It's been awhile, so thought I would update my HUGE readership on what's been happening at the winery the last few weeks:
-Weather: It's been hot, then cold, then hot again. Now its getting cool. A typical Spring in the Northern Central Coast? Not really....its a little cooler then average. And just a few degrees makes such a difference when it comes to the f-word. FROST. We have received a lot of questions lately about frost damage. We had a tiny bit a few weeks ago in the Estate Vineyard's Grenache block--maybe 10%, which is usually fruit we drop anyway. So far, so good. Napa and Sonoma have not been so lucky, or so I have heard (Julie Nord, pictured in the Napa link, also consults for Clos LaChance).
-Wine Club Shipment: When boxes and bags are flying, that means its time for another Wine Club shipment. Wine Club Manager Cindy Flowers has been running around, processing orders, fulfilling shipments, threatening various staffers regarding inventory....However, the dust is starting to clear and the wines are getting into the hands of our valued members. We recently segmented the wine club into three-tiers (there is a theme with three tiers amongst our sales and marketing programs). If you haven't heard anything about the new levels of Wine Clubs offered, click here.
-Travel: Now that my kids are a little older, I have started traveling for business again. It's a really tough sales environment out there these days. The economy is awful, which makes restaurant dining and wine purchases even more of a luxury. All of all our distributors are hurting and cutting way back on their inventory. But my recent trip to Chicago was a good one. The accounts I visited were busy and seemed to be doing well. Fortunately, our Hummingbird Series Wines are priced right--especially for By The Glass in restaurants and for case stacks at finer retail shops. We are weathering the storm, but our sales team is working double-time to to hit numbers this year.
-New Wines: Rosé (dry), Viognier, Sauvignon Bland, Muscat....all new vintages. Available online and in the San Martin Tasting Room.
