How to Effectively Engage International Participants in Tech and Wine Events?

What happens when you step out of your own “filter bubble” and participate in open discussions? We all need our assumptions and outlooks challenged on a regular basis to encourage ideas to develop and for the events to meet the actual needs of our audience, not just what we think they are. Gabriella decided to [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/iKIve2RJhNA/

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The Historic Vineyard Society Will Save the Day

I don't know if "old vine" vineyards produce wines of any specific characteristic. I've tasted a whole bunch of them over the years and walked through a number of such vineyards. But I just can't say what to expect from...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FermentationTheDailyWineBlog/~3/jQNr2fcanng/the-historic-vineyard-society-will-save-the-day.html

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Mollydooker:  A Left-handed Punch in the Gut or Not?

Within the span of 24-hours this past weekend, I had a conversation with an Australian wine marketing representative who described her role as, “The toughest job in the wine business,” and word spread about a wee wine accident Down Under.

In a story that was picked up by Time, CNN, MSNBC, Huffington Post and most major news outlets, it seems 461 cases of a 462 case parcel of the 2010 Mollydooker “Velvet Glove” Shiraz destined for the U.S. was dropped by a forklift while loading a container, creating broken bottles and, at the least, damage to the bespoke bottles with a velvet label and a $185 per bottle price tag.

Initial news reports were quick to point out that the wine was insured. 

I was in the company of wine writer’s this past weekend and they pondered whether this massive wine spill was actually a bad thing—the Mollydooker wines having a certain reputation for their over-the-top blowsy style favored by Parker and Wine Spectator who reviewed the 2009 vintage with scores of 97 and 96, respectively.

On Monday, July 25th the winery issued its own press release answering some “whys and wherefores” in how the accident happened after news reports were largely based on the scant original reporting from the Associated Press.

Yet, interestingly, Decanter.com subsequently reported that the winery press release with the headline, “Years of Tears and Sweat and More Than $1 Million Worth of Fine Wine Go Down the Drain” was rescinded and replaced with another press release titled, “Years of Love and Care, and More Than $1 Million Worth of Fine Wine, Go Down the Drain.”

If you’re ever curious about what happens when a press release is pulled online go ahead and search for the first headline I mentioned and you’ll see pages and pages of empty pages from syndicated press releases that serve as content for news sites.

Aside from the curiosity of all of this – broken bottles and the vagaries of press release headlines—the reality remains that this is probably the best thing that could possibly happen for Mollydooker and their “Velvet Glove” brand.  With an insurance policy, millions and millions of dollars of free press and the not inconsequential fact that despite its incredible critical scores, the 2009 wine (called a “Cult” wine by some) is largely available in the U.S. with plummeting pricing, winery owners Sarah and Sparky Marquis should be just fine despite the quote from Sparky where he noted, “This wine is our pride and joy, so to see it accidentally destroyed, and not consumed, has left us all a bit numb.”

Wine-Searcher tells a more interesting story.  The below graph illustrates the drop in price at U.S. retail over the last 12 months, which is decidedly, non-“cult-ish.”

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To respond to the rhetorical statement from my new Australian wine marketing friend who described her job as, “The toughest job in the wine business,” I would say:  The toughest job in the wine business is convincing a retailer to buy the 2010 Velvet Glove when the 2009 with insanely good ratings is still widely available below suggested retail price.

While the Marquis’ may be “numb” and crying over spilled wine, U.S. wine retailers are crying over dead inventory and there’s no insurance for that.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/mollydooker_a_left-handed_punch_in_the_gut_or_not/

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Vote in the Wine Blog Awards!

So, there’s this thing called the Wine Blog Awards which is sort of a hybrid of the Oscars and the People’s Choice Awards.

The awards combine a juried review along with popular voting and recognize English language wine blogs in a number of categories like, “Best Writing,” “Best Business Blog,” “Best Wine Reviews,” “Best Overall,” and so on.  There are eight categories overall and not all blogs are a fit for every category as there are a few specialty areas like, “Best Single Subject,” “Best Winery Blog,” etc.

Like all awards, because we take our cues from popular culture, most people are “humbled” and diffident when named a finalist and/or a winner, and secretly (or not so secretly) peeved if they’re not acknowledged.  If nothing else, this is a measure of the influence of the awards in the online wine writing community.

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I’ve been a finalist or a winner since the inception of the awards in 2007, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I like winning.

However, up until last year, I was winning awards because of my blog design – which, frankly, I conceived, but I paid for with the help of an ace designer.  So, these were hollow victories because it had nothing to do with writing, where I put in actual effort.

Then, last year, I had a breakthrough of sorts and I was a winner in the, “Best Business Blog” category – recognition for writing capably about wine marketing and the wine industry.  Yes!  This was good because the purpose of this site is to write column-style and make the wine business (behind the lifestyle façade) interesting and accessible.

Flash forward a year and I’ve been named a finalist in three categories and they’re not the design category (thank goodness). 

Please vote for whomever you deem worthy in the Wine Blog Awards.  You’ll see that I’m a finalist in the following categories:  “Best Overall,” “Best Business Blog,” “Best Writing.”

Vote here.

As always, thanks for reading Good Grape and helping me, a schooled journalist, but non-professional writer, pursue my interest in wine while scratching my creative itch and hopefully, as George Bernard Shaw, perhaps the most oft-quoted guy that nobody knows what he’s known for, said, “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple.  But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/vote_in_the_wine_blog_awards/

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Touch the Dubai skyline from InterContinental Dubai Festival City

InterContinental Dubai Festival City is a sky touching landmark with 36 floors located in the heart of the city along the eastern coastline of the historic Dubai Creek. Although the city stands in the midst of the busy business districts of the luxurious city, the elegant hotel provides a perfect tranquil environment away from the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/j4KWd5V0ASM/

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Does your website have a mobile version?

It was reported today that consumers spend more time on mobile apps than on the web. Really this is no surprise. It is the way the world works, big things become smaller and smaller as technology gets better and better. If we could go back in time and start the computer revolution today, no-one would [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheWineConversation/~3/44xk6hY0kos/

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The Return on Investment of Wine Education

… or why “consumers need more wine education” is wrong It would appear to be widely accepted in the wine trade that if only consumers knew more about wine, the more, better (and higher profit) wines they’d buy. “Consumer Education” in the form of brochures, seminars, events, newsletters, websites, apps, social networks, trips etc, form [...]

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Napa Valley ? What?s Happening in Downtown Napa, Visitor Center Battle Brews

We stroll the Town Center and have a look around. Boy, this place is void of people. We did find something the might become the ?Battle of Visitor Centers.? The Legendary Napa Valley folks pulled up shop at the Town Center last month and moved the Visitor Center to the posh and chic Riverfront Properties. Continue reading

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/napa-valley-%e2%80%93-what%e2%80%99s-happening-in-downtown-napa-visitor-center-battle-brews/

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The Gritty Reality of the New Maryland Wine Shipping Law

Maryland is receiving applications for and issuing licenses to allow the direct shipment of wine. This was the big news last week and the result of a multi-year effort by wine consumers and their advocates in the state. And as...

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