BoutiqueWineCellar

AReallyGoodeJob

2009-05-20

Well, it's official, Murphy Goode Winery is offering the best job of 2009... Ok, well, maybe ever! Check out the details here: http://www.areallygoodejob.com/overview.aspx And while you're there check out my video: http://www.areallygoodejob.com/video-view.aspx?vid=ROXg2ZFfUT4 While I think this is just an amazing marketing idea; I think this is also a fantastic idea to infuse some new ideas into Murphy Goode as well. This project really speaks volumes about how much ad campaigns and marketing have changed because of the internet. Further, I think this really speaks to the youth movement in wine. Wine is no longer that scary thing that only your parents drink, but has become an everyday drink of the younger 23-30 year old social scene. The internet is a powerful, powerful, tool and with it we continue to change the landscape of so many areas. I am continually excited and awed to see new ways to use it creatively! Oh and I'll keep you posted on the Murphy Goode thing too!

Part 1: What is Wine 2.0 (as of May 2007)?

2009-04-02

On the eve of the Wine 2.0 event at Crushpad in San Francisco I thought it would be fun to do a two-part series on what Wine 2.0 means to me. The first post in the series is an old blog post that I posted on the event's blog as a guest blogger prior to the 2007 event. Without further delay, here is my take on Wine 2.0 (as of May 2007). Batting lead-off provides a chance to be the first player on base in the game of baseball, and we are happy to be the first guest bloggers in a series of posts from attending companies at the upcoming Wine 2.0 event. We are excited to introduce our site and what the term Wine 2.0 means to us. Our goal with Boutique Wine Cellar is twofold. First, we want to provide wineries with increased sales in their online store by passing along interested consumers in exchange for a commission. Our site operates on a �virtual inventory� model, allowing us to offer a broad selection of wines while not physically housing the inventory. The scalable nature of this model, still a work in progress, will allow us to provide a larger selection of wines than typically found in traditional wine retail outlets. On the consumer side we strive to provide a forum setting for objective consumer reviews, as well as relevant information about the wine or winery. We attempt to facilitate learning and participating as much as we do selling. The term Wine 2.0 means many things, but for us it brings to mind one word � tripleplay. It�s the perfect metaphor to sum up the current state of the wine industry because there are three interrelated movements occurring contemporaneously. The first is falling legal barriers as a result of the 2005 Supreme Court ruling of Granholm v. Heald. The Supreme Court ruling, and subsequent state legislature rulings, provides wineries with the opportunity to ship directly to consumers � a logical business practice. This leads to the second aspect of what is occurring in the industry; vertical integration. A simple analysis of margins associated with direct-sales is convincing enough to motivate any winery to reevaluate channel mix and focus increased efforts on the direct channel. More wine through a more profitable channel results in increased profitability. The final out in the wine industry tripleplay is the word this event plays on � Web 2.0. This term, coined by O�Reilly Media in 2004, refers to the proliferation of the second-generation of Internet websites, such as social networking sites and wikis, which allow users to interact and share ideas and information. Wine is the ultimate topic to be shared, reviewed, and recommended online. This, combined with the high projected eCommerce industry growth, bodes well for the three players involved in the tripleplay; consumers, wineries, and technology companies.

ZAP Zinfandel Festival: San Francisco � January 28 - 31

2009-01-23

The Zinfandel Advocates & Producers �ZAP�, an organization dedicated to advancing public knowledge of and appreciation for American Zinfandel, is once again holding its annual ZAP Zinfandel Festival in San Francisco. The four day festival consists of various events, including a walkabout tasting, a food pairing tasting, a winemaker dinner, and a large public tasting. The festival begins on Wednesday, January 28th at 2:00PM with a wine tasting of various flights of rare Zinfandels that will not be poured at the public tasting. The wine tasting starts with a seminar discussion of zinfandel, and segues into a walkabout tasting. If you dislike the crowds associated with the Grand Zinfandel Tasting, then this is the event for you because attendance is limited to 150 participants. Cost: $100 (ZAP members) $130 (non-members) The next event is the Good Eats and Zinfandel Pairing on Thursday, January 29th from 6:00 to 9:00PM. The wine and food pairings are certainly a foodie crowd-pleaser. This event is unique because wineries partner with restaurants to provide attendees with small plates of food matched with Zinfandel. I don�t expect to see many fish plates paired with Zin, but I�m curious to see what Swan�s Oyster Depot has planned! Cost: $95 (ZAP members) $125 (non-members) After the Good Eats and Zinfandel Pairing, the ZAP Festival takes it up a notch with a stylish Evening with the Winemakers at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in Union Square. The event begins at 5:00PM on Friday, January 30th and consists of a pre-dinner wine tasting, a gourmet dinner in the Colonial Room, and a live auction. This is your chance to rub shoulders with the winemakers and taste some top notch wines. Cost: $210 (ZAP members) $260 (non-members) The final event is the Grand Zinfandel Tasting held at the Fort Mason Center. This is the one wine tasting that I try to attend every year (in addition to Family Winemakers). Entrance to this event is staggered, beginning with the trade & media at 10:00AM, followed by ZAP members at 1:00PM, and finally the general public at 2:00PM. Regardless of when you get into the event � the last drop of wine is poured at 5:00PM. The 18th Grand Zinfandel Tasting, featuring over 250 wineries, and spanning both the Herbst and Festival Buildings, promises to be another smash success. I would recommend getting to this event as early as possible because as the afternoon progress the wine tasting swirls into frenzy. Cost: $49 (ZAP members) $59 (non-members) $69 at the door For full details of all of the events, and to purchase tickets, here is a link to the official ZAP website.

Wine Blogging and The Long Tail?

2008-10-29

Recently, I have been re-reading a great book � The Long Tail by Chris Anderson. The author provides a fantastic explanation of demand curves that extend (almost infinitely) outwards. Graphically, these demand curves look similar to probability distribution curves � hence the name the �Long Tail�. The book touches on the evolution of societal, logistical, and economic issues that have enabled companies to supply goods or services to the long tail of demand. The book is engaging, but I have one problem with it. My progress is proceeding at a snail�s pace. Why? Because every few pages the author points out an aspect of the Long Tail that makes me pause for a moment as I ponder how it will affect the wine industry. The thought that I am currently pondering is the fragmentation of the audience that flocks to wine publications, such as The Wine Spectator or The Wine Advocate. I am not discrediting their clout, but I do see their influence being diminished in the long-term. This will be the result of two key trends. The first trend is how people interact with media content. We have witnessed a huge move from off-line to online media consumption. You can observe this tidal shift by simply looking at the trend in print newspaper circulation. Down, down, down. As people move their media consumption online, it augments the way they find information that interests them. It is less of a passive tops-down approach, but more of an active search for information. My active approach to music consumption is a perfect example. I don�t watch MTV anymore, waiting for the next big thing. Instead, I use online aggregators to find songs that appeal to me. Hypem.com is an example of such an aggregator. (If you don�t use this site you have to check it out!) I am not alone in my �search� for music or information online. Google figured this out years ago, and that is why it is focused on �organizing the world\'s information and making it universally accessible and useful.� Every day, millions (maybe billions, I�m not sure) use Google�s search engine to sift through its aggregated data pile to find something interesting. When one wants to learn about a new wine, who better to ask than Google? And who is there to answer? Wine bloggers. This is the second trend that will lower the pulpit of the Robert Parkers of the world. The collective voice of wine bloggers has been enabled by a key point raised by The Long Tail. Chris Anderson highlights the importance of the decreased costs associated with production in today�s world. Blogging software (such as Six Apart�s TypePad) has lowered the barriers to entry, and allowed amateur wine enthusiasts to try their hand in the publishing world. As many wine enthusiasts take up wine blogging, collectively they are creating a �content explosion�. The mushroom cloud of content is filling all of the long-tail niches related to wine. Interested in cheap wine? Read Good Wine Under $20. Interested in Spanish wine? Read CataVino. And the list goes on and on� Combine Google and RSS Readers with this content and � poof! There goes the captive audience of large wine publications. I�m not saying that those publications will disappear. I�m just saying that they aren�t the only act in town anymore (especially if they don�t open up their walled gardens of online content). Wine bloggers realize this opportunity and they are capitalizing on it by organizing and institutionalizing themselves. One such example is last weekend�s Wine Blogger�s Conference held in Sonoma County. During the three-day symposium, wine bloggers swapped tips and advice about generating an engaging mountain of wine blog content. Another example of this coordinated effort is the American Wine Blog Awards organized annually by Tom Wark at Fermentation. I think of the event as an �Oscars meets American Idol event�, where nominees are selected by the panel and voted on by the masses. If you visit the website of winning blogs, they proudly display their honor. (One example is Good Grape: A Wine Manifesto, by Jeff Lefevere.) Over time, I suspect the work of hundreds of part-time wine bloggers will over power the work of a dedicated few wine journals. Google search results will reach out into the long-tail niches of content provided by bloggers, and provide the active consumer with the information that he or she desires. Maybe I will be proven wrong, but if the number of blog search results is any indication, I think the large wine publications will succumb to a long slide in circulation similar to the slide currently underway at print news publications. Note to the reader: I�m still only half way through the book. Stay tuned for further Long Tail thoughts.

Fall, Zin, and Some Other Thoughts

2008-10-14

Those Indian summer days are upon the Bay Area and that means it's a great time to keep clearing out that white wine you have been meaning to drink. Yet, for some reason once Fall hits, I crave those wonderful dry Zins of the Dry Creek Valley. For some reason even while the sun is shinning and I can still hear the faint sound of birds chirping, the thought of a big Zin just sounds so appealing. I can't figure out why I have been on such a Zin kick lately, but I urge you to take a look at the Dry Creek region on our website. There are a lot of great wineries with a lot of great Zins and nothing says Fall better than the classic Zins from the Dry Creek. I find that a little air time goes a long way with Zin. Give it a good sloshing and let it mellow. Oh, and while I am here, don't forget about the ZAP festival in San Francisco on January 28-31. This is just about the best time to get out and taste many, if not all, of California's great Zins.

Pinot on the River 2008 Festival

2008-10-08

Did you watch Sideways and fall in love with Pinot Noir? If you answered yes to this question then you may want to check out this year�s Pinot on the River Festival. The festival will feature the West Coast�s top Pinot Noir producers � including many highly allocated and limited production wines. The festival has multiple food and wine events beginning on Thursday October 23rd and culminating in the Grand Artisanal Pinot Noir Tasting on Sunday October 26th. The Grand Tasting is not the cheapest tasting I�ve seen, but the $69 admittance fee does provide you access to nearly 100 high-end Pinot Noir producers who will be pouring many of their new releases. If you are interested in purchasing tickets or learning more about the Pinot on the River 2008 Festival you can visit the event�s website at www.pinotfestival.com.

Winery Q&A With B Cellars

2008-09-12

We had the opportunity to get an insider�s view into B Cellars, a boutique Napa Valley winery, by interviewing the owners as well as the winemaker. The owners Jim Borsack and H. E. Duffy Keys provided a candid discussion of how B Cellars was formed and what wine enthusiasts can expect next from the Napa Valley winery, while the winemaker Kirk Venge recounted his winemaking style and philosophy. 1. What has been the biggest challenge associated with founding BCellars? Duffy: The biggest challenge with founding B Cellars wasn�t necessarily a challenge but a matter of fate. The discussion that Jim and I had at a Fourth of July barbeque in 2002 was something that would change both of our lives. Jim: Yes, we were moving in a new direction in both our lives in the fact that we were each seeking a way to bring a lifelong dream to fruition. The dream we both shared was that we each wanted to own a vineyard and create world class quality wines Duffy: We happened to discuss our love of wine and found that we shared the same principles when it came to excellence and quality. That is when we decided that we would be a great team and began the process of creating B Cellars. Jim: Little did we know at the time that we would be fortunate enough to come across Kirk Venge who would be our 3rd musketeer, so to speak. In other words, Duffy and I were fortunate to encounter one another but in finding Kirk as our winemaker it really just completed the vision. Duffy: Yes, we had heard of Kirk and knew that he was someone who had great potential as a winemaker. But after we were able to actually meet him we found that his ideals about wine matched our own. The idea was taking the best grapes from the best vineyards and combining them into something spectacular. You just have to taste it to know what it means! Kirk had the ability to bring our whole idea full circle. 2. What has been the most difficult aspect of growing B Cellars into a recognized producer of first-rate blended wines? Duffy: The biggest challenge associated for us in growing as a recognizable producer, which I am not so sure that we are yet, but it would have to be breaking through the clutter. In other words, there are so many wine brands vying for the same or similar consumer audience as B Cellars. Jim: We have invested countless hours by personally hand placing our wines in some of the country�s top restaurants. The effort is paying off handsomely but it has certainly been a one-on-one building block process. Aside from that, we have proven that once we get our wines �tasted�, people fall in love with what we do. Duffy: We have had similar experiences with the many publications that write about wines and conduct various tastings and rating programs. Last year was only our second vintage release and we were amazed the amount of beautiful write-ups and top rankings that our wines achieved! Whether or not these are important to every wine drinker seems to be the debatable question but for us the accolades are a bonus and are supporting our other marketing efforts. For example, our 2007 Blend 23 (Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay) is now served at the White House (yes, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) which for an almost unknown brand is a huge coup and largely possible because of the third party recognition and press that our wines have received. 3. Your commitment has been to make �wines blended from complementary varietals,� how did you arrive at this decision? Jim: When most people envision a winery they think of a single vineyard or a single varietal and the wines that they produce. This is straight forward, common and understood formula. Duffy: But our objective was to include the entire Napa Valley as our terrior and to introduce our target audience to flavor characteristics that would be identified as unique to B Cellars. Our thought was if we could pique the curiosity of experienced wine enthusiasts and win them over with our �blended� approach, we would have a good chance of converting them to loyal customers. Jim: We hope that over time we will build a sustainable competitive advantage and we believe that certain wines work really well blended together when done properly. 4. Do you foresee the possibility of producing blends from regions other than Napa Valley? If so, what regions can wine enthusiasts expect to see next? Duffy: The cornerstone of our business philosophy is to produce consistent quality wines year-over-year. There are many great wine growing areas in California but we prefer to concentrate and focus our vineyard relationships in Napa Valley. Jim: We have the utmost confidence in the variety and growing capability of the Napa Valley�s many micro climates and other variables that create the nuances associated with the broader Napa Appellation. Another advantage is that Kirk grew-up in the valley where he would go to work with his dad in the vineyards and sample the fruit. He knows every vineyard in the valley and where to find the best grapes to make the best wines. 5. What is one thing that people may not know about BCellars that you would like them to know? Duffy: It may sound simple or contrite but we stick with the basics and it�s about doing a few things exceptionally well with consistency. We are passionate about the care and commitment that we have to producing high quality wines every year without compromise. We are building the reputation of B Cellars around our personal core values which amounts to not cutting corners. We will continue to pay top dollar to access the most sought after vineyards in Napa Valley. If we can�t get the best we won�t go forward with a particular production plan. Jim: We are also very serious about making certain that every one of our wines is capable of pairing with food so that they are a compliment to the foods they are served with to create the ultimate experience in culinary pleasure. Next we had the chance to talk to the winemaker � Kirk Venge. Here is what he had to say. 1. What is your first memory with wine and when did you decide that you wanted to be a winemaker? It was when my father and I used to spend hours and hours next to a manual basket press. He would make his own wines after hours during the Villa Mt. Eden days. I admired his hard work and passion for a grape and the wine it produced. I knew at 4 years old I would be a wine maker. 2. Besides UC Davis, what other vineyard, wines, winery, or person has had a positive influence on your winemaking style? My Father for rustic reds, Ric Forman for crisp, non ML whites, and John Belsham (New Zealander, Foxes Island) for stainless Sauvignon Blancs. 3. Your philosophy of �making wine in the vineyard� plays an integral role in your style of wine � how do you think this has influenced the style of wine at BCellars? Striving for a relationship with the vineyard is so important. With understanding, you can acheieve lighter and more balanced crop load and tell the difference between proper, long hang time and just plain rasining. Proper ripeness makes for fleshier wines with more depth while maintaining structure and poise for both now and in the future. It doesn�t always hold to this ideal but it does in the best vineyards most of the time. Great wines begin in the vineyard as anyone will tell you. 4. What do you strive for when making wine? And what would be the one word, difficult, I know, to sum up your winemaking style? I strive for the vineyard to show its potential and to please myself and please as many people as possible. It is very subjective. In one word, hmmm, very tough. How about �Natural�. I�m not biodynamic or even that organic but I like to let the wine speak and in many cases, make itself. You cannot deny that wine is alive. 5. With all the drastic temperature changes in California this year, how do you anticipate your wines will react? Low yields and ripe. The warmer, sometimes the better. Look at the great vintages of �04 and �02. It really depends on when the heat comes in as well. I�d love more spring rains for a touch larger canopy but..... 6. What wines do you enjoy drinking during the hot summer months? And which during the cold winter? I like chillable reds like light Pinot or Beaujolais, Chablis and of course crisp Sauvignon Blanc in the summer. In the winter it is aged Cabs from Napa, Argentina and of course Bordeaux, Amarone and Madieras.

Those Summer Days

2008-09-03

The end of summer�Say it aint� so (key up some Weezer). However, I think the time is upon us to say that summer is coming to a close. Why? You may ask, well, I will tell you. Before I begin, let me first say that one of the reasons I love summer, besides the sun and warm weather, is that white wine starts to get reviewed. All the major publications and wine critics start talking about which wine is best to drink in the backyard, on a stoop, or at a bbq. Now, why are those reviews my favorite, well, it�s because I am a huge fan of most (yes, most) white wine, so reading reviews of new wines and interesting blends just gets me excited. And here is where I must apologize to you, the reader, I lost all my summer notes, so I only have my memory to rely on and let me tell you, I just cannot seem to remember them all. However, stylistically, I found a great deal of whites this year to be florally expressive on the nose with fantastic minerality. I think the big hit for me this summer was the Grgich Hills Fume Blanc, which is not entirely in my everyday price point, but what a fantastic wine. Ok, back to the end of summer� How can it be that the end of summer approaches? Well, everywhere I look there seems to be constant chatter on the blogs about red wine and not just any red wine, but Syrah, Grenache, and Petite Syrah. Those, for me, just scream winter, along with roasts, and beanies. Now, I�m not saying all blogs or all publications, but some of my favorite wine stores in San Francisco seem to be pushing me towards the �warm me up sections.� Am I really ready to let of summer? Not really, however, with a season change upon us, and the prospect to enjoy the other half of wine, I cannot say that I am too sad. My advice is to enjoy those summer days while you still can, enjoy those whites and get ready to warm up with a new bottle of red. Oh and the red I recently had was a Benessere Black Glass Zin. I just cannot say enough about this bottle of wine.

Family Winemakers of California Wine Tasting

2008-08-20

One of my favorite wine tastings is just around the corner - The Family Winemakers of California 2008 Wine Tasting. I love the event because it features the largest selection of California wines in the world and showcases the state�s boutique, family-owned wineries. This is the type of tasting where one can taste literally hundreds of thinly distributed wines while striking up a conversation with the winemaker or winery proprietor (if you are not being nudged aside by other eager wine drinkers). The wine tasting has wineries from all of the regions in California, including the "usuals", such as Napa Valley and Sonoma, but it also features wineries from lesser known areas, such as Calaveras County in the Gold Country. No matter which region or varietal you prefer, the Family Winemakers of California Wine Tasting surely has an array of wines for you to taste and compare. The event is being held on Sunday, August 24 at the Herbst Pavilion within the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Initially the event will only be open to the trade from 12:30 - 2:00pm, but it will then open up to the general public from 2:00 - 6:00pm. Tickets are still available and they cost $45 in advance or $55 on the day of event, plus ticket fees. Hopefully I will see you out there!

Winemaker Q&A With Pacific Ridge Vineyards' Bob Kelly

2008-07-07

We had a chance to catch up with Bob Kelly, the owner and winemaker at Pacific Ridge Vineyards, for an in-depth question and answer session about his wines and winery. Bob prides himself on producing fruit forward, rich, New World style wines at his Santa Barbara County winery. 1. What is your first memory with wine? My family spent quite a bit of time traveling in Europe when I was a child, especially France, Spain, and Italy. I was of course exposed to the culture that included wine with many foods there. My childhood buddy and I were even allowed to try a red wine for the first time in a medieval Spanish town, when a man was squirting it from an animal skin bag into our mouths from a couple of feet away! I grew up not far from Santa Barbara, a wine growing region that has exploded in production over the last couple of decades. And as a pilot in the Navy reserves, I have been regularly based in Italy for 3 weeks at a time over the last several years, allowing me to experience many wines from throughout Europe that I probably wouldn�t have seen here in the U.S. Bringing wine home from Europe was made much easier by having my own plane to carry it in. 2. When did you decide that you wanted to be a winemaker? I was a Navy fighter pilot, flying combat missions over Iraq from an aircraft carrier. Flying those jets was very difficult, and landing them on the ship at night was definitely the scariest set of experiences in my life. Watching tracers coming up at me and seeing anti-aircraft artillery shells exploding around me was also a bit stressful. So I had a calendar with some peaceful California scenes on it in my stateroom, and a vineyard was one of them. It seemed as if it would be so much more relaxing than what I was doing at the time, and my family had some land on a ridge in southern California that wasn�t being farmed. It ended up that over the years I was educated on vineyards and we planted a Syrah vineyard around the family home there. Through other connections we ended up with a great winemaker who made some great wines and gave me a start with the winemaking end of things. After more education and working with more winemakers, the steady but small production of Pacific Ridge Vineyards continued, and I am learning more every day. 3. Besides UC Davis, what other vineyard, wines, or winery has had a positive influence on your winemaking style? The cool weather climate of the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, especially the great experiences I have had with the owners of Bien Nacido Vineyard, have greatly influenced my perspective on terroir and styles. This vineyard and its management provide an excellent expression of Santa Barbara Chardonnay and other varietals grown there. I�ve been working with their fruit on and off for 12 years, it�s high quality and sought after, so sometimes hard to get. As for warmer weather climates, the high quality Cabernet producers in Rutherford have set a great example for all to follow. The Italian Winery of the Year in 2001, Planeta, taught me what a great difference could be made with a robust quality control program. Our styles are very different but their results impressive. Of course, I have learned the most about vines and wines from growing our own vineyard. I have done it all, from planting vines to fertilizing to fixing the drippers and weeding. You learn so much more by doing everything like pruning, and know what to expect from your own vines and other vineyards you may buy grapes from. With this kind of experience, you can walk through a vineyard and read the signs of the vines like a book, take in what it�s telling you, and know where you need to go from there. 4. You work with a lot of grapes from some of California�s most prized locations; do you have a favorite grape and/or location? Why? The discussion of terroir has revolved around sense of place and vineyard site expression in the wines. I look at farming and winemaking not only holistically, but with a scientific edge. My goal is to produce an excellent wine of each varietal, and in my opinion I have to go to different areas of California to do that. One simple fact to consider is that all varieties of grapes do not grow or ripen optimally in the same exact conditions, we can find the details on this in any growing textbook. Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, is not typically grown in very cool climate vineyards such as a Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay or Pinot Noir vineyard. This is because the vine requirements are not the same for each varietal. These days with all of the grape clones available to growers, we can choose from clones that grow best in specific microclimates. We can choose a clone for sunlight hours, temperature during ripening season, number of clusters, pest resistance for that area, specific flavor contributions and even wind speed. Along with these options, my desire has been to source grapes from other locations if required, to give me the best possible start toward a great wine. Santa Barbara County, where my winery is located, has some wonderful Chardonnay and Pinot Noir growing sites, along with quite a few other varieties. On the other hand, some of the best examples of Cabernet Sauvignon are grown in Napa Valley, so I have decided to import fruit from there to my winery in Santa Barbara County with the intent of achieving a better result, more suited to my taste. My personal favorite white is a Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, I have become quite familiar with this wine, producing it since 1996. My favorite red is a quality Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, because it�s such a big, bold, and rich wine. 5. What do you strive for when making wine? And what would be the one word, difficult, I know, to sum up your winemaking style? Artisan is the short answer. Quality and New World style is another way of looking at my style overall. Wines from Pacific Ridge are typically fruit forward, rich, New World style wines. I produce wine in small lots of each varietal, and may blend some of these lots depending on how the wine is coming along or what I�m trying to achieve with a blend versus a pure varietal or single vineyard designation. My current Pinot and Chardonnay releases, for example, are blends from both Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyards in Santa Barbara County. So instead of having a single concentrated growing site reflected in the wine, I believe that more complexity has been achieved with these wines. I also produce single vineyard wines, and do things to add complexity such as a bit of whole cluster fermentation, or varying the coopers, forests, toasting levels, and age of barrels. Only French oak is used, and it does well with the type of wines I have experience with. The smaller lots allow me to do more things by hand that are simply too time consuming for larger wineries to accomplish. One example is the sorting that we do for many of the wines. Syrah, for example, has very tightly clustered berries. Dust, spiders, earwigs and other things get in between the berries. Instead of a cursory spray wash or none at all, we carefully hand wash and sort these, letting them drain on a traditional triage table. The amount of dirt, bugs and other MOG (Materials Other than Grape) you find in the wash bins afterward is amazing. I have crushed at other wineries that don�t wash or sort after picking at all, and seen cell phones come out of the crusher, and a half inch of sand at the bottom of the press. I choose to avoid all those things if possible and get a head start on quality with the cleanest fruit practical. It�s not always required, and we can�t be sure how much good it does, I like to do it this way if time allows. I can probably monitor a dozen barrels of each wine more easily than a large winery can do with a large production, so we�re not very efficient with cost but able to end up with a very good product. Strict sanitation in the cellar, proper wine handling, products such as high quality corks, and correct action based on labwork are all important components of my program. All of these things along with good advice from other local winemakers usually get the wines going in the right direction. 6. With all the drastic temperature changes in California this year, how do you anticipate the wines will react? The frost, late development, and early heat spikes may contribute to a host of issues for growers and winemakers this year. Some areas of California will see wide variation their vineyard yields, even between blocks of a single vineyard. Grape physiological maturity versus sugar levels at harvest will have to be more carefully evaluated in areas affected by the frost damage that was experienced by vineyards throughout the state. Of course, coastal regions generally have smaller overall temperature swings, but the frost this year may change a few outcomes. Some places in the Santa Barbara region are developing a bit later than usual which changes the harvest date, and of course the weather will be different later in the year. It can happen that when there are fewer clusters due to damage, the vines may be able to better ripen the fruit, as in intentional crop thinning. On the other hand, sugars may get too high for the maturity level of the grape. Then we have troubles with leaving the fruit on the vine such as high alcohol levels and pest damage, or if we harvest at the usual sugar levels we may not get the full ripeness desired. Parts of some vineyards will have no fruit at all. Some growers, including myself, may take advantage of variation and harvest on more than one date from a single vineyard, which can allow different styles from the same vineyard. But while these are all challenges, I�m confident that California�s winegrowers and vintners will be able to make smart decisions and rise to the occasion. The growing is only the beginning of the glass of fine wine we�re striving for, how California winemakers deal with the fruit we begin with will largely tell the tale of this vintage. 7. What do you see as a major change in the foreseeable future for Pacific Ridge Vineyards? Production is expanding, both in number of different wines available for sale, and total cases per year. Pacific Ridge Vineyards makes some wines with extremely limited availability, for example the 10th anniversary 2005 Paso Robles Syrah, of which only 96 cases were made. That�s fun to do, but some of the wines sell out in only a few months while others last for a year. Figuring out the lineup is an ongoing puzzle. Some wines such as the Pinot Noir are kept for at least 6 months in the bottle before release, while others can be ready in 3 to 4 months after bottling. Blending the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot must be carefully considered, because it must fit in with the pure Merlot or Cabernet bottling plans. Grenache and Viognier have been added to the lineup but are not yet available. While all of these plans are big to me, they�re not much compared to larger wineries, as we�re still talking about a final product of only a few hundred cases of each wine. A bonus along with the change in production: we will be open to the public in Fall 2008. 8. What aspect of winemaking do you enjoy most? I enjoy very much the whole idea of taking an unfinished product, the dormant vineyard, through all the steps to make an excellent finished wine, it�s very satisfying. It sometimes takes being open-minded and a bit of faith to create a refined wine of complexity and balance. Roadblocks come up at almost every step, and handling each one of them, guiding the wine toward the bottle can be an adventure. From bird damage to unavailable fruit for purchase to glass not showing up in time for bottling day, there�s always a problem to solve. To blend or not to blend, how much should I make, why should I make a particular wine? All of these are important questions that once taken care of, make the finished glass of wine that much more pleasant and meaningful to me. 9. What wines do you enjoy drinking during the hot summer months? The fourth of July weekend is going to be nice and warm, and a Grenache Rose will be perfect for around the pool. I also recommend a Syrah Rose from Santa Ynez, slightly chilled. The wine should be refreshing on a hot day, but not so cold as to suppress the flavors. I will be sharing my Santa Barbara County Chardonnay with friends at a little picnic in the family vineyard, this one perhaps my favorite summer wine. Lastly, a Santa Barbara County Viognier is a wine that can be thoroughly appreciated during the hot summer season. All of these can be served alone or may be especially refreshing with some fresh fruit. Enjoy! 10. What is the one thing about your winery that people may not know but you think they should be aware of? We have not been open to the public since starting out in 1995, but that is about to change. My winemaking operation has been based in Santa Maria since then, at a facility shared by many wineries both large and small. This fall, Pacific Ridge Vineyards will also be making wine at a shared winery facility catering to ultra premium producers, and this will be open to the public. It�s just west of Santa Ynez, off Highway 101 in Buellton, with a second story wine bar that overlooks the Santa Rita Hills while also looking down into the winery on the other side. Several wineries will be making wine there at Terravant Wine Center, located at 35 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427. If you�re in the Santa Barbara Wine Country, we�re very close to the windmill and Pea Soup Anderson�s, check out my website to see the exact date when construction will be complete and the winery open for guests.

BoutiqueWineCellar.com is back and better than ever!

2008-06-17

Well, the secret is out and BoutiqueWineCellar.com has launched into what we like to call (get ready for the cheesy line) "vintage 2008." After a brief and informative article by Tina Caputo, at Wines and Vines, our site is really ready to kick into the next gear. This includes not only more wines (over 1,000) and more wineries (over 100), but also some new user functions. To say that we here at BwC are excited is an understatement, but what we are really smiling about is your feedback, your reviews, and your thoughts. So, create a profile, check out the site, write a wine review or even a winery comment and enjoy! From the user driven reviews of wines, to the interaction between winery and wine drinker - there is so much to get excited about, so I would urge you to create a profile and join us for vintage 2008 (I know it's cheesy, but I just had to bring it back in the end).

Sonoma in the City Tasting

2008-06-17

Ok, so I am a little late here, but I think I needed to write a post about the Sonoma in the City tasting that took place almost a month ago - May 22nd to be precise. There were plenty of wines and wineries to get excited about, but the best part for me was the open attitude of all the pourers. Each winery representative really seemed to be in jovial spirits and was more than happy to discuss all the particulars of their wine and wineries. Some of the highlights for me were the following wines: Medlock Ames - Always delicious, always hard to find Lancaster Estates - I think every wine I have had from here makes me go Wow...

Don�t let the secret out!

2008-05-16

Shhhh� After months of late nights and hard work we have quietly launched the expanded version of the Boutique Wine Cellar site. We are happy that you�re here to be one of the first people to see the enlarged wine and winery selection. Our wine selection has been increased from 100 to nearly 1,000 boutique wines (we�re still working on adding a number of wines and wineries). In the near future, we are hoping to increase this number twofold, but first-things-first, we need to get the site ready for eager wineries and oenophiles. As we work through the last minute issues, please feel free to explore the expanded site. To comment on wines or wineries simply log into the site. If that�s too much to ask, sign up for our newsletter, and we will convince you to get involved at a later date. See you soon.

New Site Coming Soon!

2008-04-21

Stay tuned...our new site is coming soon! The new site will feature 100+ wineries and over 1,000 wines. For the past four months we have been working on increasing the selection of wines and wineries on the site. We expect to be finished in mid-May and we can't wait to share the site with you. To receive notice of the launch, please sign up for our newsletter. Thank you for your interest!

Small Sips

2008-03-12

The other night I opened a stunning red Rhone blend from the Santa Ynes Valley, which happens to be one of my favorite places for wine. I think my taste for the wonderful Rhone varietals of this area definitely has to do with the season (Winter) and the idea of drinking something a little warm after a long cold day just sounds great. The blend of this particular wine was a delicious combination of 52% Grenache, 34% Syrah, 8% Mourvedre, and 5% Counoise; yet, what struck me instantly about this wine was the lack of heat on the nose, which most Rhone varietals of this area always seem to carry - high unbalanced alcohol more specifically. Instead there was a complexity, which lingered between bright dry fruits (yummy rhubarb included) and lightly peppered earth. I realize that may sound rather odd, rhubarb and peppered earth, but the soft warm harmony worked and more importantly made me forget I was still wearing wet and very cold socks. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the bottle and even more disappointing was that I did not even touch the last half for almost 4 days. When I finally went back to the bottle I had made a spicy Mediterranean inspired dish with lamb and mint. Knowing that the perfect combo would have been a chilled Sauv. Blanc or even better a steely Chardonnay, I opted to go back to my Cotes Du Rhone Blend...I know, call me crazy! Hoping that the wine was still good (ok, I enjoyed the wine so much the days previous that I didn't really care if it was a little off), I poured myself a glass and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. However, before I go on, I was a little fearful that the complex nature of this red and the extreme spice from my dish would not compliment each other at all, but wow was I surprised. The wine was still as delicious as it had been, but more importantly the pepper, which I had enjoyed the night previous, was slightly subdued and the fresh bright dried fruits really had a chance to dance. I guess my main point in this post, and more importantly why i called this post small sips, is that sometimes just giving a wine a second chance is all that is necessary to find a second small enjoyment. Going against one's better tasting judgement (and trust me I know it does not always come out so favorably) is a wonderful way to learn a little more about a wine, tastes, smells, and the wine behind the wine.