I would like to thank all my friends who recently subscribed to this blog. It dawned on me one day that I had not reached out to my wine group to let them know I had a blog and would be grateful if they would subscribe to it. They (you) responded immediately and signed up. I hope to boost the content and provide you with insights into the wine world and some entertainment as well. I love writing and learning about the intricacies of the wine world and wine in general. It’s an incredibly interesting world that some people devote their life to (I think sommeliers may come to mind). Of course, you may be thinking that I have devoted my life to the subject of wine and to an extent you are right. However, I have started to read a book given to me for Christmas called “Cork Dork”. I’m a chapter into it and now realize that I don’t even come close to the passion and commitment many people have for the subject of wine and the world that surrounds it. It’s both inspiring and humbling.
One of my suppliers has invited me on a trip to Spain and Portugal hosted by some of the wineries they represent. It’s a few months away, but I am very excited to visit that part of the world once again and explore the vineyards and wineries we will be visiting. I will have a camcorder in hand to record a few YouTube episodes while I’m there. It has also inspired me to write a few articles about this area of the world prior to the trip. I think most of you appreciate the wines of Spain (we just had a tasting with Basi via Zoom that was amazing) but I think many of the wines of Portugal are a mystery to a lot of us. Some of the best wine values in the world come from these two countries. I will embark first on a few articles featuring Portugual and then move on to Spain. By the time I take the trip, I should be more enlightened myself about these great wine-producing countries.
I can still remember back when my good friend Ted Seifert left his sales job at Unique Wines to open a wine shop in Bellingham called Seifert & Jones. He was one of my main mentors in the early years of my career. We became close friends and remain such. When he told me he was leaving to start his own wine shop, I was both happy and sad. I always looked forward to his visits to the store and we had a lot of good times together. He is doing very well with his business and we stay in touch, In my world, it is always difficult when you lose a competent sales rep. The real good ones are few and far between.
Well, it’s happening to me again. Many of you know Amy Pickering. She has been a part of four of my Zoom tastings in the past year. Her last one featured Marty Clubb, managing winemaker for L’Ecole Winery (he is also the owner). She has been a close friend and an outstanding sales rep. for Elliott Bay Dist. Like Ted, she not only sells wine, she knows a lot about the subject and the wines she represents (this is her last month on the job). Again, I’m not only losing a good sales rep., I’m losing someone who I look forward to seeing when she stops by my department. She is moving on to something different and I am happy for her but sad at the same time. I wish only the best for her.
To be fair, I have a good crew of sales reps that call on me. A shout out to Ben, Stacia, Lauren, Max, Josh, Danny, Daniel, Matthew, Chris and last but not least, Crystal. Crystal is leaving her position at Cru Selections and is moving over to Elliott Bay Dist. I have no doubt that Crystal will do a great job stepping into Amy’s shoes. The beat goes on.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
