Hey Friends!
I've been working on the blog for the Napa/Sonoma Chapter of Women For WineSense since January and its keeping me busy along the demands of the full time job and the MBA program. Come check out the action over there for a while. My next post will be on the Wine Buyers Panel discussion that WWS sponsored last week. You should also check out the Women for WineSense National Conference taking place in Napa on
April 30 - May 2, 2010. I'd love to meet up with you there.
Cheers!
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
3.03.2010
11.12.2009
My trip to Spain begins
The view outside my hotel window in Logrono, Spain
Day 1
I was unsuccessful at my attempt to avoid the last minute airport rush, and in the craziness I left my cell phone plugged into the charger in the wall at home. Ok- I can deal with that one. I’ve still got the laptop. I’ll just communicate by email instead.
Once I got to the airport, things went smoothly. The shuttle got us there in plenty of time. We had some breakfast and relaxed. And by we, I mean me and the surly teenager. I took a huge chance and brought my almost 17 year old son along with me. He and I don’t have the best relationship right now but I thought about how I would have really wanted to do something like this when I was his age. He agreed with me, and now, here we are in a hotel room in Spain where he is asleep and I am wide awake at 2 am.
The US portion of the trip – SF to Chicago went smoothly. As usual, the Skymall catalog provided the most amusement. Telekinesis game. You put on this headset and “supposedly” relaxation triggers energy waves that allow you to move this little ball around a miniature obstacle course. Really?? Who buys this stuff?
There was only an hour layover between arriving and the next leg of the flight- Chicago to Madrid. The gate was right next to the one where we landed. How lucky was that? We painlessly segued to Iberia Air for the next jaunt.
Here’s where things get interesting. The Iberia plane was decent, although without a lot of the perks that are becoming standard on some of the newer planes, like your own personal viewing screen or wifi. No problem, I can deal.
The guy in the seat in front of me trying to steal my under seat leg room? No deal. I deliberately chose the two seats together in the side row so I wouldn’t get squished into the middle seat. Airline leg room is one of my pet peeves. Why is it a given that the short person should take the middle seat? Mr. Inconsiderate in the seat in front of me stuffed his carry-on bag underneath his seat instead of the seat in front of him. It took me a few minutes to figure out why my modest sized purse wouldn’t fit in the usual spot underneath the seat. I may not be tall, but my back starts to hurt if I can’t stretch out my legs and end up scrunched up. I’m not giving up my leg room for him, especially on an 8 hour flight. Put your stuff in the overhead bin like everyone else, Bud. (For once there was plenty of room in the bins.) I just kept pushing his stuff with my foot until he got the message. Later on in the flight when he dropped a CD from his briefcase and it landed near me in the aisle, I picked it up and handed it to him while I smiled sweetly to offset the non-negotiable leg room issue.
Someone’s baby cried off and on the whole flight and I had ample opportunity to reflect on the fact that I’m less tolerant of stuff like that than I used to be. I’m trying to remember back when I was that mom with the infant who wouldn’t stop crying or the 3 yr old throwing a tantrum on the plane. I’m trying to be sympathetic, but my baby turns 17 next week. (Holy shit. How did that happen?)
Let me tell you about the stewardesses. They were nice enough and chicly dressed I might add. None of them were rude, but they also didn’t do anything that you usually expect stewardesses to do. They did the seatbelt, oxygen mask, cushion as a flotation device routine. They served dinner and that was it. Period. They even missed picking up our meal trays. Sam was trying to sleep, I was reading and suddenly I looked up and everyone else’s tray was gone. Had to bus it myself and chase after the stewardess to get rid of the stuff. They spent the remaining 6 hours huddled in the back of the plane while everyone served themselves water or juice from the galley. No one bitched at you for getting up when the seatbelt sign was lit, no one checked that the seat back was upright in preparation for landing. De nada. Apparently, breakfast was “self serve.” If you wanted it you were supposed to go back and get the cigarette carton shaped box of sweet rolls from the galley yourself. By the time I figured it out we were landing. There was also no beer or wine on the plane- highly unusual for a European trans-Atlantic flight. I haven’t figured out if this was because some of the Iberia staff was on strike that day or if that’s just the way Iberia rolls. The plane landed safely at the Madrid airport even though my seat wasn’t in the upright position (hmmmm.)
The Madrid airport was stunningly designed, think Gaudi meets Pompidou, and I admired it as we marched up and down escalators and along miles of glass walled corridors between the gates, customs and security and on the tram to the domestic terminal. It was a short commuter flight from there to San Sebastian where we picked up the rental car and more hilarity ensued. Well, mostly the sort of hilarity where you don’t know exactly where you are going, punctuated with “round about” intersections, vague directions from someone who only speaks a bit of English, and the GPS voice telling you “Turn around” “Take the next right” “Go through the round about and take the 3rd exit…” Eventually we found ourselves on the highway and made it to the hotel in Logrono.
To be continued.
10.11.2009
A Photo Essay of Crush: Red Wine
The previous post showed the steps involved in making white wine. This time I'll show the crush process grapes go through to become red wine. While the basic steps are similar, there are a few differences. Depending on scale and the type of wine being made, a winemaker might choose to use either method. In this case the wine being made is a high quality, single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon crushed,fermented and cellared in small batches.
The grapes are dumped a half ton at a time onto the sorting table.
The grapes are spread out evenly and the workers look for any foreign objects, pieces of vine, leaves, or critters (trust me - you don't want to know,) referred to as "MOG" (Materials Other than Grapes), that may have fallen into the gondolas when the grapes were picked.
The grapes ride the conveyor and enter a second hopper for a ride up to the destemming machine. Destemming removes harsh flavors that the stems and leaves can impart to the wine and helps insure a higher quality product. The grapes look juicy and delicious in this shot as they make the ride up to the destemmer at the top.
The destemmer houses a rotating stainless steel drum with holes in it that pulls the individual berries off the stems. The whole berries go into the fermentation tank. The stems collect in a container to be disposed of later. Here's a view of the destemmer from the back end.
The individual berries ready to go into the fermentation tank.
Leftover stems are collected in another bin.
The grapes then go through 4" diameter hose into one of the fermentation tanks.
Here's a photo of the tank barn. These tanks hold 3500 gallons each.
A shot from the top of the catwalk showing the hose heading into the tank.
The grapes sit for 24 to 72 hours in a process called cold soak. This allows the grapes inside the tank to reach the optimum temperature for fermentation and lets the natural yeasts that live on the skins of the grapes begin fermentation. Once the temperature is right, the tank is inoculated with the yeast. The fermentation process takes 7-10 days, but can vary depending on the outside temperature and the strain of yeast the winemaker uses. While the grapes are in the tank, the liquid that forms from fermentation is pumped up and over the solid material formed by the grape skins. Some winemakers do this by hand in open fermentation tanks using paddles or puncheons.
When fermentation is finished, the grapes are pumped back out of the tank and go into the press. This photo shows the presses in use.
The remaining grape skins are removed and discarded. Often the skins and stems are composted to be made into soil amendments.
The fermented wine is then put into barrels or back into holding tanks to age depending on the type of wine and the technique the winery uses. Only two years to go and the wine will be finished.
I'm hoping to get more photos of the winemaking process as the season progresses. Check back for additional photo essays in the future. I'll try to intersperse them my pithy (not) commentary on my experiences working in the wine industry.
9.05.2009
Key Elements for Sucessful Winery E-Commerce Strategy
I'm delighted to announce Practical Winery & Vineyard has published my article, "Key elements for successful winery e-commerce strategy" in their September/October 2009 edition. The journal doesn't put much of their content online, so for those who don't subscribe, get a subscription. They publish lots of interesting wine related content. But for the rest of us, you can read my article here.
7.05.2009
Equations, Exams and Excel
I started writing a post about business school a few weeks back, but the post (and the whole blog) got lost in a maelstrom of work drama, the class group project and the final exam that seemed to suck up the entire month of May. The good news is that I passed my class. Some of you who know me might be thinking my stress over not getting a “C” or better in the class is just a bunch of dramatic mental gymnastics. Take it from me, though, college is a lot harder when you get older. Between working full time, family responsibilities and brain cells lost, it is a hell of a lot harder to digest equations and memorize chunks of data at forty-something than when I was twenty-something. On the other hand, the thought of producing 10 pages of research on a subject in APA format, complete with abstract and references seems like no big deal. Unfortunately this semester didn't give me the chance to rock my crazymad paper writing skills. It was all equations, exams and excel.
I now have two semesters under my belt. I estimate I have four more to go if I take two classes each semester. I was trying to go at it a little slower, but my advisor pointed out the error in my thinking. It seems some classes are only offered in the spring or fall, the wine business electives are offered somewhat randomly, and there are three classes which are a prerequisite for a fourth (only offered in the spring). This would mean I’d end up being stuck at some point along the way with nothing to take while waiting for a class I needed to roll around next semester. So, now I’m back to giving the two classes at a time another try. Lesson learned from my first semester- do not, under any circumstances if it can be avoided, take classes two nights in a row. Space them at least one day apart to keep your energy up and spare your sanity.
This past semester was tough even though I only took one class. Following the advice of a more seasoned student, I traded my choices of the required Marketing class, or the elective Wine Sales/Marketing for Financial Statement Analysis. I’m not sure if it was a good idea or not. This is the class where they train you to be your own personal version a Wall Street Master of the Universe. The curtains are pulled away from the inner sanctum of stock analysis. It's your ticket to grab the golden egg of MBAhood.
According to an article in the New York Times, 40% of graduates decide to take jobs in finance and/or consulting doing this kind of work rather than staying in their chosen fields from their undergraduate days. The professor many times mentioned that all of us in the class were now qualified to get a job as a junior analyst. As long as we were willing to work 70 hours a week for 5 or 6 years we’d be set - as brokers, or hedge fund managers, or whatever, and make a bazillion dollars a year. I found it ironic that the professor obviously rejected all of that for the calmer waters of academia. I understand, though. I can’t think of anything I want to do less than financial analysis on that scale. Seriously. Even if I could make a ga-jillion dollars doing it, I never got anywhere close to feeling like I mastered any of it.
All this, combined with the recent collapse of the financial sector, gave me a lot to think about over the sixteen week semester. There were quite a few editorials about the demise of the MBA if you were paying attention. The New York Times and others were almost gleefully reporting on new graduates from the top schools going begging for jobs and there were plenty of comments suggesting that MBA’s in general were responsible for the collapse. The premise of the first article I mentioned is why business schools needed to change and focus less on the financial side of business and more on the actual production of goods and services.
Week after week, I had to work at keeping my perspective straight as I struggled to absorb all the information we were learning in class. People who go into the wine business tend to be romantic. Most of the other Wine Business majors were not interested in doing financial analysis either. We all want to be making, or selling, or drinking, or talking about wine. Financial Statement Analysis was like a soul-sucking demon speaking a foreign language to which I had to pay tribute before I could pass to the next level. I was starting to question my purpose in getting the MBA in the first place.
Luckily, the semester ended and I was able to bid Financial Analysis adeiu. After giving it a lot of thought, where I considered giving up (for a millisecond) I was able to remember why I came to the program.
Post script- It’s taken me a few weeks to get this finished and up on the blog. Due to some family issues, I’m back to considering only taking one class in the fall. I’m looking forward to taking one of the wine business electives, Wine Finance. I’m afraid taking one class at a time will leave me to slog through a lot of less interesting stuff when I’m done with the wine classes and just have the general MBA units to finish.
In case you were wondering, I’m doing the MBA program because I enjoy understanding the big picture of how things work. I want to know why decisions are made. I’m also looking to get a leg up in a career in which I got a late start.
I now have two semesters under my belt. I estimate I have four more to go if I take two classes each semester. I was trying to go at it a little slower, but my advisor pointed out the error in my thinking. It seems some classes are only offered in the spring or fall, the wine business electives are offered somewhat randomly, and there are three classes which are a prerequisite for a fourth (only offered in the spring). This would mean I’d end up being stuck at some point along the way with nothing to take while waiting for a class I needed to roll around next semester. So, now I’m back to giving the two classes at a time another try. Lesson learned from my first semester- do not, under any circumstances if it can be avoided, take classes two nights in a row. Space them at least one day apart to keep your energy up and spare your sanity.
This past semester was tough even though I only took one class. Following the advice of a more seasoned student, I traded my choices of the required Marketing class, or the elective Wine Sales/Marketing for Financial Statement Analysis. I’m not sure if it was a good idea or not. This is the class where they train you to be your own personal version a Wall Street Master of the Universe. The curtains are pulled away from the inner sanctum of stock analysis. It's your ticket to grab the golden egg of MBAhood.
According to an article in the New York Times, 40% of graduates decide to take jobs in finance and/or consulting doing this kind of work rather than staying in their chosen fields from their undergraduate days. The professor many times mentioned that all of us in the class were now qualified to get a job as a junior analyst. As long as we were willing to work 70 hours a week for 5 or 6 years we’d be set - as brokers, or hedge fund managers, or whatever, and make a bazillion dollars a year. I found it ironic that the professor obviously rejected all of that for the calmer waters of academia. I understand, though. I can’t think of anything I want to do less than financial analysis on that scale. Seriously. Even if I could make a ga-jillion dollars doing it, I never got anywhere close to feeling like I mastered any of it.
All this, combined with the recent collapse of the financial sector, gave me a lot to think about over the sixteen week semester. There were quite a few editorials about the demise of the MBA if you were paying attention. The New York Times and others were almost gleefully reporting on new graduates from the top schools going begging for jobs and there were plenty of comments suggesting that MBA’s in general were responsible for the collapse. The premise of the first article I mentioned is why business schools needed to change and focus less on the financial side of business and more on the actual production of goods and services.
Week after week, I had to work at keeping my perspective straight as I struggled to absorb all the information we were learning in class. People who go into the wine business tend to be romantic. Most of the other Wine Business majors were not interested in doing financial analysis either. We all want to be making, or selling, or drinking, or talking about wine. Financial Statement Analysis was like a soul-sucking demon speaking a foreign language to which I had to pay tribute before I could pass to the next level. I was starting to question my purpose in getting the MBA in the first place.
Luckily, the semester ended and I was able to bid Financial Analysis adeiu. After giving it a lot of thought, where I considered giving up (for a millisecond) I was able to remember why I came to the program.
Post script- It’s taken me a few weeks to get this finished and up on the blog. Due to some family issues, I’m back to considering only taking one class in the fall. I’m looking forward to taking one of the wine business electives, Wine Finance. I’m afraid taking one class at a time will leave me to slog through a lot of less interesting stuff when I’m done with the wine classes and just have the general MBA units to finish.
In case you were wondering, I’m doing the MBA program because I enjoy understanding the big picture of how things work. I want to know why decisions are made. I’m also looking to get a leg up in a career in which I got a late start.
3.15.2009
How to return a bad bottle of wine
Part of my job includes answering the customer service calls and emails at the winery where I work. We get the occasional call/email from consumers who feel there is a problem with their wine purchase. It seems that lately I've gotten more of these than usual and I don't think there is anything wrong with the wine.
My theory is since the economy is in the crapper, people are more likely to get upset when spend good money on a bottle that doesn't meet their expectations. But to be honest, bad bottles do occasionally happen. If you follow a few simple rules, you might be surprised to find that returning a bad bottle isn't a big deal.
Here's an example that happened last Friday afternoon. I answered the phone (4:45 pm on Friday- my mistake, I know) and found myself speaking to a caller with a complaint. Here's a reenactment of our conversation.
Guy: "I bought a bottle of your wine and when I opened it the cork fell apart and was wet all the way to the top."
Me: "Which wine did you buy?"
Guy: It was the 2002 blah blah blah Cabernet."
Me: "Did you taste it? Was there a problem?"
Guy: "It tasted kinda off."
Me: "Did you try returning it to the retailer?"
Guy: "They told me to call you."
Me: "Where did you buy it?"
Guy: "I bought it at Longs [Drugstore] in Petaluma"
Me: "Does the Longs in Petaluma usually these sorts of wines? I know the Longs where I shop doesn't sell more expensive wines."
Guy: "This Longs sometimes has some good deals on wine."
Me: "Do you have the wine so we could take a look at it?"
Guy: "Uh, no, I had some and gave it to my friend to drink" I hear another voice in background saying "Yeah, it was kinda off."
Me: "That's not our current release. The 2002 was released to the market in 2005. We haven't sold any of that vintage since then. It sounds like Longs got a deal on some leftover wine and it hasn't been stored properly. I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. You need to talk to Longs about it."
Where do you think this caller went wrong?
1. Buy your wine from a reputable wine retailer. You are more likely to be able to return it if there is a problem and chances are good that you will buy a bottle that has been stored properly. You can also ask the store about their policy about returning bad bottles and that should be a good clue to whether a retailer cares about its customers and wine quality.
If you see a spendy wine marked with a price too good to be true at a place where towering case stack displays of Sutter Home and Franzia boxed white zinfandel are the norm, please keep the following phrase in mind, "Buyer Beware." Who knows what route the wine might have taken to get there. This was the guy's first mistake.
Tip- If your local grocery store always has a killer wine selection, that's great. Try speak with the person in charge of the wine department instead of the 16 year old clerk with way-too-much makeup if you need to return a bottle.
2. Save your receipt. Always a good idea.
3. Save the wine for return. If you open a bottle of wine and something seems wrong, ie: bad smell, musty taste, cork on a newer bottle falls apart, by all means pour a bit in a glass and confirm your suspicions, heck- let it breath for 30 min and see what happens. If it doesn't improve then put the cork right back into bottle and put the bottle aside until you have time to return it. Make a few notes on the aromas or flavors to help you describe the issue if needed. DO NOT under any circumstances pour out the wine, or give it to your less picky friend to drink. This was the second mistake.
You aren't going to get anywhere with an empty bottle. This is akin to eating every last bit of your meal and then telling the waitperson you didn't like it. Retailers and restaurants regularly return bad bottles to the distributor for credit. The winery where I work will occasionally have a bottle of their more expensive wine shipped back to the winery, at their expense, for analysis depending on the problem.
Tip- If there is a problem with the cork and you can't reuse it, then use a cork from another bottle, or take some plastic wrap and a rubber band- be creative- just stopper the bottle and save the bad cork to show when you return the bottle.
Tip- If you are using email send a photo along showing bottle or cork damage if appropriate.
4. Be polite. You know the old saying "You get more flies with honey than with vinegar." This is especially true if you are claiming the wine in question has turned to vinegar. This guy was polite, I'll give him points for that, but I've had other people start out calls and emails in a more threatening mode. If you start out nicely and explain the problem you have a better chance of getting some help. If the clerk or customer service person is rude, you have my permission to express your disappointment in a way that Miss Manners would approve of.
Tip- Everyone is flattered when you ask for advice. It's a good way to start off your conversation or email when you have a complaint about the wine.
The good news is I don't turn everyone down. While I can't speak for every winery, if you call me I'm going to give you a fair shot. I'll ask you to describe what wrong with the wine, where you bought it, how it was stored, and if you have the bottle of wine for us to examine. I'm looking for clues that point to things like wine that is "corked," usually a musty, off flavor caused by fungi growing in the cork, or where wild yeasts or bacteria have given the wine off flavors the winemaker did not intend to be there.
If you can give me legitimate answers to my questions that point to a flaw in the winemaking I will happily replace a bad bottle. You might also be surprised to know that I pass the information consumers give us along to our winemaking staff and ask their opinion on problems when we aren't sure about the answer.
In this case, the evidence pointed to improper storage after the wine left the winery's care, which is one thing the winery does not guarantee. I can guarantee, however if ever buy a bad bottle and you follow these my suggestions you have a much better chance of getting a replacement or your money refunded.
My theory is since the economy is in the crapper, people are more likely to get upset when spend good money on a bottle that doesn't meet their expectations. But to be honest, bad bottles do occasionally happen. If you follow a few simple rules, you might be surprised to find that returning a bad bottle isn't a big deal.
Here's an example that happened last Friday afternoon. I answered the phone (4:45 pm on Friday- my mistake, I know) and found myself speaking to a caller with a complaint. Here's a reenactment of our conversation.
Guy: "I bought a bottle of your wine and when I opened it the cork fell apart and was wet all the way to the top."
Me: "Which wine did you buy?"
Guy: It was the 2002 blah blah blah Cabernet."
Me: "Did you taste it? Was there a problem?"
Guy: "It tasted kinda off."
Me: "Did you try returning it to the retailer?"
Guy: "They told me to call you."
Me: "Where did you buy it?"
Guy: "I bought it at Longs [Drugstore] in Petaluma"
Me: "Does the Longs in Petaluma usually these sorts of wines? I know the Longs where I shop doesn't sell more expensive wines."
Guy: "This Longs sometimes has some good deals on wine."
Me: "Do you have the wine so we could take a look at it?"
Guy: "Uh, no, I had some and gave it to my friend to drink" I hear another voice in background saying "Yeah, it was kinda off."
Me: "That's not our current release. The 2002 was released to the market in 2005. We haven't sold any of that vintage since then. It sounds like Longs got a deal on some leftover wine and it hasn't been stored properly. I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. You need to talk to Longs about it."
Where do you think this caller went wrong?
1. Buy your wine from a reputable wine retailer. You are more likely to be able to return it if there is a problem and chances are good that you will buy a bottle that has been stored properly. You can also ask the store about their policy about returning bad bottles and that should be a good clue to whether a retailer cares about its customers and wine quality.
If you see a spendy wine marked with a price too good to be true at a place where towering case stack displays of Sutter Home and Franzia boxed white zinfandel are the norm, please keep the following phrase in mind, "Buyer Beware." Who knows what route the wine might have taken to get there. This was the guy's first mistake.
Tip- If your local grocery store always has a killer wine selection, that's great. Try speak with the person in charge of the wine department instead of the 16 year old clerk with way-too-much makeup if you need to return a bottle.
2. Save your receipt. Always a good idea.
3. Save the wine for return. If you open a bottle of wine and something seems wrong, ie: bad smell, musty taste, cork on a newer bottle falls apart, by all means pour a bit in a glass and confirm your suspicions, heck- let it breath for 30 min and see what happens. If it doesn't improve then put the cork right back into bottle and put the bottle aside until you have time to return it. Make a few notes on the aromas or flavors to help you describe the issue if needed. DO NOT under any circumstances pour out the wine, or give it to your less picky friend to drink. This was the second mistake.
You aren't going to get anywhere with an empty bottle. This is akin to eating every last bit of your meal and then telling the waitperson you didn't like it. Retailers and restaurants regularly return bad bottles to the distributor for credit. The winery where I work will occasionally have a bottle of their more expensive wine shipped back to the winery, at their expense, for analysis depending on the problem.
Tip- If there is a problem with the cork and you can't reuse it, then use a cork from another bottle, or take some plastic wrap and a rubber band- be creative- just stopper the bottle and save the bad cork to show when you return the bottle.
Tip- If you are using email send a photo along showing bottle or cork damage if appropriate.
4. Be polite. You know the old saying "You get more flies with honey than with vinegar." This is especially true if you are claiming the wine in question has turned to vinegar. This guy was polite, I'll give him points for that, but I've had other people start out calls and emails in a more threatening mode. If you start out nicely and explain the problem you have a better chance of getting some help. If the clerk or customer service person is rude, you have my permission to express your disappointment in a way that Miss Manners would approve of.
Tip- Everyone is flattered when you ask for advice. It's a good way to start off your conversation or email when you have a complaint about the wine.
The good news is I don't turn everyone down. While I can't speak for every winery, if you call me I'm going to give you a fair shot. I'll ask you to describe what wrong with the wine, where you bought it, how it was stored, and if you have the bottle of wine for us to examine. I'm looking for clues that point to things like wine that is "corked," usually a musty, off flavor caused by fungi growing in the cork, or where wild yeasts or bacteria have given the wine off flavors the winemaker did not intend to be there.
If you can give me legitimate answers to my questions that point to a flaw in the winemaking I will happily replace a bad bottle. You might also be surprised to know that I pass the information consumers give us along to our winemaking staff and ask their opinion on problems when we aren't sure about the answer.
In this case, the evidence pointed to improper storage after the wine left the winery's care, which is one thing the winery does not guarantee. I can guarantee, however if ever buy a bad bottle and you follow these my suggestions you have a much better chance of getting a replacement or your money refunded.
1.17.2009
How do you feel about needles?
Or Adventures in Accupuncture
My voice has still not come back all of the way from the laryngitis episode. It is better than it was pre-prednisone. Instead of being barely able to whisper, I sound like I smoke three packs a day. There are still several months heavy with tree pollen for me to deal with and I'm worried. It feels like I need to push the reset button on my immune system. Sooooooo, I decided to give accupuncture a try. I had my first appointment on Friday. Would you like to know what it is like?
First, the nice, French, accupuncturist lady (NAFL, for short) took a lot of time asking me about my symptoms, checking my pulse and looking at my tongue. She asked me if I wanted to see the needles and I said "yes." The needles used are disposable, about the thickness of a piece of hair and flexible. (Maybe don't look if you are squeemish.)
NAFL announced that I should lay down on the table on my back and that she needed to be able to access my wrists and ankles. She briefly left the room. Okey dokey- I pushed up my sleeves and rolled my pants legs up a bit, laid down and closed my eyes. She returned, cleaned the areas to be "punctured" with an anticeptic, and proceeded to put a needle in my left wrist area. It stung just a bit, but didn't really hurt. I ended up with needles in both wrists, three needles in my face- between my eyebrows and one on either side of my nose, and needles in both ankles. She then said I needed to lay there on the table for 10-20 minutes and to let her know if there was any pain or problems and she left the room.
There was nice, soothing, new-agey, Asian music playing and it relaxing laying there. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on just being still. After a while the nice lady came back into the room and felt my pulse. "You need a little more time." She left the room again. I continued to focus on staying relaxed. After what seemed like a fairly short time, she came back into the room again and checked my wrist. Whatever had happened was enough and she started to remove the needles. This felt like a slight tugging, but did not hurt. "When you are ready, come out to the waiting room and we will finish up." I lay there for a bit longer, collecting my thoughts, got up from the table and left the treatment room.
NAFL gave me some Chinese herbs in capsule form to take (3 pills, 2 times a day) and suggested I come back in a week. That will be $75.00 please.
So, I'm taking the herbs and going back next week. I gave it some thought and realized that my expectations aren't that high. It was relaxing, at the very least. If it works - great. If not, it was worth a try. I've certainly spent that much on allergy meds and MD visits in the last couple of months which aren't working. I'm on day two of the herbs - not much is different. I'll report back on whether it seems to work or not.
1.08.2009
(aaaarrrgggggghhhhh) the sound of silent frustration
This is literally what I sound like right now- I'm trying to howl with frustration, but no sound comes out. Zero, zip, zilch, nada. Well, ok, I can sort of make whispery moans and croaking noises. I have a terrible case of laryngitis that has been plaguing me for almost a month.
It started before Christmas. I called the doctor's office to ask if it might be a side effect of the combination of new allergy meds I was taking, but didn't get a solid answer. Tried stopping each med for a few days with no improvement. Meanwhile we were busy as hell at work, I was getting ready for the holiday, and leaving on vacation 12/26. I had high hopes that it would clear up while I relaxed in the sun, but nooooo. I continued to croak and whisper through the entire trip with not much improvment. *sigh* For no apparent reason on Monday 1/5 I woke up barely able to whisper and had to ask M (my partner in crime, er- life) to call the doctor and make an appointment for me as soon as I got back to Napa.
Update- since started this post a few days ago- My doctor prescribed Prednisone, and so far it's been working. I now have a throaty purr instead of a whispery croak. (Whooo hoooo) No yelling yet for me. Mostly I'm getting tired of people asking me if I am sick, which has been happening for almost a month now. I'm not sick, damnit. Well sort of not sick. I don't have a virus or infection. Just some strange allergy thing going on.
It started before Christmas. I called the doctor's office to ask if it might be a side effect of the combination of new allergy meds I was taking, but didn't get a solid answer. Tried stopping each med for a few days with no improvement. Meanwhile we were busy as hell at work, I was getting ready for the holiday, and leaving on vacation 12/26. I had high hopes that it would clear up while I relaxed in the sun, but nooooo. I continued to croak and whisper through the entire trip with not much improvment. *sigh* For no apparent reason on Monday 1/5 I woke up barely able to whisper and had to ask M (my partner in crime, er- life) to call the doctor and make an appointment for me as soon as I got back to Napa.
Update- since started this post a few days ago- My doctor prescribed Prednisone, and so far it's been working. I now have a throaty purr instead of a whispery croak. (Whooo hoooo) No yelling yet for me. Mostly I'm getting tired of people asking me if I am sick, which has been happening for almost a month now. I'm not sick, damnit. Well sort of not sick. I don't have a virus or infection. Just some strange allergy thing going on.
12.20.2008
Things Change ....or surprising news in the wine industry
I found this tidbit on WineBusiness.com this morning. Normally, I check in with Wine Business for the industry news at work M-F, but don't spend too much time there on weekends. I popped in randomly today after scanning the job board and - woah! Saturday headline- Sebastiani Winery sold to Foley Group. That wasn't there on Friday afternoon.
In case you were wondering, I don't work for Sebastiani. But I do work for a winery that was sold by the founding family to a corporation about a year and a half ago. The day they announced the sale was quite shocking to the employees. Despite a lot lip service from upper management in the first few weeks saying "nothing is going to change," lots of things changed. Some good and some not so good. Many months later I still have to remind myself that change in the business world is inevitable. Change can be good. "Hang on Viva," 'cause things will probably change again in the near future.
Unfortunately this is the future for the US wine industry for the next decade. I think we will continue to see a lot of consolidation as founding families decide to move on rather build a business that lasts more than one or two generations. This seems to be a rather American trait. We like to think of ourselves as individuals and as such, our cultural need for individualism pushes us to leave the past behind and strike out for new horizons. Compare these US family wineries, which have been sold, to the Antinori family, members of the Italian aristocracy who have been making wine for over 600 years.
My heart goes out to the Sebastiani employees. I know how it feels. Some of you will loose your jobs and some of you won't. About the only thing I can guarantee, no matter what the higher ups are saying, is that things WILL change.
A selection of white wines from around the world
2007 Foppoli Russian River Valley Chardonnay Sonoma. Clear and light with grapefruit and a bit of grass. Citrus flavors in the mouth. No oak or ML. Medium acids. Medium-long finish, nice intensity and balance. Nice with sweet/spicy Thai dishes or something heavy in basil.
2005 Fillaboa Albarino Rias Biaxas. Yellow-gold in tone with stone fruits and citrus in the first aromas. Honey, and a touch of jasmine follow. Lemon, apples and flint, with a hint of zested citrus. Medium bodied, with some oak, on the tongue and in the finish. High acids and a 12% aftertaste. Medium finish, and a nice complexity. Drink this with seafood and pasta dishes or creamy sauces.
2006 El Bully Albarino El Bino Rias Biaxas. Pale straw, with a touch of green. Citrus and apples; flinty edge with floral notes. More green apple in the flavor. Light body, no oak or tannins. Medium finish, and moderate in balance and complexity. Nice 12.5% alcohol content. I’m thinking shellfish with this one.
2005 Marques Casa Concha Chardonnay Chile. Clear yellow gold in tone; Aromas of honey, cream with straw and minerals. Touch of creaminess and spice. Tannins leave a bitter aftertaste. Medium bodied and on oak for 9 months, and surprisingly high in acid, this wine was a mouthful. Intense with a medium finish, but an unfocused complexity of flavors that leaves the taster vaguely unsatisfied, despite the intensity.
2005 Premier Cru Les Fourneaux Chablis. Pale straw color. First impression is tropical flavors with some minerality and floral notes. Apple and citrus flavors with a flinty edge and a bit of cream; light body without much oak; Medium-high acids. Medium-long finish, with good intensity and complexity. This would go well with a wide variety of meals.
In case you were wondering, I don't work for Sebastiani. But I do work for a winery that was sold by the founding family to a corporation about a year and a half ago. The day they announced the sale was quite shocking to the employees. Despite a lot lip service from upper management in the first few weeks saying "nothing is going to change," lots of things changed. Some good and some not so good. Many months later I still have to remind myself that change in the business world is inevitable. Change can be good. "Hang on Viva," 'cause things will probably change again in the near future.
Unfortunately this is the future for the US wine industry for the next decade. I think we will continue to see a lot of consolidation as founding families decide to move on rather build a business that lasts more than one or two generations. This seems to be a rather American trait. We like to think of ourselves as individuals and as such, our cultural need for individualism pushes us to leave the past behind and strike out for new horizons. Compare these US family wineries, which have been sold, to the Antinori family, members of the Italian aristocracy who have been making wine for over 600 years.
My heart goes out to the Sebastiani employees. I know how it feels. Some of you will loose your jobs and some of you won't. About the only thing I can guarantee, no matter what the higher ups are saying, is that things WILL change.
A selection of white wines from around the world
2007 Foppoli Russian River Valley Chardonnay Sonoma. Clear and light with grapefruit and a bit of grass. Citrus flavors in the mouth. No oak or ML. Medium acids. Medium-long finish, nice intensity and balance. Nice with sweet/spicy Thai dishes or something heavy in basil.
2005 Fillaboa Albarino Rias Biaxas. Yellow-gold in tone with stone fruits and citrus in the first aromas. Honey, and a touch of jasmine follow. Lemon, apples and flint, with a hint of zested citrus. Medium bodied, with some oak, on the tongue and in the finish. High acids and a 12% aftertaste. Medium finish, and a nice complexity. Drink this with seafood and pasta dishes or creamy sauces.
2006 El Bully Albarino El Bino Rias Biaxas. Pale straw, with a touch of green. Citrus and apples; flinty edge with floral notes. More green apple in the flavor. Light body, no oak or tannins. Medium finish, and moderate in balance and complexity. Nice 12.5% alcohol content. I’m thinking shellfish with this one.
2005 Marques Casa Concha Chardonnay Chile. Clear yellow gold in tone; Aromas of honey, cream with straw and minerals. Touch of creaminess and spice. Tannins leave a bitter aftertaste. Medium bodied and on oak for 9 months, and surprisingly high in acid, this wine was a mouthful. Intense with a medium finish, but an unfocused complexity of flavors that leaves the taster vaguely unsatisfied, despite the intensity.
2005 Premier Cru Les Fourneaux Chablis. Pale straw color. First impression is tropical flavors with some minerality and floral notes. Apple and citrus flavors with a flinty edge and a bit of cream; light body without much oak; Medium-high acids. Medium-long finish, with good intensity and complexity. This would go well with a wide variety of meals.
12.01.2008
I finished this post. Can I have my cookie now?
First of all- sorry to my (nonexistant) readers for not finishing that last post on Albarino. I know how disapointed you all were (not). I was overtaken by a cold virus, and may be on the verge of another one again. Crap.
But there is good news. Despite my unfinished post and new round of virus (viruses, virusii?) I did finish the presentation for class. It went over well, according to the professor. I also just finished a shit-ton of new wine reviews for that same class that I'm ready to post for your reading pleasure.
Next I'm about to bury my procrastinating self in writing a paper about email campaigns for the wine industry, then its finals, so I might not come up for air for a couple of weeks. But ya' never know.
A little bit of everything from the red wine category
2006 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi – Fruit driven, medium bodied, with just a hint of oak. Jammy black fruits with raspberry and boysenberry notes and soft floral aromas. Dense ruby red to purple color. This wine grabs the palate with it’s fruity intensity, but lacks the complexity. Medium finish. Drink now due to the lack of tannins, hint of residual sugars and intense fruit qualities. Would pair well with barbequed ribs or a spice rubbed flank steak.
2005 Forchini Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley Proprietor’s Reserve Sonoma- A dense dark purple with ruby tones. Aromas of cherries and blackberries with touch of creamy vanilla. The fruits go nicely on the palate but do not dominate the wine; herbal notes and a touch of bitterness give it balance. Medium-high tannins. The denseness of color belies the medium intensity and finish in this wine. The high alcohol – 14.7% gives it a bit of bite that contributes to its complexity. Would pair nicely with a ribeye steak with gorgonzola and frites.
2007 Gascon Malbec Argentina. Black berries, plum on the nose with a bit of barnyard; some oak on the nose. Dense colors of dark purplish ruby with moderate intense flavors to match. Jammy fruit, and a touch of pepper; heavy oak; low acid and high alcohol; medium-long finish, with a nice balance and complexity.
2005 Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec Argentina. A dense, purplish-black, boysenberry like color. Plum, blackberries, cherry jam on the nose with a bit of spice and a hint of earthy funkiness. More impact on the nose than on the palate, with a taste that called out dark cherries and tannins. The denseness of the color is followed through in the heavy body of this wine. I felt let down by the flavor after the symphony of aromas, but the 14.% alcohol content is sure to take care of that by the second glass.
2004 Casa La Postelle Cuvee Alexander Alpalto Vineyard Cabernet, Chile. Dense red with a touch of garnet around the edges. Tight on the nose in the beginning; berries, cedar, herbs, followed by a hint of leather. Opens up in the mouth with berries and spice. A heavy bodied wine, medium oak, and just enough acid to add complexity. Long finish and good intensity and complexity. May last another 5-8 years. Try this with tapas like lamb chop in a sweet/smokey marinade, or a garlicky steak.
But there is good news. Despite my unfinished post and new round of virus (viruses, virusii?) I did finish the presentation for class. It went over well, according to the professor. I also just finished a shit-ton of new wine reviews for that same class that I'm ready to post for your reading pleasure.
Next I'm about to bury my procrastinating self in writing a paper about email campaigns for the wine industry, then its finals, so I might not come up for air for a couple of weeks. But ya' never know.
A little bit of everything from the red wine category
2006 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi – Fruit driven, medium bodied, with just a hint of oak. Jammy black fruits with raspberry and boysenberry notes and soft floral aromas. Dense ruby red to purple color. This wine grabs the palate with it’s fruity intensity, but lacks the complexity. Medium finish. Drink now due to the lack of tannins, hint of residual sugars and intense fruit qualities. Would pair well with barbequed ribs or a spice rubbed flank steak.
2005 Forchini Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley Proprietor’s Reserve Sonoma- A dense dark purple with ruby tones. Aromas of cherries and blackberries with touch of creamy vanilla. The fruits go nicely on the palate but do not dominate the wine; herbal notes and a touch of bitterness give it balance. Medium-high tannins. The denseness of color belies the medium intensity and finish in this wine. The high alcohol – 14.7% gives it a bit of bite that contributes to its complexity. Would pair nicely with a ribeye steak with gorgonzola and frites.
2007 Gascon Malbec Argentina. Black berries, plum on the nose with a bit of barnyard; some oak on the nose. Dense colors of dark purplish ruby with moderate intense flavors to match. Jammy fruit, and a touch of pepper; heavy oak; low acid and high alcohol; medium-long finish, with a nice balance and complexity.
2005 Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec Argentina. A dense, purplish-black, boysenberry like color. Plum, blackberries, cherry jam on the nose with a bit of spice and a hint of earthy funkiness. More impact on the nose than on the palate, with a taste that called out dark cherries and tannins. The denseness of the color is followed through in the heavy body of this wine. I felt let down by the flavor after the symphony of aromas, but the 14.% alcohol content is sure to take care of that by the second glass.
2004 Casa La Postelle Cuvee Alexander Alpalto Vineyard Cabernet, Chile. Dense red with a touch of garnet around the edges. Tight on the nose in the beginning; berries, cedar, herbs, followed by a hint of leather. Opens up in the mouth with berries and spice. A heavy bodied wine, medium oak, and just enough acid to add complexity. Long finish and good intensity and complexity. May last another 5-8 years. Try this with tapas like lamb chop in a sweet/smokey marinade, or a garlicky steak.
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