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April 8 2007
I came of age professionally in the mid-1990’s, the wilderness years for technology, right around the same time that technology certifications became big business—especially big business for technology publishers like my employer at the time who was doing gangbusters business creating test preparation books based on certification curriculum from technology companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Novell, and a member association called CompTia.
Wine and technology have a lot in common in that then, as now, there are as many technology solutions are there are labels of wine.
Technology summarizes itself – loosely – by the number of layers in a technology or network stack. There are seven layers in a network protocol starting out with the physical layer and working its way up to the application layer.
I bring this up because wine, with just three layers, finds itself in a similar situation as technology a decade or so ago.
Essentially, these technology certifications have created an entire category of employment as people seek out the education and the certifications, driving prestige to their resume with an expectation level of compensation and renown for presumed expertise.
But, whereas technology was led in leadership by organization from large technology companies like Microsoft who viewed certification as a means to establish market-defining credibility around a solution, the large wine producers like E& J Gallo and Constellation seem to not recognize, appreciate or seize the same opportunity in wine.
My recent post about food, wine and the Food Network got me thinking about wine certifications and wine competitions—particularly the kind of testing that goes on in most Sommelier-related certifications.
I’ve seen enough Food Network sugar sculpture and cake-making competitions to last me for a while. In fact, I can mindlessly watch/listen to the Food Network for hours as I plink away on my computer EXCEPT for when these infernal cake competitions are on, almost making my ears bleed at the manufactured inanity and drama. This leads to two questions for me:
1) Why aren’t wine certifications more clearly well-defined with a sharper cachet for levels and attainment?
2) Why wouldn’t this make for some interesting and unfolding drama for programming on the Food Network?
The certification question is an interesting one because the certifications in the states are a jumbled mess of overlapping influence and assumption from the U.K.
The Court of Master Sommeliers, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the Society of Wine Educators has the Certified Specialist of Wine and Certified Wine Educator, Masters of Wine, something of the granddaddy of wine testing, has their own certification that builds off the WSET, and the American Wine Society has a certification for being a wine judge.
And, of course, I’m sure there are other variations and permutations of certifications that I’m missing.
The Society of Wine Educators has aligned with Gallo to introduce the Gallo Wine Academy, now in its second year, but based on mindshare in the industry, it has to be called, at best, a (very) modest success. The overall notion of the venture, based on an excerpt from the press release seems to be in the spirit of what I think is critically needed:
Committed to furthering wine education not only for its employees and customers but for the industry at large, in early 2004 the E. & J. Gallo Winery approached the Society of Wine Educators, the leading non-profit professional development and certification institution for the wine industry, to forge a strategic alliance to create these e-learning sites.
This new project will allow a significant body of the SWE Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Exam study guide and syllabus, formerly only available in book form, to become available to a wider audience via the internet.
With wine in the very early stages of changing the landscape of America as an eating and drinking nation, I’m struck that, long-term, now is an exceptional time to treat education as a critically important marketing tool for all three-tiers and for consumers, as well.
You think Gen. Y with their Myspace.com pages and their penchant to enter the wine world as core consumers might not invest a little bit of time into a certification if for nothing else than bragging rights? I’m guessing the answer is a resounding “Yes.”
Now, given that most of these certifications are aimed at Sommeliers and there is frequently an in-person testing for Sommelier service. The Court of Master Sommelier diploma exam tests the following, for example, in front of a live panel:
• Discuss, recommend and serve aperitifs, displaying a sound knowledge of the products and the ability to serve them correctly.
• Select, prepare and position glassware necessary for the service of drinks in the lounge, restaurant, function room or private suite.
• Discuss menu content and wine list, recommending wines to accompany food, displaying a sound knowledge of the products, their vintages and characteristics.
• Present, offer, prepare, (decanting when necessary) and serve wines, demonstrating a high degree of efficiency and proficiency.
• Present, offer, prepare and serve brandies, liqueurs and cigars.
• Handle queries and complaints with skill and diplomacy.
• Discuss the sizes of measures that may be expected from each.
So, as a frequent and regular “armchair quarterback” for the world of wine, I’d like to see somebody step up and assume a leadership position in the industry in the category of certification that creates a wake and defines an as-of-now loosely defined category.
And, all the better if that leads to better Food Network programming by televising some of the participants in the testing process.
Posted in, Free Run: Field Notes From a Wine Life. Permalink | Comments (2) | Print |
April 1 2007
News Release: April 1, 2007
Wine Blogger To Become The Ninth “Oprah Friend” and Resident Wine Guru
Good Grape Inks Landmark Deal to be the Official Wine Blogger and Online Sales Outlet for The Oprah Winfrey Show, Joining eight other “Oprah Friends” in the Resource Panel Super Group
Chicago, IL—Plucked from obscurity, Jeff, the writer and mind behind the wine blog Good Grape.com has been hand selected to become the ninth “Oprah Friend” slated for regular re-occurring appearance on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Said Winfrey’s 2nd assistant public relations coordinator for interns, Tess Tickle, “It’s true, the date of today’s press release is no coincidence, Mr. Lefevere was the 4th person we contacted, the first person to respond, and unfortunately, our seventh choice. We decided to announce on 04/01/07 in homage to the incredible fickle finger of fate nature of his selection and also because, frankly, we’re embarrassed and hoped that we’d miss the news cycle by announcing on a Sunday.”
Tickle continued, “Oprah is interested in re-balancing the power of the wine world away from the Parker’s and the Wine Spectator’s of the world and give it back to the people while maybe taking a piece of the action if she can. Lefevere seemed willing, eager almost, to go déclassé for some money.”
Expected to join the show in months that have five weeks during leap years, Lefevere is expected to provide wine advice to the millions of dedicated viewers while accepting online orders at his web site, http://www.goodgrape.com in order to capitalize on “The Oprah Effect.”
Lefevere said, “When my wife was making me watch a Tivo’ed episode of ‘Oprah’s Favorite Things’ during the holiday season I couldn’t figure out why these seemingly normal women in the audience were going goofy out of their gourd for some free truffles and books, but I said to myself, ‘Self: how can I get a piece of this action.’ ”
“The Oprah Effect” is a selling phenomenon whereby an implicit endorsement by Winfrey on her show can drive record sales for the product.
Lefevere continued, “I couldn’t figure out how to get my piece of the Oprah action until I watched ‘The Secret’ episode and then watched sales of this book go through the roof. Pshaw … the premise of the book is, essentially, the Law of Attraction which simply says that you attract into your life whatever you think about. Your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest. From that point on, I started mentally fixating on becoming incredibly wealthy selling wine online to Oprah fans. Ha. Can you believe it? Here I am.”
Lefevere is expected to help select wines, present them on the show and then sell them off of his web site to the legion of Oprah fans that eagerly buy anything she endorses, like helpless, slavish drones desperate for excitement in between a typical Tuesday and a normal “Consumer Saturday.”
Winfrey has been hunting for a wine expert since news reports in late 2006 heralded the health benefits of wine. Health experts Bob Greene and Dr. Mehmet Oz, both teetolers, endorsed the selection of Lefevere with Greene noting, “I guess he’s better than nothing, and since I don’t drink at least his limited reach with his blog will mean he won’t be overly competitive in taking away mindshare from the rest of us. That damn Gayle King is always getting first crack at the good projects and we don’t need any more competition.”
Lefevere responded in kind with, “I love Bob Greene and his book, ‘Be True to Your School’ it’s amazing to me that he was able to go from being a dumpy middle-aged author and a columnist for the Chicago Tribune and then completely come out of nowhere to turn himself into a fitness guru. I mean, he doesn’t even look like the same guy. I hope I can make the same transformation from wine blogger to multi-channel selling empire.”
Goodgrape.com is expected to be revamped to handle the expected site traffic and sales. Gone will be the current design replaced by a softer, more feminine site designed to appeal to oaky chardonnay drinkers.
Lefevere noted, “Hell yeah I’ll redesign my site to appeal to chicks and, to be honest, I can be bought. Heck, I’m even setting up a PO BOX for payola. Anybody that wants their wine to be considered for inclusion on the show segments or the web site should first send a query letter to the PO Box with bills in small denominations and then subsequently send me two cases of the wine for sampling.”
XXX
Posted in, Free Run: Field Notes From a Wine Life. Permalink | Comments (1) | Print |
March 25 2007
Two weeks ago I wrote a post called “The Endless Harvest” observing the increase in wine brands that are globally sourcing fruit and/or wine to create wine brands that definitely capitalize on the increasing “World is Flat” mode of operations.
I also observed that, from a marketing perspective, having somebody do a documentary, following harvest at various wine regions throughout the Europe, South America, Australia, Africa, etc would be a pretty good idea in order to connect with a younger audience attuned to import brands and travel.
One of the brands engaged in this global sourcing that I could have talked about is Don Sebastiani and Sons. I more heavily referenced Betts & Scholl for no particular reason, but they are much smaller and less well known than Don & Sons.
The post was timely enough, particularly because the Sonoma Valley Film Festival begins on April 11th.
In response to my post, lo and behold, I got in touch with a Napa Valley-based filmmaker, Bret Lyman, who is creating his current work using the pseudonym B. Napa. B. Napa not only is working on a project called “Crush,” but he is doing so with sponsorship from Don & Sons.
The short film is going to premier during the Sonoma Valley Film Festival on April 12th.
Damn. What a good idea. Those guys are smart—so smart they are at least nine months ahead of my post, which now looks simultaneously prescient, sanguine AND silly. Silly because I didn’t connect the dots that this was a project already coming to fruition, no pun intended.
I had the opportunity to catch up with B. Napa and talk about his project. As something akin to the “Warren Miller” of wine films, I sensed a vigor, hardened by his 15 years in New York, which belied his languid California wine country locale.
Plunging deeper, B. Napa is striving for greater permanence, working on a documentary that will take him to Chile and Argentina in the next several months while trying to create an oeuvre akin to the aforementioned filmmaker Warren Miller, an artist and documentarian whose work, primarily, focused on outdoor sports and embodied a grace, subtle wit and deep reverence for its subjects.
Asking, “What does wine mean” B. Napa is exploring this question after living in a post 9/11 New York City, coming to something of a career crisis and crossroads and subsequently moving back to the Valley while experiencing significant family upheaval.
Many good documentaries (and artists) use their subject as a medium to explore greater and more significant issues than what a first blush look would lead you to believe. The documentary “Hoop Dreams,” for example, used inner-city Chicago basketball as a tableau to explore social issues related to race.
“What does wine mean” is a good question, and in the hands of this talented filmmaker I’m pretty sure that question, in its exploration, will cut deeper and with more meaning than what we can imagine.
B. Napa’s work shows itself to be almost lyrical in its aesthetic beauty with a keen eye and a trained ear for the right music and, yes, the subtle wit that is a hallmark of Warren Miller. Check out the world premiere of his short film “Crush,” that will be a part of the Sonoma Valley Film Festival “Cinema Epicuria” on April 12th at 5:30 pm PST.
Check out some of B. Napa’s work at the following links:
“Crush” Trailer:
http://www.donandsons.com/films/
“Topaz” Film Short:
Posted in, Free Run: Field Notes From a Wine Life. Permalink | Comments (2) | Print |
March 23 2007
Stop the press. An Indiana native son winery, Oliver, dropped a press release today announcing anticipated growth. Significant growth!
My headline was going to read, “The Arbor Mist of the Midwest,” but I didn’t think that would be fair. The crown jewel of the Indiana wine market makes a lot of good wine and they do a lot of good for the Indiana wine industry. Even so, and separate from the point of this post, I was shocked to see that they have released some new wines that pay homage to Arbor Mist—a Mango, Black Cherry and Strawberry wine. Um … yeah. As a nice contrasting juxtaposition between big and small wineries, consider Josh at Pinotblogger’s recent post and this winery start-up spreadsheet.
Despite Oliver’s egregious affront to fine wine lovers via Mango wine, every NBA team needs a franchise player, and Oliver Winery is the state of Indiana’s franchise. And, fortunately, Black Cherry wine aside, there is no Allen Iverson-type of baggage associated with Oliver, either.
Just the same, Oliver makes a lot of wine that would make a staunch wine lover cry in their Bordeaux. I’m talking many other semi-sweet wines besides the Strawberry. The #1 selling wine in the state, based on the concord grape, is called “Soft Red” and it sells by the pallet at Sam’s Club.
But, hey, this is John Mellencamp, Chevy Truck, “Our Country” territory.
Oliver has built their business by creating high-quality products that appeal to many residents taste preferences, and frankly, they lap other Indiana wineries in packaging. Their packaging competes with anybody’s in the country, whereas most other Indiana wineries are still fussing around tweaking their own computer (read: bad) art and printing on third-tier labels, Oliver invests in packaging to the extent that nobody looks both ways to make sure nobody notices when picking up a bottle of their Muscat Canelli or their Blackberry wine with enough residual sugar to use it as an ice cream topper. Check out their new “Late Harvest” packaging and tell me that it’s not attractive.
Their tasting room is very nice as well, competing with 80% of the tasting rooms I’ve been to in California. I can’t be certain, but Bill Oliver, the president and son of the founder, must subscribe to the current design ethos that indicates that quality in the product is no longer the primary purchase driver—it’s quality in aesthetics, a fundamental value that Target retail stores understand very well.
But, Oliver does other wines as well, including some fine wines that are distributed in 10 states, mostly in the Midwest but as far afield as Colorado and Louisiana and Virginia. Their Merlot, Cabernet, Shiraz and Zinfandel are all fine representatives of their varietal.
And, if today’s news release is an indicator, the # 4 hottest 2004 small brand according to Wine Business Monthly may not be considered small for much longer. Oliver has already grown from 250K gallons in ’03 to an expected 600K gallons in ’07.
This news report indicates that in order to ramp up to the 600K gallons, Oliver Winery has just purchased 12 new stainless steel tanks creating a total additional capacity of 258,000 gallons. Or, if my math is correct, the tanks will afford an additional 107K cases of production.
The news release indicates that the tanks will be used to produce four main varieties of wine.
I’m not certain, but my guess is that those four varieties will be the aforementioned fine wines and Oliver is going to make a push into national, or at the least, expanded regional distribution.
Congrats to Oliver—a nice drinking companion to the Indianapolis 500 and John Mellencamp—something to make all Hoosiers proud.
Posted in, Free Run: Field Notes From a Wine Life. Permalink | Comments (1) | Print |
March 20 2007
One of the things that has not coalesced in this hyper-age of wine marketing is branding towards Baby Boomers.
I mean, sure, we have every “adventure” label you can think of aimed at just about every demographic segment—everything from “White Lie” to “Red Truck” and a marketer somewhere probably could tell me who “Gnarly Head” appeals to, bonus points if it resonates with Gnarls Barkley music fans. Everybody gets a turn except, it seems, for upper middle-class Baby Boomer’s.
Maybe it’s because wealthy Baby Boomers have a corner on their own slice of the wine market—it’s called the allocated and futures market.
Allocations notwithstanding, I know some of these wealthy white guys are still rocking out to Jimmy Buffet whenever the Margaritaville Parrothead party rolls into town, bumbling the words and doing the standing weave dance whenever “Pencil Thin Mustache” is played.
And, I know some of these guys are pulling out and wearing the Tommy Bahama shirt at the concert.
Tommy Bahama, for the uninitiated, is what can best be called a “lifestyle” brand—a purveyor of the “island lifestyle” as they like to say. They sell everything from Hawaiian shirts to furniture and a lot of things in between. Bob, the accountant, arm chair sport fisherman and grillmaster weekend warrior might be a customer, for example.
So, when I was reading Food & Wine magazine and I saw an ad for Tommy Bahama rum, found at www.tommybahamarum.com it hit me like a ton of bricks … that could be the Baby Boomer marketing angle for wine—what a great idea for a winery to license and/or work with the company that manages the Tommy Bahama brand to produce some vino—I’m thinking a nice summer deck Rosé and white to start, hints of pineapple on the nose, an island paradise in a glass of chardonnay.
So, this is how a blog post originates at Good Grape … I see something that leads to an idea, that idea bounces against another idea, I do some cursory research and then all of sudden it spills out. However, something is wrong with this situation. The underpinning element of this blog post was the fact that surely I would go to godaddy.com to do a URL search and find that http://www.tommybahamawine.com was already registered by the same good folks that are pimping the rum. I could then give a scoop, some omnipotent scoop based on deductive reasoning.
Not the case. The scoop I was going to deliver is, apparently, not to be—there are no plans for a Tommy Bahama wine, at least not as measured by a registered URL name.
In fact, I registered the URL today. Cybersquatter I am not, but, what the heck it’s only $9 bucks.
So, if you’re a winery or a brand-builder and you think this is a good idea and want to approach Tommy Bahama with a proposition AND the URL, send me an email I’ll give you the URL for cost and a bottle of the to-be-made wine.
And, I suppose, the beat still goes on for the lack of Baby Boomer wine marketing … the good news is though that we’re getting closer and closer to chilling the Rosé, and firing up the grill, Tommy Bahama notwithstanding.
Posted in, Free Run: Field Notes From a Wine Life. Permalink | Comments (0) | Print |
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