July 2010 Archives

I have been up to my eyeballs in training new employees these last few weeks. First with my new “dream” assistant and marketing administrator Jennifer, who has been on the job exactly one month. So far she keeps coming back so I guess that's a good sign! And now with John, our new Director of Retail Sales and Hospitality, one of the nicest people I've come across in a long time.

It's incredibly hard to transfer information learned over the course of a lifetime into someone else's head. I'm always afraid I'm going to forget some important detail. Like the time we won the Grand Prix d'Honneur in Bordeaux France out of 4,200 wines worldwide, which by the way was 1995. Or the time we printed Cabernet labels that said Sonoma Couny-and that's why I'm so anal about proofreading. Yet this is what I must do if I'm to be able to relax on my vacation in a few days. It's probably not the best time to go, but my kids desperately need some “mommy” time and I'm in grave need of some down time. I've begun to have a permanent buzzing feeling in my head along with circles so deep beneath my eyes that no amount of fancy make-up can make a difference.

So off I'm going to one of my favorite haunts, coastal Maine. I'll be making the rounds to see my grandparents and meeting up with my dad who recently bought a small cottage a stone's throw from the water's edge. I'm planning to read plenty of trashy magazines (nothing on wine!) and eat pie. I might play tennis, and then again- I might not. And, I will relearn for the hundredth time how to do a controlled jibe in heavy winds. (That's sailing talk for turning the boat when the wind is behind you.) For a chronic list maker and goal setter, I've got one very important objective: CHILL OUT. Naturally, I've thrown in some time with our Maine distributor, Pine State Beverage but other than that, I'll be incommunicado. And you know what that means, no blogging.

I'll see you in a few weeks folks.  Thanks for the comments, friendship, and support. (I've invited some fellow Dry Creekers to wear the Wilma hat, so we'll see who's up for the challenge!)

We got some awesome news last week that I don't want to let slip by without yelling a digital yahoo.  That's Wilmaspeak for saying “I get to blog about it!”

First, we learned the Wine Spectator rated our 2006 Dry Creek Valley Mariner 92 points. Next we found out we got a 90 point score and “Editor's Choice” from Wine Enthusiast for the 2009 Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc followed by not one but two “Best Buy” selections for both our flagship Fumé Blanc as well as our Chenin Blanc. It was a good week indeed!

We get our fair share of 90+ratings from an assortment of respected wine critics and publications, but back to back scores like these feels especially satisfying. And the best news of all is we have plenty available for sale! (I guess I inherited that mentality from dear old dad who always used to say his favorite wine was, “the one we have the most to sell!”)

You'd have to hear the whole story to understand why I'm smiling.

About 10 years ago, we started getting worried about our future. Wineries were being gobbled up, an influx of wine was becoming available from all over the globe and despite our reputation and decades long loyal following, we sensed we were fading into oblivion. Dry who? It was time to make some big changes. Besides, when you have two first born A-type personalities taking over a family business, you can't be satisfied with the status quo.

So we began the daunting task of reinventing ourselves. It was sort of like a winery makeover. We took a hard look at every aspect of the company, from vineyards, winemaking, and production to sales, marketing, and internal operations, just about everything--you name it. It wasn't that anything in particular was “broken”; we just knew we needed to become more distinctive and more focused to fulfill our dream of making wines that command respect. We sold vineyards, planted vineyards, cut production, hired talent, sourced new coopers, installed new equipment, changed our product mix, etc. Along the process, we told the staff “we are taking the winery to new heights. It's going to require hard work and sacrifice. And we know it won't be easy. But if you're on board, we want you. If not, it's ok to leave. It'll take some time but the rewards will be great and our future success and longevity will be assured.”

Despite 9/11, two recessions, family squabbles, countless setbacks, and many a worrisome night, it feels like we're finally getting our just rewards.

Thank you believers of Dry Creek. Thank you and watch out! The best is yet to come.

But hearing firsthand about the latest crap the state is trying to pull over our eyes has me concerned. And, I already have enough worries to last me a good long while.

Let me paint a picture for you. 

Basic water rights are a fundamental human right—right up there next to enjoying ice cream and driving around looking cool when you're a teenager. If you live in a municipality like the town of Healdsburg or the County of Sonoma, you get your water through the city utility commission. Your usage is monitored, and you pay a monthly fee for the service they provide which is chlorinated but clean drinking water that is readily available and on demand 24/7. In a drought situation, they might clamp down on irrigation, but generally water is available.

If you live in the country and are a property owner outside of a municipality, like most grape growers and winery folks are, your water comes directly off your own property via ground water wells. You buy your land (very expensive), you dig a well ($$$), you service your well (more $$$), you irrigate your crops, you get your drinking water, etc. (Sometimes you even have no water like when a mouse crawls into the well's breaker box and wreaks havoc. True story, it happened just last week!) 

Under new pending rules, all this would change. Every agricultural well or pump in Sonoma County would be required by law to have a water meter on it. The cost at the basic level is $10,000 per well. Farmers would then be required to report their usage to the state on a monthly basis, which adds more costs.  If you don't comply, you get fined. If you report it incorrectly, you get fined. And a whole new generation of law enforcement officials or “water cops” will be out there enforcing the rules making sure farmers are verifying and recording their usage correctly. Hmmm, seems to me the cops have a lot more important things to do……………

The whole subject is so complex and convoluted that it would take a month's worth of research and blog posts to explain in full detail. What's important to know is that the state wants to control ground water and by doing this will control the value of ag property. (A farm without water is a future subdivision.) They are making it harder and harder for farmers to survive, squeezing them tighter and tighter by adding new costs, regulation and water restrictions. It's an infringement on landowner rights and adds unnecessary costs to the business of farming, which already operates on pathetically thin margins. It is downright wrong. But ultimately the public will pay, especially when the farmers are gone and grocery store shelves are bare.

If I had to sum up two words that describe the Walla Walla wine country it's GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY. The second two words that come to mind are DAMN GOOD. Visiting this arid dry region for the first time was a real eye opener. It was also ”hella” fun as my teenager would say.