From Vine to Shelf ~ Forget From Vine to Wine

This past week, I went though a therapy session with my colleague/on-line friend Michael (Mike) E. Duffy of the Winery Web Site Report. A title story, “Most Winery Web Sites Suck” really caught my eye and sensibilities.

“Wow,” I thought, “someone finally said for me what I’ve been thinking for so long.”

So, I commented on his story with a simple, “Amen! Thanks for posting!”

Then, I thought about it for a few minutes, and further replied, “And while I’m thinking about, so do importer sites leave a lot to be desired.”

I’ve been searching importer sites recently, and good luck finding out the most basic info on many of them. Being secretive seems like normal behavior, but imagine giving someone a business card without your phone number? Why even have one, if that’s the case?

What was the key statement that brought me to action to comment?

“…sites without complete information, and sites which make it hard to find information (especially Flash-based sites). Jeez, guys. These people are trying to sell your wines. Help them out for Pete’s sake!”

Ah… finally someone said it on such a gut level that I just had to applaud the effort.

Why do I so completely agree?

Mike sent an Email to me after I posted, “Any thoughts on why wineries don’t use their sites to be authoritative about their offerings?” He also noted, “I presume all *your* clients have good sites!”

Don’t get me started… But he did, so began my therapy session… This is how I responded to his first question and statement about our client’s sites.

We work hard to have our clients have good sites; and they trust Jose, who’s been on a computer since the early 80’s. (He’s a programmer. He’s got the mind of an engineer… turned down MIT, Columbia… about 12 other colleges during the “Year of the Hispanic” for a full scholarship to Bowdoin.) I’ve worked with wineries, knowing what they need for sales, because that’s also what I’ve done… been on the streets with wholesalers. I was one of the very first to demand of my employers – who later demanded that I leave – that they needed a trade section on their sites to support my sales, and get me out of printing 300 press kits at a time, before I went out to work the market. (I always spoke the truth to my employers, and would lose my job to someone who gave good coffee.)

Okay, so why don’t wineries use their sites to be authoritative about their offerings? Because they also suck at marketing.

Some people create wineries not for a livelihood, but for so many other reasons, is what I’m thinking, based on my experiences that I’m going to list.

• The worst reason is because “I have an ego.” Oh, yes, I’ve heard that one. Don’t ever call that person on his statement later, for the exact same reason, he “has an ego,” because it creates another chapter in my book of Bitch in a Pink Slip©. (I hope that I’m not insulting your sensibilities, and you can laugh at this one the way I do! ;^)
• They’re retiring, and want something to do. (Of course, they’re not MBAs in business.)
• Another good one is the MBA who bought his/her way through classes, or – worse – just skimmed by, in order to have an MBA in title… not in theories and/or practices.
• There’s a whole slew of farmers. Not a problem being a farmer, in fact, it’s most admirable. But it’s the control of not letting someone who’s not a farmer, but knows how to do the job with the freedom to do it, that’s the problem. You can’t give him/her advice, because s/he already knows it all… but never studied marketing.
• They hire people who they want to tell them what they “want” to hear, not what they “need” to hear.

This prompted Mike Duffy’s second question, “If wineries can’t keep their own sites up-to-date with information, what are the prospects for OwnIT (yourwineyourway.com)?”

He asked this question because OwnIT (yourwineyourway.com) is a site that allows wineries to take all of their sales material content and put it into one place. The benefit of that is that if I am a wholesaler, a wine shop owner, a restaurateur, or an online wine sales company, I now have one place to go to grab sales information about any wine that’s listed there. This means consolidation of a lot of material to benefit sales. It eliminates having to search for winery Web sites. Considering that there are about 10,000 sites to bookmark for wine info, someone came up with a good idea.

From The OwnIT site:

OwnIT is a movement that is going to change the way wine is represented online. We understand that wineries, wine companies, and PR agencies have a incredibly difficult task of managing the product and profile information currently generated by users across a multitude of sites including; marketing agent sites, mobile applications, online retailers, social networks as well as other distribution channels. This user-generated material misrepresents brands and confuses customers and updating product information across all these respective sites is cumbersome, time consuming and nearly impossible to manage. This is what started an industry wide movement to organize all wine data and product information from a single location; and can be managed, accessed and published as needed to best represent your products across these multiple online locations. Ultimately wineries and wine companies will have control over their message and brands by forcing these retailers, social networking sites, mobile applications and more to publish your wines, your way…correctly.

So, the answer to Mike’s question:

Great question, and I’m going to answer it with another question, because this is going to make a lot of sense to you… again, based on my experiences with wine brands.

Your Question: “if wineries can’t keep their own sites up-to-date with information, what are the prospects for OwnIT (yourwineyourway.com)?

My Question: What makes anyone think that if wineries can’t keep their own sites up-to-date, that it’s more likely they’ll keep their info up-to-date somewhere else?

I believe the concept is a great one (OwnIT). I also believe that a company that hasn’t already got its own site up-to-date is less likely to take care of it somewhere else.

If a company is strong in marketing, it will stretch itself in every imaginable area and opportunity. If a company doesn’t have someone passionate about marketing at the helm, it’s very unlikely that this service is important to it.

Sad, but true.

So, while I applaud what OwnIT (yourwineyourway.com) is doing, I also see where their challenges lie.

Honestly, if I could get the 688 wineries that produce Petite Sirah – minus the 74 members of PS I Love You, which equals 614 producers of PS – to support the group’s activities (again, only 74 do support the collective marketing), this variety would bloom a whole lot more quickly than it is, based on the marketing effort support.

Instead, the rest are willing to ride our coat tails, ignore our existence, not feel that the $200 a year is worth it, blah, blah, blah…

People just don’t get/believe that it takes a bit of money to make a bit of money; neither do they understand that if they have something to sell, they need a staff to support all aspects of it, if they are to grow past a cottage business. Some may want to stay cottage, and that’s great. Those looking to grow, however, need to understand that there needs to be commitment, and the experience of growing pains to break out of the pupa stage.

I honestly believe that OwnIT can work, but in order for that to happen, someone at OwnIT needs to be hired to input the data.

Wineries need to keep their own sites up-to-date, and the best of the best at marketing will then take that same energy and put it onto another site… Meanwhile, OwnIT should offer permorming that data input as a service to the wine companies, and charge a programming fee. That has a better chance of success, than to leave it to a wine company, whose most important focus is – as it should be – making great wine.

If wineries left the marketing to the pros – knowing that they need marketing, too – that wine company would be more integrated from vine to shelf, not only from vine to wine… There’s the crux… Everyone in this business waxes poetic about “From Vine to Wine,” when they should be thinking “From Vine to Shelf.”

Tags: Business, Drink, Food, Mike Duffy, Wine, Winery

My wine import client Enoforum Wines flew Gwendolyn Alley (WinePredator) and me to Portugal last fall. Gwendolyn won the trip; I was going to Portugal so I could understand flora, fauna, their culture, and most importantly their wine.

Once landed, I was feeling much like Dorothy and Toto having emerged in the Land of Oz.

My first few days, Enoforum hosted me at the European Wine Bloggers Conference, being held in Lisbon.

From the airport to the hotel, I was struck by how many small cars were on the road. It didn’t take me long to assess that Portugal is the Land of Little Cars. This lineup of cars above was the parking median outside of the hotel, where we were staying and where the conference was being hosting. I had to take this image, because it was like modern art to me… not just the everyday occurrence on this street as seen by its residents. I found it refreshing, coming from the Land of  Gas Guzzling SUVs. I’m willing to bet that one in every five to six cars in Windsor (where I live) are SUVs; which also amazes me, but not in the same suburbian way.

It was as I traveled through the countryside of the Alentejo that I came to realize that small cars are the only way to go in Portugal, given the narrow streets found in most communities. And, yes, these small cars do travel on these narrow streets.

Having European roots (England, France, Scotland, leading to New England in the 1600s), there was something vaguely familiar (DNA). It may be the European sensibilities, it may be that I prefer to live in a more respectful way as regards the environment, it may be a more polite way of conducting life than what I’m currently finding in California… It may be all of that, or none of that; but, I did find myself strangely at home… even though I was in Europe for the first time in my life.

Once out of Lisbon, though, things went from the Land of Little Cars to the Land of Awe. As Delfim Costa, my host, drove me to the Alentejo region of Portugal, everything changed as I can relate it to my own wine country experiences. Yes, there were grape vines, wineries, olive trees, etc.; but, there weren’t any other familiarities of my California or Oregon wine country experiences.

The land seemed very arid, not proliferated by a mountainous countryside and not with greenery everywhere through irrigation. Each town that we came upon is based around an original fortress that was built during the Middle Ages. This defined the property lines then, and continues as a community commonality today; built in such a way that it has withstood all the normal tests of time: use of people and normal time-lapsed erosion.

The walls that were built as protection from invaders in the Middle Ages still embrace all that’s held within today. Being from the U.S., where we have no remnants of that time, save arrow heads from our own native culture (which also can’t be dated), my historical background and points of reference are much less rich with artifacts.

These are the things that rambled through my head as I walked though villages to become familiar with Portuguese culture. There was no better guide for me than Delfim. He’s completely passionate about his history. He’s a gentleman’s gentleman. He took great pleasure in defining every past moment as he knew it, and he knew it well. It was Delfim who sent Martin Page’s book to me, The First Global Village: How Portugal  Changed the World, long before we began to work together. That book gave me not only a great snapshot of Portugal’s past, but it was also an amazing world history lesson… One that I had never studied before. I had only caught glimpses of world history in my life. It is only now in life that I find world history completely captivating. As now seen through the eyes of someone who appreciates the Portuguese contributions, it was an eye opening experience for understanding and appreciation for where I was visiting.

It made me feel like I wanted to be Portuguese. I know why there are so many ex-patriots living in Portugal. If I didn’t have children and grandchildren, I’d probably convince Jose to pull up our own US roots (like he did to me when he wanted to move from Maine to California), and find ourselves living and working in Portugal. (It was that good.)

The villages that we visited allowed me to put even more of my world history into practical understanding. The images that I’m sharing are giving you a bird’s eye view of what a visit to Portugal’s Alentejo wine region would be like, and of how and where it was shaped… based on a fortress’s position in time,. Those current day positions have been held steadfast to this day (who can move a castle) and were/are totally fascinating to this observer.

Related articles by Zemanta

• To Understand Portuguese Wines, One Must First Understand the People (wine-blog.org)
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• Top 10 Things I Learned in Portugal (wannabewino.com)

I’m a huge proponent of boxed wine. I regularly have a box of white wine in my refrigerator for easy access. It’s a great space saver, and they allow me to buy a lot of wine at one time. I love having it and not having to store it elsewhere, or worrying about it becoming oxidized if we don’t enjoyed within a few days. Boxed wines are touted as having a six week shelf life, once tapped and put into action.

I was sent an Email and asked if I’d write about this new DUCA DEL FRASSINO brand from Italy. It’s the first ever Italian boxed wine. I suggested that a box be sent to me, and I’d conduct a six week experiment, similar to what Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher did. The one caveat was going to be that they had six boxes and went back and forth from box one, to box two, to box three, etc., until they had experienced the entire six weeks.  I don’t have that kind of refrigerator space, and the experiment has already been done by a couple of complete pros.

1. I’m going to talk about what the Garganega/Pinot Grigio is tasting like.
2. I want to also see if flavors shift from one week to the next.
3. I also want to taste it six weeks later, and see if the wine’s tired at all, or oxidized.

You can come along for the ride.

Some of their differentiating notes about the wine:

Produced by Cantina di Soave, one of the most prestigious wineries in the Veneto region, Duca del Frassino is the first of its kind to emerge from one of the most important wine producing regions in the world. Two premium wines—Garganega/Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon/Corvina—offer high quality, fresh and easy-to-drink blends of noble indigenous varietals. The stylish 3-liter packaging in vibrant green and red respectively is contemporary, eco-friendly and convenient. The built-in spout and handle allows for easy pouring and carrying. Consumers will embrace Duca del Frassino with each box containing approximately 20 glasses of delicious Italian wine, lasting up to five weeks upon opening, and priced attractively at $19.99 –an unbeatable value.

Cantina di Soave, which has been producing premium wines since 1898, incorporates 110 years of winemaking experience with cutting-edge viticultural techniques.  “As the wine market continues to evolve, we recognized that the fastest growing category was missing its crown jewel—the world’s first Italian box wine,” said Enore Ceola, Managing Director of MW Imports, importer of Duca del Frassino (a Division of Mionetto USA, Inc.).  “These wines represent our mission— to showcase premium Italian wine from the Venezie that over-delivers on quality, taste and appeals to today’s discerning wine consumer.”  Duca del Frassino is poised to become the leader in the box wine category with the support of distributors, aggressive PR and Marketing in the U.S. to garner trade and consumer attention.

So, the history and the value is there. Let’s see what we find out about the flavors and the ability for this wine to be fun and approachable throughout the six week time frame.

WEEK 1: January 31, 2010 ~ Opened the box, and found that it’s cleverly packaged for ease of pouring from its tap. I did the nose and found a freshly sliced Pippen apple aroma, lemon/lime, a touch of petrol, and lilies of the valley. The hue has a slight pink tinge to it, given that Pinot Gris/Grigio is a pink grape. This is always a dead giveaway in a tasting when someone pours a PG for you, and asks you to identify the variety. You’re able to say Pinot Gris like a pro, and be pretty sure that that’s exactly what it is. (If you’ve had red wine in your glass, you’re on your own.) On the palate, this wine is very bright, fresh, and a bit tart. It’s the apple and citrus that has overall flavors, and the finish is a long, lingering experience. Very lovely, crisp and clean wine.

I’m going to really enjoy this experiment, I’ve decided. Back next Thursday!

Tags: Duca del Frassino, Food, Italian wine, Jo Diaz, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz, Pinot gris, United States, Veneto, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors

There are so many aspects of the wine business to enjoy:

• Growing
• Producing
• Sales
• Marketing
• PR
• Writing
• Educating
• Social Media

The list seems to go on, if just I sit here and conjure up more aspects.

I personally prefer the creative end of writing and photographing. I keep out of the vineyards and the labs, because it’s not my forte. I can’t go into either place and tell anyone what she or he should be doing. I leave those jobs to the experts… That’s why they have those jobs, right?

If you’ve read my blog with any regularity, you’ve surmised that I love to photograph. I’ve been paid for my images since the 1980s.  I know, however, that there are those who run circles around me, because my natural talent comes in communicating. I’ve studied writing, I’ve only experientially learned about photography, having read my manuals cover to cover, since I was 10 and got my first camera. But, I’ve not taken the time to sit through classes. I know I’d enjoy that; I just haven’t slowed down long enough. I’ve found my natural groove, for now.

Who knows, I could grow up some day to be a photographer, but not right now…

When I can’t do justice to what I need photographed, I know I can turn to my friend Lenny Siegel.

I met Lenny when I was working at Belvedere Winery in 1993. He was introduced to me by my neighbor (at the time) Pat Powers. Pat has his own creative design firm, Powers Creative.

Living in wine country, you soon find out that most people are connected to the process in some way, with most links taking us all back to the vines, where it all begins.

I’ve brought many aspects of this business to my wine blog, but I’ve not thought about photographers with any regularity. Just getting an email from Lenny reminded me how important photographers are in any marketing department.

He told me that this year is definitely a game changer for him, and that he’s trying to be more creative. I find that hard to believe, because he’s one of the most creative guys I know. This will be a fun one to watch, because his images are more gorgeous than most.

So… Here’s my Lenny.

His creative approach in visualization is phenomenal. He’s about to celebrate 32 years as a commercial photographer in the wine industry. As one who works closely with the Wine Road (stock images, cookbook shots, etc.), he’s been in the front lines of marketing in the wine industry for a good amount of time. With so many years under his belt as a creative type, he intimately knows how this business has changed immensely over the years, and he’s changed with it.

For a still photographer, he’s watched it mostly converting to web sites and web images for point of sale material, where high resolution isn’t what’s needed. The images shot, however, still need to be shot in high res perfection. If not done this way,  a web site or POS is still going to look like (and be) simplistic material, ruining anyone’s great image.

Lenny also knows how important it is to keep websites fresh. I know of one Website that I can go to right now, and it says, “Summer 2009.” (Oops! This is February 2010.)

It’s vitally important to keep up one’s Website.

Think of it this way… If you walked down 5th Avenue in New York City right now, and the window still had Christmas decorations in it, what would you think about that company?

Websites need to be fresh and new; otherwise, what’s the point of anyone returning? While a vintner may think that we go to his or her site to only buy wine, the reality is that it’s mostly for the public to learn about the winery, wine, and personalities behind the brand… Not necessarily to buy from them with every visit; otherwise, the winery would most likely be sold out.

One of the ways to keep any website fresh and vibrant is to continuously change out images, along with “news” content. Lenny just reminded me that another way to keep your site fresh is to frequently change banners on a homepage.

He gave me a few samples of what he’s done in the past for other clients. In addition, showing bottle samples, instead of just labels on a page, makes for a much more appealing look.

You can check out his website at siegelphotographic.com or his Face Book page at Siegel Photographic, for more samples images.

I haven’t taken time to advocate for too many wine industry photographers. George Rose is another of my favorites, as is Andy Katz. I’m remiss about that. Their images of wine country keep the romance alive, and Lenny’s an amazing resource and friend.

Tags: Arts, Arts and Entertainment, Business, Food, Jo Diaz, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz, Lenny Siegel, New York City, Photography, Techniques and Styles, Website, wine-blog.org

MaryAnn Worobiec of Wine Spectator has been a colleague that I’ve admired and respected since she took her place at the Spectator. I appreciate that she brings a female voice and perspective to this wine magazine’s list of talented writers.

She’s also just a lovely woman, and I also appreciate her candor, fairness, and great style that I’ve experienced over the years, as we’ve interacted.

On a personal note, MaryAnn’s open to things that have to do with Petite Sirah, which I’m constantly tracking, making her a great resource for the variety.  Most writers are, by the way… open to what’s new about it.

I’ve also noticed that she seems to get the “list” assignments, along with her other story features, which I really appreciate. Her attention to detail is probably what made her the perfect candidate for these assignment.  I’m a keeper of numbers, too, so I get that passion and that seemingly easy writing style that happens within all of her stories.

I’m pleased to share MaryAnn Worobiec with you, because she’s another great wine writer and resource within the wine business.

[Q]  Many wine writers also have a day job. If wine isn’t your job, what is and for whom?

[MaryAnn]  In addition to my writing and tasting responsibilities at Wine Spectator, I am the tasting coordinator for our Napa office, where we review wines from California, Washington, Oregon, Australia and New Zealand. As tasting coordinator, I oversee our process of receiving wines, entering them into our database, setting up blind tastings according to our protocol and transmitting that information to our New York office.

[Q]  When did you start writing about wine?

[MaryAnn]  I started working for Wine Spectator in July 1996, and my first writing assignment was just six months later, when I helped cover the annual ZAP tasting in January 1997.

[Q]  What prompted you to start writing about wine?

[MaryAnn]  I had a writing slant (and a dabble of journalism) in my life before Wine Spectator. It’s very satisfying to combine my interest in wine with my interest in writing.

[Q]  What aspect(s) of wine do you most enjoy covering?

[MaryAnn]  One of my favorite things about the wine industry is that it’s full of people that are very passionate about what they are doing, and I enjoy telling their stories.

[Q] How has your job changed since you’ve started?

[MaryAnn]  Because of my perspective as tasting coordinator, I’m amazed at the proliferation of new wines and new labels from all over the world. The growth has been exponential, with no end in sight.

[Q]  What’s the most memorable wine you’ve ever tasted?

[MaryAnn]  I’ve been fortunate enough to try many, many great wines. But the one wine that stands out in my memory is the Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 1941, which I tasted in the barrel room at Rubicon on a rainy afternoon several years ago. It elicited the biggest emotional response I’ve ever had from a wine. As I was writing my tasting notes, I was flooded with memories and emotions. In my notes I described it as smelling like every single thing I’ve ever enjoyed smelling, all put together.

[Q]  What’s your favorite variety?

[MaryAnn]  I don’t have a favorite, but I find myself drinking mostly Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Noirs and Syrah-based wines outside of the office.

[Q]  Do you believe that there are better quality, lower priced wines today, than in past vintages?

[MaryAnn]  Yes, but that’s hinged in the fact that there are just more wines, period. I could easily make a case there are also more average quality, high-priced wines, too.

[Q]  What’s your favorite innovation in the wine industry over the past few years?

[MaryAnn]  Screwcaps come to mind immediately. But I’m also very impressed with the emerging anti-counterfeiting technology.

[Q]  What’s your favorite food and wine pairing?

[MaryAnn]  White truffles and Barolo, but mostly because it would mean I’m enjoying truffles and Barolo! For more everyday pairings, I love how sparkling wines go with anything the least bit salty, and how Sauvignon Blanc can brighten most dishes I cook.

[Q]  What are your interests outside of the wine business?

[MaryAnn]  Rooting for the White Sox, growing heirloom tomatoes from seeds, cooking comfort foods, hiking and reading–everything from vampire love stories to technical journals.

[Q]  Who inspires you (wine business or outside of it, doesn’t matter)?

[MaryAnn]  There are artists, thinkers and writers that have inspired me along the way, but I also draw inspiration from my friends, family and co-workers.

Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, New Zealand wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Wine, Wine and food matching, Wine Spectator, Wine tasting