I’m not a techie by any stretch of the imagination, so it amazes me when I get tech related projects accomplished with some sort of regularity and success. Have you ever heard the saying; a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while? I am proof of that! I am slowly catching on to my Videopad program, an editing tool for my You Tube videos. There is a ton of room for improvement, but at least I am able to make my videos somewhat enjoyable to watch.
Speaking of watching videos, I am starting to get some traction on You Tube. I want to thank all you for your support. Hopefully you are enjoying them, learning a little about the wine world and finding some great wines. Right now, I am trying to figure out how to get a larger audience. A You Tuber recently commented on one of my episodes and said that he subscribed to my channel. As a fellow wine Tuber, he said that it is important to support others doing the same thing. I agreed with that and returned the favor. I’ve watched a few of his You Tube episodes and found them to be, let’s say, unusual. Although I wouldn’t fancy myself an entertainer, this guy makes me look like a second-hand Jimmy Kimmel. Here is the catch. He garners several views of his episodes some even reaching into the hundreds, something I’ve only accomplished a few times. His episodes are shorter for sure, which is something I am working on with measured success. However, I have trouble believing that just because they are under ten minutes, that is the key to his success. One of my sales reps suggested that perhaps I make one of my two episodes I put out each week a brief review of one or two wines. I am going to test the waters on this thought starting this week. I realize that the attention span in our modern age of high-tech, is quite short. With the plethora of information that floods our world, people don’t take the time to watch something longer than fifteen minutes or less. There is just too much out there that is demanding our attention. Get ready for some shorter videos in the future.
I often donate my services as a wine professional to certain non-profit organizations and they auction me off at their events. Recently, I conducted a private wine tasting for one of the auction winners from last summer. It is something that I really enjoy doing and the group had a great time as I guided them through a single blind tasting. What is a single blind tasting you ask? I line up six wines and pour each one for them. They can see what they are drinking as I guide them through each wine. We talk about the need to look at the wines color, take time to smell the wine and what to look for as they taste each one. I encourage them to take brief notes on key elements of each wine, whether it’s a certain aroma or flavor that stands out. After they taste each wine and take notes, I again serve up the wines in a blind format but in a different order. It’s always fun to watch as each individual goes into this with the greatest confidence. By the sixth wine, their once firm confidence is rattled as they question their choices. I was quite impressed when the hostess of the event got four out of six correct. That is amazing really, since blind tasting of any kind is difficult at best. Two got three out of six correct, which is also impressive. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a good time. Needless to say, the wines were stellar.
One of the stand outs of that evening was the Flying B Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a second label Cab from Drew Bledsoe who also produces a much acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon called Doubleback. The Flying B is half the price of Doubleback, and I feel it is a bargain for what you get. Very balanced and structured, with nice integration of fruit, tannins and oak. This was the first time I have had the chance to taste this wine. Although I also poured one of my favorite Merlot from Charles Smith’s Wines of Substance line, the Flying B stole my heart and palate. At least for the evening. The cool part, this Cab will age nicely over the next 10-15 years. At sixty bucks a bottle, that is a worthwhile investment. I know I will tuck a couple away in my cellar.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
