So Kristin and I were carpooling that day and went to pick up Amber, like the good, obedient daughters we are. On the drive down 101, we noticed Amber was getting a little gassy. We didn't think much of it...she's an older dog, and well, who doesn't get gassy every once in awhile?

Things started going awry when we were going down 101, right about at the airport. Amber wasn't just a little gassy. She was VERY gassy. Audibly gassy. Disturbingly smelly gassy. . We opened the windows, laughed a little and felt bad for Amber, whose tummy was obviously hurting. We figured once we got to the winery she would “do her business” and be done with it.

That was NOT the case. I won’t go into detail about her “business” but it wasn’t pretty. She came back in the winery, tail between her legs, looking very sad. It was awful. The entire office smelled really, really bad. Someone even went home sick. I was trying to do some tasting of new releases for some marketing materials and ugh, that couldn’t happen.

That night, after depositing Amber back at my parents’ house, a few CLC’ers went to a Happy Hour thing. I had a glass of cheap chardonnay (Mexican Restaurant) then a beer, then a nicer glass of wine when I got home. All of it was grossing me out. Nothing tasted or smelled good. Even my dinner that night was unappetizing. And I always inhale any type of Mexican food.

This got me thinking—about branding and consumer experiences. How something completely out of a marketers control ( a dog’s smelly ass) can have such a profound effect on how someone experiences a product. I consider myself pretty aware of these things—having been in the wine business for some time now. However the average, or even above average consumer, probably does not realize that if you take a big whiff of skunk before you drink a glass of Syrah, that it was the skunky smell that caused it to be so unappetizing, not necessarily the wine. Same thing with food and wine pairing. Mix the wrong wine with a certain dish and blech. It tastes terrible.

With the thousands and thousands of different wine brands out there, what exactly is brand loyalty in this business? And when is it engrained in the consumer? After the first sip/glass/bottle? After the first 5 good experiences? It differs for everyone, but I would imagine that for the majority of consumers out there is that the first impression of a wine is a key moment. And that moment is so defined by many things that are out of a marketer’s control. I feel very different about the wine I was drinking when I broke up with a boyfriend vs. the one I was drinking when I got engaged.

I guess that’s why we have such a beautiful place here at Clos LaChance—so we can trick everyone into having a great time and thinking our wine is the best ever!   (tongue in cheek here).

Anyways, this is a little rambling—I think my brain is still suffering from the effects of Amber. She is much better this week. Thanks for asking.