Archive

So the moves are happening again, I guess to time them just right before we get into all that SOND mess (September-October-November-December). Fosters Wine Group has unofficially begun consolidating its distribution nationwide, and for Kentucky, by migrating all its products underneath the SWS umbrella. Whether that translates to a 6th division, is anyone’s guess right [...]

Jumping backward to Tuesday, our favorite protégé and SWS/Starz rep Jesse came by with our good friend and her boss, Jimmy T., to refresh our memories on Blackstone wines: Blackstone Pinot Grigio California 2008. Grade=Outstanding. In a push to make PG a bit more interesting, Blackstone has blended in Sauvignon Blanc, French Colombard, Semillon and [...]

Our good friend and RNDC/Cumberland rep Jen came by with a fairly wild special guest, Heidi from Row Eleven wines. We tried four of their wines, and I was in for a bit of a hard sell: Civello White California 2007. Grade=Outstanding. This was an interesting blend of Verdelho, Chardonnay, Gewurtztraminer and Pinot Gris that [...]

Wrapping up my notes from Tramonte & Sons’ Portfolio tasting this past Monday, O.C. and I revisited the Clif Family wines, the same folks who bring to the masses the incredible Clif Bars and Luna Bars. The Clif Family “The Climber” White 2008 (Grade=Outstanding) and “The Climber” Red 2006 (Grade=Outstanding) impressed me when I first [...]

Wednesday was the usually high-traffic day as usual, with a lot of sales reps show off their wares, and me, put on the perpetual path to an early bedtime again, kicked off with new Vanguard Sales Manager (and one of my favorite people in the world) Audrey, along with Vanguard Brand Manager (and had to [...]

Returning to Tramonte’s “Temple of the Dog” portfolio show – the reason I am dubbing their warehouse this will become evident soon enough – I stopped by Longboard Vineyard’s table, having experienced only their Sauvignon Blanc, I dove in to the rest of the lineup, with their regional sales manager, Tom Clare, leading the way: [...]

So wrapping up last week, as well as leading into this one, I had a few things to get to: My review of Columbia Crest Two Vines Pinot Grigio 2009. My review of Eisch Glassware, samples courtesy of friend Mike Wangbickler from Caveman Wines/Balzac Communications. Reviews of the new stuff we have from Domenico Selections. [...]

Yesterday, the O.C. and I went to Tramonte & Sons’ Portfolio show at their new warehouse in Lebanon, Ohio. A Grand Opening of sorts, the new facility is just a few months old, and ready to take on more brands (Hey Matt, I’ve got a few more tips for ya…). Along with a few favorites, [...]

It is no secret that I’m addicted to coffee. Not caffeine. Mountain Dew and Red Bull just don’t do it for me. But coffee, that glorious, beauteous black sludge, is one of the reasons I get out of bed in the morning. There is nothing like the feeling of walking into Starbucks, when the smell [...]

The weekend was filled with not much more than a malaise that would choke a donkey, aside from receive a new dryer (to replace the recently deceased one), I didn’t accomplish much. Which means tonight will be a furious game of catch-up with all my various web/social media duties, much to my wife’s impending chagrin. [...]