Behind the Vines

July 23rd, 2008

Bottle Your Moneymaker

About a year ago, I wrote perhaps my most comment-provoking, post-inspiring piece about women knowing wine, all because the waitress was going to let BK taste the bottle that I had ordered.

Over the past few days, Bay Area news has been abuzz with the discrepancies in men and women’s salaries, with about $10,000 separating the median incomes, in favor of the males.  I just spent more time than I should have searching for figures specific to the wine business.  While I did find that there is such a gender gap in Ireland and New Zealand and that more men are in management positions in the restaurant world, I couldn’t uncover the numbers I was really seeking. 

Though I can make a few guesses. 

Some of the better-paying jobs, according to Wine Business Monthly’s 2007 Salary Survey Report, are winemakers, vineyard managers, marketing higher-ups, and the vice president of sales (sign me up for that one, please!).  From what I’ve seen, heard, and been around, men fill those positions more often than women.  So I think it’s safe to say the wine business isn’t much different than other careers, in how much less women are paid. Besides, we all know which wine critics get the most attention. And that writing skills might not always coincide with the number of readers….

The aspect of the survey that really shouted out to me was about tasting room salaries. Dave Blevins feels that wineries need to do more–much more–for their tasting room managers and employees. “I think [tasting room salaries are] a tragedy,” he said. “Tasting room staff is the first line of defense in the consumer experience. That environment makes or breaks that consumer experience.

True that! I also remember reading somewhere that tasting room staff are most easily burnt out, so there can be higher turnover.  Which is easy to believe of any job in customer service, despite that so many folks out there think we have the best job in the world.  Often true, but some days can be especially hard.  It’s the whole “Keep employees happy, so they keep customers happy.”

So, here’s to paying tasting room staff and women more!

Image source: random nice customer in Rosenblum’s tasting room

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By Farley -- 3 comments

July 22nd, 2008

Picture Me Frazzled

It’s crazy busy at the winery today with Open House preparations and processing orders on hold.  While I shovel pizza and water down my throat in order to take a very quick lunch, I wanted to give a little update.  I’ll be writing here until the end of the month, but it’s still up in the air as to what will happen next.  Stick with me the next couple weeks, and I will have an answer in one shape or another.

EDIT: Also, a bit of good news after this very long day is over. When one of the ABC guys for View From the Bay called to get a blurb about Rosenblum and remind me to watch tomorrow (I don’t have a DVR, and I’ll be at work), I got to ask about our segment.  It’s split up with other East Bay wineries, which I knew, but it’s really not that long, with all the other segments. It’s only four minutes or something.  Which means I have less chance of not making sense…though I hope the bit about our Open House made it. 

Cheers!

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July 22nd, 2008

TV Show Dreams. Or Nightmares.

 I hesitate to mention the following announcement.  But I’m all about spreading the Rosenblum love, so I’ll put my personal feelings aside, mostly.

Okay, here it is.  We’ll be on ABC’s View from the Bay this Wednesday, at 3 pm.  And by we, I mean too much me.  Even though I pointed out the presence of an actual Rosenblum after the tasting room footage, Nick and the gang had me follow them downstairs.

It was all so fast and furious, I am still kicking myself for a major flub (our club members are locally…located) and the fact that someone told me later my new glasses–that I’m still getting used to– were transitioning in the incoming sunlight.  The whole thing lasted maybe twenty minutes.  Fairly painless, and yet, I’m cringing at the thought.

Then again, this is the second time I’ve been taped talking about wine, with no idea as to what I was going to say before I said it.  The other haunts me only occasionally. So, I guess nothing’s that bad.

Image source: ABC

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July 20th, 2008

Dormant Vines

Sitting at a bar one night, drinking Bonny Doon wines, I decided I just might be able to write about wine.  A story I’ve told many times.  But it wasn’t only writing wine that I wanted, it was being around it and being a part of it.  

From a family that didn’t care much about wine, where there were no vineyards anywhere near, I feel like an interloper or a late bloomer compared to so many people around me.  There’s a part of me that wishes I had grown up around it, and I can’t help but feel a little jealous of them, like with my friend Shauna.  She got to spend summers among barrels and bottling lines, sleepovers at the vineyard, and helping with winery events.  Or the kids parents bring into tasting rooms and allow them to sniff their glass, asking what they smell. Maybe in those situations, I could have begun improving my palate much earlier and know more sooner. Meanwhile, I won’t tell you about the boxed chardonnay and white zinfandel I drank in college when I had to rely on older friends for my alcohol needs. 

When I figured out what was really worth drinking, it didn’t take long for me to start spending more than I should to get the good stuff.  Then I bought a book and then, another.  A brief stint with Wine Spectator and the need to buy a wine rack, eliminating moments of panic after 10pm and on Sunday when there was no way to pick up a bottle for dinner or after late nights at work.   

Then the idea to write about it. Read More

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July 18th, 2008

Project Runway and Sparkling Wine

Wednesday night began season 5 of Project Runway.  With all the changes afoot (switching to Lifetime and the like), who knows what will happen next season…. So all the more important to enjoy this one.  And how better to truly appreciate it than with a group of good girls and lots of sparkling wine. We had Mumm Blanc de Noirs, Gloria Ferrer Brut, J Brut Rose’, Moet & Chandon White Star, and a Prosecco I can’t recall now because it was the last bottle.  With all the flowing bubbly, I wanted to have snacks that would pair nicely and satisfy our cravings.  So smoked salmon was a must, on toast points, with creme fraiche, dill, capers, red onions, and a bit of lemon juice.  Also necessary was my mom’s olive dip (just add cream cheese, lemon & garlic).  We also had balsamic drenched tomatoes and brie.  And then there were the cheese straws: spicy nuggets of cheesy goodness that I had promised Stefanie for a while now.  My mom brought the southern delicacy when I requested them before her visit. The saltiness of the salmon, the olives, the cheese straws all went beautifully with the crisp clean lines of the wine, and the lemon juice accenting the dip and toast points matched the citrus notes in the glass.

As for the show, I definitely called the nurse’s dressmaker going home, and we all knew that either the vacuum bag/coffee filter or the solo cups dress were going to win. Glad, though, that on our girls’ night, the challenge was won by a girl.

Image source: Farley Walker

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July 18th, 2008

Rosenblum Hits the Big 3-0!

This year finds us celebrating our 30th anniversary, and you know what that means…. PARTIES!  No one likes to have a good time as much as this funky Alameda winery (unless it’s a crazy bunch of rubber chickens from Twisted Oak).

Here’s what we have lined up:

Friday, July 18
Sonoma-themed winemaker dinner, catered by The Girl & The Fig at Rosenblum Cellars
Kent Rosenblum heads an intimate gathering of fantastic food paired with divine wine
6:30 to 10:30
$150 or $135 for club members
And if you’re super interested in learning more, you can also attend a seminar before dinner moderated by Steve Heimoff of Wine Enthusiast
4:30 to 6:00 pm
(cannot be purchased separately from dinner)
price for both: $215, $200 for club members

Saturday & Sunday, July 26 & 27
Rosenblum Cellars 30th Birthday Bash, also known as Open House
12:00 to 5:00 each day, first hour open only to wine club members
a wide array of wines being poured, including a dozen new releases
delicious snack-y food, including the famous Zinfandel ice cream from Tucker’s
live music
an engraved Riedel to take home
special discounts
order online for cheaper tickets $40, $25 club members
or at the door $50, $35 club members

Saturday August 2
30th Anniversary Gala
reception and four-couse meal
taste through many award-winning wines, including those from the library
setting–Rosenblum, in the transformed cellar (you wouldn’t guess you were in a warehouse)
tributes to the Rosenblums
hosted by Karen McNeil of The Wine Bible
6:30 to 10:30
$195, $180 for club members

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July 16th, 2008

Reswimming Lazy Creek

The other evening found me home from work with a lovely dinner waiting.  There was a bowl of yakisoba noodles with shrimp, shitaake mushrooms, onions, and a spice medley. There was also grilled tuna with a side of wasabi and soy. So when asked what wine for dinner, I didn’t have to think longer than, say, 5 seconds. I pulled the 2007 Lazy Creek “En Premier” Gewurztraminer from the shelf and into the quick chill sleeve. We started with sparkling sake and then when cold enough, opened the slightly sparkling Gewurz. This was one of my favorite purchases from the needs-to-be-repeated Anderson Valley trip. And I ran into it again recently at a friend’s birthday party, as another friend had gotten it at The Wine Mine’s Anderson Valley tasting, for what I’m sure was a very reasonable price. That hot afternoon in the vineyard was perfect for the refreshing wine, and so was our meal with its threads of heat running through. The apple, pear, pineapple, and minerality, along with light spritziness, made for a yummy and easy-to-drink accompaniment.

Image source:Farley Walker

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July 15th, 2008

Grand Marnier Tasting

We don’t just sample wine at Rosenblum Cellars. Sometimes, other beverages are in order. Most often, that is a bottle or two of bubbly after work, but last Thursday evening became margarita madness. It started out with a Grand Marnier taste test. Now, you might be asking why I’m even writing about this on a wine blog. But it is related, more than I thought. I never really thought about what Grand Marnier was, other than an orange-flavored liqueur that went nicely into margaritas. Come to find out, it’s made in Cognac, in that same method, which I would have known had I ever taken the time to read the back label. It comes from the Ugni Blanc grape and goes through two separate distillations in copper stills, then added to neutral alcohol soaked with dried orange peels from Citrus Bigaradia. After that blending, it is aged in French oak.

And then there’s Grand Marnier Cuvee Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire. This one was created in 1977 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the company and is a blend of rare cognac reserves, aged up to 50 years, primarily from Grande Champagne. Price difference? $220 instead of the normal $30. Taste difference? The first (cheaper) one was exceedingly orangey. The second was smoky and thicker, like maple syrup, with notes of caramel. It seemed to have more alcohol, though they were both the same. Definitely more interesting than the basic and I can certainly imagine sipping it out of a snifter on a cold evening, especially if there were a roaring fire. However, I don’t think I would dish out that much more if I were paying. Enjoy this one on someone else’s dime….

Image source:Farley Walker

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July 14th, 2008

Same Song, Different Verse

If drinking Pinot Noir all the time makes me boring, then I don’t want to be exciting.  While some have disappointed lately, I don’t let that stop me from seeking out new renditions.  While most of the ones I try come from California—easy access, better discounts—I always enjoy the change of pace when venturing out into other areas, such as Germany, France, and Oregon.  My northern neighbors usually come through with their wares, and this 2005 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley is no exception.  (I think this was a Christmas present, but whenever it was received, I know I was happy.)  Just as many Champagne houses have ventures in California, so, too, a great Burgundy maker can cross the ocean to explore new territory.

 When Robert Drouhin was visiting the western coast of the United States in 1961, he was drawn to Oregon as a possibility for Pinot, despite the lack of activity and attention there at the time.  It would be almost 30 years before the family would purchase land, plant grapes, and beginning running two wineries on different continents.  Lucky they went to such trouble, since we get to drink the results.  The 2005 vintage produced a Pinot Noir that was light and lovely, with strawberry, freshly turned soil, and light dill.  There was also nice acidity and minerality.  While this particular dinner was a little rich for the wine, it wasn’t completely off.  The veal marsala was fairly powerful, but the shitaake mushrooms brought the dish ‘back to earth.’

Image source: Farley Walker

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July 12th, 2008

Reminder:Wine Book Club & Wine Writers

In case you missed the announcement, or you read it and have since forgotten….

Go ahead and pick up your copy of Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover by Jancis Robinson.  You can get it from Amazon ($16.20 new or as low as two bucks from other sellers), Overstock (same price new), or your library (Free!). Any way you look at it, it’s worth it. Just get me the review by August 26.

Image source: Dr. Debs

And while you’re thinking about it, tell me who your favorite wine writer is…

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