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Subject: Family Winemakers Tastings
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:06:27 -0700
Message-ID: <2E76686B73B0C3449CB3505B6926F55D4AD795@am-srv.hq.andersonmiddleton.com>
Thread-Topic: Family Winemakers Tastings
Thread-Index: Acmo7aqvupT3k2AIT8WssJiGY3ifOg==
From: "David Hance" <david.hance@vintagenewworld.com>
To: "Marc Carson" <marcc@friendlyskies.net>

Clayhouse participated in the Family Winemakers of California tastings
in Southern California this year. We originally signed up for table
space because our San Diego Sales Manager, Mark Plasch, was eager to
have us in the tastings. Mark left VNW for another job before the
tasting dates, and we decided to go ahead and participate anyway. Partly
because we had already spent several hundred dollars on table fees per
tasting, and partly because we are still seeking account direct sales
and a wholesale distributor in Southern California.

Kari Kittinger poured Clayhouse wines at the new San Diego tasting at
the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Sunday, March 15. This was a long day, with
trade and media only for a couple of hours, followed by a three hour
public tasting.=20

Generally speaking, wine tastings run about three hours. So we
winery-pourer types get used to standing behind a table pouring and
talking for three hour shifts. I'm thrilled when I get that rare two
hour tasting ... those tastings are over in a flash!=20

Four hours starts to drag a bit. Five hours, and the occasional six
hours ... those are the events from hell. It is guaranteed that by the
final hour or so you will have only those who've already imbibed
inordinately trying to get you to pour some more. Kudos to Kari for
pulling the long shift (or short straw?) without complaint.=20

Family Winemakers of California was founded in 1991 as sort of a
rebellion against the California Wine Institute. But it added
promotional tastings to its agenda, something Wine Institute doesn't
offer. There were 220 some-odd wineries at the San Diego tasting.

The Pasadena tasting had more than 260 wineries. And it was for trade
and media only (which means trade, really ... why would media come to
such a cattle call?). Tuesday, March 17, at the Pasadena Convention
Center. DAH and his lovely wife, Christine, pouring for the broad range
of wine trade in attendance.

Who goes to these tastings? The trade tastings are free to "qualified
members of the wine trade." That means you could be pouring tastes for
the clerk at the local 7-11 (yes, it does sell wine) or for the wine
buyer for Trader Joes' (yes, all the stores, and, yes, he was there and
did taste Clayhouse).=20

We pour tastes for waiters and restaurant owners, distributor sales reps
and managers, major wine buyers and indy wine shop owners, sales reps
for other wineries, and the occasional winemaker. They're long days, but
they're interesting days, as you see who's interested in which wines.=20

DAH is David Anthony Hance at www.VintageNewWorld.com and
www.DAHplaytime.com