Having had emails back and forth for a couple of years but never having had the pleasure to meet Cameron Hughes of Cameron Hughes Wine personally, I finally had that opportunity last night at a tasting held at Friendly Discount Liquors in Whitinsville, Massachusetts.

I originally was introduced to Cameron Hughes Wine two years prior during a tasting event at another location. Bill Erwin of Classic Wine Imports was pouring (I have seen and always enjoy speaking with  Bill  at  local wine events).  At the time I had the pleasure of tasting a Dry Creek Valley Merlot (Lot#61).  I was quite impressed by its quality and reasonable price.

It is with that background that I introduced myself to Cameron last evening. Like many people I have met in the wine industry, he was open, engaging, and passionate about his business. This was even more evident as we tasted through eight of his wines ( see more below). Cameron took the time to walk the attendees through details of each of the wines – origin, varietal, vinification methods, as well as answering more indepth questions about his company and each of the  wines. It was clear from the start that he is not only passionate about his wines, but also getting them introduced to new potential customers looking for quality wines at reasonable prices.

So what is a “négociant”? According to Wine Pros Archive (derived from the Oxford Companion to Wine), it is a “French term for a merchant  and one used particularly of wine merchants who buy in grapes, must, or wine, blend different lots of wine within an appellation, and bottle the result under their own label.”

From the Camerone Hughes Wine  website,  “Our focus is on buying at the high-end, small available ‘Lots’ of super premium wine. Because not all wine at the high-end is bottled, we rescue those ‘Lots’ do some stylistic blending and get it to you at a great price.

Our company produces and markets wine under Cameron Hughes Lot Series, Flying Winemaker, Hughes-Wellman, RockRidge, and Evergreen. We do not own vineyards or ferment wine. Our business model is built around what we call in the industry the “spot” market for super/ultra premium bulk wines. We use our own palates as guides to deliver delicious, super premium wine that is easily accessible price and style-wise.”

For this particular tasting, there were four varietals representing the Flying Winemaker series as well as an additional four wines from the Lot Series.

From the Flying Winemaker label (unlike the Lot Series that represent  limited quantities of wines purchased, bottled and offered only until they run out, these are varietal wines that are sourced from a particular winery on an on-going basis), we tasted a Chardonnay (Margaret River, Western Australia), a Tempranillo (Compo de Borja, Spain),  Cabernet Sauvignon (Maipo Valley, Chile), and a Zinfandel (Lodi, California). Each of these wines were meant to represent their origin and style.

From the Lot Series an additional four wines were offered including Lot 91 a Russian River Chardonnay, Lot 112 a Merlot from Napa Valley, Lot 102 a Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford, and Lot 74 another Cabernet Sauvignon from Oak Knoll in Napa Valley.

I also  had the pleasure of tasting one additional wine that is soon to be released: Lot 100 a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. This one is very typical of Stags Leap Cabernet and sure to please.

Considering the current recession and price pressure to find good value wines at reasonable prices, it is not surprising that Cameron Hughes Wine is growing fast (Cameron Hughes Wine was ranked #18 of the fastest growing privately-held companies in the US by Inc. Magazine), and based on the enthusiasm, skill  and passion of Cameron and his staff, I expect that growth to continue.

To learn more about Cameron Hughes Wine, vist them at their website, follow them on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or better still get on the Cameron Hughes Wine mailing list (scroll down on the left hand side).

Last evening I was fortunate to attend a tasting of Paso Robles wines from Four Vines and J. Dusi Wines in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Bill Grant of Four Vines and Janelle Dusi (wine makers) presented their wines, provided some history and anecdotes about their wines and wineries, and generally interacted very well with an appreciative crowd (over 100 fans).

Four Vines / J Dusi Tasting

First to the wines. A total of 10 wines were tasted during the event including 9 from Four Vines and 1 from Dusi Wines (see list below). Much of the grapes were sourced from the vineyard itself and the surrounding area in Paso Robles, and the rest from other prime grape growing AVAs in California such as Dry Creek Valley and Russian River.

I can’t say this for every tasting I have been to, but for this one all of the wines tasted (with the exception of the Naked Chardonnay) were full bodied, complex, a virtual (no pun intended) pleasure. This is not to suggest the chardonnay was not well made. Rather, the chardonnay is one of Four Vine’s entry level offerings. It is a very good every day quaffer, but simply did not have the same kind of complexity as the other offerings.

My personal favorites included the Sophisticate, Anarchy, and a very different style but nonetheless very well made, abeit more femine style Zinfandel from J. Dusi Wines. The 2005 FV Zin Port was also really nice with a great balance of sweetness and alcohol, and a mouthfeel and finish that went on and on. Wiht that said, I can say that all of the wines are highly recommended!

Bill Grant & Janelle Dusi

Besides the tasting itself, both Bill and Janelle got the crowd going with anecdotes about making wines, winery costs, quality, wine storage,  and tidbits about the different varietals including of course Zinfandel, but also Syrah, Mourvedre, Petit Syrah, Tempranillo,
Malbec, and Petit Verdot (really enjoyed the Monachy as well, which is a blend of the last three and normally only available at the winery).

However, being a long time marketer I also wanted to take note of the great teamwork that went on to make this event a success. Keeping in mind the current recession, competition continues to be very keen for wineries around the world. There are neary 6,000 bonded wineries alone in the US all competing for shrinking dollars.

Bill Grant (left) & John Hannum

In order to standout in the crowd, wineries need to provide access to their wines so that avid wine consumers have a chance to try their wines and become loyal fans. That said, having worked in marketing for many years, I was very pleased to see such great cooperation between the wineries (Four Vines and J. Dusi Wines), the distributor (M.S. Walker), and the retailer (Yankee Spirits).

The adage of the evening was  “if you can’t get the people to the tasting room, get the tasting room to the people”. In this case, Yankee Spirits advertised the event to their mailing list, which consists of customers of their Sturbridge, Swansea and Attleboro locations. These locations are spread apart, about 2 hours between Swansea and Sturbridge and 1.5 hours from Attleboro to Sturbridge.

This distance would most likely have discouraged some of the participants from attending. However, Yankee Spirits tried something new last night: they offered to bus their customers free of charge from the other locations to Sturbridge. This was a win win for everyone – for the wineries, retailer and distributor it no doubt translated into incremental sales, and for the customers an evening to try some new wines and learn more about the industry.

Bravo to all those involved.

Now  .. for the Pièce de résistance !

There is a great deal of buzz today about social media and how wineries can take advantage of it to increase their visability, grow brand recognition, and increase sales. Here is an example of marrying smart traditional marketing and social media: the wineries, distributor and retailer setup and sponsored the event, and now I am taking that event and splashing it through my blog, Twitter, etc.

Social media and net working are not to be feared  .. it is simply another set of tools to help connect with your current and prospective customers.

All in all …. Great wine, Great grapes … and a Great tasting!

For more information, visit Four Vines and J. Dusi Wines.

List of wines tasted at event:

2008 Four Vines Naded Chardonnay
2007 Four Vines “Biker”
2007 Four vines “Sophisticate”
2006 Four Vines “Maverick”
2007 Four Vines “Anarchy”
2006 Four Vines “Loco
2007 Four Vines “Peasant”
2006 Four Vines “Monarchy”
2007 J. Dusi Zinfandel
2005 Four Vines Zin Port