January 2012 Archives

It seems like an annual rite of passage at this point.  For more than a decade (this is actually year 12) I have made the trip to Southern California for the  Screen Actors Guild Awards.  This premier awards show is the only one where actors vote for actors in all genres of film and television.  It is quite an honor for our wines to be there - in fact, I really can't think of another winery like ours that dominates the dinner tables and wine bars of such a prominent event like the SAG Awards.

With all of the pomp and circumstance of the weekend, my time commitment has now turned into four days of build up to the Sunday night culmination.   One of the great opportunities for us to share our story with the media is actually on the Thursday before the show at the behind-the-scenes media day at the Shrine Auditorium.  This is quite a scene all to itself.

As I am part of the "talent" for the day, it is a long and rather grueling day full of flurries of activity and sometimes hours of boredom.  By the way, I am told this is typical of any Hollywood production - lots of waiting and waiting and waiting....  Anyway, media day can be a great opportunity for me to share my family story and wines with media who otherwise would not cover a winery.  Outlets such as Entertainment Tonight, news crews  and others are on hand to shoot b-roll and gather sound bites for their evening shows.  The whole thing is kind of surreal and really puts me out of my element in a lot of ways.  For one, I have to be really aggressive.  If you are a wall flower at these kinds of things, the press will march right by you and not give you a second look.   You have to confidently walk up to them and say who you are and why they should care.  This is not easy, trust me.  I've never been an overt self promoter so I really have to muster up some intestinal fortitude.  Another challenging aspect of the day is trying to involve myself in as many still photo shoots as possible.  Stills are an important way that the media conveys a story.  Once again, I have to elbow my way in to make sure that Dry Creek Vineyard wines are being well represented.  Ultimately, the entire media day is exhausting but well worth the time and a major perk for being the official wines of the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

As for the show, it airs this Sunday, January 29, 2012 and is televised live on TNT and TBS at 8 ET/5 PT.  I hope you all will be able to tune in to see Dry Creek Vineyard wines on national TV!

| | Comments (3)

Can I still say that even though we're already 18 days into 2012?

I hope everyone reading this had a joyous and restful holiday season. For many of you, I know the holidays are probably anything but that. If you host family and friends, the pressure is on to show them that picture perfect Xmas that they probably never had in the first place. If you're running around from one house to the next, trying to make both sides of the family happy, oh boy-do I feel your pain. Or, if you are simply by yourself and find the holidays a subtle reminder of being alone, then I sympathize--although many of my friends would say, enjoy it!

For me, the holidays are always capped off by my wedding anniversary which occurs shortly after the New Year. Normally, we don't do a whole lot to mark the occasion. Who's up for it? By then, we're usually out of energy and out of money. However, this year was different as we are celebrating our 30th anniversary. Yep, you heard that right, thirty. Not too many people can brag about such a milestone, especially when they've been working with their spouse for a good 2/3 of that time. So, we decided rather spontaneously to kick up our heels and do something unexpected and memorable.

Thanks to a promotional email I got from Windstar cruises, (yes, a marketer got suckered by marketing!) we booked a cruise through the Grenadine Islands on their small ship the Wind Spirit. Oh, what a glorious 7 days we had. Snorkeling, sightseeing, snoozing and just sailing along. Now, it's back to reality, and back to work.

2012 is a biggee for me. I'll be playing an important new role--one I've been gearing up for my whole life, judging by this picture. I am taking my husband's place as President of Dry Creek Vineyard while he takes a temporary sabbatical to fulfill some personal goals. Now don't go getting all alarmed, it's nothing like that. He's not sick and there's no mid-life crisis. On the contrary; the timing couldn't be better. After a decade of rebuilding our business from the ground up, he deserves time off and some much needed R and R. Besides, he's got a "honey do" list a mile long!

So, a very belated Happy New Year to all. Thank you for your readership, comments and support over the years. May 2012 bring an abundance of prosperity, peace, and promise- and plenty of delicious moments with Dry Creek Vineyard wines!

| | Comments (2)

About this Archive

This page is an archive of entries from January 2012 listed from newest to oldest.

December 2011 is the previous archive.

February 2012 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

welcome!

This is a blog about what it's really like to be in the wine industry...so sit back, take a sip and enjoy!

about me

our wines

our winery

our events

contact me

privacy statement



favorite posts

A Lifetime in Wine

Top 10 Traits of the Successful Family Winery

The Dreaded Family Meeting

Board Meeting Jitters

Is the Future of the Winery in Danger?

The Case of the Overweight Bottle

Wine and Dementia

Wanted: Talented (Normal) Individual for Family Owned Winery

A Sea of Wine

The Heroes of Our Industry


monthly archives


subscribe


Hopes & Dreams

Owning a Coastal Cottage

Sailing for 6 Months

Getting a 100 Point Score

Favorite Haunts

Coast of Maine

Dry Creek General Store

Dry Creek Kitchen

Healdsburg Bar & Grill

Spoonbar

Sonoma Country Antiques

Baci Cafe & Wine Bar

The Farmhouse

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar

Bad Ass Coffee

Bistro Ralph

Bits of Press

Food & Wine Magazine

The Wine News

Wine Enthusiast

Wine Spectator

Press Democrat

Sunset Magazine

Connoisseurs' Guide

Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences

Cruising World Magazine

Oprah Magazine

The Washington Post

Coastal Living Magazine

Wine & Spirits Magazine

People Magazine

SAG Awards Magazine

Forbes Magazine

Favorite Magazines

Coastal Living

Down East

Sunset

Country Living

Quarterly Review of Wines

Wines & Vines

Wine Spectator

Wine Enthusiast

California Grapevine

Connoisseurs' Guide

Practical Winery & Vineyard

WineReviewOnline

Vineyard & Winery Mgmt

Blog Buddy List

Fermentation

Hip Tastes

Pinot Blogger

All The Best

Julia Flynn Siler

Vinography

Winery Web Site Report

The Pour - Eric Asimov

Dr Vino

Steve Heimoff

Start Up Ladies

Good Wine Under $20

Blind Muscat

The Wineroad Blog

Gabe's View

Wine Peeps

Vici Vino

Cellarmistress' Cellar Talk

Uncork Life

WineVine-Imports Blog

The Wine Witch

SOURMASHED


Honorable Mentions

Fermentation
Wilma Hits The World of Blogs
Most Intriguing New Wine Blogs of 2008
Midwest Wine Guy
Winery of the Month
Julia Flynn Siler
Meritage wines - and a fascinating glimpse into family business
Winery Web Site Report
New Winery Blog: Wilma's Wine World
Start Up Ladies
Insider's View of Family Owned Dry Creek Vineyard
The Glue that Keeps the Whole Thing Going
Atlanta Dish
Blog of the Week
Blind Muscat
The Merits of Meritage
Wineries.net
Boston Wine Expo exhibitors, and the reason why winemakers are so darn happy