Taste new wine

In my previous blog “Time to Taste New Wines and Varieties – Part 1″, I described three options to help you find and taste new wines and varieties in 2012.

The options suggested included:

1. - Take advantage of wineries, new flash sites or out of state retailers that carry wines you cannot find locally to taste and try new wines
2. - Travel to wine regions to taste new wines and varieties
3. - Identify one or more local wine shops and/or wine focused groups as an opportunity to taste new wines

In Part 1 the first option was discussed “Take advantage of wineries, new flash sites or out of state retailers that carry wines you cannot find locally to taste and try new wines”. This option requires that your state allows DtC shipments from wineries and/or retailers. As of the first blog, 38 states allowed direct to consumer shipment. I am happy to tell you that a 39th state (New Jersey) has passed legislation to allow direct to consumer shipments. (On a side note, Representative Kurt Schrader (D) Oregon has withdrawn his sponsorship of the CARE Act HR1161 – great news.)

We’re making progress!

In Part 2 let’s focus on the second suggestion, “Travel to wine regions to taste new wines and varieties”.

Southern New England Coastal Wine Trail

First, you don’t necessarily need to travel to far off places in order to try new wines. All 50 states now have wineries that you can visit and many may offer varieties that you have yet to try.  For instance, in Southern New England you can follow the Coastal Wine Trail  which stretches from Westerly, Rhode Island to the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Keep in mind that not all wineries produce Vitis Vinifera wines although many wineries will purchase grapes that cannot be grown locally and offer these wines along with locally grown based wines. Some may offer only locally produced  or fruit wines. In any case, lots of options to explore.

If visiting wineries in North America often there is no need for a reservation, but you should confirm this by calling ahead or by checking locally before the visit.  As an example, there are many wine alliances or similar organizations that provide information about the wineries in their AVA or Region such as the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance that will have a listing of the wineries, location and often a description of the wines offered.

If on the other hand you plan on visiting international wineries, plan on making a reservation for a visit. Although some wineries are open during certain hours each day, many require a reservation. This may seem to be an annoyance, but the benefit is that you often will have the owner or winemaker pouring the wines and hosting a tour. One exception is that in some wine regions you will find cooperative tasting rooms. One example is in Gigondas in the Southern Rhone where you can stop in the center of town to taste. There are dozens and dozens of well made Cote de Rhones offered, both white and red. However, in order to remain neutral, the pourer will ask that you choose the wines you would like to taste. Simply indicate the type of wine you like – fruity, earthy, spicy, etc., and he/she will suggest several to choose from.

When is the best time to visit? That will depend upon what you are looking for … visiting off season means less crowds and more time to spend with the winery. Harvest time is very busy and often more crowds, but there are also many festivals or local activities. Several wineries will offer special dinners or celebrations. Often there are celebrations offered at holidays (Halloween). Lastly, there are opportunities to participate in picking and/or processing the grapes. Eagles Nest Winerey in Ramona near San Diego is a great example. Dennis and Julie Grimes offer multiple opportunities during the year to help in the harvest and vinification, design your own labels, celebrate a holiday or simply come by for an outdoor movie  where Julie will serve pizza and you can purchase a  bottle of their award winning wine to enjoy with the movie.

You might also consider staying at a winery or close by. For instance, in Sardon de Duero (approximately 100 miles north of Madrid) you can stay at Abadia Retuerta, where the old Abby has been fully renovated. There are many wineries in France, Italy, Germany and many other countries (including the US and Canada) that offer accommodations as well as fine food.

Abby at Abadia Retuerta

Another option for  tasting and trying new wines is to take a wine or river cruise that focuses on wine. There are literally dozens of companies that specialize in wine cruises including Food & Wine Trails, Arbaster & Clarke Wine Tours Ltd. , or Fine Food and Wine Cruises. Others focus on wine river cruises such as Avalon Waterways, AmA Waterways, and France Cruises.

In any case, expect to visit no more than say 4 wineries per day, and this number should be less if you are driving. If you only like white or red, most wineries will accommodate the request if possible. Sometimes you will be offered a choice between tasting the higher volume wines versus special reserve wines. Tasting fees are sometimes free, but much more common they will range from  $5 – $25 (reserve wines). Many will apply the tasting fee to the purchase of a bottle or some minimum purchase. Some will include the glass with the tasting fee.

Keep in mind that many wineries will offer six or more wines to taste, and several may offer a taste of wines not on the tasting list. The bottom line is that a visit to perhaps only two wineries could mean you are trying 12 to 20 wines. Assuming only a 1 ounce pour (29.6ml) that could be as much as 20 ounces (591.5ml) or approximately 3/4s of a 750ml bottle. Visiting 4 wineries could equate to 1.5 bottles. If these are 2 ounce pours, that’s 3 bottles of wine! Needless to say you may enjoy the wine but you won’t really be tasting much after the first few pours. So ensure you have a designated driver or hire a driver or service. These are available in every wine region

Regardless of whether you are driving or not, if you really want to “taste” new wines, practice the four S’s of responsible tasting, Swirl, Smell, Sip, Spit. Although the “spit” may seem vulgar to those who do not often visit wineries, it is the only way you can try and taste many new wines without getting tipsy. Further, many wineries appreciate the fact that you are there to taste their wines and not simply to get drunk. My suggestion: if you are traveling with a partner and  you are driving (and spitting), ask for a single serving and share the taste. The winery will notice that you are there to taste their wines (and perhaps offer special wines not on the tasting list), your partner will imbib only half as much (so will be able to taste the wine), and you will save quite a bit by spending only half as much on the tasting. Getting drunk and obnoxious is not good for you or the winery. Another suggestion when visiting is to plan on a picnic since many wineries offer tables and really nice views. You can pick up a lunch at your hotel, local restaurant, on the road or at the winery ( many wineries do not offer food).

Keep in mind that wineries offer a taste of their wines as part of their business – it is the best way to showcase and sell you their wines. Although not as easy today to buy and carry the wines back as it used to be, there are many options. Here are four to consider:

• Purchase wines at the winery and have them ship them to you. This may or may not be possible depending upon where you reside. Based on the plethora of wine regulations in the US (frankly easier to buy a gun than it is a bottle of wine!), one winery may ship and another may not.  Be aware, shipping from outside the US can be expensive.
• In many locations there may be other shipping options. For instance in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties in Southern California you can use Safe Haven Wine Services. In this case you buy your wine and write down the name of the winery and number of bottles  bought. Do this for each winery. Provide the information to Safe Haven and they will pick up your wines and ship them to you. You can save 15% if you take the wine to your hotel and they pick it up there rather than picking up at multiple wineries.
• Your in wine country! Buy a bottle or two and enjoy with a picnic lunch or in the evening.
• If shipping is not an option but you want to bring some wine back (keep in mind that several wineries offer some wines ONLY at the winery or through their wine clubs), purchase some wine skins. You can purchase a few either before the trip or at many of the wineries. These are leak proof single bottle carriers that you can put in your luggage. I have used them several times and never had one break. But if it does, it won’t spoil your cloths. The only caveat is to watch the weight. You will find that fees on small airlines are quite restrictive and the extra weight can be costly (I purchased a lightweight Balanzza luggage scale that allows me to precisely weigh my bags.)

Trying and tasting new wines can be a real pleasure and often an experience to remember especially when combining it with a trip to some place new.

In Part 3 I’ll focus on how to find and taste new wines at local wine shops and events.

Taste new wine

Its 2012. Time to make some new resolutions, explore opportunities, learn new things – time to taste and try new wines! And, when it comes to wine, there’s always lots to learn. While I always strive to learn more about the wine industry, wine issues and trends, I also look for ways to discover and  taste new wines and  varieties. So .. how best to find and taste new wines and varieties?

There are several good choices:

1. - Take advantage of wineries, new flash sites or out of state retailers that carry wines you cannot find locally to taste and try new wines
2. - Travel to wine regions to taste new wines and varieties
3. - Identify one or more local wine shops and/or wine focused groups as an opportunity to taste new wines

If you are located in the United States and not within the 38 states (hopefully New Jersey will be #39) that currently allow for direct shipments, you will be limited by what is distributed  through the 3-tiered system (producer – distributor – retailer), unless you travel nationally or internationally. This means the distributor first, then the retailer will decide what will be made available. Unfortunately, this greatly limits both the wines and the varieties available as well as your options for trying new wine brands or grapes.

Should you reside in one of the states that allow direct shipment, you can take advantage of either joining a winery wine club, scouting wines from retailers outside of your area, or trying new flash sites that have come on the scene over the last 3 or 4 years as a result of excess inventory and reduced demand brought on by the worldwide economic mess.

Lets take a quick look at each.

Buying wine direct from a winery: There are over 7,000 wineries in the US alone. Because of the 21st Amendment, shipping wine across state lines can be mind boggling at best. Even if you are within one of the 38 states that allow shipment, it is possible that the winery does not ship to your state. This could be a matter of cost (fees or other costs keeping up with regulations) or simply not enough wine produced to support broad shipment. If you find a winery that you would like to try and it does offer shipment, then you can proceed to purchase either individual bottle(s) or join the wine club. If you purchase by the bottle be prepared to pay full retail and likely shipping costs. This is the most expensive route for the buyer. In order to get discounts and special offers, it makes more sense to join the wine club, which is better both for the consumer and the winery.

Bottles are normally shipped quarterly or semi-annually to wine club members. Most of the time you only need to sign up for one year and then renew if happy with the wine and the service. Many times the wine maker will determine the contents of each shipment, although often there are some variations. For instance, many wineries will provide the option of shipping only white or only red wines. The major benefit to the wine club is not only discounts and sometimes free shipping. You will also be offered wines that are not available generally to the public, and if you plan on traveling to the winery, often you will be able to participate in no cost tastings and events.

 Buying wine from an out of state retailer: Again, there are thousands of retailers that sell wine. Depending upon your location and the out of state retailer’s location, you can assume some of the same wines are offered, but often additional wines that you cannot source locally. Here you can buy one bottle or cases at a time (again depending upon your State’s regulations). The out of state retailers will operate much the same as those in state in terms of promotions, so you can assume close outs and sales at different times of the year.

Normally, buying from an out of state retailer is done on line. There are many out there including Wine.com, Wine Anthology, K&L Merchants, and Wine Library (think Gary Vaynerchuk:-) to name a few. There are also special sites more like a “negotiant”, where they will buy wines from wineries, then rebrand. This will often drastically reduce the price that the original wine would fetch, but you will only know the general location, variety or blend, and year from which it was sourced, not the actual winery or winemaker. A good example is Cameron Hughes, where you can purchase single bottles, cases, or samplers, or join the wine club (you can chose red, white, red and white or seasonal lots).

Buying wine from a flash site: Sites such as Tillsoldout, Lot18, Cinderella, Invino, Last Bottle Wines, Last Call Wines, The Wine Spies, Wine Woot and Wineshopper(see below for a summary of each).

Above descriptions courtesy Wine & Vines Flash Report

According to Wines & Vines, the number of offers have doubled from 300 to 700 in just the last year. These sites normally sell one wine at a time,  one wine daily, or sometimes 2 – 6 at a time, and often at large discount. Last month the top discounter was Til Sold Out at 54% (Amusee). Some ship directly, while others act as the middleman letting the winery ship (Lot 18 – which in some cases may limit shipment based on where the winery is located). Regardless of the economy going forward, most believe these sites will continue unabated.

Particularly for the flash sites, but also pertaining to buying from any out of state option, the good news is that you will likely identify and be able to taste a variety of new wines that you are not able to find locally. The bad news is that if you don’t know what you are buying you may find yourself with several bottles of good wine that simply isn’t to your taste. Now there are ways to help avoid “mistakes”.

Wine Spectator Vintage Chart Application

Here are some tips to help you determine a likely good buy :

1. My first recommendation is to download (to your desktop, smartphone or pad)  handy vintage charts that give you an idea of the vintage ratings by location and variety.  In this case you’re not evaluating any particular wine, but rather getting a quick better understanding of the overall quality of wine produced in a particular year from a particular wine region, often designated by the variety. For instance, if a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is being offered from Napa Valley and you have downloaded the free Wine Spectator Vintage Chart, you will see that the vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa for 2007 was rated a whopping 99 points. This won’t guarantee the wine will suit your taste, but it will suggest there was a lot of good Cabernet produced in Napa Valley in 2007. On the other hand, if a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is offered, that rated a disappointing 85, which suggests a bit of caution. Some other charts to consider: Robert Partker, Chiff, Artisan Vineyards, and speciality charts such as provided by The Wine Insider to name a few.
2. Secondly, for pricing evaluation use sites such as wine-searcher.com or perhaps Snooth. Here you can check to see if the deal being offered is really highly discounted or not (keep in mind that some low production wines may not show up at all on wine-searcher since they are not in “distribution” per se).
3. Now that you have an idea on how to evaluate the vintage and the price, its time to decide whether or not the wine will likely be a winner for you. This is the most difficult decision since wine evaluation is subjective – a very well made wine may not be to your taste – so a 50%+ discount is not a good deal if you don’t like the wine.

One thing not mentioned above – these sites often will offer free shipping for some minimum number of bottles purchased. The number usually varies with the cost of the wine. As an example, on Tillsoldout the average number is normally 4 for bottles ranging from $10 to say $30. For more expensive bottles the minimum purchase can be as low as one. So if you are looking at a bottle with a price of say $15 the minimum purchase for free shipping is likely 4.  So how do you go about minimizing mistakes (don’t worry about flawed wines – if a bottle is corked it is returnable)?

Although I am in full agreement that wine reviews are extremely subjective, they can be a very useful tool when evaluated as a “clue” rather than as a conclusion. Most of the sites will provide reviews by the winemaker, winery or some person who is evaluating for the flash site. Here I would read the review looking for some clues such as “fruit”, “oak”, “earthy”, “spicey”, “full bodied”, etc. These can be either good or bad depending upon what you look for in a wine. Look especially for average weightings from people who have bought that particular wine from the site. Several sites will provide this information as well as encourage you to review and post your review of a wine you have bought.

Next check out other sites that may also include people that have bought that wine before. One very good site is Cellar Tracker.  Cellar Tracker now has over 180,000 users and over 2,000,000 wine reviews. These are typically wine enthusiasts not professional tasters and the reviews reflect a wide number of comments often on the same wine. Snooth is another site you can check regarding wine reviews as well as countless wine blogs and wine focused on line news. Lastly, there are dozens of wine columnists and bloggers that provide tasting notes on a wide variety of wines.

Daou Vineyard Tasting Room

When visiting a wine region such as Paso Robles, how do you decide which wineries to visit (keeping in mind there are well over two hundred in San Luis Obispo County)? One might first identify those that are familiar such as J. Lohr Vineyards, Justin, or Tablas Creek. Another might be based on recommendations from those in the know to visit small lessor known wineries such as Adelaida Cellars, Oppolo Vineyards, and Hearthstone Vineyard & Winery. One more way is to discover a wine while dining in Paso Robles at a top restaurant such as Robert’s Restaurant and Wine Bar (1218 Pine Street, Paso Robles). Besides enjoying a wonderful meal and great hospitality, my waitress suggested a wine I had yet to try, a 2008 Daou Celestus (a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Verdot)  from a relative newcomer, Daou Vineyards & Winery. This bottle was a great complement to the main course – beef stroganoff braised short ribs. There are several good restaurants in Paso Robles, but one not to miss is Roberts -  highly recommended.

I decided to visit the winery the next day.

The winery is really easy to find. From downtown (Spring Street) drive North to 24th street and take a left.  Follow 24th as it becomes Lake Naciemiento Road. Take a left

View from Daou Vineyard Tasting Room

onto Adelaida Road, and then another left on Hidden Mountain Road. Altogether about a 15 minute ride from downtown Paso Robles. The first thing you will notice as you see the sign for Daou Vineyards is that you are driving a fairly steep straight road to a new winery location. During my visit the construction crews were still hard at work on the patio ( a little distracting, but Blake Brown, Tasting Room Associate made the visit memorable).

I am always impressed by tasting room personnel who are not only very hospitable, but also very knowledgable when it comes to the vineyard and the wines. In between pours, Blake provided some background regarding the winery and the unique location in the Adelaida Valley.

Daniel and George Daou (brothers) bought land that originally was part of the historic Hoffman Mountain Ranch Vineyard in 2007 with the intention of producing very high quality, low production Bordeaux blends as well as exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. This site (now nicknamed Daou Mountain) has the the right mix of elevation, marine influence, and sun exposure to produce exceptional grapes to support their vision. Combine that with meticulous vinification and selection, I think they have a winning formula.

To learn more about Daou Vineyards and their wines, you can sign up for the Daou Newsletter, follow Daou on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, read their blog, or become a member of Club Daou.

US Postal Truck

By a wide margin and significant support across both parties, the 29th Amendment has passed by an overwhelming majority.  After over 70 years of inconsistent, special interest regulations, direct shipment of wine in all 50 States of the Union will be the law of the land as of January 1, 2013.

This stunning turn of events was initiated as a means of ensuring the US Postal Service was profitable and self sustaining without the need to layoff significant personnel or curtail major services. This allows the US Postal Service to deliver direct shipments of wine and beer now on a level field of competition with other private carriers.

This new legislation came on the heals of the historic passage of the 28th Amendment just three months ago (See information box below) by overwhelming majority vote of the American people.

Details – Direct Shipment of Wine

The 29th Amendment repealed the 21st Amendment, which gave each State the right to individually regulate alcohol distribution. The States still have flexibility, but now businesses and consumers have a consistent and fair system. There is no longer pressure from special interest groups to adhere and strengthen the exclusive 3-tiered distrbution of alcohol. This new direct shipment of wine benefits wineries, the States, and most importantly, the American consumer. Common sense and the will of the people have finally prevailed.

Here are some of the reasons behind the historic legislation based on independent studies:

• The direct shipment of wine by wineries and retailers would have little adverse impact on the current 3-tiered model since medium to large wineries logistically still require this distribution model.
• Significant job creation would take place as small to medium wineries add personnel to support increased sales of their wines through direct shipment. In addition to robust job creation, costs would be greatly reduced as regulations would be consistent across all 50 States.
• No  increase in alcohol abuse is anticipated since any direct shipment would require an adult signature and ID – no alcohol would be left without proper ID and signature. Hefty fines or loss of license would result for infractures by individuals and/or distribution firms.
• States will also benefit significantly from the new legislation as they will no longer need oversight of inconsistent regulations. Further, States have the right to set their own license fees and collect any State taxes due. License fees will be self regulating since higher, unreasonable fees will result in higher loss of tax revenues.
• Consumers are the big winners in this new legislation. Competition will ensure that consumers have access to the best prices and the most selection. This is the way capitalism is supposed to work.

If only the above was true.…..

No … although four Senators are suggesting that the Postal Service should be allowed to deliver alcohol, 109 Members of Congress are backing legislation that would recind Heald v Graham in favor of special interests, which would in effect reverse the progress made in direct shipment over the last 10 years and negate any benefit should the US Postal Service be allowed to ship alcohol.

No… the Federal Government is still completely deadlocked in partisan bickering. Instead of working for the American people who elected them, they continue to address symptoms rather than solving problems.

No …. direct shipments of wine from wineries or retailers are still constrained in several States AND in those States that allow shipment, the regulations vary state to state. Here a great example of regulation that benefits only a few while raising costs and putting a damper on jobs for the majority. Consistent legislation across all 50 states would benefit the States, wineries, retailers, and most importantly, the American consumer. And, although the monopoly would be gone, the current 3-tiered distribution model would still be necessary and important to medium to large volume wine and beer producers.

I’d like your opinions …….

NOTE:  The results are posted on the Winery Survey Results page.

Social Media Signs

Its been a while since I talked about Social Media for wineries on this blog. In 2009 I posted some studies and surveys regarding the benefits of what was then a relatively new trend towards inbound (social media, blogs, etc.) versus outbound (PR, advertising, email, etc.) marketing for wineries. For these I focused on two of the top sites - Twitter and Facebook.

What’s happened since the 2009 articles? According to the #2 fastest growing software company, Hubspot, inbound marketing has been transformed:

- ..”the internet has turned what used to be a controlled, one way message into a real-time dialogue with millions”

-  “79% of adult Americans use the Internet”

- “78% of internet users conduct product research on line”

- “10.3 billion searchs are conducted every month on Google”

- “1/3 of US consumers spend three or more hours on line each day”

this the tip of the iceberg….

I can’t imagine that anyone would argue that social media today has not made a significant change in the marketing landscape. However, does the landscape change based on industry? Does social media affect markets disproportionally?

While I am a strong believer in the benefit that social media can provide to wineries, there would seem to be some evidence that the jury may still be out. In a recent Grapes & Grain Opinion Panel Research Report  highlighted on Snooth, 54% of the respondents strongly disagreed with the statement, “Online social networks influence what wines I buy”. A further 20% “disagreed somewhat”,  16% “neither agreed or disagreed”, 9% “somewhat agreed”, and only 1% “agree completely”.

Does this mean that social media and inbound marketing are all around us but that it is ineffective for some industries such as wine? I don’t think so, although I will say that social media likely has more relevance to medium to large wineries. I say that because many small wineries with limited fully allocated production spend most of their time focused on their wine club and tasting room. They don’t have a critical need to continually find a volume of new buyers (although this will vary based on their ability to retain current customers who buy their wines).

So, has there been any growth for the Top 50 Wineries since my first blog, Survey results: Top 50 Wineries on Twitter? Well, let’s take a look at several from the original study: *

Winery:                                Followers 2009                 Followers 2011 (December 12)

Eaglesnest Winery                     18,848                                           33,061

Teusner Wines                              6,852                                           10,869

TasselRidge Winery                     5,800                                             7,637

St. Supery Winery                         5,476                                            11,511

Lynfred Winery                             3,013                                              7,176

*The number of followers will vary based on different sites. For this comparison, Twellow was used.

St. Supery Winery

St. Supery hired Rick Bakas a while back to spearhead their social media efforts.  Rick was their first Director of Social Media (now a certified sommelier and with his own company Bakas Media).

Lynfred Winery

Fred Koehler, founder of Lynfred Winery is considered the father of the Illinois wine industry. Lynfred Winery has a wine club and tasting room, but also a newsletter, local events and even a Bed & Breakfast.

EaglesNest Winery

If I look at EaglesNest Winery (Dennis & Julie Grimes), they are approaching tweet number 20,000. Besides Twitter, Dennis and Julie also have their own forum, email list, and continually work hard to connect and involve customers in the every day operations of the winery such as Holiday events (Halloween and custom labels for Christmas as examples)  As a busy vintner, I cannot imagine spending that much time trying to connect with current and/or  prospective buyers unless there was evidence that it helps to drive additional winery sales.

When it comes to marketing, social media may not be the top pick for wineries yet, but it is making some substantial headway.

(It may be time to update the original survey….!)

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2008 Shild Barossa Shiraz

I recently came across the results of a survey by a well known research firm (Tragon Corporation) that indicates 94% of those surveyed who drink wine prefer natural cork over synthetic closures or screw caps when purchasing a bottle of wine. One of the main reasons (93%) was that to those surveyed, natural cork indicates that the wine is of high or very high quality, while a screw top suggests cheap or mediocre wine inside.

This was an October 2011 survey of almost 350 people in the San Francisco and Chicago metropolitan areas. The survey was commissioned by the Cork Quality Council.

Although not as recent, the 2009 Closure Report at Wine Business.com provides a comprehensive reveiw of the use of and thoughts on using natural cork versus synthetic versus screw cap closures from the point of view of the wine industry, wine makers and wineries, and the general public at large.

 Now, I am not refuting or doubting the results of the survey. Tragon Corporation has been conducting this type of research for some time and I have no reason to question the validity of the results, albeit it was commissioned by the Cork Quality Council.  However, I have a tendency to analyze survey results to ascertain for myself whether the results are truly valid. For this particular survey, I find the results “interesting” to say the least. Why?

First a quick examination regarding alternate closures: If you’re a wine drinker and have been one for some time, you will quickly understand the reason that alternate closures

Cork Taint

have gained  ground over the years. If natural cork was perfect – in terms of quality and price, alternative systems such as screw caps would never have gained any ground at all since natural cork has been the closure of choice for decades. However, there was a time (and not long ago) that on average between 3%-5% of all wines were corked. They were afflicted with a natural compound commonly referred to as cork taint or TCA (Trichloranisole 2, 4, 6). What does this do? Well, it won’t harm you at all, but it will ruin a good bottle of wine by inserting a taste akin to wet newspaper. Yech!

Not all TCA spoilage is applicable to the cork alone, it can also come from the winery barrels and equipment as well. However, most of the time it is attributed to the cork itself. With this much spoilage it was no wonder that both wineries and consumers were looking for alternatives. With TCA detectable by human sensory systems at thresholds as low as 2-5 parts per billion, it is no wonder wineries have sort out alternate closures. Not only is tainted wine costly in terms of returns, in the instances where someone does not recognize it is cork taint, that person may dismiss the wine as poorly made or plonk. In this case, the winery may lose a customer altogether.

2005 Elderton Command Shiraz

When I look at the results of the survey, rather than viewing this as a scathing distain for screw caps, I see this more as a triumph of the natural cork industry within a  marketing battle currently ongoing in the wine industry between the advocates of natural Cork and those of screw caps. Why do I say this? In terms of wineries and wine makers, the advocates for screw caps have done well. There are thousands of wineries today that in fact have adopted screw caps for either some or all of their wines. Initially done as a way to reduce spoilage, now done often with the  belief that screw caps are an advantage more than simply an “alternative”. However, the natural cork industry has vastly improved their product over the last few years and have continually praised the merits of natural cork over alternative closures citing history, quality, and the fact that natural cork is a renewable resource.

They say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. In this case, the beholder is seeing something that may or may not be there (good wine) when a natural cork is used. My suggestion: don’t limit your purchase based on closure.  Try wines regardless of closure. You may be very pleasantly surprised!

UPDATE: To see the results of the brief survey, please click on the “Wine Survey Results: Link on the home page.

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Hearthstone Vineyard & Winery  was  established in 1999 by Hoy Buell, a Cal Poly graduate and horticulturist who decided to focus on grape growing in the Adelaida Valley. Hearthstone’s first vintage debuted in 2003 four years later.

Today at 1400 feet, the vineyard includes several varieties including selected clones of Zinfandel, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese,  Viognier, and Roussanne. Some of these are offered as a single variety wine, while most are carefully blended by Rhone or Bordeaux variety.

At Hearthstone there is also strong focus on sustainable farming. Deep irrigation is used minimally and organic fertilizers are applied to keep vines healthy. Only the basic necessities for balanced growth are supplied as vines adjust gradually to the natural elements. Mr. Buell is obviously applying many lessons learned from his ownership and management of Greenheart Farms in Arroyo Grande.

On my visit I spent some time speaking with Josslyn Wagster,  the Tasting Room Manager. Josslyn was kind enough to pour several very well made Rhone and Bordeaux blends as well as single varieties. One of the great advantages of visiting small production wineries (besides the wine of course!), is the hospitality and knowledge of those pouring the wines. If  you’re into wine, there is nothing better than an engaging conversation about the wines, location, and history with someone local. At Hearthstone, Josslyn made the visit both enjoyable and educational.

Unfortunately, one limitation of small production wineries is that they simply don’t produce that much wine, which means unless you can visit locally it is difficult to find their wines, and due to security limitations today, there are only so many options for purchasing and carrying some of these hard to find wines back home. One suggestion (thanks Josslyn!) when in Paso Robles is to use Safe Haven Wine Services. Here you can purchase wines at one or more wineries and Safe Haven will pick up the wines, package them, and then ship them back for you (except if you live in AR, KY, MD, MS, MA, NH, PA, SD or UT – thanks to a continuation of a three-tiered monopoly).

If you’re traveling in Southern California, you can find Hearthstone Vineyard wines available at several restaurants and local retail stores or visit them at 5070 Vineyard Drive (leave the 101 at Route 46 heading West and continue about 5 miles. Take a right at Vineyard Drive, Heathstone Vineyard will be on your right about 4 miles in).

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• Appellation Controllee (AOC – France),
• American Viticultural Area (AVA – United States),
•  Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG – Italy),
•  Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA – Germany),
• Geographical Indications (GI – Australia),
• or any other classification system,

Russian_River_Valley 2005

the wine that earns the right to use a specific wine designation on the label benefits from the reputation of that area. Each of these areas have specific requirements. These often include the grape(s) that can be grown, farming methods, as well as rigorous vinification rules. These rules will often define the style and set expectations regarding the value and pricing of the wine produced. Recently the Russian River Valley AVA was extended – hopefully for all the right reasons.

No doubt there will always be on-going controversies as to whether the these systems actually produce the best wines based on the restrictions and rules. For instance, some would argue that in France the current AOC system is bad, while other quality wine designators such as the DOC and DOCG in Italy were not sufficient to accommodate high quality wines that didn’t fit the mold.

Here is the issue: a wine that can carry a label such as St. Emillion Grand Cru enjoys higher deamand and will likely be able to price their wine much higher than simply a Bordeaux Superior. So too in California where a Pinot Noir will likely do better in demand and price if it can say “Russian River Valley” rather than simply “Sonoma”, which brings me to the focus of this blog.

According to the Press Democrat, Federal regulators approved a controversial plan on November 16 to expand the prestigious Russian River Valley vineyard appellation south to Cotati. While opposed by the Russian River Wine Growers Association, it was supported primarily by Gallo who said that it was also broadly supported by local farmers, winery owners and consumers. Here is the opposing view: WineIndustry Insight.

In a recent article for Thanksgiving, Snooth recommended 7 top notch Pinot Noirs in the $35 – $45 range. Three of the recommendations came from wines from the Russian River Valley (2008 Alysian Pinot Noir, 2009 Flowers Pinot Noir, and the 2007 Marimar estate Don Miguel Vyrd La Masia Pinot Noir).

Now, I am not opposed to expansions when it makes sense based on similar climate, soil, etc. However, all to often areas have been expanded to the detriment of the name and to the vineyards located within that area.

I am hoping this is not the case with the Russian River Valley AVA.

 UPDATE: Since writing this blog I have come across a couple of very interesting articles in Wine & Vines (“Controversy Flows in Russian River Valley”

Read more at: http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=60027Copyright © Wines & Vines and

“Russian River Row Goes On”

Read more at: http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&content=60926 Copyright © Wines & Vines

focusing on comments from Merry Edwards, a well known vintner in the Russian River Valley. It would seem to validate my concerns over the expansion.

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Although a bit removed from downtown itself (located at the end of Chimney Rock Road in the Adelaida Valley) on the West side of Paso Robles, its definitely worth the ride. Besides some outstanding wines (which I will get to in a moment), the grounds include an inn, restaurant,  well-maintained  gardens and place to picnic as well as for those of us really into wine, examples of various trellis systems including one designed and implemented in the Justin vineyard itself.

One of the more iconic wines produced is the Justin Winery ISOSCELES Bordeaux blend (first production year was 1987), somewhat akin to a left-bank Pauillac or Margaux with a different blend each year of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and perhaps Petit Verdot). Not sure where the name came from except to say that the definition of “Isosceles” as a triangle  is having two sides of equal length. Perhaps the origin for naming it Isosceles was the concept of equal parts of each variety (although in practice the Cabernet Sauvignon normally plays the major part of the blend). In any case, this blend has been lauded with a London International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande trophy in 1994 for the Best Blended Red Wine Worldwide and named number 6 wine in the world by Wine Spectator in 2000 for the 1997 ISOSCELES offering.

However, in this very competitive industry great wines are not enough. In the most recent Justin Winery Newsletter Justin Baldwin explained, “I am often asked what the most important thing at a winery is. The answer is easy – great wines! However, that answer is always followed up by a list of the next most important items on the list. They are in order of importance – marketing, marketing, and marketing!”

Unlike some owners, Mr. Baldwin has put into action that which he has preached – from hiring a well known and successful luxury wine brand marketer – Jason Shorrock as VP, Director of Sales and Marketing, to a strong Social Media effort including Facebook and Twitter, its own Justin Winery blog, Smart Links (using QR codes), its own Newsletter, Wine Club (Justin Wine Society),  hosting events, charitible giving, and certainly its bed and breakfast and restaurant.

While all of the marketing activity above provides brand recognition and buzz for the winery, at the end of the day personal attention, friendly service and knowledgeable staff are essential to building a strong wine brand. I can happily say that this is exactly what I experienced when visiting the tasting room earlier this Fall. Not only were the wines all well made, but the staff were enthusiastic about their product and their company.

“To belong in the company of the finest wines in the world” is Justin Baldwin’s mission statement.

I can confidently say that he  has put together a strong team and the right strategy to achieve what he set out to do. So when visiting Paso Robles be sure to take the drive out to Justin. You’ll enjoy the grounds, the courteous staff, and certainly the wines.

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Recently after a full day of tasting (I was observing the 4 Ss of responsible tasting – Swirl, Smell, Sip, Spit), it was time to eat. I wasn’t ready to share a bottle of wine, but still in the mood for a glass with my dinner. Checking the menu at the restaurant, I noticed a “by the glass” offering of a wine from a winery that I had not tried before, but had recently passed by on the 101 making my way North to Paso Robles.

It was their entry level Pinot Noir at $9 a glass. I decided to give it a try. I should have known better! I seldom if ever take a chance on an inexpensive Pinot Noir, aka the “Heartbreak Grape”, known to be a difficult wine grape to grow that needs just the right attention both in the vineyard and in the winery. There were no flaws with the wine such as TCA, Brett or oxidation. However, after one smell and then a sip, I confirmed why I seldom try these wines: in a blind tasting I would never have identified this as  Pinot Noir – the color was not Pinot, the smell was not Pinot, and the taste certainly not what one would expect from a Pinot Noir.

That brings me to the subject of this blog: Can plonk be part of a winery’s marketing strategy?

Let me first define “plonk”. According to the FreeDictionary it is “a cheap wine of inferior quality”. This could refer to wines that used poorly farmed fruit and/or were vinified cheaply or poorly. I hesitate to define wines like this since taste is very subjective – one person’s trash is another’s treasure. I have more than once heard someone lavishing a wine that I thought should have been poured in the sink rather than the glass. (BTW.. this in no way diminishes the value of well made wines that are sometimes labeled as “cheap”, but really are good value, nor is this in any way a negative statement against those that use “Plonk” as part of their business name within their marketing strategy.)

So I am narrowing my definition of plonk to mean a wine that displays none or few characteristics of the variety from which it is made. I won’t embarrass wineries by mentioning any by name, but these are typically heavily advertised, high volume, low cost wines that defy detection when tasted as to the variety, region, or vinification method. You will find many of these wines in restaurants selling anywhere from $20 – $35 (usually under $10 retail and perhaps about $5 or less wholesale).

The vast majority of large or very large wineries (defined at 750,000 cases annually and up) offer one or more of these wines. It certainly provides the basis for demand in distribution, enhances brand recognition and steady cash flow from the high volume.

My question is whether this is a marketing strategy that can or should be used by medium and small wineries. Yes….great for brand recognition, but for small wineries that exist primarily due to sales from tasting rooms and wine clubs, I would think this would be disasterous. A small producer (say a few hundred to a few thousand cases) needs to keep its production fully allocated in order to ensure sufficient cash to support continued operations. Competition is fierce with over 7,000 wineries in the US alone.

If a small winery becomes known for “plonk” I can’t imagine it will continue to attract those that invest in one or more wine clubs. These are typically those that have high regard for distinctive, well made wine and the experience they can share at the winery. With so many wine clubs to chose from, offering plonk doesn’t seem right as part of the mix.

What do you think? Can or should small production wineries offer “plonk” as part of their marketing strategy?

UPDATE: To see the results of the brief survey, please click on the “Wine Survey Results: Link on the home page.

CONTENT UPDATE: Some additional evidence that plonk is not a wise move for small wineries…

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