINE" Survey will close  on Monday morning, April 28.

Tell us about you and wine online before it's too late.

UPDATE:
We're closed! THANK YOU To all that took survey!

 

Shipping & The Big Question For Wineries

As executive director of Specialty Wine Retailers Association, I've been thinking a lot recently about who supports free and open markets in wine and who supports retailer to consumer shipping—the only channel through which consumers can actually access ALL the wines on the market today.

We know consumers do. They've written letters to legislators, testified on direct shipping bills, and even donated $1000s of dollars to the work Specialty Wine Retailers Association is carrying out.

We know newspaper editorial boards and wine writers do. They've written scads of editorials denouncing the laws that serve to only protect wine distributors from competition.

The Wine 2.0 community has been vocal about their support of both winery and retailer shipping

And we know retailers support free and fair trade and consumer access to wine. See SWRA.

BUT WHERE DO WINERIES STAND ON FREE & FAIR TRADE IN WINE?

WHERE DO WINERIES STAND ON RETAILER TO CONSUMER SHIPPING? WHERE TO THEY STAND ON CONSUMER ACCESS TO WINE THROUGH RETAILERS? DO THEY IN FACT SUPPORT THE WINE RETAILER—THE GROUP MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING THEIR PRODUCTS IN FRONT OF THE CONSUMER—AND THEIR BID TO HELP ADDRESS THE LEGITIMATE CONSUMER DEMAND FOR ACCESS TO WINES?

The various winery associations and trade groups have been true to their fiduciary responsibility to their members and seen fit to support laws that prohibit consumers from buying wine from out-of-state retailers both in CA and IL. They have opposed laws that would allow retailer to consumers shipping in WA. And in other cases the wineries have simply been neutral on laws that would open shipping to consumers and retailers. In doing this they've supported their members' needs, despite the impact on consumers and wine merchants. OK...I understand this approach that many trade associations believe they must take.

But the more important issue is not how the various wine trade associations conduct themselves with regard to issues of fair trade in wine and consumer access to wines. The real question is HOW INDIVIDUAL WINERIES STAND ON RETAILER TO CONSUMER SHIPPING? Do the individual wineries support their best customers—wine lovers and the wine merchant?

Does CONSTELLATION BRANDS, perhaps the wine producer that benefits most from support by retailers, support the wine merchants bid to engage in direct to consumer sales? Are they willing to say they do publicly? Are they willing to donate a mere $125 a month to support this cause?

Does JOSEPH PHELPS WINERY support real consumer access to wine? Are they willing to say so publicly or show their support by joining the cause to break down barriers to retailer shipping by putting up, say, what they take in for the sale of a single case of Insignia?

Does DON SEBASTIANI & SONS support retailer shipping or just winery shipping? Are they willing to support efforts to bring down unconstitutional restrictions on retailer shipping and consumer access to wine?

Does STAGLIN think that free trade and shipping for wine merchants is worth supporting through publicly standing up and saying so or by joining an organization that is fighting for the right to sell their wines to consumers that want them but can't find them?

Will GALLO take a stand for retailers and donate real cash to the cause to allow consumers to access the wines they want?

Will the folks at ALBAN VINEYARDS take a stand against monopolists laws that keep wine retailers from selling their wines to the folks who want them enough to pay shipping from another state? Will they say so publicly? Will they make even a small donation to actually make this happen?

Will the MENDOCINO WINE COMPANY demonstrate its support for its best customers and its consumers by issue a public announcement of support for real fair and free trade in wine? Can they show their support by making a financial donation equivalent to the retail value of a mere 5 cases of their Paul Dolan Zinfandel?

Is DUCKHORN willing to only support winery shipping or will they publicly state they support retailer to consumer shipping, as well as help the only organization fighting for the right of retailers to market Duckhorn wine through direct shipping with a small contribution...just as "thanks" for the effort?

I wonder if RODNEY STRONG VINEYARDS, which has grown significantly with the support of wine merchants, has consumers in mind and will support retailers' attempts to change wine shipping laws with a small donation to the cause or just a public statement?

What about KORBEL and their family of wineries including Kenwood and Valley of the Moon? Do these folks have any interest in stepping up and supporting consumers and retailers with a monetary donation or public support for retailers who have supported their products for decades?

Do the folks at LORING WINE COMPANY have any interest is supporting the retailers that work to assure their outstanding wines get into the hands to the wine geeks that can't find them locally or from the winery? Can they step up with a show of support?

And then there is FOSTER WINE ESTATES, one of the largest wine producers in the world with a collection of wines that is nearly entirely dependent on wine merchants for putting these brands in front of the public. Can they afford to donate $1500 a year ($125 per month) ($4 per day) to the cause of retailers, who are fighting for the ability to to sell Foster's wines to wine lovers across the country? Or is this not important enough for them?

Is it possible that HANZELL VINEYARDS in the hills of Sonoma, a brand that fine wine merchants have supported for literally decades, can find the time to make a donation to, or public statement about, the retailers and consumers that are fighting monopolists for the right to simply fulfill a legitimate demand?

Is there any room in the PAHLMEYER budget to support consumers who merely want the right to purchase wine without the threat of being fined? Do they have room to make a simple statement to the effect that "we support consumers and retailers in their desire to simply do business together"?

I have to think that the folks at VINE CLIFF support free and fair trade in wine and have enough respect for their consumers that they too would show support through donations or public comment for the work consumers do through organizations like SWRA.

Are the IRONSTONE people satisfied with their retail supporters being left out of direct shipping now that they have their battle won, or are they willing to make even a small donation to the cause of direct shipping by retailers and consumer access to wine. Even a short public statement of support would be helpful if they think the cause is worth supporting.

Is it possible that PACIFIC WINE PARTNERS, the marketers behind brands like Rex Goliath, Hardys, Blackstone and Twin Fin and a company that relies tremendously on retailers to sell their products, might be able to help those friends of theirs with some support for the simple cause of direct shipping, or are they content to sit on the sidelines not get involved and see retailers hurt more and more as Pacific's best customers are shut out of more and more direct ship markets?

Is DIAGEO CHATEAU & ESTATES, a company whose wine such as Chalone, Beaulieu Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards and Acacia, are dependent on retailers, willing to step up and make a small donation to the cause of retailer to consumer shipping or just say out loud, "we support a free and fair market for retailer to consumer sales and shipping"?

There is nothing particularly special about this grouping of wineries other than they, like most other wineries in America, rely on wine merchants to put their wines in front of the consumer. They are a pretty random selection used only to make a point. Each in this group, like most other wineries, COULD afford to support though donations, membership in SWRA or contributions, those retailers and consumers that are working to create a free, fair and accessible market for consumers and retailers alike.

If they choose not to support retailer to consumer shipping, the question is why?

Why let your most important partners work all alone when you can could get involved?

That's the big question for American wineries. And I suspect both wine merchants and consumers do take some notice of how this question is being answered by wineries.

Give Me More Data!

If you've not taken the ELECTRONIC WINE SURVEY yet I urge you to. I want to get a really good sample of readers to make sure the results are meaningful.

The survey on your relationship with wine and the Internet will take no more than 3 minutes. Your response are 100% confidential.

Thanks so much!

Tom...

Nakedness & Having Your Way With Wine Blogs

The following comment was recently posted on the Fermentation post that announced
the American Wine Blog Winners:

You have a very nice blog. I enjoy the information and access to other blogs. I'm a new blogger... have you seen the naked woman on the newest Imagine Wine label? Check out www.imaginewine.com. It is beautiful. I tasted the wines recently at the Santa Ynez Vintners Festival too and the wine is good and a great value, but has to be bought off the internet.

I get this a lot. Folks posting seemingly flattering comments with a suspicious plug for their own winery or wine product or blog, or even not so suspicious plugs but very blatant plugs. I understand why it's done. Believe me, I do.

But here's a hint for those of you who want exposure on Fermentation:

1. If you maintain a wine blog, just email me with the name and URL of your blog and I'll post it in the blog roll.

2. If you are a winery and think there's a really good reason why I should investigate your wines and story, pitch me a story via email with your idea and tell me the most compelling reason why I should let my readers know about your wines and winery.

3. If you produce a wine-related product or have a wine-related service that you think Fermentation readers will want to know about, tell me in an e-mail what is unique, compelling, significant or relevant about your service or product.

Alternatively, you can let me know that there is some element of female nakedness associated with your blog, winery or wine-related service or product and I'll probably take notice.

Bottom Line: Blogs are like any other form of media. They may be interested in what your story is. Interested enough to write about it, even. BUT...assume you need to make the effort to pitch the story in a creative and compelling way.

Offering up female nakedness might work with me at Fermentation, but it's unlikely that other wine bloggers are as easy as I am. Make the effort. Do the research. Pitch the story directly.