Tuesday March 1st: Dunn Vineyards Tasting at The Urban Grape

Dunn Vineyards founder, owner, and winemaker Randy Dunn will be signing bottles and pouring his wines at a free tasting at The Urban Grape in Chestnut Hill, MA this Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 from 5 to 8 pm.

Dunn produces two Cabernet Sauvignons -- one from Howell Mountain and another labeled as Napa Valley.  The Howell Mountain is said to be a bigger wine - massive fruit and tannins. The Napa Valley wine is 85% Howell Mountain fruit/15% from the Napa Valley floor and is softer and more approachable.

The wines are tough to find at retail in Massachusetts. The Howell Mountain typically sells for around $120/btl and the Napa Valley falls somewhere around $75/btl. The 2007s will be available at the tasting at a one-day discount price.

More info on The Urban Grape's event's page.

Also - I hear there are just a few seats remaining for their Thursday Barolo/Barbaresco dinner at The Capital Grille. Jump on that now if you're available and interested because space truly is limited for their dinners.

Further Reading:

Check 'em out:
The Urban Grape
7 Boylston Street
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-232-4831


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/cH6g6h8IYQ8/tuesday-march-1st-dunn-vineyards.html

Yves Giraud Cabantous Ignazio Giunti Timo Glock Helm Glöckler Paco Godia

Thank You Food City (Shelby Howard)

Shelby HowardIn recognition of Food City renaming Sunday?s Sprint Cup race The Jeff Byrd 500, the #70 Chevrolet driven by Shelby Howard will have a Thank You on the deck lid of the race car during the Scott?s EZ Seed 300 this Saturday. Jeff Byrd was the president of Bristol Motor Speedway. More than that,...more»

Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/nationwide/03/17/thank-you-food-city-shelby-howard/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thank-you-food-city-shelby-howard

Marc Gené Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini Peter Gethin

The Real Housewives of New Jersey - Black & White and Read All Over

Dramas center on Danielle when her fellow Jersey girls congregate to dish on her past and Danielle clashes with Teresa's husband. Meanwhile, Teresa struggles to balance her daughter's thespian career and moving into a dream home.

Source: http://iplayvideos.net/the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-/season/1/episode/4

Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen Danny Kladis Hans Klenk

Toyota Planning to Add Another 10 Hybrids Worldwide By 2015

This morning, Toyota released its “Global Vision” outline for the future, a document so scintillating that had he penned it, Jerry Maguire would have fired himself. In addition to a fabulous arboreal metaphor for the company’s foci, it mentions that the big T will introduce an additional 10 hybrid models worldwide by 2015. But hold [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/qKKKpjnBAlI/

Olivier Gendebien Marc Gené Elmer George Bob Gerard Gerino Gerini

The Real Housewives of New Jersey - Into the Lion's Den

Teresa and Joe welcome home their baby, Audriana. Although ecstatic, Teresa still pushes Joe to get a vasectomy. Elsewhere, Caroline's children offer help when Jacqueline and her daughter continue to clash. And Danielle attends a charity event with her pr

Source: http://iplayvideos.net/the-real-housewives-of-new-jersey-/season/2/episode/5

Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt David Hobbs Gary Hocking

A Visit with Winemaker Vince Tofanelli

It is such a wonderful change of pace to visit a winemaker like Vince Tofanelli. Too often when we visit the Napa Valley we get caught upby the big and the fancy wineries and tasting rooms and tend to overlook the smaller names of the Napa Valley. Continue reading

Source: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/napablog/a-visit-with-winemaker-vince-tofanelli/

Divina Galica Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Fred Gamble Howden Ganley

Lorenzo rules out Qatar victory

Jorge Lorenzo does not think he will be competitive enough to fight for victory when he starts his MotoGP title defence in Qatar this weekend. The Spaniard's Yamaha has not been as quick as the dominant Hondas in winter testing, and he was a second off the pace in seventh in Monday night's final session. "I don't feel ready at all to fight for the win," Lorenzo told the official MotoGP website.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/other-news/motorcycles/motogp/lorenzo-rules-out-qatar-victory/

Damon Hill Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt David Hobbs

2011 Wine Marketing Report Edition No. 1 Pt. I of III

Unless you’re Rip Van Winkle snoozing since 2004 and awakening in the early spring of 2011, it’s not hard to persuasively argue (to say nothing of intuitively understanding) that digital marketing (in all of its permutations) is foremost on the minds of wine marketers for direct-to-consumer engagement.

That’s the fact.  Here’s the reality:  It’s wild and wooly out there.  Making sense of it is beyond any one person and yesterday’s Twitter account is tomorrow’s old news.  Yet, trying to figure out any one thing (like geo-location, for example), can take you into Alice’s rabbit hole leaving you more confused than when you began.  This, I know.

Continuing what has always been a part of what I write about here – the intersection of wine marketing and wine enthusiasm – I’m altering these posts to, at the least, be more findable on the site by headline if not style.

Generally, I like to take sides on an issue and make hyperbolic proclamations that read like mandates (um, Glenn Beck without the apocalyptic bombast?).  Instead, with this incrementally re-jiggered series of posts that will occur once every month or two, I’m choosing to just simply discuss a few things that have wine marketing implications (that I find of interest) while offering some context that I find equally interesting.

Of course, first up is the wine industry’s favorite internet poster child:  Gary Vaynerchuk. 

Gary V. and Dailygrape.com

On Monday, March 14th Gary Vaynerchuk announced on the 1000th episode of WineLibraryTV that he was re-deploying the web-based show that launched him into pop culture.  During what he described as an “emotional” episode that seemed to me to have all the emotional sincerity of somebody cruising up to their baby mama’s trailer park in an Mercedes S-class to drop off eight months of child support back payments, Vaynerchuk revealed that the newly created Dailygrape.com would be the new home for his wildly popular wine review show.

image

WineLibraryTV (WLTV) isn’t going away, per se, but it will now only be used for special interviews and one-off activities, according to Vaynerchuk.

Citing a need to, “Innovate” and get out in front of trends, Dailygrape.com is available via your web browser and optimized for viewing on iPads and iPhones.  As an iPhone/iPad application, Dailygrape offers a number of features for community and user wish lists, and access to additional Gary Vaynerchuk reviews.

Speaking of reviews, Vaynerchuk promised more of them, which he will deliver on…for the introductory price of $2.22 a month through the rest of year, delivered in a monthly newsletter.  More on this in a second.

A couple of things jump out to me about Vaynerchuk’s move to a de-couple himself from his retail operation, WineLibrary:

1) He’s smart to not let his charisma and personality take him in business directions away from the core of what got him to this point – wine.  Does Oprah become an icon and build a media empire if she took a left turn out of her afternoon chat fest three years in? 

2) He’s smart to re-brand because his shtick is intrinsically linked to WineLibraryTV and his WLTV patois has a finite audience.  The early returns on his first two episodes at Dailygrape.com indicate Vaynerchuk may be toning his act down from outsized caricature to energetic everyman.  This can have a direct correlation on potential audience growth.

3) In order to be taken seriously as a wine critic, where there is ample room for deification with a younger generation, Vaynerchuk had to separate himself from the frequent denunciations that a reviewer can’t be impartial if they’re selling the wine, as well.

4) Dailygrape.com doesn’t offer an RSS feed – which means Vaynerchuk is no longer syndicating his content – an online model that has been predominate over the last decade; the notion that giving content away for free, everywhere, can help build a brand.  No, instead of going to Google Reader to watch the show, you’ll have to go directly to the site, or the iPhone/iPad compatible application on your device.

This “innovation” that Vaynerchuk speaks of seems to me to be more of business-savvy maturation and a necessity with an eye on the next couple of years of sustaining growth for his personal brand. 

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What’s he’s doing is using internet feedback as a large focus group to answer perceived negatives while at the same time creating a branded media property separate from the womb of his retail operation, positioning himself as an accessible wine critic for a new generation.  Rachael Ray has her 30-Minute Meals and Vaynerchuk is building on wine criticism.  Through this process he’s also showing his cards for what we’ll be talking about two years from now, which will likely include:

1) Remember when we didn’t have to pay for anything on the internet?  Vaynerchuk goes premium offering exclusive content to subscribers.

2) Vaynerchuk the respected wine critic with a fast-growing subscription-based newsletter, widening influence and Dailygrape shelf talkers at retail stores nationally

3) Multi-platform ubiquity

4) Extensible branding and the foundation of a media company à la Oprah’s Harpo Productions and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

In sum, I’m careful not to confuse “innovate” with “necessitate” and, truthfully, it seems like the changes Vaynerchuk is making are as necessary as they are cutting edge yet I have a sneaking suspicion that Vaynerchuk’s star is not only going to get brighter, but he’s going to convert detractors in the process.

To see how my Vaynerchuk analysis skills were in March of 2007, a little over a year into WineLibraryTV, click here.

Next up:  Pts. II and III of this post series.

Source: http://goodgrape.com/index.php/site/2011_wine_marketing_report_edition_no._1_pt._1_of_3/

Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen Danny Kladis

BuyWithMe: $25 for $60 from Lot18


BuyWithMe is offering 58% off at wine flash sale site Lot18. $25 gets you a $60 voucher to spend on their revolving assortment of wines - usually offered one at a time at deep discount.

Lot18 is a members-only site like Gilt, Rue La La, etc that focuses exclusively on wine. An example of a recent deal I thought was compelling was the 2008 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir for $24.99/btl with free shipping on 4 or more bottles. The wine carries a $38 release price, comes from a highly regarded vintage, and was rated 90 points by Wine Spectator.

That deal has expired but a couple others are currently active. They usually post new offers every day or two. The voucher expires May 21, 2011 so keep that in mind as you're considering the offer.

Included in the BuyWithMe offer is an invitation to join Lot18 so you can, well, you know - take advantage of the voucher. Offer expires Sunday February 27th at 11:59 pm EST.

States they can ship to vary depending on the deal, but most cannot be shipped to Massachusetts.

Click here to check out the deal
(I'm a BuyWithMe affiliate and these are affiliate links)


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WellesleyWinePress/~3/ajyPwhUDZf4/buywithme-25-for-60-from-lot18.html

Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV Charles Robert Hamilton V