thrawn1020 wrote:Reach 300 of us, and have us evangelize you to the end of days with all our wine-drinking fiends/friends? I think that works out to a win for everyone involved. Heck, we'll evangelize within the group for a long time after you woot with us. Like how i just finished a bottle of the Peltier Station PS and was completely blown away by it, even though I really enjoyed the first bottle I drank too. I think on the whole, there is much value to this community. Like I said above, we get tremendous access here that we could only get by visiting wineries otherwise. But to get that access in real time, online and every week of the year, and paired with great wines at tremendous prices? Priceless.

I agree, completely. This is why I am here. I may still purchase this week I just need to get knocked off the fence. Meaning, I have spent a lot of money here in the last few weeks, and now I really have to justify my purchases. The inflation is now starting to eat into my budget, and therefore cutting into my woot.wine budget. I need to know from my fellow wooters that I will like this wine. Hence the LaBrat reports. Genius, btw WD

thrawn1020 wrote:Heck, we'll evangelize within the group for a long time after you woot with us. Like how i just finished a bottle of the Peltier Station PS and was completely blown away by it, even though I really enjoyed the first bottle I drank too.

I can't say it better than this:

Freddie Mercury wrote:Steve walks warily down the street,
With the brim pulled way down low
Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet,
Machine guns ready to go
Are you ready, Are you ready for this
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust...

Loweeel wrote:
Another one bites the dust

Play it backwards....

Winedavid39 wrote:some great posts tonight, really solid. thanks, it helps me deal with the late inning rally by UGA...

Here's hoping they've used up their late inning rallies.

MaskedMarvel wrote:Play it backwards....

Hahaha... this is good. THanks for posting. Not quite wine related.. but thats okay.

thrawn1020 wrote:... wine.woot allows people like me who are just getting into wine to somewhat correctly value what would be a splurge purchase most of the time. The bottles that I have purchased in the $15-25 range from woot have been fantastic, truly exceptional for my experiences and palate. And without these experiences, I'd still be buying ~$10 bottles from the grocery store that aren't half of some of these $15 bottles, or not knowing what to get at the store. So from me, thank you wine.woot for all that you have taught me and allowed to experience over the past 9 months or so. It has been and continues to be truly phenomenal. The winery exposure here is also not to be missed, as nowhere else would someone like me have that opportunity. Peace.

I couldn't have said it better. Short of visiting the vineyards, wine.woot is the best wine education around in my book. There's great variety in the offerings, deep and entertaining discussions of most every bottle, awesome winemaker involvement, and -- this I'm appreciating more and more -- a continuity of people and perspectives that makes each discussion more valuable as you get to know the folks talking. At this point I have a _lot_ more confidence in the woot braintrust than my local wine guy.

Also, in addition to considering the discount and the opportunity to try wines I can't find locally, I rationalize the (at times alarming) expense by considering the value of the education in the purchase price -- for the price of a discounted bottle, I'm getting a "free" class on that very wine thrown in that I'd pay good money for. If I buy at the liquor store, I get far less value from the experience.

Corrado wrote:Next year, rename "The Duke" something like "Epiphany," market it as a limited, one-time blend that will never be produced again, and price it $2 more than the Victory.

I know that's really not feasible, but I would love to see a university pay for a marketing study like that.

A UCD grad student did exactly that, and the test subjects overwhelmingly preferred the wine with the high price tag, Whether it was really the $40 wine or the $5 wine.

Any chance of an Oregon wine gathering at some point? I glanced over the other forums... but didn't see anything in this area...

Anyone interested?

Corrado wrote:I knew about that test. The question is how will the consumer respond in the marketplace. If "The Duke" (DBA "Epiphany") sold out at Victory+ prices and was regarded as 'fine wine' by the average consumer, that could make for more of a shake-up. However, it's more likely that the folks willing to pay $30+ for a bottle of wine may actually think it drinks like $10 wine and never buy Wellington again. :o

Corrado - do all woot staff/moderators get a black box b/c they are staff? or do they all actually buy so many items???

edthebedhead wrote:Any chance of an Oregon wine gathering at some point? I glanced over the other forums... but didn't see anything in this area...

Anyone interested?

Start up a thread in the World Of Woot Wine about it. Yumitori tried one, but named it "Inland Empire", which in California is known as Riverside/San Bernardino areas. So try naming it Oregon Wine Tasting or something similar.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Start up a thread in the World Of Woot Wine about it. Yumitori tried one, but named it "Inland Empire", which in California is known as Riverside/San Bernardino areas. So try naming it Oregon Wine Tasting or something similar.

Cheers! Thanks Mark!

MarkDaSpark wrote:Start up a thread in the World Of Woot Wine about it. Yumitori tried one, but named it "Inland Empire", which in California is known as Riverside/San Bernardino areas. So try naming it Oregon Wine Tasting or something similar.

Yeah, yeah. Still got you to look, didn't I? Besides, the term has been used in California for some 60 years, while it's been applied to our region for more than twice that long.

At this point, my wife and I are planning to be in the Portland area during the last weekend in July, barring conflicts with her new job. If some locals were to set up a tasting for, say, Friday evening we should be able to attend. Especially if it were held in the southern portion of the greater Portland metropolitan area, around Tualatin, for example.

If you start a thread like Mark suggests, I'll be sure to participate.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Start up a thread in the World Of Woot Wine about it. Yumitori tried one, but named it "Inland Empire", which in California is known as Riverside/San Bernardino areas. So try naming it Oregon Wine Tasting or something similar.

On the subject of starting a thread in the WoWW, I know it seems like hijacking to start it here, but I wonder if it may be more effective. For example, woopdedoo started the thread for what has evolved into a terrific trip (coming up in only 27 days!), posted it here, and then got it moved over. I'm pretty sure that I, for one, would have missed it if it had started elsewhere. Lord knows, this forum gets hijacked for a time almost every week, often for subjects that to some seem less worthy than a wine tasting. (Not including the CWS, of course. Go FSU Bulldogs!) Just my 2¢, FWIW.

dfvlee wrote:Why do we woot?

Thanks, Lee. If you have not already gathered from the abundance of posts on the subject, we look forward to the winery participation here.

I have been continually impressed with the excellent input, insight, and entertainment provided by such a diverse group of winemakers; each has been a credit to the group as a whole. It's no wonder someone occasionally asks how to become a winemaker or work for a winery (either that or it's the appeal of working that close to so much booze).

So, again, thanks.

pfcouvar wrote:I couldn't have said it better. Short of visiting the vineyards, wine.woot is the best wine education around in my book. There's great variety in the offerings, deep and entertaining discussions of most every bottle, awesome winemaker involvement, and -- this I'm appreciating more and more -- a continuity of people and perspectives that makes each discussion more valuable as you get to know the folks talking. At this point I have a _lot_ more confidence in the woot braintrust than my local wine guy.

Also, in addition to considering the discount and the opportunity to try wines I can't find locally, I rationalize the (at times alarming) expense by considering the value of the education in the purchase price -- for the price of a discounted bottle, I'm getting a "free" class on that very wine thrown in that I'd pay good money for. If I buy at the liquor store, I get far less value from the experience.

I actually learn a lot just reading these forums. I feel like an educated snob when I talk about decanting and wine cellaring to my friends now. Muahahaha...

Some quick notes from the vineyard this year:

- Early spring freeze was annoying! We had to run frost protection more often and further into spring than ever before. Even then, we were fortunate to lose so little, only about 1% of the Chardonnay crop. Our phone was ringing off the hook from a few Sonoma wineries looking for Chardonnay after the disastrous freeze up north.

- We had some shatter in Cabernet Sauvignon but not at a level where we expect any drastic shortages.

- Our winter efforts of composting (mix of last year's must) and adding gypsum have paid off. Working hard in the winter also allowed us to use less water in a dry year by having better water retention with the compost and using the winter rains to deliver the needed nutrients rather than using the drip irrigation.

- Despite last week, it's been a very cool year. Last week, it seemed the whole state was in the 100's. I ventured down to the winery for a tasting event near my old home town of San Luis Obispo and couldn't get any relief down by the local beaches. The hot streak spurred some growth, but as I mentioned, our gut feel is that the vintage will be a later harvest.

Some quick notes from the winery this year:

- 05 Cab and 05 Merlot are closer to release. We taste their state of readiness routinely and even did it live on-line with some employees and club members.

- 07 whites were just bottled and will be resting for a few months with the exception of the 07 Pinot Blanc, which I like really young.

- 06 reds were assembled (blended) back in early spring of this year and are now resting as final blends in oak. We will bottle the 06 Claret, 06 Cab and 06 Merlot this September. The 06 Ezio and this is really fun, the 06 Red Wine T Be Named Later, and 06 Sorelle Per Sempre will be bottled in early 2009. My overall take on the 06 vintage is similar quality to the 05 with less yield, so perhaps some more power and structure. We'll see.

- 07 is going to be a red monster year. We just barrel tasted and assessed the lots and the 20% reduction in crop load attributed to smaller berry size is showing up in some very intense flavor and color. I can't wait to start blending in January.

- The winery is going through some major renovation. The building is about 30 years old and we've occupied it for 16 months. Since then, adding new fermentation tanks in the form of small, portable tanks, new glycol system, new cooling units and a new crush pad. The new open-top fermenters with the auto-punch down are slated for August. The winery floor was just resurfaced with a level and gritty epoxy surface so we can keep things neat and clean. Yes, we're clean freaks. Future plans look like more barrel room so we can make more wine, control heating and cooling for wine barrels and also a separate room for cased goods. Also, a we'll redesign the tasting room, which just got a rough make-over and clean-up job when we took over. It will get a kitchen (FOOD!), and more of a comfortable feel with views to wine making below and an outdoor patio for nice afternoons or evening dinners. We definitely bought the worst house on the best block!

Corrado wrote:I knew about that test. The question is how will the consumer respond in the marketplace. If "The Duke" (DBA "Epiphany") sold out at Victory+ prices and was regarded as 'fine wine' by the average consumer, that could make for more of a shake-up. However, it's more likely that the folks willing to pay $30+ for a bottle of wine may actually think it drinks like $10 wine and never buy Wellington again. :o

I think the point made is that there are a lot of people out there who can't tell the difference between a "$30" wine and a "$10" wine. Those who can will be able to choose their wines based on their own tastes rather than based on image or numerical scores. Those who can't are probably better off drinking $10 wines unless they're trying to impress someone, in which case it's all about image and perception and not about what's in the bottle. As I have mentioned before, there are a lot of $30 plus wines out there that I wouldn't spend $10 for. I tried a $60 Napa Cab last week that was basically undrinkable; three of us left the bottle 3/4s full. It was huge, almost syrupy sweet from all the oak, micro-ox and alcohol. Even though the fruit came from great vineyard areas it was hard to tell what variety, much less any regional character. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of awesome Napa Cabs too, but pedigree and high price do not automatically mean great wine.

First labrat reporting for duty! I have the SPS. Full report tonight.
And Lee, thanks for the vineyard/winery reports. Very interesting.

Cesare wrote:First labrat reporting for duty! I don't know which wine yet, will find out soon. Full report tonight.
And Lee, thanks for the vineyard/winery reports. Very interesting.

Yay! I'm very anxious to hear how the wines are....that I've already purchased!! So much for the informed consumer! Oh yea, Cesare, thanks for the feedback on that wine aerator.

Cesare wrote:First labrat reporting for duty! I don't know which wine yet, will find out soon. Full report tonight.
And Lee, thanks for the vineyard/winery reports. Very interesting.

Isn't this already your second time being a rat? I thought you were already a rat relatively recently, or am I confused as usual?

grats cesare

too bad it doesn't come to your office!

DonaldWilliams wrote:On the subject of starting a thread in the WoWW, I know it seems like hijacking to start it here, but I wonder if it may be more effective. For example, woopdedoo started the thread for what has evolved into a terrific trip (coming up in only 27 days!), posted it here, and then got it moved over. I'm pretty sure that I, for one, would have missed it if it had started elsewhere. Lord knows, this forum gets hijacked for a time almost every week, often for subjects that to some seem less worthy than a wine tasting. (Not including the CWS, of course. Go FSU Bulldogs!) Just my 2¢, FWIW.

Actually, woopdedoo posted his query in the main wine thread, but then TMR ran with it and created a new thread in the World Of Woot Wine forums, and cross-posted woop's original post.

The key is that lots (some?) of us posted about it in the pub and each week's wine forum about it. So post about your thread in the pub and here, and ye shall receive .... wineaux!

canonizer wrote:grats cesare
too bad it doesn't come to your office!

Come over later tonight and try it.
And yes Hak, I ratted the Robert Craig in March.

theresa1013 posted in the pub about the first paragraph for this wine. Was it there since the beginning? That is,

Once again, we'll bring you a new deal this Thursday morning at midnight. Or Wednesday night at midnight. Right when it turns from Wednesday to Thursday, is what we're trying to say here.

I don't remember it being there at first. But it seems to imply that we only have until Midnight tomorrow (Wed) to get in on this? And then another new wine offering? Oy Vey! My cc and wallet are not going to forgive me!

MarkDaSpark wrote:theresa1013 posted in the pub about the first paragraph for this wine. Was it there since the beginning? That is,



I don't remember it being there at first. But it seems to imply that we only have until Midnight tomorrow (Wed) to get in on this? And then another new wine offering? Oy Vey! My cc and wallet are not going to forgive me!

I don't remember it being there at first either. That's one of the first things I looked for. If I had seen that, I might have bought only one. I can only drink so much wine.

Cesare wrote:Come over later tonight and try it.
And yes Hak, I ratted the Robert Craig in February.

Going to the mets game so I'll vaguely be in the neighborhood (sort of). I think it's too much for me though to get home around midnight. I'll call if the game's particularly awful or we get rained out.

edthebedhead wrote:Any chance of an Oregon wine gathering at some point? I glanced over the other forums... but didn't see anything in this area...

Anyone interested?

I am in PDX and would be interested in one......

DonaldWilliams wrote:I don't remember it being there at first either. That's one of the first things I looked for. If I had seen that, I might have bought only one. I can only drink so much wine.

Does the fact that it doesn't mention Donati mean that the second offering will be from a different winery? Because if I recall, on all the weeks where we've had a second offering from the same winery, it always mentions that in the description.

MarkDaSpark wrote:theresa1013 posted in the pub about the first paragraph for this wine. Was it there since the beginning? That is,



I don't remember it being there at first. But it seems to imply that we only have until Midnight tomorrow (Wed) to get in on this? And then another new wine offering? Oy Vey! My cc and wallet are not going to forgive me!

No, it wasn't. I specifically looked for it when I read the descriptions.

Probably will be a new winery

jhoofard wrote:I am in PDX and would be interested in one......

I will host one in the Autzen Stadium parking lot at a home game. We went through cases of Oregon Pinot Noir's, great cheese and good bbq last year. I have backed up the truck on 2006 Oregon PN's, almost out of room, am ready for football. First game 8/30 against the Fuskies, we will be ready!!!

If a warm day might do some Rose' tasting, have two in stock, will add more inventory before Football season.

SonomaBouliste wrote:I think the point made is that there are a lot of people out there who can't tell the difference between a "$30" wine and a "$10" wine. Those who can will be able to choose their wines based on their own tastes rather than based on image or numerical scores. Those who can't are probably better off drinking $10 wines unless they're trying to impress someone, in which case it's all about image and perception and not about what's in the bottle. As I have mentioned before, there are a lot of $30 plus wines out there that I wouldn't spend $10 for. I tried a $60 Napa Cab last week that was basically undrinkable; three of us left the bottle 3/4s full. It was huge, almost syrupy sweet from all the oak, micro-ox and alcohol. Even though the fruit came from great vineyard areas it was hard to tell what variety, much less any regional character. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of awesome Napa Cabs too, but pedigree and high price do not automatically mean great wine.

i think there is a difference between bad wine... and wine you don't like.

tommythecat78 wrote:You mean like packaging Casablanca with Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo?

Wow. I just cleaned up the keyboard after giving it an iced tea shower from laughing at another comment and I almost repeated after reading this.


Now I have to look up Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo.

clayfu wrote:i think there is a difference between bad wine... and wine you don't like.

Agreed. When three people who have all been heavily into wine for decades don't like a wine it's probably "bad". I always appreciate your comments. Checking your pm's?

jhoofard wrote:I am in PDX and would be interested in one......

Look at this thread on Oregon Wine Tasting and post in there. There are some people interested in it.

theresa1013 wrote:Does the fact that it doesn't mention Donati mean that the second offering will be from a different winery? Because if I recall, on all the weeks where we've had a second offering from the same winery, it always mentions that in the description.

Probably will be different. The Mumm Trio was that way. It stated there would be a 2nd offering, but didn't indicate it would be the same winery.

Although I kinda like it when it's the same winery. The Saxon Brown was good because you got 2 reds in the first, and white & rosé in the second.