Chateau des Capitans Julienas, Beaujolais, France.
December 8, 2011
Grape
100% Gamay
Facts
- The Chateau des Capitans Julienas is made by the Beaujolais-pimp himself, Georges Duboeuf. He’s in his late-70’s now, but still heads the company. Must be all that wine he drinks!
- It’s estimated that around 1/3 of the entire harvest of the Beaujolais region is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau.
- Duboeuf produces over 2.5 million cases of wine annually.
- There are only 37,000 hectares (142 sq miles) of Gamay in the world. 23,000 hectares (88 sq miles) are in Beaujolais.
- Grape harvest in the Beaujolais region must be completed by hand i.e. no mechanical harvesting. Along with the Champagne region, these are the only regions where hand harvesting is mandatory. I don’t know why this is a rule. It just is. The French are weird like that.
Chateau Nazareth Est. 26AD
December 8, 2011
The Value of a Facebook “Like”.
December 8, 2011
I haven’t written a social media post for a while. I recognize that this is basically a wine website, but I like to throw in the occasional social media article, as it’s a topic that interests me greatly. Also, according to my stats, Facebook is my #3 generator of traffic, (right after organic Google searches, and direct traffic). So there’s a very good chance that if you’re reading this, you found me through one of my social media channels.
The title of this article has been in my head for quite some time (at least a year). I’ve seen a bunch of different reports all throwing around $ values on what (according to their research), a Facebook “like” has, and I felt it was time to respond. Now, when I say “like”, I’m assuming that the person is already a Page fan. The “like” is coming from your posted content, after they’ve already signed up to your Page.
I put forward this opinion. There is absolutely no possible way any company can ever assign a $ value to a Facebook “like”. Any attempt to do so is completely misguided, and most likely just a half-arsed attempt at proving that social media has ROI. Social media has ROI. That should never-ever be disputed. Is it easily monitored? Not really. Just because a Facebook Page has 10,000 fans doesn’t mean a single-damn-thing!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t for one second mean to insist that a “Facebook like” has no value. There’s TONS of value for a like:
– potential for increased traffic.
– a sure sign of an engaged audience.
– a way for you to increase your followers, via the “like” showing in their newsfeed.
– a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, knowing that people approve of your content.
What I find is that as I take a deeper look inside my analytics, I actually see more website traffic on the lengthier articles / reviews, but the least amount of Facebook likes.
If I post a short quote, or a funny photo on Facebook directly, I’ll generate a bunch of likes, but obviously not much traffic. Where’s the value there?
How can this be? Well, I summize that most likes are lazy. Again, not to downplay their value, but I think it’s very easy to like a post and then go on reading other content. I personally put more value in people clicking into my links posted on Facebook, being directed to the website, and actually reading the content. After reading the full post, what are the chances they’re going to go back and like it? Probably pretty low.
This rather than just “liking” it, most probably based on the title and/or photo, without even reading it fully.
To try and put a $ value on having a visible social media presence is completely construing the whole idea of what’s it’s meant to be: a method to CONNECT WITH and ENGAGE your audience. It’s like saying: “…what is the value of opening the door for your wife / girlfriend when you go out to a restaurant?” Monetarily, there is no value. None at all. However; it does contribute toward the overall worth of your own “personal brand”, and THAT is the purpose of social media.
Posted in News | Tagged Facebook, Facebook Like Button, Social Media, Social Media for Wineries | Leave a comment //The Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines of 2011
December 7, 2011Wine Enthusiast Top Wines of 2011.
Posted in News | Tagged Top 100 Wines, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator | Leave a comment //Understanding Moscato.
December 7, 2011
What is Moscato?
Moscato is a sweet dessert-style white wine, typically lower in alcohol, and usually lightly sparkling. It’s a taste that Millennials seem to be digging big-style (but we’ll get to that in a minute)!
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (to give Moscato its full name) is part of the Muscat family of grapes. There are a bunch of different types of Muscat, with varying tastes, and hues of color. It can be found growing all over the world, and is used to make everything from super-sweet fortified wines in Australia, right the way through to raisins.
What’s the difference between Moscato and Muscat?
In the same way Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris, and Syrah / Shiraz see a change of name based on where they’re grown, Muscat is traditionally called Moscato in Italy. There will, of course, be some variations in taste depending on where/how in the wine is made.
Italian Moscato is traditionally made into a frizzante style. The pressure in a bottle of Champagne is about 5-6 atmospheres, or about twice the pressure found in a care tire. Moscato contains usually between 1-2.5 atmospheres.
If you see wine labeled as Muscat, it usually isn’t sparkling, is sweeter in style than Moscato, and occasionally fortified.
How long has Moscato/Muscat been around?
Forever! No seriously. Forever! Muscat is thought to be the oldest grape varietal on the planet!
So what’s all the recent fuss surrounding Moscato?
I have no idea. This recent surge in the popularity of Moscato came recently from a random source. Rappers!
I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m looking for wine advice, I look to Lil’ Kim for inspiration:
”Still over in Brazil/Sipping Moscato/You must have forgot though/So Ima take it back to the block, yo!”
or occasionally Trey Songz:
"Its a celebration/ clap clap bravo/ lobster and shrimp and a glass of Moscato”
So it undoubtedly seems that rappers have shifted their focus from Champagne, and moved on to Moscato, and have taken a large number of their followers with them. To give you an idea of how many followers, Gallo alone saw 2010 Moscato sales increase by 124% last year!
Posted in News | Tagged Calories in Moscato, Gallo, Health, Moscato, Moscato d'Asti, Muscat, Piedmont, Sommelier | Leave a comment //Vina Robles Cabernet “Huerhuero Vineyard”, Paso Robles, California, 2008.
December 6, 2011
Grape
80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot.
Facts
- It’s quite unusual that such a high % of Petit Verdot (by itself) is added to a Cab, even though it is one of the “Bordeaux grapes”.
- Petite Verdot is thought to even pre-date Cabernet in Bordeaux. The grape bears juice which is rich in color, high in tannins, spicy, and when young is said to give an aroma of bananas.
- The 2008 vintage of the Vina Robles Cabernet received 5 out of 5 stars from “limey” publication Decanter, receiving an award for “Best US Red Bordeaux Varietal Over £10”.
- Founder Hans Nef is one of those guys that makes you feel like you’ve wasted your life. He’s an entrepreneur, engineer, developer, and a restaurateur….oh, but his main passion is wine! Because everyone needs a hobby…you know!
- Hans grew up in a small rural village outside of Zurich, Switzerland, where he developed an early appreciation for agriculture. In college he studied engineering, and eventually went on to found his own civil engineering consultancy firm. After collecting wine for many years, he ventured into wine importation. His dream of owning his own winery became a reality in ‘96, when he purchased land in Paso Robles, which he would turn into the Vina Robles estate.
- Check out the extremely well-put-together Vina Robles website.
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