In January, we were guests on an American press trip to visit a Cava producer located in the heart of Cava Country. Of the journalists who joined us, many had visited Spain previously, though very few had visited the regions dedicated to cava production. They did, however, boast of thoroughly enjoying Cava, but conceded that …
After a very long, restful holiday slumber, wineries have woken up with an urgency to contact us. And in lieu of their eager desire to connect with the online social world, I’d like to offer a few suggestions on how to get 2011 off to a great start. Facebook and Twitter – Are you not …
The EU economy is seriously in trouble. I know, shocking isn’t it?! In the Spanish and Portuguese wine sector, wineries are closing their doors and banks are sitting on properties t. It’s a mess. And sadly, this is not going to get any better any time soon, but there are wineries out there who are …
During a recent skype chat, a friend and co-wine-blogger asked me, “If you had your druthers, what do you tell a winery who is preparing for a blogger meet-up or wine fair?” Astounded by the poignancy and relevancy of the question, I admitted that I needed time to think, and promptly changed my skype status …
If you live in Europe, you know this. For those of you who do not live in these parts, just a quick list about living in Europe in August: Restaurants are not guaranteed to be open Stores of almost any type are guaranteed to have strange hours Offices are closed by 3pm Emails bounce Meetings are rarely made Wineries …
I just had someone contact me on Skype to ask if I had any tips for them about how to arrange a successful “blogger press trip”. Boy do I! But rather than spend time chatting online and letting it fade into the ether, I figured let me share a few bullets here. If you need …
Here in Europe, we don’t have the mailing list culture, nor the concept that for a US based winery a mailing list is fundamental to selling wine. When I tell wineries here in Europe that some US wineries entire sales are through a mailing list their eyes roll at my naivete. Impossible they scoff, but …
I respect anyone who can simultaneously translate anything. As most people know, my Spanish is less then stellar, and the fact that there are people who can simultaneously translate what they hear in one ear into a completely different language deserves a ton of credit. However, this format does very little when translating a speech …
I have a love/hate relationship with Biodynamic wine making. In short, I admire the romance, while I question the witchcraft. To date, I have no clue what half of the things people do to really be “biodynamic”. I’ve read a considerable amount on the subject, and have listened to several talks, but after any education …
Steven Wright via last.fm “Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. -Steven Wright” Never a truer statement spoken. Winemakers live by this motto, as they craft their blends, each year learning from the previous year’s mistakes. Sadly, however, the lack of experience often stops people from trying new things, afraid …