Wines of the World Event – Jacksonville Public Library
September 26, 2012
What
Sponsored by Riverside Liquors and Village Wine Shop, Wines of the World will feature over 40 wines from the world’s most popular wine regions including South America, Australia, France, Italy, Spain and the United States. Heavy Hors d’oeuvres, provided by the best local restaurants and caterers, will be paired with each region for a truly global tasting experience. The event will also include a silent auction featuring fantastic getaways and extraordinary experiences.
Cost: VIP Tickets $100, General Admission $50 At the Door VIP Tickets $125, At the Door General Admission $75.
For information or to avoid the online convenience fees, call (904) 346-3941 or send an email to WOW@globaljax.org. Web site: http://globaljaxwinesoftheworld.eventbrite.com.
Where
The Rooftop Terrace at the Jacksonville Public Library Main Branch, 303 N Laura St.; (904) 346-3941)
When
Friday September 28th, Wine tasting with VIP Hour 6-7 pm. General Admission 7-9 pm.
Posted in Events | Tagged Wines of the World, Wines of the world event | Leave a comment //Are Memes the Future of Wine Marketing?
September 25, 2012
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of a meme is: “a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.”
Got that? No, me neither!
My rather more un-academic definition is: “…a funny image, most-often seen on social networking sites, which is usually accompanied by a short witty, sarcastic and/or sometimes motivating tagline.”
Just to REALLY hammer it home, here’s the Urban Dictionary definition of a meme: “…used to give a bit of pseudo-academic gravitas to stupid viral sh*t.”
Got it now? Good, I thought so!
Memes have no doubt been around for a long time, but it’s only since the advent of social media that their usage has really exploded. There are now dedicated websites (such as memegenerator.net and quickmeme.com) which allow you to upload one of your images, or use one of theirs, to create your own memes. There are even downloadable smart phone apps (I personally use the one by MemeGenerator) dedicated to the cause of meme creation. Love them or hate them, memes are here to stay, so you better get used to it!
With the intro out of the way, the question is: Can companies (specifically wineries, since that’s my chosen field), use memes for more than “a quick-and-easy share” on Facebook (such as is widely seen with the plethora of Someecards posts) and something with a little more “substance,” in hopes that it will further reinforce their brand identity in a positive way?
NB: Placed throughout this article are all memes which I’ve created from scratch and have in-turn have been shared through various SM channels (mainly Facebook) by other companies/brands. These are only the ones that I’ve caught. Also, it’s worth noting that not a single one of these images was the result of a share of one of my Facebook posts. They were all uploaded directly from my website.
Inkblot by Michael David Winery, Cabernet Franc, Lodi, California.
September 24, 2012
Grapes
Mainly Cabernet Franc, with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah blended in.
Facts
- Have you ever been head-butted in the face by a wine? No? Pour yourself a glass of the Inkblot and you will be!
The name should give you a not-so-subtle clue as to what the Michael~David winery are trying to achieve with this juice! With that said, Michael~David aren’t exactly known for their subtle style of winemaking anyway. The aim of the game here is to make a wine that is so dark and purple that you could stick an old-fashioned quill in it and sign your name….should you want to…
- Michael David have actually been making their Inkblot line of wines since 2005, but it’s only recently that they’ve made them readily available to the public, albeit in limited quantities. 300-400 cases was the original level of production the Inkblot was set at and was allocated only to members of its wine club. Production has now been upped to 2,500 cases and for the first time is available in markets outside of California.
- Only vines that are 25 years and older are used for the Inkblot. If you know anything about grapes you’ll know that the older the vines, the smaller the berries and therefore the higher the skin to juice ratio. This means a higher level of potential flavor and color extraction, and even though Cab Franc isn’t usually associated with wines of ultra-concentrated wines, that is exactly what we have here!
- Michael and David Phillips are the gents behind the Michael David winery. As is the story with a great number of Lodi winemakers, farming has been in their blood for many generations, but it wasn’t always about the grapes. In the 1860’s, the majority of acreage on the Phillips’ farm was devoted to growing vegetables.
- The story goes that during Prohibition (the illegal sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol from 1920-1933), the Phillips family planted and maintained a sizeable amount of wine grape vineyard acreage. Why would they do such a thing if winemaking was illegal? Well; whereas most of the wineries in California just called it quits, even though winemaking wasn’t allowed, what they could do (and what the Philips family did do) was sell their grapes along with written instructions on “how not to have these grapes turn into wine.” Genius!
This Should be an Option on EVERY Computer!
September 24, 2012
Don’t Eat This! Drink This Instead! – Fast Food and Wine Infographic
September 22, 2012This was a fun infographic to make! :)
M. Chapoutier Wine Name Stolen by Chinese Clothing Manufacturer.
September 22, 2012
Michel Chapoutier of Maison Chapoutier has vowed to fight Chinese forgers who have launched a brand of clothing using his name.
This isn’t the first time Chapoutier has fallen victim to counterfeiters. His wine has been faked before, but this is the first time a clothing brand has used his name.
Advertised under the ‘M Chapoutier’ label, the fake was first spotted by Michel’s daughter, Mathilde Chapoutier, who happens to be spending three years studying at a university in Beijing.
Chapoutier has now hired lawyers to find out who is behind the forgery, and what steps can be taken to prevent it. The Maison Chapoutier brand has been registered as a trademark in China for the past 10 years, but the situation is complicated by this forgery being in a different area to wine.
“The way they have written M. Chapoutier on the clothes is very close to the way we have it written on our wine labels,” Chapoutier stated.
Click here for the full article from Decanter.com.
My Thoughts…
What’s next!?!? Chateau Latour leggings!?!? Petrus pajamas!?!?
Posted in Funny, News | Tagged Chapoutier, France, Rhone | Leave a comment //← Older posts Newer posts →
