tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post137077417996810984..comments2024-03-22T00:35:12.415-07:00Comments on HoseMaster of Wine™: Twitterrhea and BloggerballsRon Washam, HMWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-58456354752463683732009-08-24T08:20:11.715-07:002009-08-24T08:20:11.715-07:00Steven--
I have been thrown out of Livermore more...Steven--<br /><br />I have been thrown out of Livermore more times than I care to remember. The last time, I wore sunglasses and a Robert Parker nose. The tasting room lady sussed me out when I told her that I did not use my mood ring to choose wine and her $12 Chardonnay that was four vintages old and had been reduced from $30 was still not worth the time of day. So, now, I try not to get off I-580 when passing through. The police have my picture and I don't want to spend a day locked up at the Wente tasting room. After all, they don't have Gray Riesling anymore.Charlie Olkenhttp://www.cgcw.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-42007467045978976602009-08-24T05:41:54.368-07:002009-08-24T05:41:54.368-07:00Charlie,
Even the HoseMaster deserves the benefit...Charlie,<br /><br />Even the HoseMaster deserves the benefit of the doubt (one time, of course!). You should come to Livermore too.Steven Mirassouhttp://www.stevenkent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-12319764398290124102009-08-23T09:50:11.521-07:002009-08-23T09:50:11.521-07:00Charlie,
Can't wait for the publication of yo...Charlie,<br /><br />Can't wait for the publication of your first novel, "Puff Daddy Dearest." <br /><br />My education, for those who care, is mauve.<br /><br />Steven,<br /><br />Don't listen to Charlie. I come in peace to Livermore.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-62194018892140895642009-08-23T09:03:37.568-07:002009-08-23T09:03:37.568-07:00Ron,
Stevem promised me a novel a couple of years...Ron,<br /><br />Stevem promised me a novel a couple of years ago. I am still waiting. Of course, I am still waiting for my novel as well. And as for blue educations, I don't have one. Mine is all red.<br /><br />Steven,<br /><br />Have you been reading this blog for any length of time? If so, are you sure you want Washam anywhere near your winery?Charlie Olkenhttp://www.cgcw.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-75656491870941207652009-08-23T08:27:18.837-07:002009-08-23T08:27:18.837-07:00Charlie...I'm still a work in progress.
Ron,...Charlie...I'm still a work in progress. <br /><br />Ron, I look forward to seeing you soon. Thanks.Steven Mirassouhttp://www.stevenkent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-32737967032104607602009-08-23T08:11:47.000-07:002009-08-23T08:11:47.000-07:00Steven,
Let's see, in a room personally with ...Steven,<br /><br />Let's see, in a room personally with 400 other wineries, or impersonally on Twitter with 10,000 other wineries...<br /><br />No, I hear you, Family Winemakers is something of a beauty pageant where they don't rule out the ugly ones. I only go because there is something ultimately hilarious about the whole affair, although this year it will probably feel more like the Titanic. The economy is the iceberg.<br /><br />I would love to taste with you in Livermore! I'll make a point of doing it fairly soon. I'll be in touch.<br /><br />Charlie,<br /><br />You started this whole "serious" thing on HoseMaster. You with the blue, western education. Thanks for that. Who next, Morton Leslie? God forbid.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-74020353427821269652009-08-22T11:37:34.682-07:002009-08-22T11:37:34.682-07:00Steven, you are being too serious. Must be the blu...Steven, you are being too serious. Must be the blue, eastern education. Pity about that.Charlie Olkenhttp://www.cgcw.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-81888664242583753012009-08-22T09:52:31.327-07:002009-08-22T09:52:31.327-07:00Charlie, there definitely is a time to be serious,...Charlie, there definitely is a time to be serious, and a time to realize that we aren't curing cancer (or I might have just missed the headline?). I tweeted yesterday that going to taste wine out of barrel was like the first day of summer vacation. There really are few things as much fun as surfing the barrels!<br /><br />This business is galling sometimes, no doubt. But, you know, when someone likes what you make, and takes his/her hard-earned money and exchanges it for a bottle, the dealings with the distributors, and the lack of attention, the profligacy of brands, etc. skulk away...for a while.<br /><br />Ron, not at Family Winemaker's this year. Made the calculation that being in a room with 400 other wineries wasn't the most efficient use of the marketing time...I do believe their mission is of critical importance to small brands like mine, however. I'd love to get your honest feedback to the La Rochelle wines and the new vintages of Steven Kent. If you get to Livermore, please let me know. I'd love to taste with you.<br /><br />Anon, I think Mondavi was Napa-speak for Mirassou in the 1970s:) Not that it means anything now, but my grandfather and great-uncle co-signed on the $100,000 loan that Robert needed to start Mondavi after he was kicked out of the family business. No family in North America has been making wine continuously longer than mine. Again, not that that really means anything. All that matters is what is in the bottle, how authentic it is, how delicious.Steven Mirassouhttp://www.stevenkent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-46912244125300672092009-08-22T08:39:10.794-07:002009-08-22T08:39:10.794-07:00For some reason, with respect to most wine blogs, ...For some reason, with respect to most wine blogs, Facebook and Twitter postings remind me of the phamous philosophical question: If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?<br />*****<br />Why is it called "Social" Media when so many blogs and these inane postings (MyFace, etc.) are really "anti-social"?<br />*****<br />That Mirassou name rings a bell...wasn't that "Santa Clara-Speak" for "Mondavi" back in the 1970s?<br />*****<br />ANONYMOUS IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-79192442427898397422009-08-22T07:59:53.032-07:002009-08-22T07:59:53.032-07:00Hey Steven,
What's difficult about wine writi...Hey Steven,<br /><br />What's difficult about wine writing, of course, is not only do you have to have the talent to write you also have to know what you're talking about. Some bloggers have one gift or the other, few have both. Unfortunately, 80% of them believe they're in the top 5% when it comes to both.<br /><br />I'm not actually that cynical in real life. The HoseMaster is just my voice, he's not me at all. But I let him out a few times a week to vent his opinions. I rarely agree with him either.<br /><br />I'm going to seek our your wines, Steven. It's been a few vintages since I've had any Steven Kent and I've never tasted La Rochelle, but if Charlie says it's good Pinot Noir I have no doubt that it is. Are you at Family Winemakers this Sunday?<br /><br />Charlie, Puff Daddy,<br /><br />I'm honestly flattered that you hang around here. And, you're right, I do think the folks in the wine biz take it way too seriously. Reading the vast majority of wine blogs would lead one to believe that wine is the dullest subject imaginable after kitties. The parade of all but useless and indecipherable tasting notes (I include mine in those) is depressing and really just symptomatic of having nothing interesting to say. So the HoseMaster just tries to be interesting. Funny, not so much.<br /><br />No one is more surprised than me that the Puff Daddy has sunk to the HoseMaster level. Next you'll be reading Vinography.<br /><br />My Gorgeous Samantha,<br /><br />Me, Grumpy? I see myself more as Dopey. But I'll be all seven dwarves if you'll be my Snow White. Except Bashful.<br /><br />I so adore you.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-32918638172233713662009-08-21T20:49:54.745-07:002009-08-21T20:49:54.745-07:00Steven Mirassou, I am assuming the younger, not th...Steven Mirassou, I am assuming the younger, not the elder, is posting here, and his eloquence is hard won. He went to college, has written or promises to, write a novel, and just happens to make very good Pinot Noir under the La Rochelle label.<br /><br />But, Steven, do not confuse Ron's cynicism for lack of enthusiasm. He is very enthusiastic at taking the piss, as the English saym, out of everything and everyone because we in the wine biz are too damn serious. I have been serious about wine writing a long time. Look where it has gotten me. I am reduced to reading the Hosemaster. If you don't escape soon, you too can learn to be cynical.Charlie Olken (aka Puff Daddy)http://www.cgcw.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-72293515230840099822009-08-21T18:38:36.565-07:002009-08-21T18:38:36.565-07:00Ron,
I was just Tweeting about this very thing a...Ron,<br /> I was just Tweeting about this very thing and all my friends on facebook gave me that little thumbs up, "I like" thing when I posted as my status, "Samantha Dugan is so over social media". You have inspired me...gonna go blog about it.<br />By the way, kinda dig the "grumpy guy" snarl in your voice...rawr.Samantha Duganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214278596698698245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-34507277306188202032009-08-21T18:24:27.238-07:002009-08-21T18:24:27.238-07:00Ron:
I get you. We don't send a lot of sample...Ron:<br /><br />I get you. We don't send a lot of samples out anyway but haven't found that group of ink?-stained wretches yet that we want to send our wines to. I have no problem at all with anybody and everybody trying to make a living making/writing/blogging about wine. Wine is a very capacious thing, a taste for every taster and an angle for every writer. <br /><br />Blogging is so new that the cream hasn't risen yet. There are talented writers out there (I think you're one of them...perhaps a little heavy on the cynicism sometimes...but, hey, if it ain't interesting no one's going to read it, anyway); there are those less talented, too.<br /><br />Remember, the medium isn't the message. The medium's just a democratizing voice that's messy, less than authoritative, young, did I say messy?, and perhaps will spawn more truly individualistic, focused viewpoints down the road.Steven Mirassouhttp://www.stevenkent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-34712999383616632692009-08-21T15:14:58.843-07:002009-08-21T15:14:58.843-07:00Diane Darling, Beloved Wine Bitch,
Where have you...Diane Darling, Beloved Wine Bitch,<br /><br />Where have you been? I've missed you! Glad you're rid of the cheap-ass boyfriend. He definitely cramped your style. He was so tight you could sharpen pencils in his butt and sweep up the shavings for his gerbil.<br /><br />Nothing works better for selling wine than simple experience, the experience of tasting, of being in the vineyard, of feeling a part of the whole mysterious process. Social Media is the antithesis of that; it mocks genuine experience and connection and makes its frequent users pathetic examples of our species.<br />Perhaps they'll have the last laugh, but, as always, they'll be laughing alone.<br /><br />I adore you, Wine Bitch, come see me more often!Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-60772503682882993392009-08-21T14:52:08.937-07:002009-08-21T14:52:08.937-07:00Dear HMW,
Your comments are spot-on. Thank you, th...Dear HMW,<br />Your comments are spot-on. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Smedia does have it place BUT it can never, ever replace the "people" factor. Can someone tweet about a new release or blog-it? Surely. Does it sell wine? Not a chance. Most bloggers or tweeters(?) would not know tetrachloroanisole from brettanomyces. And they want to have my trust. News Flash! They all get-off in front of their bedroom mirror with a picture of Robert Parker taped to it.<br /><br />Excuse me, but when did any reputable wine "organ" tweet or Facebook anything notable? It is "hard" enough for them to legitimize their worth to the wine industry.<br /><br />The soul of a wine is in the vineyard! Not on a palm pilot, an inbox or iPhone.<br /><br />My ex-cheap-ass boyfriend sucks-up to so-called wine expert bloggers' every breath. What a fool and how lucky I am.<br /><br />Your wine bitch,<br /><br />DianeDianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06948577450104505318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-37037491727241390982009-08-21T10:53:19.626-07:002009-08-21T10:53:19.626-07:00How often do you see "jejune," "bow...How often do you see "jejune," "bowel movement," and "Puff Daddy" is a single post? Brilliant.Fredhttp://www.fred-co.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-19637958990815140932009-08-21T10:00:02.745-07:002009-08-21T10:00:02.745-07:00Steven,
So how many samples of your wine have you...Steven,<br /><br />So how many samples of your wine have you sent to bloggers? If you did send samples, how many interesting reviews did you receive, and did they affect sales at all?<br /><br />Your use of Social Media is understandable and maybe even necessary. My points are aimed more at the delusional bloggers and Social Media "experts" who actually think their poorly written, vacuous blogs are going to lead to a career in the wine business, to them having influence. That's what makes me laugh. One clown, Hardy Wallace, whose blog is abominable, landed a gig with Huckleberry Jackson, and the rest of the wine bloggers think they're next in line for the big bucks. Social Media Consultants? This year's version of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-14465979890915901772009-08-21T09:30:04.227-07:002009-08-21T09:30:04.227-07:00Thanks for the kind words Ron.
The more authenti...Thanks for the kind words Ron. <br /><br />The more authentic the interaction, any interaction, the greater the chance the relationship will grow, I think. <br /><br />We're a small winery; all the tweets, and Facebook postings and blog entries are done by me and my marketing team of one other person. We tell our story in the only way we know how...our way, with our voices. We hope that those voices are attractive enough and the story compelling enough to lead to the actual tasting of our wines...we're very happy to let the wines do all the talking from that point on. <br /><br />Keep up the good work; I'll be reading!<br /><br />Steven MirassouSteven Mirassouhttp://www.stevenkent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-26078222208139629412009-08-21T09:11:35.060-07:002009-08-21T09:11:35.060-07:00As for the blouse, I was too distracted by the leg...As for the blouse, I was too distracted by the leggy brunette who had stripped to her teeny black bikini panties to try to retrieve the Blackberry that fell out of her pocket and down the embankment at the gate to the boat that would take us from Catalina to San Pedro... My son did not notice the mood ring girl at all....Arthurhttp://www.winesooth.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-57461400006792773562009-08-21T09:08:41.235-07:002009-08-21T09:08:41.235-07:00I can't help being observant, Ron. It's on...I can't help being observant, Ron. It's one of those traits that get ramped up in med school.<br /><br />I think it's not the impersonality of SM that is a factor in facilitating off-lines.<br />I think it's the user. <br />There has been a great social shift underway for several decades now - and it started when people began to lock their doors during the day.<br />It used to be chats and IM that connected socially awkward (Asperger's spectrum types) and the shy and horny types in the 90's. <br />These then, after reaching some level of comfort, would get together - for drinks, hanging at the mall or a tryst. <br />People are increasingly isolated physically - because of their work schedules, locations, traffic, etc. They connect online and take it offline when they are ready.<br />Advances in technology - be it more cable channels or Google talk have paralleled these physical isolations so that now you have husbands and wives siting on adjacent couches, watching Steve Colber(t) and IM'ing to each other.Arthurhttp://www.winesooth.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-90527895403333048982009-08-21T08:02:30.127-07:002009-08-21T08:02:30.127-07:00Welcome Steven,
Wonderfully distinguished family ...Welcome Steven,<br /><br />Wonderfully distinguished family you're part of, thanks for stopping by.<br /><br />Yup, smedia (I hate that) is, in fact, just another tool, but apparently such a complicated tool that wineries think you have to hire another tool just to use it. Marketing people LOVE to hire more marketing people, they're like Tribbles, so a Social Media Director is just another lame marketing person who knows how to use the tool of Social Media, essentially a hammer when it comes to marketing tools--doesn't take much talent or skill to use it, just use it often.<br /><br />And thanks for noticing that I am not concerned about being right or wrong, just about being a tiny bit entertaining--there are a lot of Anonymous dimbulbs (not you Anon 1) who don't quite get that.<br /><br />Arthur,<br /><br />Of course this phenomenon is here to stay, there is gigantic money behind it. I don't care if it stays, I just want it to be seen for what it is, impersonal rather than personal, and relatively useless for selling wine. Hell, Wine of the Month Clubs sell way more wine.<br /><br />And you're the one guy I knew would notice what pants a woman with a mood ring was wearing--probably didn't even notice if she had a blouse on...<br /><br />Doesn't Social Media facilitate off-line interaction precisely because it is so impersonal?Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-71526287959836821512009-08-21T06:39:09.875-07:002009-08-21T06:39:09.875-07:00The HYPE wasn't going to go quietly. It thanks...The HYPE wasn't going to go quietly. It thanks you for your contribution. Good news/Bad news, just spell the name right, etc. <br /><br />Smedia, SocialM, SocMed, whatever... just a tool that in the best hands, can help to create a sense of story for a brand. Too early to tell whether it will help sell wine.<br /><br /> Science has already told us unequivocally that distributing companies distribute less wine for wineries than the winery did itself in its seminal research paper entitled..."Losing Money on each Case, but we'll Get it back in Volume: Distributing your Way to Wine-world Riches!"<br /><br />Any way, right or wrong your opinions are flavorfully presented. I feel strangely more alive today.Steven Mirassouhttp://www.stevenkent.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-14248409336607382762009-08-20T18:16:31.559-07:002009-08-20T18:16:31.559-07:00I have also been skeptical of social media, initia...I have also been skeptical of social media, initially seeing it as frenetic and a disingenuous form of friendship. Nevertheless, the general public responds to this mode of communication. <br />I suppose I still see it as the pet rock or mood ring of this decade, but just the other day I say a young woman (in bell bottoms, I think) talking about her new mood ring with her friends. <br />So my point is that this phenomenon is likley here to stay - for better or worse. I agree that paradoxically it seems to lead to greater isolation between participants. However, we cannot deny that it also facilitates a lot of off-line interaction.Arthurhttp://www.winesooth.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-50046740872935085952009-08-20T17:17:12.657-07:002009-08-20T17:17:12.657-07:00Hey Ward,
In a world full of mealy-mouthed blogge...Hey Ward,<br /><br />In a world full of mealy-mouthed bloggers, someone has to have an actual voice and strong opinion. Interesting how on household cleaners now it says, "If accidentally ingested, read wine blogger tasting notes to aid in inducing vomiting."<br /><br />And now we're calling it "smedia?" Wasn't he Captain Hook's first mate? <br /><br />I am trying, singlehandedly apparently, to temper the enthusiasm for Social Media and the vastly overrated influence it has on wine and wine sales. Gosh, I guess this means I won't be getting a house full of free wine samples like 1WineDude and all the other smedia titans. Damn, I sure will miss that mass marketed plonk! But I can read all about it when I swallow some Comet.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-76053378391548859112009-08-20T15:51:29.422-07:002009-08-20T15:51:29.422-07:00Hey there Ron. It's refreshing to see that yo...Hey there Ron. It's refreshing to see that you are still just as polite, devoid of cynicism and sarcasm and full of just as many happy thoughts as before! Keep up the fine work.<br /><br />For what it's worth, I am a proponent of social media, myself. I do, however, believe that enthusiasm for wine and smedia could be a bit tempered...it is, after all, just another way/tool to (personally) spread the word about your nifty wine and to meet new people and possible customers.Ward Kadel - drXeNohttp://www.winelog.net/blogs/drxenonoreply@blogger.com