Simple Hedonisms

Posts Tagged ‘Barrel Tasting’

Week One of Wine Road Barrel Tasting was a big success, based my observations and talking with a fair number of wineries. This organization continues to amaze me with what does with transformation of industry events. Spoiler alert – read all the way through this – we are giving away 3 pairs of passes for Weekend Two!

Anticipation, and Highest Read Post Ever

There was some level of anticipation  – would the negative perception of this as a drunk-fest persist? Would the actions being taken by the Wine Road have any impact?  Or would it be a big success and continue its gradual transformation of a serious event focused on futures. Read on….

To my surprise, my midweek article ‘My thoughts on Wine Road Barrel Tasting’ was a runaway success.  I do a lot of these types of articles and contests, and they typically get some response and hits, but nothing spectacular. This post got 20+ comments, including after the contest was over. People wrote way more than normal.

This article is now #1 rank, surpassing my prized ‘Shipping Included’ – the Future of Direct to Consumer?’ which was a featured blog and #2 read by Winebusiness.com (and still ranks #4 read in the last 30 days!) as well as my article ‘A New Beginning & Old World Renaissance? ‘ which until recently had ranked #1.

Yet this post jumped over them all, and had little  to do with the contest – I give away tickets, often more pricey, all the time.

How would it all pan out? Ticket sales were a record high, more wineries than ever were offering future sales, and consumers seemed excited, and not focused on partying. But one never knows until showtime.

Observations and Interviews

I went out on Friday afternoon and Saturday, and monitored the Twitter #WRBT hashtag heavily on Sunday. I spoke to many winery operations personally, as well as Facebook and Twitter updates.

Here were the general trends:

Friday: Traffic and sales were much higher than many wineries expected, especially new participants. I actually expected this a bit, at least the sales part. People going on Friday are taking a day off, hoping to avoid the crowds and are serious wine buyers. Wineries reported greater than expected sales, both of finished wines and futures. Most I talked too were very pleased.

Saturday: The Weather held out and people were out in droves. By mid afternoon people were reporting Healdsburg and Dry Creek to be extremely crowded with tons of cars, busses and people. This is normal, see my suggestions for itenary planning a bit later. Most wineries reported lower sales than Friday, but were pleased, and year over year results seemed good. I made it back to Russian River Valley for the afternoon to avoid the masses. Crowds were good at all wineries, but not so much to impact my experience in any way.

Sunday: It did rain as predicted, and the impact seemed to be mixed. Russian River Valley wineries again seemed pleased. Some new participants had expected Sunday to be the busiest day, but my observation for many 2 day events is that Sunday is typically slower, and for most this panned out. Several Healdsburg and Dry Creek wineries were complaining on Twitter about lack of people, and had the time to be scouring for people to invite. Smaller RRV wineries still seemed quite pleased with people and sales. A very large winery did report sales about as a regular weekend, but agreed to the possible merits of exposure and the difference this event might be for small versus a large national brand.

Consumers Feedback

Consumer notes on the blog post and Wine Road Facebook page were ecstatic and mirrored what wineries reported. Many great comments including this one that I loved from Jason Klafter:

Barrel tasting is the main wine tasting event my wife and I attend. We have been going for about 5 years now. Each year it gets better and better and I love all the things I have learned and still learning. Our group has evolved to about 12-15 so we had stuck to the bigger wineries. Last weekend was an absolute awesome time. We found some smaller wineries that would accommodate our group and finally made my first “future” purchase.

Money has been tight over the past few years so buying a future case of one wine had never been really option. Like many, we would buy a bottle or two from different places. I’m so excited to have gone to Old World and they allowed a future mixed case which was perfect for my wife and I, as she is not a big red drinker. So I order a mix and can’t wait to pick it up when it’s ready. For our group, This year was had the most amount of futures that were ordered. We ordered 12-15 cases of futures and took home close to another 7 between us all!!!!

Can’t wait to go next weekend with a small group of 4!!! Finally going to hit up all the wineries we haven’t been able to go to.

Love it! And Kudos to you Jason, and your friends, for your support and openness.

My Prediction for Next Week:

Being the second weekend, traffic should dip some, but similar patterns predicted.  Friday will be less busy than previous Friday, but again be a good sales day to serious buyers and enthusiasts, Saturday a good traffic day but more looky-loos, and Sunday slower but decent sales. No rain is forecasted for all weekend, so that should help. Let’s hope too many people didn’t give up wine for Lent. (If you spit it doesn’t count.)

I want to add a quick comment about buses. I got an email from a reader who was perhaps offended (they won’t reply) about my previous article and comments on people drinking in buses. I by no means meant to imply that all people on buses are drinking on the bus. I heard from a number that, like this person, come from a remote location, and are serious buyers. If any are offended by that implication, my apologies. Its broadcast everywhere that buses aren’t welcome at many wineries  – that’s more from a lack of ability of a tiny winery being able to handle 30 extra people at once. Kudos to a number of buses I heard call in to ask permission, and were usually accommodated because it was scheduled. That’s far superior to the other tactic, ‘hide’ around the corner, unload on foot.

My Visits, Strategy Suggestions

I get asked a lot where I plan to attend. I typically don’t reveal that for a number of reasons. I try and visit new members, places I haven’t been, with a mix of the wine styles I prefer, and some old favorites thrown in to balance. This weekend I intend to go Friday afternoon, and hopefully both Saturday and Sunday. I am out of space and time here, so I will summate my two weekends of visits in a future post.

My strategy tip for the Wine Enthusiast: Hit busy areas like Healdsburg, Dry Creek, and bigger name wineries on Friday, or start of the day Saturday, or possibly Sunday. Use your Wine Road map – there are lots of clusters of wineries in less traveled Alexander and Russian River Valley – more then enough to fill up an afternoon, and while a tiny bit further apart, less people and less traffic. Driving a mile between stops may save you hours.

My Suggestions to Wineries

With only one exception, I was very impressed with the service, attitude, and experience at each winery. Hats off the hospitality staffs. Two (personal) suggestions for this or future events.

• Put out spit cups. Its hard for consumers to spit in a bucket. Even I rather a cup. Kudos to wineries like Sheldon, Windsor Oaks and others, who do. In my opinion, this should be standard practice. People CAN learn this.
• Food has been de-emphasized by design, and perhaps to a lesser extent cost. Some wineries jumped in with catering on site at a cost with some pretty awesome choices. I had terrific BBQ sliders at Longboard I was happy to pay for. Mateo had food at others. Food trucks are an option. There is nothing wrong with ‘pay to play’ and personally I’d rather eat at the winery.

Finally – The Contest

Thanks for staying with me – now here is your chance to win. Tomorrow night (only 24 hours) we will draw 3 pairs of tickets. To win, tell the Wine Road and I in comments either:

What varietal (wine grape) did you try that is NEW to you, last weekend. Where was it, was it a barrel sample or current release?

OR

What varietal would you like to try, or learn more about this weekend.

Get ready – go!

Cheers, thanks for reading Simple Hedonisms Wine Blog – spread the word!

Food

While barrel samples and futures are the main focus of the Wine Road Barrel Tasting, as discussed earlier this week; but its also a great time for Wineries to introduce new releases, and offer sales to visitors to incent you to take some of their work home with you. Many of the Wine Road wineries are small, family owned – this is a business for love, not wealth. Support these small artisans with your purchases, instead of your local grocery store.

The list is too long to link to each winery, so use the Wine Road  maps and event program to find each one. The Wine Road website is an amazing resource. Remember not all wineries participate both weekends, and some are doing Barrel Tasting on Friday as well, so CHECK the program!

Sales Promotions

Sausal Winery

$199.00 for any full or mixed case of 2007 Private Reserve Zinfandel and 2005 Sogno della Famiglia, or  10% off any 1-5 bottle purchase and 20% off 6 or more bottles.

Acorn

Offering a special 20% of 6-11 bottles and 25% off a case (35% for Club members.)  Futures of the 09 Sangiovese and 09 Axiom Syrah are available in same discount volume.

Old World Winery

10% off the 2005 Zin (Chronicle Double Gold) or buy 3 and get the 4th on them.

Futures: 30% off 2010 Pinot Gris, 2009 Pinot Noir, 2009 Zin, 2009 Abouriou

Moshin Vineyards

Is offering the 2007 Moshin Vineyards Zinfandel – Dry Creek Valley. Regularly $30.00/btl., this weekend it is $15.00 when you buy a case at $180. This wine will be available for tasting and you’ll agree that this tasty little gem of a balanced Zinfandel will become your new favorite “House Wine” at this price! Only 475 cases made!

Robert Rue

Special sale on their ’07 Wood Road Reserve Zins and our 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. 3 bottles 10%, 6 bottles 15% .  35% off a case of the ’07 Zin and ’09 SB. (Additional discounts for Club members.)

Longboard Vineyards

Offering 3 ‘quick picks’. 

• The $60.00 Bundle ($68 retail)

2009- Sauvignon Blanc RRV….$20.00 90pts. ~ Wine Enthusiast-Editor’s Choice, 2008- Point Break Red,  2008- Dakine Merlot

• The $80.00 Bundle ($89 retail)

2008- Chardonnay,  2008- RRV Pinot Noir,  2007- Russian River Syrah, Gold~Sonoma County Harvest Fair-2010, 91 pts.~Wine Enthusiast

• The $90.00 Bundle ($105 retail)

2008- RRV Pinot Noir, 2008- Dakine Merlot, 2006 – Syrah Dakine Vyd, 92 pts~Wine Enthusiast

Longboard is also offering futures for the first time: 20% (25% for Wine Club) : Barrel Selection is all single vineyard lots, first single vineyard Pinot Noir from Red Rooster, Sonoma Coast, Ballistic Zinfandel, Chalk Hill and Redgrav Cabernet, Alexander Valley.

J. Keverson Winery

06 RR Pinot is on sale $15/bottle or  $144/case. Their  06 sangiovese $12/bottle or 120/case.

Balletto Vineyards & Winery

Visit  Balletto Vineyards & Winery for March Madness! Every visitor will receive a basketball necklace to start off the games. Taste 7 wines out of the barrel then rebound to the tasting room where they will have some smokin’ wine deals! The more you purchase the more you save; up to 50% off on 08 Pinot Gris, 07 Teresa’s Chardonnay and 08 Gewurztraminer.

Sheldon Wines

offering: 2009 La Naris:  Retail $28/btl, SALE $23. 20o6 Kendric Pinot Noir: Retail $42/btl, SALE $37. 2006 Petite Sirah:  Retail $32/btl, SALE $27

Barrel Samples will be the: 2010 Vinolocity Blanc (AKA La Naris), 2009 Weatherly Cuvee,  25% off for public 30% off for wine club members.

Inspiration Vineyards

30% closeout discount on 12 bottle cases of the 06 Pinot & 06 Zinfandel.

Futures  save 40% from their release price next year.  Must buy in 12 bottle case increments – can mix or match cases.

• 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley – $48 / $28.80. 2009 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley – $32 / $19.20. 2009 Syrah, Dry Creek Valley – $36 / $21.60

• 2010 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley – $24 / $14.40. 2010 Viognier, Russian River Valley – $32 / $19.20. 2010 Zinfandel, Alexander Valley – $25 / $15.00

Siduri

Mix and Match Discounts on ten wines: 10% off 6 bottles,  15% off 12 bottles, 25% off 18+ bottles – click here for the list and order form. (Has Barrel future offers as well.)

Quivira

Offering this sale while supplies last:  2007 Syrah Hommage A Ampuis, 2007 Petite Sirah-Grenache.  20% off single bottles, 30% off cases mix-and-match.

Futures: 2010 Grenache and 2009 Petite Sirah. Half and full cases. 20% discount, 40% for club.

Michael Bernard

Orsi Papale will have a case special on the 2005 Dry Creek Cabernet for $180 and the 2005 Russian River Pinot for $150 a case.

Mounts Family Winery

Are running a special on the 07 Estate Zinfandel – $150 for a case – only 25 cases left! Also special event discounts: 10% on 6 bottles and 20% on 12 or more, wine club ; 15%, 20% or 25%.

Futures – featuring the 2010 Viognier for the first time! Plus Old Vines Zinfandel, Malbec, Grenache & Petite Sirah.  Discounts on futures are 15% on a half case and 25% on a full case (half & half  = full case discount).  Wine Club members get even bigger discounts!

Portalupi

10% off  2008 Zinfandel, Dry Creek and 2008 Barbera, Nevada County, and  no charge  shipping of 12 bottles or more.

Futures: 6 bottle minimum purchase for Future’s pricing.
2009 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley. Release Price: $30; Future’s Price: $24; Appassionato Price:

$20 2009 Barbera, Mendocino County. Release Price $36; Future’s Price $28; Appassionato Price: $24

Amista Vineyards

Buy six 2006 Zins, and get six on them!

Inman Family Wines

20% off the Terroir Trio – OGV Estate. This special 3 bottle vertical of OGV Estate Pinot is a chance to taste the recently re-released 2006 from  library and the soon to be released 2008 alongside the 2007 vintage.

Futures: 30% off the 2009 Thorn Ridge

Davis Family Vineyards

10% off all current released wines & 15% off all current released cases

Stephen & Walker Winery

Is offering 50% off full or mix and match cases of their 2009 Patrona and 2007 Monterey County Pinot Noir.

Enjoy your weekend(s), be safe, responsible and courteous, and have fun!

Watch for my broadcasts ‘live’ on Facebook and Twitter (hashtag #WRBT)

Cheers and thanks for reading Simple Hedonisms Wine Blog !

This weekend (this Friday actually at select wineries) kicks of the first of two weekends of Wine Road Barrel Tasting.

19,000 advance tickets have been sold (a new record), so clearly the event is growing in popularity. If for some reason you didn’t purchase (shame on you) or would like tickets for a second weekend, at the end of the article you can read how to very easily win a pair! (Jump ahead if you are impatient.)

Barrel Tasting Explained

I will provide a short overview here. For more detail, you can read my previous article Barrel Tasting Insights – What am I Tasting & Do I Get Splinters? What should I buy?

More and more  wineries and consumers are warming to the idea of Barrel Tasting.

This is basically the concept of buying futures. How far in future can vary, but most wineries are tasting stuff that will be bottled this year and in your hands no later than fall. The consumer’s reward: – big discount, ranging from 20-40% plus. The winery’s benefit – cash flow. Cash is king, and I know small wineries who work on such a tight budget they sometimes are counting pennies to be able to bottle or label, and this become a key part of generating capital. Others have completely integrated it into their business model and have a large following.

What Barrel Tasting Isn’t

A drunk-fest. Each year the Wine Road has made progress towards this goal. Wineries and serious consumers alike are fed up with drunks rolling off a bus after pounding drinks, acting like idiots and worse. This has decreased dramatically over the years – the welcome is worn thin. These people aren’t buying wine generally, and are not a loss. Expect less than warm welcomes at more venues, and being denied service. If that’s your goal, go to Happy Hour. I will spot you a drink. Unfortunately these people aren’t likely reading a wine blog but just putting the widespread sentiment out there.

My Two Cents on Barrel Tasting

Whether you are interested in saving money via futures, or just a fun educational weekend tasting, Barrel Tasting is an excellent weekend to taste, learn and explore. You don’t even have to Barrel Taste if don’t want to. All wineries are pouring finished wine, some new releases. For $30 at the door for two days, its a great opportunity. I encourage those new to wine to try a few barrel samples, but remember, as the detailed article explains, this is unfinished wine. Try 1-2 and then perhaps focus your experience on learning and tasting regular wines.

For those a bit more exposed to tasting wine, try barrel samples. Where you can, compare them to the currently bottled finished wine, if offered. (Not always possible.) This is an excellent way to see how much a wine can change.

Again its important to remember, even if going to be bottled shortly, wines, especially reds will be bottled aged for 3-12+ months before release, and will continue to evolve. I watched consumers struggle with this at a recently blending seminar, when they were frustrated they couldn’t blend 3 varietals from barrel to compare to the finished wine that had a year in bottle. It won’t.

If you aren’t very experienced with futures, buying something that will not be bottled by summer maybe risky. The wine could change a lot.

If its a wine release you have had over multiple years, like it, buy it regularly, and the barrel sample tastes good, this is probably a good investment, saving money for a wine you’ll buy anyway.

The future I always buy is a varietal (grape) not common here (a surprise I know), I have loved the last 3 releases, and the winery aggressively discounts the future, 5% over industry. Unless the vintage had some significant  change, this is a no brainer repeat for me. It also assures me I get sufficient quantity of a wine I really like, before it sells out.

Ok, How Do I Win Tickets Already?

EASY! And thanks for sticking through. There are TWO ways to win – read carefully, you can do BOTH!

Answer any of these:

1. Tell us what you like about Barrel Tasting. Do you buy futures ever? Why or Why Not? We will draw 2 pairs of tickets from answers.

2. Subscribe to Simple Hedonisms via Email. Receive new articles one time a day (max, usually less) so you never miss one. All email is secure and never used or shared. We will draw a winner from all subscribers. If you can not attend, we will send a Wine Road cookbook or alternate item.  NOTE! you must confirm your subscription to be eligible – you will receive a confirmation email immediately, you must open and click. Unconfirmed subscribers are not eligible.

Drawing is 330 pm Thursday!

Come Back for Our Regular Sales Incentives Article

As we do for all Wine Road events, Simple Hedonisms will run an article highlighting special sales of finished wines, as a supplement to Barrel Tasting. This is very handy to print out, and stock up, saving a few extra dollars to boot. Watch for it!

Thanks

Cheers and thank you for reading Simple Hedonisms Wine Blog ! We are delighted and honored by continued growth – February was another record month with over 6700 readers and 250,000 hits!

I regularly comment on the outstanding job the Wine Road of Northern Sonoma does organizing and promoting its 3 key events for member AVAs (regions) Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley & Sonoma Coast. Apparently others do as well as membership is now burgeoning at 200 and still growing.

The Wine Road continues to evolve its annual 3 events to be more than just wine tasting or a weekend party, and into a full appreciation of food pairings, education and art.

Barrel Tasting

March  4-5th and 13-14th is the 33rd Annual Barrel Tasting. I intend to publish a few additional articles on barrel tasting and the event, but for now last year’s blog  Barrel Tasting Insights – What am I Tasting & Do I Get Splinters? What should I buy? should get you by and is still pertinent.

The event spans two weekends, and at $20 in advance (each weekend)  is about the biggest value a wine tasting bracelet event has to offer. Printable program guide can be downloaded here. FYI – Advance ticket sales end next Monday.

Riedel Wine Tasting Seminar – Saturday March 5th  – Special Discount Code only found here

If you haven’t attended one of these, they are pretty amazing. Check out Katherine Parker’s recent experience at one in her recent article.  For you naysayers on stemware making a difference – I highly encourage you to try.

The February issue of Wine Business Monthly (not available online yet), editor Cyril Penn kicks off an article by Sommelier Chris Sawyer that does an in depth analysis on stemware and wine sensory evaluation. He shares he too was a skeptic until attending one of these.

The seminar is  a unique and fascinating wine and glass tasting, and will demonstrate the relationship between the shape of a glass and our perception and enjoyment of wines. Try this mind-blowing experience that will change your wine life!

Tickets are normally $90 which includes a Barrel Tasting ticket, the seminar, and the four Vinum glasses  – valued at  $116.

Simple Hedonism readers can use code HEDONISMS (exactly like that, in capital) to save $20, making the seminar, glasses and a weekend ticket only $70.

This seminar is limited to 100 people and only 30 tickets are left – if you are interested, do not procrastinate!

More Barrel Tasting Articles to Come – Requests Welcome

We will be publishing several more articles on the event. If you have any questions or topics of interest, post them in comments and thanks for reading Simple Hedonisms Wine Blog  – cheers!

You’ve seen the classy black and red Riedel cartons at kitchenware retail. They have an elite aura and great appeal as gifts. But do you know the story behind them? The Riedel name and family has been synonymous with glassware for over 250 years and 11 generations.  But it wasn’t until the 1960’s that the company began to focus in earnest on fine wine glasses.  A handmade Sommeliers series was launched in 1973, introducing for the first time a revolutionary concept: that glass size and shape directly affects the wine inside.

The current generation, Georg Riedel, took the idea further by developing “varietal-specific” glasses to enhance individual wine varietals. Today, Riedels’ Vinum glasses are machine-made, making varietal-specific tasting more affordable and accessible to wine lovers everywhere.

Riedel Tasting @Trione Vineyards & Winery

I participated in a Riedel seminar recently at Trione Winery in Geyserville, CA.  Trione produces fine wines from the Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley of northern Sonoma county. The Trione portfolio is perfect for the Riedel tasting experience. Each of vintner Scot Covingtons’ wines is true to it’s varietal character while showing consistent quality and structure. Scot makes a Trione Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet, matching the 4-glass Vinum set.

Tasting Presentation

Each place at the tasting table was set with 4 wine glasses, a water glass and a plastic “Joker” glass.  The 4 glasses comprise Riedel’s Vinum set:

• Bordeaux/Cabernet
• Burgundy/Pinot Noir
• Sauvignon Blanc/Dessert Wine
• Montrachet/Chardonnay

Through a series of tasting wines matched and mis-matched to their glasses, and in plastic (ick), the group of tasters became converts to the science of varietal glassware.

Wine Delivery System

Riedel speaks of a glass as a complete wine delivery system. The Chardonnay glass delivered the pure fruit, refreshing acidity, light oak, and warm finish of the Trione Russian River Valley Chardonnay.  The wide rim and deep bowl harmonizes these four strong characteristics into a balanced whole, with no one overpowering the others.  As a test, we poured some Chardonnay from its glass into a narrow Sauvignon Blanc glass.  The oak had no room to breathe, and the taste was completely off. Same wine, completely different taste experience. And of course, when we poured Chardonnay into the Joker glass, there was virtually no aroma, and no sense of oak in the mouth.

We went through a similar ritual with the Trione Sauvignon Blanc. The Riedel glass delivered crisp fruit and yeast directly to the taste receptors from a narrow rim, narrower bowl, tall-stemmed glass (keeping the heat of the hand away from the wine).  In contrast, the Pinot Noir glass has a wide bowl with a narrower rim, bringing the fruit quickly to the top, as in “fruit forward”.  Pinot Noir in the Sauvignon Blanc glass was a real disaster. The narrow delivery system passed the wine straight through to the back of the palette where the bitter receptors are. Hard to believe it was the same wine.

We also had a lesson in decanting and cleaning of wine glasses.  Riedel recommends using no soap, rinsing wine glasses in very hot water and drying with a non-linty towel (microfiber works well). Towels can be boiled in hot water or washed without detergent to keep fragrances away from contact with the porous glass.

Find yourself a Riedel Seminar

Varietal glassware completely changed my tasting experience and awareness. I highly recommend the Riedel Seminar, and it’s also a great way to start your collection of varietal glasses. Each Riedel tasting includes the 4-glass Vinum set. To find a Riedel seminar near you, do a google search.

Better yet, come to Barrel Tasting Weekend on Sonoma’s Wine Road. Trione Winery and over 100 other wineries open their cellars and barrels for 2 weekends in March. The March 5^th Barrel Tasting weekend pass is available with a Riedel seminar (and glasses). Tickets here.

Riedel URL

Facebook

RiedelUSA on Twitter

Never a dull moment here in Wine Country, coming off the heels of 2 weekends of The Wine Road’s Barrel Tasting, we change to another part of Sonoma County, and a ‘cozier’ event, hosted by the Heart of Sonoma Valley Association. The 20th Annual  Savor Sonoma Food and Wine Experience features 22 wineries in the historic Glen Ellen and Kenwood regions.

This event is fun and ‘savory’ – all participating wineries are offering food and wine pairings. In addition many are offering barrel samples, selling futures, and featuring live music and local artists. The full program is available here; as always I encourage attendees to print it out, and make a mini-plan, especially if you only plan one day.

Glen Ellen and Kenwood are easily accessible from downtown Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Carneros and Napa – why not enjoy the scenery, leisurely drive, and spend one day (or both) this weekend enjoying  food, wine, art and music, with wineries large and small, new and historic.

Participating Wineries Include:
Audelssa Estate Winery, Benziger Family Winery, Chateau St. Jean, Deerfield Ranch Winery, Enkidu Wines, Eric Ross Winery, Family Wineries of Kenwood, Imagery Estate Winery, Kenwood Vineyards, Kunde Family Estate, Landmark Vineyards, Ledson Winery & Vineyards, Little Vineyards, Loxton Cellars, Mayo Family Winery, Muscardini Cellars, Paradise Ridge Winery, St. Francis Winery, Ty Caton Vineyards, VJB Vineyards & Cellars, Valley of the Moon Winery and Wellington Vineyards.

Featured Musicians include:

• Laurent Fourgo’s Trio (Jazz) at Landmark Vineyards
• Josh Little & his Trio (Jazz) at Little Vineyards
• Seth Walker (Blues) at Loxton Cellars
• The Sharks (Saturday) & The Corkpullers (Sunday) at Imagery Estate Winery
• Sparky Thorne at Benziger Family Winery
• The Don Giovannis (6-piece Italian Band) at VJB Vineyards & Cellars
• John Shearer (Acoustic Guitar) at Valley of the Moon Winery.

Featured Artists include:

• Stella and Dot Jewelry at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards
• Leslee Maggiora Jewelry at Eric Ross Winery
• Bella Barrels (Barrel Stave Merchandise) at Valley of the Moon Winery
• Zaza Gallery (Stretched Canvas Photography) at Valley of the Moon Winer
• Belgique Truffle Gateaux (Baked Truffles) at Valley of the Moon Winery
• Twisted Sister (Local Handmade Jewelry) at Valley of the Moon Winery
• San Tasti (a new drink to relieve palate fatigue) at Valley of the Moon Winery.

Enter “Question of the Week” to Win 2 Tickets, or Merchandise

Wednesday night we will be drawing for a pair of free tickets. To enter, go to the Heart of Sonoma Valley Facebook Fan page, scroll down to the Question of the Week posting, and submit your question.  Wednesday night will draw a winner, and answer the question.

I can’t wait to attend this event! Look for a 1-2 more posts this week, including a special article end of week featuring special winery sales incentives. Until then this recent article on barrel tasting may help as well!

Barrel Tasting Insights – What am I Tasting & Do I Get Splinters? What should I buy?

Wine, food, music, art, Sonoma Valley, for only $55 for 2 days – and you don’t have tickets why? Available online through Wednesday, grab some, they have sold out before!

cheers!

p.s. See some of you at the Friday night Sonoma Wine Meetup in Downtown Sonoma – 75+ wine industry, consumers. Putting the social in Social Networking!

Simple Hedonisms enjoyed a great first weekend of Friday and Saturday Barrel Tasting! This was made especially fun by running around with  Wine Writers Allie and Peter of  My Wine Words. I am looking forward to this 2nd final weekend, and plan to go out all three days if I can. If you haven’t bought tickets, they are available at the door of participating wineries, 103 of the 160, participating this 2nd weekend.

For those of you going this weekend, who didn’t catch my 4 articles, check out these for hints and tips.

Planning for Wine Road Barrel Tasting – Tips Inside

Barrel Tasting Insights – What am I Tasting & Do I Get Splinters? What should I buy?

also for Wineries:

Wine Road Barrel Tasting & Social Media – Optimizing Your Event

Since not all wineries participate both weekends, and I learned of some new additions, here is an updated list of the Wineries offering special incentives on existing inventory. (Different than futures discounts.)

New Promotions:

Special Joint Promotion at Trione and Stryker Sonoma:

David Coffaro Winery

• In addition to their renowned “Crazy Coffaro Futures Program,” David Coffaro will be offering the following for $20 each:
  • 2006 My Zin, 2006 Cabernet (Sonoma County), 2006 Petite Sirah, 2006 Escuro

Mueller Winery

• Mueller Winery is offering Mueller Winery is offering a 15% discount on all current release bottled wines, Friday through Sunday. They are also releasing our 2007 Mueller Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir tomorrow. (92 cases produced)

Manzanita Creek Winery

• Manzanita Creek is offering their 2006 MC2   (squared)  Zin for  just  $64 per case (SRP $14), and we have their 2005 Stealth Zin, Sweepstakes winner  at the International Pro Wine Buyers Competition at the other extreme for just $396 per case (SRP $55.)

J Keverson (revised)

• J Keverson has a special offer: 2007 Starkey’s Court Dry Creek Zin On Friday 10 cases $99.00 Reg. $300.00. After the 1st 10 are gone $150 (50% off retail.)

Previous Weekends Offers Still Going (To best of my knowledge)

Lynmar Estates

• Lynmar is offering Purchases including these four wines: 2004 Quail Hill Estate Chard, 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir, 2006 Russian River Chardonnay (almost gone) & 2006 Sonoma Coast Syrah are priced at the following discount: 3btls: 20% off, 6btls: 25% off, 12btls: 35% off.

Longboard Vineyards

• Longboard Is offering a a mix-and-match discount special for your-choice combination of our Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Point Break Red.  3 bottles for $60, 6 bottles for $120 and a case for $240.”In addition Longboard has just put out a Magnums only library release with prices starting @ $100. (Club discounts apply.) Their 2005 Syrah is also on sale by the case.

Mounts Family Winery

• Mounts is offering special discounts on its existing inventory, which includes Rose, Cabernet, Petite Syrah, Syrah and Zin.10% on half case (normally 5%), 20% on full case (normally 10%) You can mix and match for full case discount – no minimum per varietal required.

Trione

• Trione  Is offering  a special case discount on the  2007 Sauvignon Blanc of $138 to people who mention the hashtag #barreltasting,  check in on Foursquare, or  Twitter/Facebook/Blog promotion.
• Also, each day they will be drawing  a prize to every 100th customer who comes. The prizes will include but are not limited to hats, T-shirts and VIP tour and tasting for 6 people with a wine educator.

Kokomo

• Kokomo is putting  2006 Dry Creek Zin on special. It normally retails for $27, but for the weekends only during the event, it will be $22.50.

Sausal

• Sausal Winery is offering a 15% discount on any purchase of our 2006 Private Reserve Zinfandel (100% Estate Zin from 90 year-old vines) and a 15% discount off any purchase on our Sogni ‘d Oro (Italian style blend of Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Carignane, and Petite Sirah.)

• They will also be doing a 15% off discount off any 6 bottles purchase (mix and match) or 20% off a case (mix and match).

Acorn

• Acorn Is offering 15% off 6-11 bottles, and 30% off a case, of their 2006 Sangiovese, Axiom Syrah, and Heritage Vines Zinfandel. Mixed Cases ok.

Dutcher Crossing

• Dutcher Crossing is offering a 4 pack special in the tasting room for 15% off.

Other Interesting Offers

D’Argenzio Winery (both weekends)

• D’Argenzio is holding a raffle to win 2 complementary tickets to winemaker dinner at Inn at the Tides, May 21 Friday night $79.00 each, Each purchase of a case of wine earns an entry into drawing and winners at the end of each weekend.

Have a Great Barrel Tasting weekend! Be safe, stock up on wine, and let us know on our Facebook Fan site, where ya want!

Cheers!

Article 4 of 4: Barrel Tasting Sales Promotions  – Existing Inventory Sales (of wine, not barrels)

In the 3^rd article we discussed the basic concept of barrel tasting and how some wineries offer discounts on unreleased wines. Some wineries also take advantage of the event to offer sales incentives on existing inventory, special offers for new club members, and other limited offers.

Following are some of these offers:

Lynmar Estates (both weekends)

• Lynmar is offering Purchases including these four wines: 2004 Quail Hill Estate Chard, 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir, 2006 Russian River Chardonnay (almost gone) & 2006 Sonoma Coast Syrah are priced at the following discount: 3btls: 20% off, 6btls: 25% off, 12btls: 35% off.

Longboard Vineyards (both weekends)

• Longboard Is offering a a mix-and-match discount special for your-choice combination of our Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Point Break Red.  3 bottles for $60, 6 bottles for $120 and a case for $240.”In addition Longboard has just put out a Magnums only library release with prices starting @ $100. (Club discounts apply.) Their 2005 Syrah is also on sale by the case.

Mounts Family Winery (both weekends)

• Mounts is offering special discounts on its existing inventory, which includes Rose, Cabernet, Petite Syrah, Syrah and Zin.10% on half case (normally 5%), 20% on full case (normally 10%) You can mix and match for full case discount – no minimum per varietal required.

Trione (both weekends)

• Trione  Is offering  a special case discount on the  2007 Sauvignon Blanc of $138 to people who mention the hashtag #barreltasting,  check in on Foursquare, or  Twitter/Facebook/Blog promotion.
• Also, each day they will be drawing  a prize to every 100th customer who comes. The prizes will include but are not limited to hats, T-shirts and VIP tour and tasting for 6 people with a wine educator.

Kokomo (both weekends)

• Kokomo is putting our 2006 Dry Creek Zin on special. It normally retails for $27, but for the weekends only during the event, it will be $22.50.

Sausal (both weekends)

• Sausal Winery is offering a 15% discount on any purchase of our 2006 Private Reserve Zinfandel (100% Estate Zin from 90 year-old vines) and a 15% discount off any purchase on our Sogni ‘d Oro (Italian style blend of Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Carignane, and Petite Sirah.)

• They will also be doing a 15% off discount off any 6 bottles purchase (mix and match) or 20% off a case (mix and match).

Acorn (both weekends)

• Acorn Is offering 15% off 6-11 bottles, and 30% off a case, of their 2006 Sangiovese, Axiom Syrah, and Heritage Vines Zinfandel. Mixed Cases ok.

J Keverson (both weekends)

• J Keverson will be offering their 20066 Old Vine Zin Hales Vineyard on sale 50% off by the case. ($180.)

Dutcher Crossing (both weekends)

• Dutcher Crossing is offering a 4 pack special in the tasting room for 15% off.

Hart’s Desire (first weekend only)

• Hart’s Desire is offering their Double Gold 2004 Syrah on sale for $94 case.

Pellegrini (First weekend only)

• Buy one bottle of the 2006 Malbec or the 2007 Merlot, and receive a bottle of the Cuvee 107 for free.

• Also offering $1 shipping per case, mix and match ok.

Other Interesting Offers

White Oak Vineyards and Winery (first weekend only)

• White Oak has a 20 year old tradition during Barrel Tasting – BYOZ (Bottle Your Own Zin.) of their Estate Old Vines (85 year) Zin that is available only in the tasting room, around 300 cases a year. BYOZ offers the opportunity to bottle and label your own bottle in the ‘Zin Zone’. The cost for BYOZ is $25. Entrance to the Zin Zone also offers a full tasting of all wines as well as have appetizers, meet our owner and also our cellar crew and of course experience hand bottling. It’s a fun tradition they share with fans old and new only once a year.

D’Argenzio Winery (both weekends)

• D’Argenzio is holding a raffle to win 2 complementary tickets to winemaker dinner at Inn at the Tides, May 21 Friday night $79.00 each, Each purchase of a case of wine earns an entry into drawing and winners at the end of each weekend.

WoodenHead Vinters: (first weekend only)

• Will be offering a 15% discount for anyone that joins the Wine Club!  Space is limited.

I will repost this next week with any updates, changes I get for the second weekend.

Have a Great Barrel Tasting weekend! Be safe, stock up on wine, and let us know on our Facebook Fan site, where ya want!

Cheers!

2010 Wine Road Barrel Tasting: Article 3 of 4

It’s almost here! The first weekend of Wine Road Barrel Tasting. Yes its TWO weekends: if you live in the Bay area and love wine, plan for both weekends, at only $30 a weekend, it’s the best bargain in town! (Personally I think the price is too low, but that’s me.)

What exactly is barrel tasting?

Won’t licking barrels give me splinters?

In all seriousness, consumers can benefit in understanding the underlying premise that shapes this 32 year old Wine Road event.

(For additional insight, you may also want to reference more recent article My thoughts on Wine Road Barrel Tasting. )

What Barrel Tasting Is:

The premise of barrel tasting was to let consumers have a sneak preview to an early wine still in production, and in some cases (not all) also buy ‘Futures’ or advance sales of the future release, at a discount, or in cases of allocation, ahead of release. This is a win-win; the consumer can save substantial money on varietals or brands they buy regularly. The winery gets cash earlier in the process. Cash flow has always been key to winery operations, and certainly is as important as ever in today’s financial climate.

What Barrel Tasting Isn’t:

What it isn’t meant to be: a drunk-fest. This event obtained a bit of a reputation for being a party festival (in part to the low ticket cost); which is a shame, given its deep tradition and intent. I implore consumers to have fun, behave respectably. All in all the number of incidents are few, but it only takes one to sour everyone’s experience. This isn’t charity folks – many of the Wine Road wineries are small business, family owned, working long hours as artisans to make  a living. They are here to pour for you and to ultimately sell some wine.  Stick to Happy Hour for drinking specials and parties.  Wineries shouldn’t hesitate to promptly deal with inappropriate behavior. FYI it’s a criminal offense, that can cause them to be shut down, to serve someone who is visibly impaired. There are a few extra California Highway Patrol on duty that day for the added safety of all, for those rare outbreaks of rash behavior.

Ok, What exactly am I Tasting?

Barrel samples are unfinished wine tastes, that’s why its coming from the barrel. I have heard complaints of  ‘Its not good wine’ or ‘I don’t care for the taste.’ Look at what I just wrote – it’s unfinished. It may be nearly ready for bottling and taste familiar, it could be another year+ in barrel still.  I do encourage everyone who is learning about wine (you never stop learning by the way) to try a few,  experience it, and gain an appreciation for wine as it evolves and changes. Some wineries even do interesting things, like Kendall Jackson is, to sample the same pre-release of wine, in different barrel toasts, for comparison.  Ask the winemaker questions; don’t worry about if it may seem basic – most wine makers love to share knowledge on wine making.

I think a few samples suffices for many; don’t hesitate to skip varietals (wine types) you don’t like, dump, or spit. You aren’t offending the wine maker, if anything he knows you are more serious taster then.  So then why would I be going to wineries if I don’t try the barrel samples?

It’s ok to skip a barrel sample at some stops; all wineries are still pouring something else, and many offer food pairings and other fun activities.

‘Other’ Tips

Of course there is my usual diatribe on using a Spit Cup; both encouraging wineries to hand out, and people to use. After two winery stops, your palette is now influenced by alcohol and you are drinking, not tasting. At least dump wines you don’t like; wineries aren’t offended.

You can also consider driver services like WeDriveU, where bonded drivers drive you in your car. Similar local services can be seen posted on Craigslist (check references). For that matter, press your unemployed 18-24 year old into driving you around for a reasonable hourly rate, and buy them a $10 Wine Road DD bracelet.

Buying Futures

Not all wineries participating in Barrel Tasting sell futures. There is additional work, tracking involved that some opt not to due. The reputed Wine Road King of Futures is David Coffaro Winery. If you are interested in futures, you should plan a stop here and check out the “Crazy Coffaro Futures Program.”

If you are new or hesitant on buying futures, start with wine producers whose wines you have drunk regularly, and know it appeals to your palette.  (In which case you should consider the wine club anyway.) You may also be offered to compare the current release with the barrel sample – this is a another great way to buy samples, if a winery or winemaker is new to you.

Feel free to ask the wine maker questions: has the wine changed much in where the fruit came from? Russian River zin is very different than Dry Creek. Did the vineyard source change, even in the same appellation? Have you made any substantial changes to the wine production methods; barrel program, yeast, cold soak etc etc.

Ok, decided you like the wine, want to save some money, and stock up. (Usually a minimum purchase is required.) Now what? The winery will collect the money for the purchase, and record your name, contact information, and give you a receipt. Wineries keep good records, but as a precaution, SAVE it. If you use a online or smart phone calendar for reminders, put a reminder appointment now to prompt you for the expected pick up month, so you have peace of mind you won’t forget. The winery is of course going to contact you, but this way you are double covered.

When its ready for release, pick it up, crack open a bottle to celebrate the money you saved, and the support you gave to your favorite winery – win win!

Come back tomorrow for a special article on selected Wineries offering special incentives on sales of existing inventory (aka bottled wine.) Take advantage of special pricing and stock up now too!

Cheers!

It’s almost here! The 32nd Annual Wine Road Barrel Tasting.  Two weekends of barrel samples, new wine releases, wine discounts, food pairings, and entertainment, for a pittance of $20 a weekend (in advance, $30 at door.)

This event is a little more complicated and unique than your typical ‘bracelet’ event, so more than ever, I encourage a little time for thought and planning.

Here’s Why You Need A Plan:

• The event spans two weekends, but some wineries are only participating the first weekend.
• Some wineries pour early, starting Friday afternoon, others don’t.
• Most, but not all, Wine Road wineries participate.

The Wine Road has a comprehensive short list (scroll down first page)  and a long list of the details on above.

I always recommend printing out the detailed program, grabbing  glass of wine, and perusing the whole thing. Make a theme: New wineries one day, familiar favorites the second? Focusing on one appellation like Dry Creek, Russian River, or exploring Alexander Valley and Geyserville? Chasing down new zins or pinots? Use concepts like this to drive a plan, make it more fun, and feel like you accomplished more in your exploration of wine, and North Sonoma wineries.

This is a very busy event, at certain times of the day. If you are like me, standing in a crush of people, waiting for a pour, isn’t always an enjoyable experience, and with some planning, can be minimized.

Some basic tips:

• Saturday is generally busier than Sunday.
• The event gets gets busier as the day progresses.
• Dense areas like Healdsburg get snarled with traffic, pedestrians, as an area with high concentration of tasting rooms, in a small area.

Factor that in when you are laying out your route, and don’t want to wait in line for an hour at A. Rafanelli to sample.

Other suggestions To Enhance Tasting:

Work into your agenda some of the non- participating Wine Road wineries, especially mid afternoon during the peak. There are many great wineries just open for normal business; why not stop at a few.  I am taking my out of town guests for the Wine & Food pairing at Seghesio, Saturday afternoon, as one example.

Glass and Bracelet Pickup Details:

I thought I’d help clarify a few of the check-in and pick up details, as well as a few tips on this.

• If you pre-purchased tickets, you have to  pick a ‘check in’ winery. After 150 check-ins, a winery is taken off the list as eligible for check-in. This is to help you the consumer, and disperse crowds. What if your friends are checking in at ABC Winery and its full? Check into the one next door, both of you get your glasses, try the wines, and then connect.

• “I picked a winery for check-in that isn’t pouring Friday, and we want to taste then.” That’s perfectly ok – all wineries will have their glasses (make sure they are open to public) and wristbands. Just go there and check-in, and then head out. Or better yet, since you are there, experience whatever their normal wine tasting experience is, sans barrel samples.

Save $10, Last chance to Win

Tonight at 9 p.m. is the last chance to get tickets in advance and save $10.

Tonight is also the final drawing for free tickets, or a Wine Road Cookbook. To enter to win, simply register for secure, no spam, email updates of new blog posts, in the top right corner. One will be chosen at random at 11 pm Pacific, tonight.

Look for more helpful articles this week, including a special edition of Winery promotions on current inventory.

cheers!