The great Kenny Mayne of ESPN used to say: “I am amused by the simplicity of this game. Bring me your finest meats and cheeses.”

It doesn’t get any simpler for wine lovers to gather and portray loyalty to their favorite locale or produce of Pinot Noir.  Yet, again this year, New Zealand has shown it’s ability to show organization in the land of Kiwi as they blow this one out of the water with 46%!! of the votes and take the first repeat in the coveted #PinotSmackdown extravaganza!

This year was much more low key as we allowed the global celebration of Pinot Noir to take on its own legs and gather steam around the world.  New Zealand and Oregon still show the online world that they are indeed the most passionate and loyal fans of Pinot Noir from their terroir.  I do not plan to show any marketing level statistics here and leave the analytics to individual wine groups, producers and tourism boards to determine their reach and value from this event that continues to gather interest each of the last 3 years.  We are honored to be a part of such a fun, exciting, educational and entertaining online varietal day with more and more interaction spreading beyond just Twitter and into relatively new platforms like Forkly, Instagram and Pinterest.  Where do we go from here?  If you have any suggestions on how #PinotSmackdown can be better.  Drop us line in the comments below.  Cheers!

(* % is of tweets with a voting region #hashtag not of overall #PinotSmackdown updates)

#NZ    46%*   (vs. 24.2% in 2011)

#OR    32%    (up from 23.4% in 2011)

#CA    14%       (down from 23.2% in 2011 << say what!?!?!?)

After several days with temperatures in the mid 90′s, fruit in Russian River Valley, as in several places in Northern California are appraoching the home stretch in terms of ripening for the early varieties.  The photos above are of Pinot Noir 777 over a span of just 11 days from August 1st to 12th.  This year has been obviously much more “normal” in terms of warmer temperatures though winegrowers and winemakers alike are quick to understand there is no longer a “normal” in this world of making wine, especially when it comes to climate.

It’s starkly clear that the climate for wine growing in California is becoming less stable -  Jon Bonné

The cooler vintages of 2010 and 2011 are starting to show their elegance and for Pinot Noir it results in a style I tend to prefer.  This warmer weather means harvest is averaging about 2-3 weeks earlier than last year and there is evidence in the valley that the pick is just around the corner as you see stories of early harvests for varieties used in sparkling wines (they want to maintain higher acid levels necessary for this style) as well flatbeds hauling tanks and barrels on the roads.

Are you ready?

As we quickly approach the 2012 harvest, we decided to finally flip the switch and begin a slow rollout of our new winery brand, Thralls Family Cellars.  It is yet another step in our journey and we are excited to enter our 2nd official harvest.

THRALLS: n.pl.[Old Norse Thrǣll] persons wholly obedient to a need or passion

We limped into the 2011 harvest as I was coming off a broken foot, but still was lucky enough to secure some fruit from an up-and-coming vineyard in the coveted Sonoma Coast, along with some other fruit in the same area to pull a barrel together.  It’s about ready to be bottled and we are super excited about how well this wine is developing.

Looking ahead to the 2012 harvest which could start as early as mid-September for us, we are looking at fruit from three different vineyards, one each in Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley.  So, now we’re cookin’ with grease.  Wish us luck!

For real-time harvest action, be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.  A website will follow shortly when we’ve bottled our 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, which will occur in the next month or so.

We’d love to stay in touch with you and let you know when our 2011 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is released.  Feel free to fill out the form below.  Cheers!

In the spirit of the Olympics, if they were governed by the rules of Thunderdome and Mad Max, we bring you the 3rd Annual Pinot Noir Smackdown, where nations are pitted against one another by way of social media voting* in a 24-hour period to determine whose Pinot reigns supreme.  Each year this event continues to grow in terms of consumer and winery participation, information-sharing and smacktalk in support of a capricious wine grape that is most adept at modeling itself after its place of residence and thereby generating a love-hate relationship for both those who produce and consume this viticultural wonder.

*see rules to “voting” below 

Register: http://pinotsmackdown2012.eventbrite.com/

How: Participate virtually via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or any social channel using the #PinotSmackdown hashtag.

After Willamette Valley (before voting regions were simplified by state/country) pretty much ran away with the belt in the first year, New Zealand mounted an aggressive regional effort that was most impressive to beat out Oregon and California in 2011.  France is still nowhere to be found (told you there would be smacktalk).  Click the coveted belts below for more information about the previous rounds of #PinotSmackdown.

This year we are once again going 24 hours — All Day!  This keeps in line with some of the more recent grape day tastings and we want to give other regions around the world an easier opportunity to participate.  Big props go to New Zealand last year who had even more wineries and wine associations participate last year and run away with the prize!

How To Participate

After 3 years of participating, creating and witnessing various #[WineGrape] days, we are still yet to find the perfect recipe of brand awareness, engagement, consumer education, event hosting, taste pack offers, online commerce, food pairings, home parties and just plain enjoyment of discussing our favorite wine with friends, new and old, around the planet.  Maybe there isn’t one.  All I know is that #PinotSmackdown is like no other as evidenced by the fervor, passion and smacktalk cleverness by nations around the globe in support of this beautiful grape and juice.  I think you’ll agree.

For those new to social media, an online Social Media Community Tasting is simply when people who love wine gather socially both at physical locations, such as wineries, wine shops and their own homes, and virtually via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or any social channel turning the event into one big wine party – just use the #PinotSmackdown hashtag! Throughout the event, wine-lovers from across the country and the globe will share their thoughts on the wines they’ve chosen to drink on this night and “converse” with like-minded connoisseurs. It’s a captive audience totally focused on Pinot Noir.

Register

Now is the time for Pinot Noir to shine and I invite and emphatically encourage you to join in the festivities.  To register please go to http://pinotsmackdown2012.eventbrite.com/ where there are also some basic instructions on how to get started. More importantly, you will want to consider planning an event at your winery, favorite local wine store, restaurant, your house, or in the shed out back to share your favorite wines and this cool experience with others.  Some wineries often put together discounted “taste packs” available for sale from their websites specifically for these types of events.

The Smackdown

What makes our event so different, is that we put a competitive edge on it, thus the descriptor: SMACKDOWN! So, where is the best or your favorite Pinot Noir produced? To vote via your tweets, posts, pins, or photos simply add another 2-character hashtag after #PinotSmackdown and we’ll count the “votes” so that region gets bragging rights for the year!

The biggest feedback from previous events is the fact we had way too many regions to keep track of, so this year we are going to continue keeping the region abbreviations at a high-level (see below).  However, this does give us an opportunity to consider a subsequent Smackdown within the winning region such that the sub-regions can duke it out.  If there is a region you think is missing (at the state/country level), let me know.

Regional “voting” hashtags:

• #OR – Oregon
• #CA – California
• #WA – Washington
• #NY – New York
• #46 – U.S. The “Other 46,” outside of the Big Four
• #FR – France
• #IT – Italy
• #DE – Germany (Deutchland)
• #EU – Europe, beyond France, Germany, Italy
• #CN – Canada
• #NZ – New Zealand
• #CH – Chile
• #AR – Argentina
• #AU – Australia
• #SA – South Africa
• #WD – World, as in none previously listed

For example, if you are drinking a Pinot from a region in California, simply tag the end of your tweets/posts with:      #PinotSmackdown #CA

What are the early odds from Vegas?  P.S. Smack Talk is highly encouraged!

The online world will be paying attention to Pinot Noir between now and September 6th, especially with Pinot Days and IPNC just wrapping up, so you won’t want to miss the opportunity to learn more about this wonderful grape, meet some new friends, talk with winemakers of Pinot Noir and discover some new wines and regions.

Many of you already know that we are dog lovers.  You’ve seen out stories about our beloved 12 1/2 year old Sheltie, Kelsey, over the years and recently just passed away in December.  Pets bring unconditional love and joy to a person’s life.  Arguably, wine does the same thing for many of us.  Why not combine the love of wine and pet, support Napa Humane and enjoy exclusive tastings, events and specials this weekend (March 23-26) at some of the area’s best wineries.

Need Tickets?

I have a pair of FREE TICKETS to give away.  To enter, just tell us a little bit about your favorite pet or a great pet story in the comments below.  A winner will be chosen randomly tomorrow, Thursday, March 22 at 6pm.

Pawsport Napa Valley passes are $75 per person and include complimentary tastings at participating wineries, along with a variety of special retail offers, library tastings, food and wine pairings and other activities and events only available to Pawsport Napa Valley pass holders.

Participating Wineries

B Cellars a Calistoga gem with the perfect patio for a sunny day

Bourassa Vineyards experience the essence of Napa in every glass

Ca’ Momi Wines lively wines with an even livelier atmosphere

Chateau Boswell producing small-lot handcrafted wines for over 30 years

Clos Du Val a down to earth winery experience with beautiful surroundings

Cornerstone Cellars the best collectable Cabernets fro Yountville

HALL St. Helena welcoming visitors with warmth and elegance

Madonna Estate the perfect marriage of grapes and wine

Napa Smith Brewery/Winery a brewpub and wine tasting room

Oakville Ranch mountain vineyards perched high up off the Silverado Trail

Peju an unparalleled wine country experience

Pine Ridge Vineyards “one of the best tasting roomsin Napa” by SF Chronicle

Prager Port Works offering a variety of delicious premium ports and more

Sciandri Family Vineyards visit Coombsville, Napa Valley’s newest AVA

Trinitas Cellars wine caves beneath the iconic “Grape Crusher” statue

Truchard Vineyards producing over 12 varietals from the Carneros region

Whitehall Lane acres of vineyards within historic Rutherford