Guilty as Charged: Missing the Moment

Remind your customers and friends that it really is an ideal time for a glass of wine... right now! Here's the professional perspective on the benefit of living in the moment: "Psychological research shows us that not only do people tend to overestimate the benefits of planning for the future, but that people who take decisions that make them happy in the moment tend to experience less regret over time. This reminds us that a fulfilling moment can last a lifetime." Read more from our psychologist guest-blogger...

This Magic Moment...

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, and that's why it is called the present.

Too often in our lives we miss out on magical moments. Whether it is because of the morning rush, the midday crunch, or burning the midnight oil, we often don't take time to stop and smell the roses. Many times this is because we perceive our lives to be too busy, but other times we choose to distract ourselves with something unnecessary whenever we have a free moment. We have been so conditioned this way that we often miss out on opportunities to enjoy moments that are presented to us.

Our lifestyle in this age of immediacy does not lend itself well to enjoying the moment. Instead of enjoying a moment alone we reach for the immediacy of a text or an email that probably could wait. Furthermore, because of our cultural values around saving and planning, we are often thinking of or worrying about the future before it has arrived. By doing so, we take ourselves out of a moment that could be potentially fulfilling.

This phenomenon has been termed "Hyperopia", a tendency to look too far into the future at the cost of enjoying the moment we're in. Look out for this occurrence in your own life. Research on this phenomenon shows us that not only do people tend to overestimate the benefits of planning for the future, but that people who take decisions that make them happy in the moment tend to experience less regret over time. This reminds us that a fulfilling moment can last a lifetime.

The other reason we tend to miss out on the moment is that we mentally time travel to escape a moment. Many of us carry around pain and discomfort from our past. Sometimes moments we experience trigger those feelings or remind us of our past and we travel back there without really wanting to. Or we go into the future, thinking of how our lives will improve "if only" a certain thing were to happen. Or we travel to a place we are not, seeking an escape from the place we currently are.

Learning to enjoy a good moment is hard for many reasons.

• First, we worry that good moments are fleeting and it hurts when they end. As a result we sometimes do not immerse ourselves fully in them, not wanting to experience the withdrawal from them.


• Second, we judge moments, and categorize them in our minds and doing so affects our ability to enjoy the moment because it now has a label attached to it.


• Third, we distort time, thinking that moments of discomfort last longer that moments of comfort. Moments are just moments, for better or for worse. All moments pass if you let them.

No matter what is happening in the moment, be it blissful or stressful, you can take comfort in knowing that in a moment you will have a whole new opportunity to make the most of another moment.

If you would like to fill your life with more magic moments you don't need to do anything extra. These moments are all around you, you just have to slow down and notice them.

Thanks for taking a moment to read this.

Guest Blogger:

Matt Keck

Adapt Psychotherapy
Offices in San Francisco and San Mateo, California

(650) 455-9242

matt@adaptpsych.com

http://www.adaptpsych.com/

Specializing in the treatment of:

Eating Disorders

Adolescents

Athletes

(Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist: #46314 California)

World's First Twitter-Enabled Tasting Booth- South African winery Noble Hill innovates!

The "World's First Twitter-Enabled Tasting Booth" was the headliner news from Noble Hill Wine Estate, a boutique vineyard and winery tucked between Kanonkop and Paarl Mountain in South Africa.

The winery proudly annouced that it was "ceding control of its brand to the public".


Alerted to this innovation by South African Wine News (http://www.wine.co.za/news/ ), we were interested in what can be done with the basic 140 characters in a Tweet, and this was it: Noble Hill Wine Estate launches the world's first Twitter-enabled tasting booth, ceding control of brand to the public.

The press release made some important points:

"If the 140 character blurb above seems like a foreign language, it's because it is written for the micro-blogging service Twitter which has gained a worldwide following including the likes of Oprah, Richard Branson, and Barack Obama to name a few. Twitter is used by celebrities and the proletariat alike to post short bursts about daily life, links and comments.


However Twitter took on a new role connecting the wine-loving public with a boutique South African producer at the WineX Festival in Cape Town, held from September 9 to 11.


The idea is simple: instead of using its booth to indoctrinate the public with pre-formed ideas about its wines, Noble Hill Wine Estate is ceding control of it's marketing message to wine-savvy festival-goers. Talkative sales reps will be replaced by a Twitter-enabled tasting booth that will let tasters post their comments, thoughts, and reactions directly to Twitter or via their smart phones. Tweets@noblehill or containing #winex keywords will be displayed real-time in large-format for all to see.


"Most luxury brands exercise draconian control over their message in order to sell their products. We're turning this idea on its head because, let's face it, wine drinkers are an educated and opinionated crowd and can already turn to forums like Spit or Swallow and other blogs to broadcast their experiences," said Director K. Austin Tillery. "Instead of ignoring this elephant in the room, we are embracing public opinion and letting it shape the direction and tone of our brand. We're not editing what people have to say; we're giving visitors a platform to share."


Prizes were awarded for the best Tweet of the Day each evening.


Useful Links:Noble Hill's Twitter stream - www.twitter.com/noblehill
The official Noble Hill web site - http://www.noblehill.com/
Rate and review South African wine farms - http://www.spitorswallow.co.za/
WineX Rand Merchant Bank Wine Festival official site - http://www.winex.co.za/


Noble Hill is a single-vineyard estate produces premium red and white wines sold in select restaurants and bottle stores in South Africa and abroad. Noble Hill has garnered international acclaim, including being recognized for producing the Best Merlot in the Paarl District by South African Terroir and winning Michelangelo International Gold and Silver Medals for its Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.


All information courtesy of press release from Noble Hill.

Producing New Wine Drinkers: Hats Off to Gary V

I'm not a true Vayniac; I don't follow Gary V every day, but he's done something we all need to get better at: producing new wine drinkers.

A friend sent me this link (click here) to the short bio/interview in the New York Times: It is well worth a read.

Not long ago, I was sitting at a luncheon with 22 great minds in the wine industry, and this fervor to produce new wine drinkers was sadly, and noticeably, missing. I'd asked, "Who at this table owns a millennial?" I was greeted with quizzical looks.

I confess, I no longer own a millennial. My boys went off to college, graduated, got jobs, girlfriends and wives (in that order, and sequentially) and are now producing the next generation of wine drinkers. But I do hold loose title to one millennial, my 22-year-old niece Margaret, and we keep in touch via text messaging (she never answers her iPhone anymore and doesn't own a landline phone and rarely deigns to answer email). Margaret is the real thing.

So... Margaret is sitting at the bar in a restaurant and her date goes to the bathroom. My text alert bings, and it says, "Quick Aunt Babs, date in loo, steak + calamari coming, what wine 2 get?"

I do my bit. Value wines for this group. But soon they'll be moving to $15 a bottle consistently in the campus liquor store, and she's been known to use my brother's credit card for $25 a bottle and more.

I just KNOW that somewhere out there, a smart person is going to create an iPhone app for this generation of new wine drinkers, kind of like a Ghostbuster-Who-Ya-Gonna-Call and then the texts will no longer bing on my phone and some edgey guy like Gary V is gonna get really rich.

And more power to that person!

p.s. Gary I love you, and who wouldn't?

The Best and Brightest Inquiring Minds... Want to Know

Once in a while, we're privy to the thought processes of a well-trained brain trust in the wine industry. Slap me down if you must, but I think that a peek inside the Harvard MBA thought process is highly instructive, especially when it comes to articulating what a collective of experienced executives in the wine industry consider to be the biggest challenges today.

On September 8 at Vineyard 29 in St Helena, owned by Harvard MBA Chuck McGinn (Class of 1978), 20 graduates from 1961 onward, met to discuss the following Business Challenges. Pulled together by Scott Becker of Global Wine Partners, the preparations included polling the group for the pressing questions of today... and tomorrow.

The resulting questions are below. In the next few posts, I'll give you a glimpse into the thought processes. The questions are tough, there may be no unequivocal answers, but there will be provoking opinions. Just like being back in the classrooms of Aldrich Hall! (Interested in the thinking of the person who posed a particular question? SEND ME A COMMENT WITH YOUR RETURN E-MAIL, and I will ask them directly)

1) The wine world is experiencing significant uncertainty about future growth due to deterioration in the macroeconomic fundamentals and a deleveraging credit environment. When will the market recover, what will the future growth environment look like, and how can prudent wine companies manage their way to future success?

2) Is the statement that more bottles of wine are being sold this year over last year true and that it is just the price that has dropped? If so, is this a permanent reduction in the value consumers place on wine or only a temporary aspect of the current economy?

3) When the crisis is over, will the consumer be the same?

4) We won't be in a recession forever; consumers will move up the value chain again; millenials with continue to respond to social media promotions and this is generating a huge base of new wine consumers (thank goodness!). HOWEVER what will be with all agribusiness-related companies forever is the challenge of water -- where to get it, who controls it, how to manage it, and technologies to conserve it. I'd like to hear how YOUR WINE-RELATED ENTERPRISE is weighing in on this issue and/or what you are in fact doing about it. How should we as "leaders" get involved? Or is it too hot to handle?

5) It is a common challenge to better understand customer behavior within the various levels of the market. For those of us with personal passion for the unique subtleties and complexities of world-class wine, should we be concerned that growth in consumption of $40+ / bottle appears to be increasingly attributable to luxury goods marketing rather than appreciation of quality and quality standards? Regarding quality, are consumer preferences dividing between wines characterized by power versus those characterized by nuance? If so, is demand in one category outpacing the other? How has culture shaped these preferences and does it differ in the US versus Europe and Asia?

6) The business challenges we're facing stem from the impact of current economic conditions for small wineries (4,000 to 50,000 cases). These wineries are our clients and target clients. They are facing price compression (higher priced brands lowering their prices to combat declining sales) and assortment "freezes" (distributors and retailers either reducing or eliminating the addition of new suppliers to their assortments). What can the small winery do to survive in this environment and how can we tailor our own services to better meet their needs?

7) How long will the expensive, inefficient, selective three-tier distribution system prevail against the rapidly accelerating consumer and trade (retail and restaurant) demand to seek their own options in the wine products they carry and/or consume?

8) How do wineries gain markets and access to consumers in an industry where Federal, state and local regulations have been established for decades favoring the xclusive three- tier distribution system?

9) Our wine company, celebrating it’s 5th year anniversary, is working diligently on its plan for the next 5 years. The company has grow from zero revenues to revenues north of seven figures in its first five years by focusing exclusively on wine quality by owning and controlling the key inputs of wine: vineyard, barrel, and winemaking. However, it does not own any winemaking assets such as a production facility and related equipment. Given the large capital outlays required for real estate and the increasing cost and sophistication of equipment, is (will) the production model for wines in the $25-50 price point continue to resemble the past whereby each winery has its own stand alone production facility? Or can winemakers and consumers accept that production assets will be shared across various wineries? Is now the time to lock in low cost production assets or do we remain capacity flexible and fixed cost free?

Who was in the group? The guest list includes wine businessmen from all walks of the industry -- grapegrowing, winemaking, distribution, marketing, finance, and organizations large and small, with current and past affiliations that represent the full spectrum of involvementLook at http://harvard-in-wine.blogspot.com/2009/09/hbs-in-wine-meets-in-napa-sept-8.html

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Finally, a Good Corrugated Shipper

Hats off to Gundlach Bundschu for its role in the development of a corrugated shipper that eliminates the need for Styrofoam.

“We could not find a reliable, environmentally-friendly alternative to the 12-pack Styrofoam shipper,” said Chris Holman, operations manager for Gundlach Bundschu. He adds, “We partnered with Unisource Worldwide, Inc., and are pleased to have been part of a solution to help remove Styrofoam from land fills.”

As a result, Unisource is now producing a shipper that is made of 100% corrugated material with 20 to 40% post-consumer recycled content; 100% biodegradable and recyclable, has a minimal increase in weight over Styrofoam and a decrease from other cardboard designs, and meets United Parcel Service standards.

A recent press release noted that this was an element in Gundlach Bundschu's work to earn the distinguished Green Business Certification from Sonoma County. Gundlach Bundschu began to work towards certification shortly after the pilot program was launched just over a year ago and received its certification this summer. California’s oldest family-owned winery, it is one of only 12 wineries to earn the certification from Sonoma County.

Green Business Certification requires adhering to a strict set of standards in four areas, including water conservation, energy conservation, solid waste reduction and recycling, and pollution prevention. Certification requires inspection by a committee of local government and municipal utilities, including Sonoma County Water Agency, Pacific Gas & Electric, Sonoma County Waste Management Agency and Department of Emergency Services.


(VISIT MY NEW BLOG: http://water-for-wine.blogspot.com/ )

Hospitality Galore, Good Wines, Great Food: TRIO in Truckee

Brickelltown, as the west end of historic downtown Truckee is known, has a new attraction that’s very worthy of a visit or five. The new TRIO Wine Bar and Bistro at 10292 Old Donner Pass Road is in a restored Victorian mansion that dates from 1874. The hospitality of manager Allen Wicks, sommelier Dawn Bertsch, and headwaiter Lou Phillips is unparalleled. Dine in the restored and plush Kruger-White House, or outdoors on an appealing deck. Wherever you decide to sit, spend a few minutes inside appreciating the carved Victorian rosewood bar.

You can choose from an interesting and affordable wine list, organized in a way that many wine aficionados will appreciate: from light-bodied to full-bodied. Each wine on the list can be purchased by the glass, or you can purchase a full bottle. Under development is TRIO’s Captain’s List, which features allocated wines, higher-pedigree wines that are expensive and much sought after but hard to find.

The Bistro food is exquisite too. Small plates range from$4 to $24. The full menu is available until 11 p.m. daily. All food and wine are available TO GO too.

Starting with the bubbles, the Gruet NV Blanc de Noir, New Mexico, is a Methode Champagnoise that is rich and toasty and yet very balances. Aged for two-years minimum, you’ll love the complexity of this bubbly with its berry aroma and creamy texture. Don’t be fooled by the pale salmon color, as it explodes on the palate with a juice flavor of raspberry. A wonderful aperitif. 12.0 alcohol. $10/glass or $20 for 750 ml bottle.

The Talbot 06 “Sleepy Hollow” Chardonnay, Santa Lucia, has a minerally backbone, and is a lovely and oaky fruit-forward Chardonnay. According to the winery website, the minerality comes from their 450-acre hillside vineyard that’s divided into two separate vineyard parcels, both Arroyo Seco gravelly loam soil, which allows excellent root penetration, enabling the vines to pick up subsoil minerals that increase flavor complexity. These grapes for this wine come from the Sleepy Hollow A plot, and are Wente clones that were planted 32 to 35-years ago on their own roots. This is a quintessential Burgundian style Chardonnay, medium straw in color, with aroma of honeysuckle, melon, peach, pear and vanilla. There’s a touch of French oak, and it is creamy with a long clean finish. 14.5% alcohol. $12/glass, $36/bottle. TRIO paired this with lovely and light shrimp spring rolls, house made, with an Asian peanut dipping sauce.

A lovely Ceasar salad goes well with Dr. Loosen’s 08 “Dr. L” QBA Riesling, Mosel, Germany. A wonderfully aromatic yet light Riesling, with a sweetness that conveys grapefruit and citrus throughout the taste and finish. A nice bit of racy acidity, and a characteristic minerality. 8.5% alcohol. $6/glass, $18/bottle.

The best wine-food pairing of the evening was the lamb lollipops grilled with a touch of balsamic & olive oil marinade, served with a cilantro pesto dip. Fantastic with the Cristom 07 “Mt Jefferson” Cuvee Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (Oregon). This Pinot Noir is Burgundian in style, light ruby in color, with blackberry on the front of the palate, overtures of tobacco and cinnamon on the nose. 13.5% alcohol. $14.50/glass, $40/bottle.

With the lamb, also try a taste of the Vino Noceto 06 Sangiovese Shenandoah Valley, California. A classic Italian wine, flavors of cotton candy, and fantastically food compatible. 14 % alcohol. $8.50/glass, $23/bottle.

And then try one of my personal favorites, Orin Swift’s 07 “THE PRISONER”, a Napa red blend that is really wonderful. It was just delightful with a cheese plate and warm olives at the end of the meal. The Prisoner is high in alcohol so beware! Go slow, enjoy the food with this one. 15.2% alcohol. $13/glass, $36/bottle.

And then, finally finish the evening off with a Smith Woodhouse 10 yr Tawny Port, Douro, Portugal. It is a good as any 20-year port I’ve tasted. $5.50 for 2 oz, $44 the bottle.

TRIO Wine Bar and Bistro, 10292 Old Donner Pass Road, Truckee. Open daily 4-midnight. 530 582 2323.

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© 2009 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in August 2009.

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Plumpjack Café, where Wine is One of Life’s Great Pleasures

Plumpjack Café Squaw Valley began its wine program with the premise that “wine is one of life’s great pleasures and should be enjoyed as often as possible as part of a complete dining experience”.

Value is a cornerstone of their wine pricing policy, and the café carries that through to their excellent winemaker’s dinner series. Every day, Plumpjack Café offers a great selection of hard-to-find Californian wines, and collectible greats from Europe and the rest of the New World. They have an extensive wines-by- the- glass program.

The winemaker dinner featuring the wines of Flowers Winery, located in Cazadero, CA on the rugged Sonoma Coast, was perfection in both food and wine. Flowers wines are cool-climate wines that authentically express the unique character of the coolest areas of the Sonoma Coast appellation.

Flowers has a long standing reputation for its pinot noir, but we tasted some spectacular chardonnays also. They produce 15,000 cases of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The winemaker dinner was beautifully crafted by Rick Edge, Executive Chef. It started with tartare of Angus tenderloin with capers, lime and fresh herbs. It was well paired with the Flowers 2007 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. In color, light straw to golden. Layers of aroma include lemon drop, pear, and apricot. A nice finish, light oak, with a roundness in the mouth. A bit of minerality also made it a perfect pairing for a vegetarian dish prepared for my vegetarian friend, a flavorful risotto. 14.1% alcohol. 3 oz glass $6, 6 oz glass $12

Next course was a sweet corn soup with a warm mushroom salad, summer truffle and house cured lardo. Plumpjack makes this last ingredient themselves; it’s a fatback cured in lemon zest for more than four months. The dish was paired with Flowers 2006 Andreen-Gale Chardonnay, which has a richness and acidity that leads to a long and complex finish. On the nose, lemon and floral, and on the palate, a minerality that’s integrated with vanilla tones. Tom Hinde, CEO of Flowers, poured the wine, and called it a “feisty chardonnay.” 14.1% alcohol. 3 oz glass, $8. 6 oz glass, $16.

The seared Ahi Tuna main course featured a spiced heirloom tomato compote, Beluga lentils, and a pinot noir reduction. Our vegetarian friend had a lovely mushroom ragout for this course. Both dishes were perfect with the Flowers 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, with its crispness and fruit-forward acidity. Aroma of cherry, raspberry, and plum are followed by hints of violet, spice, mineral, and pepper. A lovely juicy pinot noir, with strawberry, raspberry, black fruits and even a bit of leather. Nicely tannic for a lingering finish. Flowers tasting notes state that “The full spectrum of Pinot Noir clones is represented in this wine. Older traditional California heirloom selections such as Martini, 2A, and Pommard are complemented by the more recently available Dijon clones (115, 828, 667, 777), as well as low vigor selections from the Swan and Calera vineyards. “ 13.4% alcohol. 3 oz glass, $7. 6 oz glass, $14

The final course, desert , was an espresso panna cotta, with fresh cherries, chocolate soil, and a French macaroon. Perfectly paired with Flowers 2007 Perennial “Pinot Noir, Syrah” Sonoma Coast. The wine greets the nose with fruit aromas of plums, strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry, and on the palate, there is a lovely jamminess with hints of coffee, mineral and chocolate. You’ll find some tones of cranberries and cherry in the taste too, and a smooth texture made it a perfect end-of-the-meal wine. It’s a blend of 74% Pinot Noir, 16% Syrah, 8% Pinot Meunier, and 2% Chardonnay . 13.8% alcohol. 3 oz glass $5, 6 oz glass $10.

PlumpJack Cafe Squaw Valley is located at 1920 Squaw Valley Road in Olympic Valley. Dinner Thursday through Sunday . Reservations recommended; 530-583-1578.

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© 2009 Barbara Keck

For more information on dining and the wide range of activities around Lake Tahoe, see the online version of The Tahoe Weekly. This article appeared in my column "It's Grape" in the issue that bridges the end of August, beginning of September 2009.

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