Frank McCormick: October 2009 Archives

Wine & Baseball

Growing up in San Francisco, I remember going to The Stick as a kid with my dad and watching Willie Mays round the bases and make the impossible look routine in centerfield. It was really a time of bonding with my old man. My brother and I would have a soda while my dad opted for the Cribari Red...I believe it was the "house wine" at Candlestick Park. For my dad, I'm sure it was to help ward off the freezing cold of a summer's evening at The Stick. Fast forward 30 odd years and I am watching Barry hitting his 660th home run at AT&T Park with my daughters, (they had the soda, I alas had opted for the Anchor Steam....it's a little warmer at AT&T) and I know they'll be visiting the park one day with their kids in tow. It would be safe to say we had a baseball culture, make that a Giants baseball culture around our house.

Looking back on it, it reminds me of how certain things in life cross generations, baseball is one of those things...and so is this amazing beverage called wine.

As Director of Retail Sales & Hospitality here at DCV, on occasion I get the opportunity to pour wine at events outside the winery. A couple of weeks back we were invited to pour at a Wine 2.0 event at Google. While pouring wine I had 3 or 4 conversations with people who told me that their parents were Dry Creek Vineyard fans. Since DCV was founded in 1972 this should not be too shocking. These were 20-somethings, I suppose the correct term would be Millennials, (that ever elusive group that everyone wants to market to) and they were talking about the wine culture they grew up in and how their parents influenced their appreciation of wine. This is a dramatic shift from when I grew up in the 70s when Mateus and Blue Nun were considered to be au currant, and for special occasions there was this French stuff called Pouilly-Fuisse.

After a fun afternoon of meeting new people I think back to the conversations, while most of it centered around wine, there was this continuing theme playing in the background about family. It's what makes wine unique. I mean if you're grilling steaks at a family gathering, you're apt to comment how great the steak is, but when it comes to the wine, well it can be like baseball....a very long and spirited conversation.

By Frank McCormick on October 1, 2009 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

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Frank McCormick: October 2009 Archives

Wine & Baseball

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