Eighteen subscribers short of one thousand on my YouTube channel! I’m getting close guys. It seems to have slowed down somewhat recently. Like they say, a watched pot never boils. I just have to be patient and continue to reach out to my friends and acquaintances in the industry. There was a trade tasting at the Brickworks in Friday Harbor last week, put on by Dickerson Distributing. There are lots of wines and spirits to try. I gained about four more subscribers there as I pointed out to many that I had a YouTube channel. I like the content on my channel as I see vast improvement in my presentation. I’m getting a lot of encouragement from my friends as well. I focus on presenting wines and reviewing them honestly and I get stoked when I find good values. I also spend time informing my viewers about details of the varietal and information about the producers and the areas where the wines are made. Of course, there is always room for improvement and I appreciate that. I never want to become static.
I had a great interview with Keith Johnsen, owner of Elevens Imports and Daqopa Brands. This guy is very knowledgeable and has an awesome palate. He is very good at finding gems in the wine world that deliver exceptional quality, yet they are not expensive. In the interview, we tried three of the wines he imports. A Cremant de Bourgogne, a white wine made from the grape Floreal and a Carignan-Caladoc red blend. Until recently, I had never heard of either Floreal or Caladoc. Leave it to Keith to find these wines and bring them to the States. Check out the episode and see my reaction to the wines.
I’m having a lot of fun searching for obscure varietal wines (at least obscure to most in the U.S.) and featuring them on my channel. The Floreal and Caladoc certainly fit it the obscure category. In one of the episodes, I review a Pais from Chile, a Cinsault from South Africa and a red blend from the Douro made with Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinto Roriz. In another, I review three white wines, all made from unique varietals. Hondarrabi Zuri, Inzolia and Ribolla Gialla. I hope you get a chance to check these episodes out. Not only will you learn about some very interesting wines, you may also be inspired to expand your palate horizons. The wine world is fascinating; there is so much to learn and taste. I hope I can help you to be adventurous and try new things. I will continue with the theme of unique wines from obscure varietals for a few more episodes.
My wife Susie and I are planning a trip to Greece in the Fall, focusing on the island of Crete and a ferry ride to the island of Santorini and staying there for a couple of days. It continues to amaze me how great a planner my wife is. She’s been sharing with me daily, details about Crete, the places to stay and sites to see. My job as always is to seek out wineries to visit. Although Greece is famous for Retsina, they produce many other great white wines along with fantastic reds. I am so glad we set our sights on Greece; it will be a great trip. Neither of us has been there, so it will be a new experience we can share together.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
