The big snow hit again this year. February seems to be the target month for the worst weather. Nice thing is, this storm is not sticking around for long. It’s raining as I write and by the end of the day, things should be a lot better. I’m not a snow guy myself. It’s pretty when it does snow, but it is as inconvenient as you can get. It’s messy as hell and I have a sales rep that will use any excuse to stay home. She already texted me last evening to inform me she won’t be over to write her order (which is huge) due to the snow. I know how she is, so I won’t even try to convince her that the roads are clear here and that there is no problem driving. So, I will have to write her order which is a huge task. The cool part is, I will have the opportunity to write a much better order, so there is a positive spin to the situation. 🙂
Speaking of ordering, I choose a wine each month as “Pick Of The Month. It has a home in the front of aisle 11. This month it’s the Mont Gravet Carignan and it’s only eight bucks. However, it delivers a lot for that price. A perfect combo for my pick. The funniest question I get asked almost every month by someone is… “Is it any good?” I am of course referring to my “Pick Of The Month.” Think about that for a moment. I taste dozens of wines each month, and out of all those wines, I find one that I feel should take that spot on the aisle. It meets the criteria of being a great qpr (quality-to-price-ratio) wine. My formula for making this pick is determining if it is an 80% wine. What that means is, I feel that 80% of the people who purchase it will like it. So, to address the question, is it any good? Of course it is! I just look at the person and politely say… “Well, it is my pick for the month.” They smile at me and grab one to buy. Many times, they come back for more.
One of the coolest things happened to me recently. A designer from Los Angeles watches my YouTube channel on a regular basis. He reached out to me via email and offered to design a shirt that I can wear on the channel with the logo “Stan The Wine Man” as well as an intro to my videos. I was quite flattered and I will take him up on his offer. It makes me feel good to know that there are people out there who follow me that are not locals. I get a tremendous amount of support from my friends which I appreciate deeply. To have a complete stranger from another state reach out is amazing to me. He mentioned he appreciates my episodes and has learned about some new wines by watching. I also get quite a few comments from Canada as well. It’s nice to know I am providing content that people like, which motivates me to continue with greater vigor. Sometimes when I’m talking to a camcorder in my studio reviewing wines, it seems as if nobody is there or even cares about what I’m doing. It’s awesome to get confirmation that it is worth the effort.
Susie and I are planning our first trip for 2021. We both feel that by October things should be closer to normal. This Covid outbreak has really put a crimp on traveling abroad. We both agree that wearing masks in the airport and on the plane is something we don’t want to do. I am really looking forward to the day when I can see all my friends faces without a piece of cloth on it. I’m reasonably sure there will still be folks out there who will continue to wear them even when the mask mandate is lifted. That group will not include my wife and I! There is a silver lining behind all of this and I see it starting to come out even now. It’s always good to be positive, negativity just brings a person down.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
