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This month’s label was inspired by a conversation with a customer about Nefarious Cellars. Now, I get really excited about great wine, great wine making and great wine stories, and this label delivers on all of the above.

Nonni & Zing Pinot

2002 Nonni and Zing Willamette Valley Pinot Noir according to their website:

…we started a label called Nonni and Zing. It was a small project of about 250 cases annually and was made entirely from fruit sourced from the Dundee Hills AVA. That was a good time.

The label features a jester with bright red pompoms on his top. The Nefarious jester can still be found in the background of the Nefarious wine labels today. My favorite part is the red and white polka dot foil. I also love how each wine is individually numbered by hand. Mine is 659 of 1680. Since I’ll never open it as a part of my collection, here are some tasting notes from someone else’s experience.

Polka Dots

This is an historical piece, no longer available or produced. I feel so lucky to have come across this bottle when Nefarious first opened in 2005. Back then they were just a chick, a guy, and a dog. Things have gone very well for the Neff’s and I am excited to have them in my own backyard.

WineGirl

July’s Label of the Month is a choice from our new home of Lake Chelan. It’s a tribute to the wineries and grape growers of the area that have worked to establish the Lake Chelan region as a unique wine destination. One of the most unique wineries in the valley is Hard Row to Hoe. As they say on their website, the “name celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of a man who ran a row boat taxi service on Lake Chelan in the 1930’s ferrying miners by rowboat to a brothel located at Point Lovely.” That theme extends from their name to their tasting room, their label designs and the wine names. A few of their wine names are Shameless Hussy, Laid Back Cab, Iron Bed Red, and the soon to be released Double Dip. Their labels show the trek of the miners across Lake Chelan to Point Lovely.

Fun labels for sure.

J.H.

The Original

A man named Ron came into The Blending Room last week. I thought I recognized him from somewhere. An older gentleman, bald on top, but a very well manicured white beard on the bottom. He looked as if perhaps he had forgotten his top hat home. He was very kind, but direct almost a little gruff. I knew I was in good hands when he began delving into his wine background. Turns out he retired only to find himself Chief Taster at Columbia Winery for over eight years.

Columbia Winery was the first winery I ever visited. I was 16, maybe I just turned 16. My boyfriend and I were celebrating my birthday on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. It was the mystery edition tour, a real Who Done It? where everyone’s a suspect and we all have to untangle the planted actors from the guests to solve the murder. Turns out the stuffed Husky dog I received as a surprise birthday gift was the culprit. Go figure.

Anyway, we arrived at Columbia Winery in Woodinville after what seemed like hours traveling time from Renton. Guess the commute’s still the same, even in a car. I’m not sure if I actually tasted wine that night, seeing as I was a paranoid goody two shoes and didn’t want to get caught drinking under-age. Maybe I sipped off my boyfriend’s glass, as he was after all of age. We purchased two bottles of wine. One was drunk at some point, and the other I have carried with me throughout nearly half my life. It’s a 1994 Columbia Valley Merlot. Not sure if the late Master of Wine David Lake made it or not. When I find the bottle I’ll add it to this post.

Well, throughout the next decade and a half I have found several reasons to visit Columbia Winery. One, I purchased a wine barrel from them in 2003 for my Sonoma County ΦΗΡΑ Cabernet Merlot. And, I went tasting with some friends where I purchased a 2000 Pinot Gris, that I still have too. It’s the label of the month for June along with the 1997 Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the Otis Vineyard. If you look closely you can see the scratch marks from years of storage on my fancy Ikea wine rack. I’ll probably never open either. They’re part of my story. Probably better that way, seeing as white wines do not age well, and well reds, well… I believe on either of those occasions I may have run into Ron behind the Columbia Winery bar. It felt great to be on the other side of the bar from Ron. It allowed me to see how far I’ve come in the WineGirl Wines endeavor.

Yikes, where did I lose May?

After a recent trip to the QFC – Issaquah that carries what remains of our 2007 Kamari Black Label Cabernet Franc, I found a label that inspired me enough to add it to the Label of the Month blog series.

However, instead of using that label for May and further begging forgiveness that it is no longer May and that my post is delinquent for May, I am going to do a piece on what has also been lost.

Somewhere over the Snoqualmie Pass and in between wrapping up my MBA and opening The Blending Room in Lake Chelan, I lost time to write the May LotM post. Fear not, I have found what many others have lost.

We’ll begin with a lost canyon. My favorite thing about items being lost is that they are inevitably found, or else you’d have a tree falling in a forest. Does it make a sound? Thus, I am assuming that the lost canyon for which Lost Canyon wines were inspired must have been found by the inspire-ee. Wait, I’ve become lost in my contemplation.

Anyway, Lost Canyon has a simple label that they have used since 2001, below left. I think we used the same Papyrus font for the University of Washington Biology Club sweatshirt designs. Yes I was a nerd. But that was in 2003, so I guess we lost the font race. I also found a Lost Canyon label from 1978, that I thought was quite pleasing, perhaps they should bring the antique paper look back.

Moving on to our new find, we have a lost valley. I’m beginning to find a theme here. How is it that we have lost all of these geographic regions, or is it being lost within them that is appealing? Lost Valley Winery can be found down-under in Australia. The label is simple black and white water color, almost translucent imagery conveying a succinct feeling of lost.

The Lost Valley Winery website describes for us the ethereal nature of the region down-under and explains perhaps how it became lost:

Nestled on the high slopes of Victoria’s Great Dividing Range in the stunningly beautiful ’Victorian High Country’ 1 hour North of Melbourne, Lost Valley Winery is set amongst majestic boulders of pink granite at a lofty 450 metres altitude with sweeping views of Mount Buller, first growth forests of Australian Ghost Gums and bordered by the trout filled King Parrot Creek below.

Almost forgotten by modern development, this land was called the “Valley of the Thousand Hills” by its indigenous aboriginal inhabitants; whilst the name for the Tallarook Forest that adjoins Lost Valley Winery, comes from the language of the Natramboolok Tribe meaning “Call of the Wattlebird.”

Hmm, like Dorothy I too would like to become lost in the Land of Auss… among the wattlebirds.

For each lost canyon you will find a river and for each lost valley one finds a lake. Luckily enough we have found the Lost River Winery and the Lost Lake Winery. I like the Lost River label with the vintage sketch and clearly designed label, but I am especially attracted to the circular ammonite imagery on the Lost Lake labels. The label makes me wonder if I can find lost ammonite fossils on the lake floor, and I begin to wonder about the lost land before time of these extinct marine creatures.

We’ve begun in California and traversed to Australia and now we’re back in the Northern hemisphere with these two winery’s hailing from my home state, Lost River in Winthrop, Washington and Lost Lake in Pemberton, Washington. And, to wrap up our trip of lost and found, we remember another winery out on the peninsula in Sequim: Lost Mountain Winery.

Lost Mountain has since closed its doors as the owners have retired from a long family tradition of winemaking. Jon and I actually had a chance to visit the Lost Mountain Winery back on 2004. Its grounds were stunning and luscious, characteristic of the Puget Sound. I still have a bottle of their wine and I think they mastered the lost imagery with their label. It is a sad loss for Washington state.

And last but not lost, and even more appropriately for the month May 2010 is a tribute to the LOST. Dharma Initiative island beverages, and who can forget the beer?

Find me in June,

WineGirl

This blog post follows a whirlwind set-up of wine in China posted here.

As a student in the MBA program at the University of Washington, I am so lucky to have the chance to learn from amazing community business representatives on a variety of topics. This quarter we are discussing China, so naturally I am writing about China and wine. Most recently we heard from Amazon executive Diego Piacentini. In the first forum Mr. Piacentini alluded to adding a cancellation/return policy to Joyo, how everyone else thought returns were just not a part of Chinese culture. But then, when it became an option the Chinese sure took to it. In short he surmised that the Chinese may not be all that different from Americans…

Consumption Trends

An analysis of wine consumption in China sites the major cities Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou and the SAR (special administrative region) Hong Kong as the largest growing markets for wine in China. For example, wine is still a symbol of luxury in Hong Kong as consumption trends have been influenced dramatically by revocation of taxes that were upwards of 80%.

Consumption is growing rapidly over 35% annually and occurs primarily in fine restaurants of Urban Centers. Subsequently, the domestic consumption leaves little for export and exceeds domestic production leaving China as one of the largest markets for bulk wines from France, Australia and possibly the U.S.

According to an interview of St. Pierre a father-and-son Canadian wine exporter, wine drinker’s in China appear to have gone from mixing red wine with soda water to worshiping first growth recommendations by Wine Spectator (hey, you gotta start somewhere).

Marketing in China

So, knowing these tidbits… It seems the world of marketing, as I’ve learned about it at the Foster School of Business in Seattle may apply across international boundaries such as China.

Let’s begin with what Halstead of decanter.com says:

I think most of the wine industry round the world would agree that Asia in general, and China in particular, represent a colossal opportunity for sales growth over the next 20-30 years.

Australian Success in China

Most everyone is familiar with Yellow Tail, the wine not the sushi. Yellow Tail changed the face of wine imports in the US, less than 10 years ago and virtually became an overnight success in the value segment. Unfortunately, the US value segment was just as quickly saturated and the Aussies had to look else where. How about China?

Again from Mike Veseth’s blog:

The Australian wine industry is dreaming about a Chinese future because their present reality is an emerging nightmare. Australian wine is being battered by a number of factors, both natural and market driven… Although there are many distinctive and delicious Australian wines, “Brand Australia” is pretty much defined by one-dimensional Shiraz and over-oaked Chardonnay… The “brand” was easy to understand and promote, but it didn’t have legs… Australia has adopted a new marketing plan… that is meant to highlight the quality and diversity of its fine wine industry. It’s a good idea but a difficult one to put into practice — hard to un-ring the Yellow Tail bell…

The Landmark Australia plan may be working in China. Or maybe not… The French have 40% of the fine wine market to Australia’s 20-22% [in second place]. The U.S., Italy and Chile trail far behind… The geographical proximity to China is certainly an advantage. There’s evidence of the China Syndrome dream in the data, but also hints of a possible nightmare. It seems that Australia is doing even better (in terms of rising market share) in the bulk wine market than in sales of bottled wine… One reason for higher sales at the low end of the market is that surplus bulk wine is being dumped (sold below cost). Hard to compete with that, of course… but it is hard to be optimistic when this market segment is Australia’s greatest Chinese success. Australia wants to get out of the bulk market, in terms of its brand, not deeper into it.

WARNING! Clicking on image below leads to a hilarious post, however the translation of the label may be considered inappropriate by some.

American Wine in China

So, if French first growths have the ultra-premium segment and Aussie plonk has the value segment where does that leave the US opportunity?

Tom Hedges of Hedges Family Estate Winery paints the following picture:

As an American producer, we have the U.S. market, which today is number one or number two in the world for total consumption. An example is flying to Denver costs $300 round trip, and takes no time. Our potential to sell in Colorado alone is equal to or better than that in all of China; the Chinese consume very little wine, in total, of which 85% is Chinese production. And, being [an emerging] consuming market, they want only two kinds of wine: Famous and cheap. About 99% of the world’s wineries are neither, which means you have to develop a market for your brand. Costly!

So, in summary and according to Tom Hedges, if your own backyard is still growing why would you move overseas? I’m glad I answered that for myself. But, what about those Canadians? What are they thinking?

There’s No Place Like Home,
WineGirl