BITS & BOBS…

Posted on January 1, 2018 by Stan The Wine Man

Well guys, it’s 2018…Happy New Year! One thing I’ve decided is that I will make no New Years resolutions. Why you ask? Well, I read that most fudge on their resolutions after thirty days. With those averages, I think it is a waste of time. What I will do however is set some goals that I hope I can achieve.

#1) Shoot a You Tube episode and publish it every Tuesday.
I think by reducing the amount of episodes I will get more views, and I will attract more followers. I know there’s a school of thought out there that if you put out content everyday, you will succeed quicker than others. I can see the logic in that, but until I can be consistent, I will be happy with once a week. I watch a writer that does a You Tube episode once a week and she has a freakish amount of followers. Granted, she is a lot better looking than I am, but I think that her approach is worthy of imitation. The proof will be in the pudding as they say.

#2) Keep up with my blogging.
I have been somewhat consistent with this, but there is a ton of room for improvement. I have two blogs, one here and one on the Seattle P.I., called the “Blue Collar Wine Guy”. My goal is to put content out on each blog every week. The Blue Collar Wine Guy gets neglected the most and I hope to improve on that one since it gets a lot more traffic than this one. They have some pretty powerful SEO tools that help get traffic to my site. That being said, I am also making it a goal to work on my own site here and beef up the traffic.

#3) Finish my book entitled…”Wine Scribbles…Thoughts from a Blue Collar Wine Steward.”
This has been a ongoing project that needs some serious attention in 2018. I would certainly like to resolve to finish it, but putting it as a goal eases the pressure. You can’t write under pressure. You have to write because you enjoy it, no matter how hard it can be at times. I think I can finish the book and start the process of getting it published. It has come a long way since I started, and it is time to finish.

#4) Start running again.
I love to run, and because my running clothes mysteriously disappeared (I had well over $1,000 worth of gear) I have had trouble getting motivated. When the weather warms up a bit, my goal is to get started once again. I have been thinking about it everyday, and I miss the therapy that comes with running five miles in the morning and meditating on the things ahead. Once again this is not a resolution, simply a goal. A goal worthy of achieving.

So, there are a few of my goals for 2018. I will give a report mid-year on how I am doing. I feel that by making them public, I enhance my chances of reaching them.

South Africa is three and a half months away. I am so excited to go and explore a land with my Susie that neither of us have been to before. We are getting very excited as we map out our itinerary. Dubai will be quick but exciting. We are hoping to catch a ride out to the desert and watch belly dancers while having dinner (yes, they have such an excursion). So much to do in a short amount of time.

The Washington Huskies made it a game in the Fiesta Bowl. They had a chance to win it, and I am satisfied with that. I really look forward to next year. The Seahawks however, were a major disappointment this year. There needs to be a shake up of some sorts, and I hope that we will see some improvement in the offensive line and the coaching staff next season. My New Years wish is for Darrell Bevells to disappear from the sidelines. Can you imagine what Russ could do with an offensive coordinator that understood his skill set?

I am really looking forward to 2018, and I hope the best for all of you.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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2017 WINERY OF THE YEAR… KERLOO CELLARS

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Stan The Wine Man

If I’ve ever had an ‘aha’ moment it was this year in October. Donald from Noble Wines (a Seattle based wine distributor) swung by my office to taste me on a couple of Washington wines he recently tried himself. Kerloo Cellars was the name of the winery, and the first wine I tried was called No Joke. This is a wine that is primarily Malbec (71%) with (29%) Cabernet Sauvignon from Stone Tree Vineyard located in the Wahluke Slope AVA. I have to tell you that I was stunned at the quality of this wine and was equally impressed with the Walla Walla Syrah. How could I have not known about this winery? It is true that things can slip by all of us, but to not have experienced these wines until now almost seemed sacrilegious.

Now I had to do my research. How could this winery slip pass my radar? Founded ten years ago (2007) by Ryan Crane (Kerloo is the call of the crane). Ryan got the wine bug while waiting tables in a restaurant. He had a stint as a wine salesperson for a distributor before picking up and moving to Walla Walla in 2005, where he pursued an AAAS in enology and viticulture. Before starting Kerloo, he had volunteered at Animale Winery and worked with Marie-Eve Gilla at Forgeron Cellars. He became assistant wine maker at Va Piano Winery, and it is there that he started Kerloo Cellars. He has developed into a wine maker of distinction and in 2013 was one of the wine makers featured by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Sean Sullivan who wrote that article called Ryan Crane one of the wine makers who are altering the landscape of northwestern wine. In that same year, Seattle Magazine in their Washington Wine Awards gave Kerloo Cellars the distinction as Emerging Winery. Now, in 2017 I have tried the wines and understand the fuss.

I found the wines to be vibrant and distinct. The 2014 Walla Walla Syrah had everything I look for in a Washington Syrah. Aromas of blueberries, blackberries, tar and tobacco. It has nice weight in the mouth without being overpowering. Boysenberry notes backed by fresh acidity. Smoke notes came through on the mid-palate leading into a raspberry, blueberry, bacon fat finish. This Syrah has excellent structure and balance (A-) The Malbec based 2015 No Joke red (71% Malbec, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon) was also rich and structured. Aromas of licorice. alfalfa, red flowers, red berries and bittersweet chocolate. Nice intensity and balance on the palate with notes of blueberries and blackberries on a bed of chocolate with a kiss of white pepper on the back end. Serious structure yet smooth with hits of violets on the mid-palate. Tannins have a little grip on the leather like finish. (A-)

Ryan Crane was quoted as saying… “Every single lot (vineyard site) tells a different story.” That is music to my ears and he certainly reflects his philosophy in the wines he creates. I am really looking forward to meeting Ryan, and I hope to interview him and share his thoughts with you. For now, as 2017 comes to a close, I wanted to let all of you know which winery stood out to me this year.

The price on the wines does not reflect the quality of what you are getting. Yes, they are in the 30-50 dollar range, but if they were from California they would be closer to $100. Thankfully they are not, and we can enjoy these fantastic wines without totally breaking the budget. I hope you get a chance to try them.

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man aka The Blue Collar Wine Guy

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BITS & BOBS…

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Stan The Wine Man

In my line of work, I have a group of what we refer to as sales reps who call on me with wine in hand. Their goal of course is to sample me on something that I will like, which translates into sales for them. The most motivated of this group are the commissioned base. Every bottle or case they sale, adds to their paycheck’s bottom line. There are many different approaches that each rep takes to achieve their goal. Some are straight-forward and admit that the wine they are bringing to me is something the company is trying to push; what they call a “focus” item. Others, just go about their business of tasting me on the wines and acting as if it is no sweat off their backs if I don’t like it. By not being pushy or blunt, they feel that perhaps they can kill me with kindness and I will buy from them for this very reason. It’s all very intriguing and I find it fascinating to try to figure out each sales rep’s approach and purpose. The bottom line is that I know they want to make a living, therefore I give them my utmost attention while I’m sampling the wines. The question that often comes up in my mind, is why? Why are they now bringing me a bag full of white wine samples in the dead of December?

It’s true. For whatever reason unbeknown to me, they come with the greatest enthusiasm trying to pedal a Sauvignon Blanc when it is barely forty degrees outside. Am I missing something here? Please let me in on the secret as I don’t want to feel foolish. Of course I understand presenting bubbles during the holidays, but not a Muscadet for Christ’s sake. Occasionally one will stand out, and I know that I need to have a few whites around for holiday parties and the like. However, I most likely have a few whites in mind that are already well received by my customers. These are the wines that I go to for such purposes, not something new and obscure. Remember the “focus” wine program? Many distributors over-bought during the summer months and now transfer their overstock burden on the poor sales rep, who now has to try their best to get some poor sap to buy a bunch. Please stop wasting your time, and bring me a fantastic red that is a good value and I will send your paycheck into the next stratosphere.

This is a nice segue into my “pick of the month”. I feature one wine each month in the front of my department at Kings Market. It has become quite a popular attraction over the last couple of years as my good customers eagerly wait to see what I will feature next. My goal is simple; find a wine that I believe over-delivers for the money, and will be liked by at least 80% of the customers who try it. Now, here comes the segue. What are the chances I will choose a white wine for that pick during the fall and winter months? Slim to none at best. We will sell anywhere from ten to twenty cases or more of a wine that I select as the “pick of the month”. If you were a sales rep, wouldn’t you at least want a crack at that spot? I know I would. Yet, here I find myself each winter month faced with a plethora of white wine samples to try. You would not believe how many times I have reminded them that they just need to bring me a friggin’ hot little red. How hard can this be to figure out? Evidently I am asking for the moon, because nine times out of ten, the sales rep brings me nothing that would even remotely be considered for the “Pick”. Granted, I have a very good crew of sales reps who call on me. But, out of that bunch, there are only a couple who seem to understand the value of that spot and give their best effort to find me a wine to feature. One in particular is quite diligent in this regard, and as a result has had one of their wines featured many times over the past year. Now if I could get the rest to jump on board, I would be a happy man with a bunch of happy customers.

I have been scouring my notebook, searching for my top forty wines under twenty bucks. I have to say that I have been incredibly stingy with my grading this year. I only found one with a straight up A grade, and only six with an A- grade. That’s crazy! I usually have twice that amount to choose from. Fortunately there were a boatload with a grade of B+/A-. This is good of course, but I still had to dip into the B+ range to fill out my list. Granted, a B+ grade for a wine under twenty bucks is excellent. It still surprised me as I find myself getting a little more particular as I grow older. Lists are fun to do, but hardly definitive. We all know how subjective wine is and certainly experience helps. I judge wines based on balance, structure and typicity. Does the wine hold true to where it comes from. If it doesn’t, is it so well made that one can over-look that. You certainly don’t want a Barolo that is built like a Zinfandel. Just saying. I am feverishly working on the list and should have it out soon.

Cheers!
Stan

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BITS & BOBS…

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Stan The Wine Man

We had a great tasting event with Marty Clubb, owner of and wine maker at L’Ecole Winery in Walla Walla Washington. Every time we do one of these, the group says it’s the best one yet. It’s nice to know that we have that kind of talent coming to our island to share their knowledge and wine. Marty even mentioned that this was one of the biggest groups he has presented to. Funny, he had to travel across the state, take a ferry to our small but bustling island to find the biggest group. Just goes to show the caliber of our local wine enthusiasts. Marty is encyclopedic when it comes to wine and the Washington wine scene. He was a pleasure to listen to and I would love to have him back in the future. Marty and I shot a You Tube episode together and I will be putting that out on Tuesday. I interviewed him and we shared a bottle of an amazing Chateaunuef-du-Pape from the 2000 vintage. Check it out.

Speaking of my You Tube channel; I am going to crank it up a bit as I feature wines for Christmas. I finished shooting an episode featuring Petite Sirah which should go up Friday. After it will be one featuring Amarone, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, then… Yet to be determined. As I mentioned in the past, I love the wines that come out during Christmas. Many people love to go big during this holiday meal or to share with friends and family. It is one of my favorite times in the wine department as I guide folks to their choices. What makes it so much fun, is I know most of the people this time of year. I love selling wine during the summer months, don’t get me wrong, but it is to many I don’t know, who may never come back to share their wine experience. It makes me feel good when a customer comes back to the store to share with me how they liked (hopefully) the wine I recommended. It also gives me a bead on their palate, especially if they were not to keen on my guidance. This is very helpful and I of course, try to make it up to them.

The key to being a good wine steward, is paying attention to each customers preferences. I make it a priority to try to understand each customer’s palate. It’s not easy of course, but if I pay attention to what they are telling me (which I do), I can hone in on specifics that will help nail down the wine they will enjoy. In the book I am writing, I have a chapter on the five questions I ask each customer before I point them to a wine. Two of the most important of these questions is; what have they liked in the past, and how much do they want to spend? They will say up to forty bucks, and I will show them a twenty-five dollar bottle that rocks. It always amazes me how many will grab two bottles of that wine because it is so much less. Now, they have spent fifty dollars instead of forty. That was not my goal of course, but it happens a lot. It is because I was listening to them carefully and asking questions that they felt comfortable about my direction. I am always careful not to go to a favorite of mine, unless I am sure it fits their palate preferences. I am hoping to finish the book in 2018. Stay tuned. Any encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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