There are many great wine blogs on the net. One of my favorites is Dr. Vino. Tyler Coleman not only holds a Ph.D., he is also the author of several books, and very importantly, his blog often delves in some rather contraversial subjects. Case in point, his recent blog entitled “Wine Shops in states with supermarket sales – three views”, in which he has initiated a rather, some times stormy “conversation” between various intersted parties regarding allowing sales of wine in grocery stores in the State of New York.

This is a fairly heated issue at the moment. Here’s a view on the subject from the retailers perspective from the Queens Chronicle – Liquor Store Owners Face Grocery Clash.

This actually is a second attempt to allow wine sales in grocery stores after a first attempt failed about a year ago.

What’s at issue?

There are actually five competing perspectives on the matter:
1. The State of New York wants to increase revenues
2. Grocery stores want to sell wine to  increase sales
3. New York State wineries would like to see more shelves dedicated to selling their wines
4. Consumers would like to be able to shop in one place for their food and wine
5. Current liquor stores want to keep the status quo, and/or are concerned over what this might do to their business.

All the markings of a great debate! As of 2/12 at 12:28 there were about 71 responses. Now this does not reflect 71 individuals. Rather, it represents a much smaller number of people who are either dead set for or dead set against the enactment of this law. (The count is up to 77 as of 2/20)

As I peruse the responses, it is clear that there are passionate arguments for and against enactment. The current store owners do have reasonable concerns particularly where current law includes many restrictions on their business. Namely, dozens of laws enacted before and after Prohibition that likely make little sense in 2010. On the other side are those that are passionate about changing things for the better (their perception) and are arguing strongly in favor of moving away from the laws set as a result of the lifting of Prohibition in 1933 to more reflect the realities of 2010.

Debate is good. No one is completely right or wrong, even if some of the arguments are either protectionist, in error, or simply self serving.

Tempus fugit. Some laws are timeless, but many need review and change over time. For instance, there is a law in Massachusetts that does not allow financial support to parochial schools. Now, I do believe in a separation of church and state. However, the reason for this law goes back to the 1900s when a group (Know Nothing Party) were determined to do whatever needed to stymie those emigrating from Ireland. There is debate now that the law is getting in the way of providing children a better education.

So laws do need to be reviewed, and lively debate is needed to ensure the best results are achieved. Business also must evolve. It wasn’t that long ago that General Motors fought for years against regulations that required safety glass in cars, only to find the Japanese and others investing in engineering instead of lawyers. Times change and require laws and businesses to adapt.

I simply can’t help believe that if each of the concerned parties took a position that said “let’s make things better for the citizens of New York”, a compromise could be identified that:
- Helped increase revenues for the State of NY
- Allowed consumers to do one stop shopping
- Allowed grocery stores to sell wine
- Increased the shelf space dedicated to wines produced in the State of NY (3rd largest wine producing state)
- Changed or did away with laws that restrict current liquor store owners from evolving their business to exist profitably in spite of wines sales in grocery stores (where in 35 other states grocery stores and liquor seem to be able to co-exist)

The only thing I can hope for  is that after pondering the stupidity and inability of our current legislative bodies in Washington to work together for the betterment of the American people, that the interested parties in the State of New York will reflect on what is before them, see this as an opportunity – not a win or lose situation – and act responsibly for the sake of all concerned.

OK .. with that said, don’t forget to bookmark Dr. Vino. Kimchi anyone?

Many people have special interests that over time turn into a passion. Sometimes a passion remains pent up and is not acted upon for whatever reason, while other times it is vigorously pursued. Here at ViralVines the passion is wine.. in case you couldn’t tell

I have followed that passion in many ways  over the years – through tastings, reading about wine, making wine, visiting wine regions, having communication with fellow wine enthusiasts, working in the industry, taking the latest quiz on the Wine Hub (let Luiz know I sent you:-), and yes, blogging about wine here on Viralvines too!

So after completing my Intermediate Certification with the Wine Education Trust (WSET) last Spring, I thought it would be beneficial to move on to the Level 3 Advanced Certification. The WSET is a wine education organization located in London with worldwide recognition, and often the starting point for gaining knowledge and pursuing education in the wine industry. Courses can be taken in London or they are offered around the world by local educators with usually a minimum  Level 4 Diploma, which is viewed universally as the stepping-stone to the Master of Wine qualification (with only 279 members worldwide). 

The Advanced Certification level includes a tasting test as well as multiple choice and short answer and/or essay questions, and it covers all the major wine producing regions in the world as well as a focus on the production of various spirits.

So for most Mondays since September I have been driving to the train, heading into Backbay, and learning more about wine at the Boston Center for  Adult Education.

What did I learn? Well, I’m not the best taster and …..need to keep working at it!  

But at least now I can systematically approach each wine and make a better judgement. What else? Lots of facts and figures .. some that frankly are good to know but will likely be forgotten, but many others that will help in both the evaluation as well as the enjoyment of wine.

For example, with properties in Bordeaux the Chateau name is largely a trademark. The owner can increase the size of the property by purchasing vineyard plots anywhere within the same appellation and sell it all under the same name. On the other hand, in Burgundy the name is attached to a plot of land and registered in that town where the size seldom varies. Bordeaux has 60 names under Appellation contrôlée (AC ) while Burgundy has ten times that many even though it has less than half as much land. So why is that of any importance?

The devil is in the details! While in Bordeaux the same team and winemaker will be responsible for all of the wines from that Chateau (even if multiple labels), in Burgundy the vineyard is seldom a monopole (owned and worked by one person or group), it normally has multiple owners and each owner can and often does make wine in his / her own style. So while in Bordeaux you will find consistency under one or multiple labels from the same chateau, in Burgundy you may find great variance from a bottle that comes from the same piece of land with the same classification, but different producer.

There were some other facts that I learned such as the residual grams of sugar in a brute bottle of champagne or in a bottle of Tokaji Azsu 3 Puttonyos, the temperature at which most sherries are fermented, and why Chile is such an ideal place to grow grapes and make wine. There is also much discussion on the aromas and taste of grapes grown in different regions around the world. Chardonnay for example can taste vastly different based on whether it is  grown in cooler or hotter climates, whether or not  it undergoes malolactic fermentation, as well as  the vessel and length in which it is matured.

What made this all come together was a passoniate and knowledgeable instructor by the name of Adam Chase who leads  GrapeExperience in the Boston and San Francisco areas. Grape Experience is a company that offers educational studies to individuals as well as education services to businesses.  While Adam covered all the material in the book, he also often provided anecdotes to help understand some of the nuances surrounding the growth and adoption of wine in various countries.

For instance, certain cities such as Valparaiso in Chile, and Cape Town in South Africa grew and prospered simply because they became logical supply points – places to rest and resupply – as ships headed from west to east or east to west. Another example was the fall of the Spanish Empire and the migration of Spanish, Italian, French and German settlers into countries such as Argentina, Australia, the USA and Chile,  that brought their love of wine and skills with them.

All in all it took a considerable amount of time and effort, but for someone with a passion for wine, it was well worth the time and money. I can now approach my enjoyment of wine with a higher appreciation of what makes a great wine great… or sometimes, not so great.

Don’t know what my next step will be … but I did receive the latest edition of the  Wine Atlas by Oz Clark for Christmas. So I guess its time to start reading…. of course with the appropriate glass of wine to coincide with each chapter!

As a frugal consumer I am always on the look out for the best value available for my dollar – whether the purchase is a car, an electronic gadget, or more importantly – a quality bottle of wine! I don’t know about you, but I like to experiment and expand my knowledge whenever possible. I am always looking for that next bottle that really stands out. Not the one that says “OK” but the one that says “wow”!  Of course, by the same token, I want it to say “wow” without breaking the bank:-)

Now I suspect that for the most part 2009 will not be remembered with fond memories especially if you were one of the people or one of the wineries, wine distributors or retailers adversely affected by the economic downturn. So finding that quality bottle of wine at a reasonable price point is more relevant than ever.

With that said, I will look back with fond memories regarding some great deals I was able to make during 2009 primarily due to a glut of inventory in the distribution channel. In some cases, wines that normally sell in the $25 range were available for purchase for around $10, while other bargains a result of wine sold and re-branded with a new label.

So did I find a lot of wines with that “wow” factor? After all .. we are speaking about wines that normally sell for over $25 a bottle. To be fair, not all the time. Price in wine does not determine quality or value of and by itself. Good wine simply means it has no defects. Great wine on the other hand means that not only was it free of defects, but in addition it had balance, aromatics and taste that for you as an individual is very attractive. Said another way … wine is somewhat subjective – what is “wow” to one may not be to another. With that said, in several cases the new find was more than memorable – it was great!

But here’s the conundrum: While I take a lot of joy in finding those bargains from a consumer point of view, I am concerned about what the loss of profitability is doing to the wine industry players – to the growers, to the producers, and to general distribution as well.

Unless the costs are decreasing with the price, someone is losing money. Now I am not concerned about the global conglomerates or the huge regional distributors who have to give up a margin point or two. I am concerned primarily with the small family growers who may lose contracts or renew at very low price points or the quality winery that was already working on a shoestring, who may be driven out of business.

I know that in life and business it is survival of the fittest. Natural selection is normal – businesses come and they go. However, I have had the pleasure of meeting or interacting with many small produces who genuinely take tremendous pride in their work and their product. It would clearly be a shame to lose that enthusiasm, not to mention the quality wines that are produced.

So will I strive to pay more per bottle? Not likely.  As with the majority of consumers, 2009 emphasized a need to pull in the reigns – search for the best buys and conserve capital. But I am hoping that those most adversely affected will be able to weather the storm. There are already too many players whose main focus is solely or mainly profit, so my concern is with the outfit – be it large or small – that focuses on quality and takes great pride in the product they produce.

Good luck … and let me know how I can help.

There’s no doubt that wine scores do sell wines. Just ask those wineries that have received praise from Robert Parker, the WineSpectator and other well known score keepers. I have seen this first hand working in retail where more and more customers walk through the door with a typed list in hand – one that reflects the latest “Top 100″ scored wines.

Of course, no one retailer will likely have all of these wines, particularly those that were in short supply to begin with.

However, I have also witnessed a similar, but seamingly illogical trend when it comes to buying wines based on their  labels. You know. Those labels that catch ones eye based on color, or design, or whimsical words. You walk done the aisles where there are countless options, bottle shapes, and possibilities, and then it catches your eye – the word “Bitch” in glowing pink! I can’t tell you how many women in particular grab this label to take to a friend.

Haven’t seen that one? How about “Vivacious Vicky“, “Menage a Trois”, “Fat Bastard”, “Smoking Loon” – the list goes on and on.  Now I am not suggesting that an outlandish label likely means the wine inside is poorly made or undrinkable, but by the same token it doesn’t speak to the quality or drinkability either.

The label and the capsule really have no function when it comes to the quality of the wine inside. The bottle obviously holds the wine and the cork protects it from oxidation. The label is there often as a legal requirement to inform the purchaser of what the wine is, when and where it was made, perhaps the style or a suggested pairing, and the capsule is there simply as decoration (although at one time it was used to hide the fact that when champagne or sparkling wine was disgorged it naturally lost some of the wine – the capsule hide that fact from the buyer:-).

So why would one buy one wine over the other based on label alone? Well … why does a buyer choose any product  over the other? Brand, reputation, price, recommendation amongst others all come into play. The label is just one more marketing ploy to get the attention of a particular buyer… some times it works, and some times it doesn’t.

I have bought certain wines that had crazy labels and some of these have turned out to be interesting wines. However, in general I am a bit leery of crazy labels as they suggest to me that the winemaker is having difficulty differentiating his/her wine based on its own merits and needs to turn to slick packaging to do the job.

So as with the scoring on wines … caveat emptor. Neither scores nor crazy labels mean you will enjoy the wine.  For this you will need to explore on your own and decide what you like.

With so many wines stuck in distributi0n looking for buyers many are at discount, so now maybe a good time to experiment.

Have a wonderful and safe Holiday!  Enjoy the wine but don’t drink and drive.

Yesterday I read a very interesting report (December 2009) from the Marine Institute (Alcohol Industry Watchdog) entitled: “The Myth of the Family Winery: Global Corporations behind California Wine”. Even as a passionate wine enthusiast I would have to agree or at least acknowledge that many of the  statements in the report are accurate.

• As an example, a very high percentage of production of wine from California is controlled by a small number of global organizations (won’t list them here… you can easily identify them in the report).
• I must also acknowledge that these same organizations do in fact fund lobbyists across the nation (and I assume abroad as well) to try and keep the status quo from changing. This of course is also done by powerful organizations across all types of business as a way to support continued growth and profitability – not perhaps humane, fair or reasonable, but still legal.
• Again I have to agree that these large corporations are not only wine focused, but are usually also well invested in beer and spirits.

So where do I differ with the report?

As with any facts, the key is in understanding the background and the numbers to the degree that one has an accurate picture by which to evaluate. In this case, the facts are presented from one point of view; that is, from that of an “Alcohol Industry Watchdog”.

So my humble perspective:

• Yes… alcohol in general is controlled by a few very large corporations. This is true today and it was true at the turn of the century in America, one reason why wine was included within Prohibition. In both instances the main focus is and was on profitability. However, wine is produced also by hundreds of dedicated grape growers and winemakers who have a passion for their craft and who are firm believer’s as am I that wine is and should be a part of your everyday life – not as a beverage with which to binge, but as an integral part of a healthy diet.  Yes… there are huge conglomerates in the wine industry, but there are dozens and dozens of family run wineries that are under constant financial pressure due to the economy and the difficulty of getting their product to the consumer under the current 3-tiered system.  These are very hard working individuals and families who are not wealthy, take great pride in their work, and also provide employment, pay taxes, and produce a quality product.
• Yes … these very large corporations do fund lobbyists .. but not fully as the report suggests. While these large corporations own the majority of production, they are also distributors of the product.  High volume production in any industry requires tiered distribution to support the large volumes that must flow from producer to consumer. Small producers are often shut out of distribution since there isn’t sufficient volume to interest the large volume distributors. So yes there is large scale funding and lobbyists, but not to support direct shipments or alter 3-tiered distribution. One of the issues before Prohibition was the fact that the producters (yes.. again very large scale corporations) controlled the flow of alcohol, often putting pressure at the retail level to the point of exclusivity as a way to stymie the competition. The system put in place after Prohibition (3-tiered system) was engineered to avoid this from happening again. However, over the last 70 years since the repeal in 1933 the situation has changed whereby distribution is now the controller not the producer. I will leave it up to the reader to determine which is better.

In reality, the United States has been debating the role of wine since the mid 19th Century when Nicolas Longworth worked to make wine a part of daily life (keep in mind drinking water at the time was very hazardous to your health with the alternative mostly distilled liquour) and Samual Carey, a strong advocate of temperance, insisted wine was no different than any other alcohol.

As with many aspects of life, the “truth” for the majority of people likely lies in between.

QUICK UPDATE:  According to Linda Reiff, executive director of Napa Valley Vintners, “The strength of the family business is evident in Napa Valley — 95 percent of our appellation’s wineries are family owned. And, yes, 70 percent produce less than 10,000 cases annually and 60 percent less than 5,000 cases annually.”

For more on Napa Valley, its wineries, and the last 10 years, read “Wine Tales of the Decade”.wine

Over the last couple of weeks I have seen numerous articles and blogs regarding wine tasting and wine scores. Most have not been very flattering. In one article, “Expert wine sippers take us all for suckers” the authors refer to several recent stories, one from the Wall Street Journal entitled “A Hint of Hype, a Taste of Illusion”, which talks about huge discrepancies in wine competitions – consistency doesn’t seem to be there.

So what’s all the fuss?  Did anyone really think that wine was so objective and predictable that upon tasting everyone would  decipher the same nuance, scents, and tastes? Dah, do you also believe in the Easter Bunny (ah, need to be careful here or I ma y not receive my eggs this Spring .

Common sense would suggest that we are not all the same. Some have a very keen sense of smell and others do not. Further, we detect chemicals (scents) at different rates – where one smells a particular scent it may go totally unnoticed or unidentified by another. So it would make sense that even if all wine tastings were consistent and objective, you still may not “experience” the same tastes and aroma(s) as suggested by the taster.

So why have competitions and ratings at all? Simply put, it provides another point of reference. Considering there are approximately 7,000 wineries in the US alone offering about 70,000 different labels, any additional information or insight is helpful. On all of my wine reviews I include a description of the wine (usually back label), which sometimes contain little if any information at all. I normally consult the label after tasting the wine as I always find it interesting to see if my notes agree or contrast with those on the label. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.

So should you buy solely based on scores, medals or reviews? Really not a great idea.

However you can use these scores and ratings to help in the buying decision. I always check to see who is reviewing the wine, i.e., I  follow the reviewer rather than the score itself. Here’s how it works:

Assume you see a score by a reviewer (let’s make it easy or contraversial depending upon your perspective – Robert Parker). You read a review or score and then try the wine and make your own judgement – was it what you expected based on the rating? If yes, try another rated by Parker and again look for characteristics that you value in the wine. You can do this in reverse as well. If you see a high score by Robert Parker and you don’t like the wines that he has given high scores to, you can avoid those wines assuming they likely would not be to your taste.

Now there are some standardization methods in place such as the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Systematic Approach to Tasting, which is broken down into four categories:

• Appearance – deals with the clarity, intensity, color and other observations
• Nose – Deals with the condition, intensity, development, and aroma characteristics
• Palate – Deals with the sweetness, acidity, tannin level, alcohol level, body, flavor intensity, length
• Conclusions – Deals with the judgement in terms of quality, price, and readiness for drinking

This kind of tasting standardization helps, but there is still a great deal of interpretation and subjective judgement, and the more you know about wine, the more you may be influenced into smelling or tasting something that may or may not be there based upon what you were expecting to taste.

My advice: simply use the scores as additional insight, but not as a main buying criteria. Try as many wines and varietals as you can (In Italy alone there are 1,000 different Vitis Vinifera grape varietals … so you have your work cut out for you!). Exploring wine is fun .. and now you have a great excuse to explore.

Earlier this year (July) I provided some research as well as a survey regarding the top 50 wineries on Twitter that included the number of followers, follows, tweets, tags and location. The survey itself focused on how the wineries were using Twitter and what benefits if any they felt they were getting.

I thought it might be interesting to revisit the list to see what has changed if anything since the initial research.  I also thought I would investigate additional tools to help in the search, but found this to be somewhat frustrating:

(NOTE: Data below pertains to searches done on 5 November 2009.)

Twibs.com: Searched on “winery” and “wineries”. On winery I got a list of 10, but the information (followers, etc.) were way out of date. For wineries I got one entry and it wasn’t even a winery but a site that follows wineries.

Twellow.com: Searched using the same criteria. For “winery” there were 788 matches. For “wineries” there were 222. However, in both lists there were Twitter users that were not wineries. In fact for “wineries” the first 12 were not wineries, but instead wine related only.

WeFollow.com: Again… same criteria. For “winery” there were 283 listings and for “wineries” only 13 of which only 6 were actually wineries.

Twitter search (advanced): Here I used the same criteria, but since the search focuses on tweets and not necessarily users (bio or location), in the list of the first 50 only 2 were from actual wineries with the rest referencing wineries.

Several other tools that focus on the user are relatively inflexible. As an example, on one site when searching on “winery” and then “Argentina” – no hit. But when searching on “winery” and “Mendoza, Argentina” – hit! Problem: the search tools are sensitive to exactly what has been input by the user for location. So if a user inputs “Bordeaux” in the location box and one searches say on France or Medoc or Pomerol, the listing will not be found.

To add another bit of complexity, these tools are updated at different times and change often so it becomes difficult to make comparisons, i.e., the same winery listing on the same day may have different numbers associated with the listing on a different tool. Most of the time the numbers are close, but sometimes (as with Twibs.com) the numbers can be off by a magnitude.

Note: Regarding Wineries on Twitter

1. As with the initial research, it is only possible to gather data in a “moment in time”. Unlike other mediums, 24 hours can make a big difference in the numbers (case in point, there were 359 updates to the numbers on the day of the research on WeFollow).  With that in mind, the numbers below reflect the data as of November 5,2009 on Twellow / WeFollow).
2. The numbers on Twellow and WeFollow did not match exactly, but were always relatively close and did not seem to skew the placement
3. In both cases  listed companies that were wine related (such as tour companies, etc.) but were not wineries were not included
4. Listings  are based on tags. Both the tag “winery” and “wineries” were used to identify the listings.
5. As with the previous study, the research focuses on the top 50 wineries, with specific details and recognition for the top 5

NOTE: Update Section!! 

As mentioned above, because Twitter searches on Tweets and not account, conducting a search on Twitter alone is rather difficult. Unfortunately, when using other search platforms other than Twitter there is always the possibility that a winery will be missed if it has not registered on that site. For this reason I have setup this UPDATE SECTION in order to provide recognition for winery that has been missed. If you are a winery and you feel you should be in the top 50, please send me a note at richard@viralvines and I will add you to the section.

• Hahn Family Wines:  1156 followers (Thanks Philip for making me aware!)

Top 5 Wineries on Twitter

 The top wineries in the previous research (July 2009) were:

So .. how did these same wineries fair in the latest search on Twitter (as of November 5, 2009)?

Let’s take a closer look:

On WeFollow there are two lists. The first focuses on the most followers and the second on the most influential. (NOTE: I searched high and low to find a clear definition for what “Most Influential” means. I checked on WeFollow, DIGG as well as other sites and never did come up with a clear definition. Suffice it to say there are criteria perhaps such as number of tweets, status of followers, etc. that are factored in.) The search on Twellow focused only on the most followers.

So looking at the most followers, #1, #2 and #4 were consistent across both sites.  There were differences as you can see for #3 and #5. Looking at the numbers, this could well be an issue of when the sites update the numbers since often there are only minimal differences in the number of followers and so one updating before the other can skew results.  

The #1 slot was taken over by Crushpad Winery with 63,455 followers. This was the largest change (3096%!) as Crushpad Winery was #9 on the initial research with only 2049 followers. This number no doubt is a partial result of the recent announcement (10/15/2009) of a relationship between Twitter and Crushpad to make wine to benefit  Room To Read, San Francisco, CA, a charity that attempts to build librairies and schools in developing countries.  Bit of a sidenote here: I have to give him credit.. when Michael Brill is not managing the company or driving the forklift (as he was doing when I was working the sorting table for a couple tons of Pinot about a year ago), he’s coming up with some innovative ideas and relationships.

This takes nothing away from EaglesNestWinery that slipped (kind of an oxymoron here)  from #1 to a very solid #2. Using the word “slipped” seems out of place since  EaglesNestWinery (way to go Dennis!) actually increased their followers by over 200%  from 8883 in July to almost 19000 in November. Dennis Grimes is always hard at work at the winery and working social media. I only regret I was not able to take advantage of some of the invitations to help out during the harvest.

The #3 slot goes to either Tercero Wines (7605) or Rimon Winery (7770).  Tercero Wines is a very small operation producing Rhone varietals in Santa Barbara (well done gentlemen!) and Rimon Winery is based in the heart of the Galilee Mountains of Israel producing wines from pomegranate juice. I couldn’t resist checking today (11/10/2009) to see if there were any updates. Rimon Winery is still showing 7770 followers while Tercero Wines is now showing 7788. I’ll therefore let the reader decide who is #3!

Continuing, the #4 slot from down under is Teusner Winery on both WeFollow and Twellow. Teusner Winery produces some very nice dry and sparkling wines in the Barossa Valley from Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Mataro, and Shiraz (just saw their tweet regarding the 2008 Riebke Shiraz in Adelaide Advertiser Top 100 for 2009 – well done!).

Lastly we have the #5 slot that goes to St. Supery  in Napa Valley (OK .. Rick did you have anything to do with this?…My guess is YES :-) on WeFollow and to Tassel Ridge Winery from Leighton, Iowa on Twellow. Again, when the numbers are this close the #5 slot could go either way.

Let me first say Congratulations to all of the above wineries!

Regardless of the results, the good news for all of the wineries (all of the top 50) is that between July 2009 and November 2009, they all increased their followers by at least 100%. My sincere hope is that the increase in followers was accompanied by an increase in interest, in sales and most important, profitability.

Here’s the complete list of the top 50 wineries on Twitter as of 5 November 2009:

Again … congratulations to all!

2009 Business Social Media Benchmarketing Study

I also thought I would take this opportunity to highlight some of the results of the 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarketing Study by Business.com.

Although not specifically focused on the wine industry, it does provide some interesting insights for those looking towards incorporating and benefiting from the use of social media.

Here are some additional highlights:

•  46% of adults now participate in social networks. 
• Interest in Twitter as a business information resource is growing
• There is value in inter-relationships among social media
• Among the 1,197 respondents indicating their company maintained a profile on one or more
  social media sites, 80% maintain a Facebook presence and 56% have a company account
  on Twitter
• The average company has a presence on three different social media site

Notwithstanding the challenges and time constraints putting in place a social media strategy as well as execution for small to medium sized wineries, there is no doubt that social media activity can provide substantial benefits at relatively low costs.

As indicated on the chart to the left, engagement with prospects, lead volume and quality, brand reputation, and at the top of the list, revenue can be positively effected.

However, the study did also indicate that a company can over reach when it comes to social media spending too much time on too many sites, resulting in a less than stellar return.

Several other studies are planned and it will be interesting to follow up on these to get additional insights into how, when and where a company, particularly small to medium wineres,  can best take advantage.

There was quite a bit of excitement (or concern) when Amazon indicated intentions of adding wine sales to its already large offering last year. Seen as a step in the right direction for small and medium wineries, it seemed to be an opportunity to identify and serve a new set of customers that otherwise could not easily be reached, not to mention finally allowing wine enthusiasts access to wines that otherwise they could find or purchase.

Why? Because the three tiered distribution system in the United States doesn’t work very well for smaller wineries whose output and/or reputation cannot compete very well against large, high demand brands. If a winery finds itself on the outside of the system, there are few options to selling their product except locally, which may not be feasible or profitable.

In an article today by Wine & Spirits Daily entitled “Why Amazon Quit: Is it Wholesalers?  it  got me thinking about why it is so very difficult to change the wine shipment laws in this country. Is it the wholesalers? Well … yes.. there is a monopoly established in which they benefit greatly. But it isn’t just the wholesalers.

As suggested in the article, there really are now many entrenched interests in keeping the status quo:

• state regulators
• control state executives
• public health advocates
• industry policy wonks
• anti alcohol organizations
• …to name a few

The reasoning: ”vested interests in  preserving a system they contend has worked well for 75 years”

To some this statement is true. But to many others the system works well only to a point: It does not support freedom of choice for law abiding wine enthusiasts, it harms an industry with thousands of smaller brands that could otherwise employ more people, and it often hinders interstate commerce.

Progress continues to be made, but the battle for freeing the grapes will not be short term.

 There has been a very long tradition in the wine industry of helping those less fortunate. One of the oldest and  most well known is the Hospices de Beaune established in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin and his wife, then chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy (Phillipe le Bon). The elderly, disabled, the sick, and orphans were given refuge following 100 years of war.  The giving continues to this day when each November there is a charity wine auction held in the great hall.

There are countless other efforts by individual wineries such as Humanitas Winery, B.R. Cohn, Charity Wines, Tolosa Winery, Clos La Chance, Gargiulo Vineyards, DeLoach Vineyards, to name only a few. There are dozens more out there helping the less fortunate every day. The recipient charities are often local or national efforts supported by sales and events of one or multiple wineries.

I applaud all of these efforts, but today I wanted to focus on a new global effort soon underway to help children in Laos (Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc.).  So what is the WorldWine Tour 2010?

Two people (George Janssens, from Merced, California and Anja Cheriakova, living in Utrecht, The Netherlands) will travel to 17 countries and over 300 wineries starting in January 2010  asking them to donate a small number of their top bottlings, which subsequently will be shipped and auctioned off at the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley with 100% of the proceeds going to the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation to help rebuild after the devastation of massive flooding of the Mekong River in 2008.

This actually is a continuation of an idea conceived in 2003 called ‘Vignes sans Frontieres’ (Vines without Borders) by a young French couple who completed their tour in 2004.

In each subsequent year a different traveling pair interpreted the concept in a way that incorporated their own views on life.

In 2010 Georges and Anja have set an objective to raise $150,000 for the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. , an organization dedicated to providing medical services to Laotian citizens, such as the building of health care clinics,  the diagnosing and treating of hundreds of patients, and general  improvement of sanitation conditions, all with a strong emphasis on children.

To follow their wine journey in 2010, become a sponsor (see current sponsors to the left), or donate a bottling,  visit the World Wine Tour 2010 website or simply contact Georges or Anja (contact details below). 

I wish Anja and Georges a safe and successful journey and over the course of the next several months,  I will update this blog as that  journey unfolds.

Anja Cheriakova : anja.cheriakova@worldwinetour2010.com

Georges Janssens : georges.janssens@worldwinetour2010.com

On a recent trip this Summer I had the pleasure to read “American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine” by Paul Lukacs. This was a fascinating read not only for the  struggles and successes of the  history of viticulture in this country, but equally for more recent history regarding American cuisine and how that evolution helped to shape the adoption of wine in America (from frozen dinners to French cooking spurred by Julia Childs). Highly recommended for anyone really interested in wine.

It is with that background that I found a comment to an article entitled Cider versus Wine to the New York Times (January 17, 1864) equally fascinating as it mirrored the debate that unfortunately culminated in Prohibition about 50 years later. That debate centered around the expansion of wine and cider as healthy alternatives to distilled liquors and fortified concoctions that were the mainstay of the nation at the time (during that period the wine industry was centered in Cincinnati and the varietal was Catawba). During the middle of the 19th century it was much safer drinking alcohol than water

Today wine is produced in all 50 States, albeit not all wine is from grapes. There is a good deal of wine from other fruits including blueberries, strawberries, peaches and so on.

It also brought up the question on why we call fermented apple juice “cider” and yet we call just about any other fermented juice wine? Now, I have great memories of growing up in New England and looking forward to  Fall as it was the time for picking apples and buying cider at local apple orchards. The apples in New England are delicious and I looked  forward to them each year.

I found this definition at WineIntro.com:

The word “cider” is simply the traditional word for apple alcoholic beverage, and can be used interchangeably with the word “wine”. It is simply the result of apples interacting with yeast to create an alcoholic beverage. In fact in Germany, they do call this drink an “apple wine”.

The fermented juice from apples I always identified as “cider” (normally non-alcoholic but you could keep it a while and it fermented . It was delicious, but didn’t really resemble what I normally recognize as wine. It was  brown in color (for wine this usually suggests over the hill or oxidized), lots of sediment, and it came in plastic gallon containers.  So again it tasted great as a “juice”, but does that sound like wine?  Not really.

It is with these memories that I looked forward to receiving a couple of bottles of “cider” or apple wine to try from Poverty Lane Orchards, New Hampshire. I frankly was not sure exactly what to expect.

The first bottle was a Farnum Hill Semi-dry Sparkling Cider. As I do with all the “wines”  I taste,  I make note of the label:

“Farnum Hill Semi-Dry is golden, clear, gently sparkling, replete with tropical fruit and intriguing aromatic, sharp and tannic notes, followed  by a clean, fresh finish. A happy companion to most foods, even certain desserts.” (7.4 % avb)

I have to say … pretty accurate description: The appearance was quite clean and golden, very much like  a sauterne in the glass (of course without the bubbles!). The bubbles were small and refined (and remained very active in glass and bottle), similar to what you would expect from a fine champagne. The nose (yes …. I could smell apples on the nose!) but also tropical fruit.. mainly pineapple struck me. The “cider” was much more akin to wine than anything I had tasted previously. This would be a great aperitif before a meal, or as stated it could pair nicely with many foods and desserts.  And, at the 7.4% alcohol it is perfect for those white wine drinkers looking for something less alcoholic but still full of flavor.

The second bottle was a Farnum Hill Extra-dry Still Cider (wine:-):

“Farnum Hill Extra Dry Still is golden, clear, still, utterly driy, aromatic, fruity earthy, with a clean, fresh finish.  Its complex, palate-freshening balance of tannins and citrus is intriguing with exotic foods, remarkable with seafood.”

My tasting notes suggested ” clean, small water rim with pale golden color, fresh crushed apples on the nose.  The palate quite dry, with a good deal of acidity and medium finish”. I did find it a bit tart on the finish and somewhat “one dimensional” on the mid palate. With that said,  I do agree it would fare better if paired with seafood, especially shell fish.

Would I now recommend buying apple cider instead of white wine? No, of course not. I would no more do that than suggest any one wine, fruit, or varietal. I will however recommend that if you have never tasted apple (cider) wine made from cider apples , you should.

You may find it to be something your guests will enjoy for the upcoming Holidays!

(PLEASE NOTE: I did receive these two bottles courtesy of  Poverty Hill Orchards. The tasting notes reflect a group tasting of both bottles received. )