Overheard in Wine Country

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:31:50 +0000

“__________’s vineyard is next door, and our vineyard manager just says there’s an incredible scorched earth policy there.”

Stylistic Differences

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:17:28 +0000

“How is a rich, ripe, dark Pinot Noir that’s 15.6% in alcohol Burgundian in style? You tell me. I can’t wait to hear.”

Eds. note: You may have noticed–we’re moving to posts a few times a week instead of Monday-Friday daily. Thanks for checking in along with us.

Subtle Sipping

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:02:02 +0000

“All Pinot Noir tastes like exotic Kool-Aid.”

But which flavor?

Those Were The Days

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:12:15 +0000

“Those tastings used to be fun, when only 25 people would show up, and then we’d have a drown-our-sorrows party at the end with all of the open bottles.”

Justify Your Self

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:31:14 +0000

“Well, I haven’t tasted this wine in an hour, so I should join you.”

So, You’re Saying There’s a Problem

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:56:54 +0000

“You know, people have been texting me, and I’m not receiving them. So, that’s a problem with my phone.”

So There

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:47:39 +0000

“Just because Jancis and you think so, it doesn’t mean Riesling is the world’s best white grape.”

The New Black

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:04:22 +0000

“Chardonnay is the new Syrah.”

“But they’re different colored grapes.”

“And they both don’t move on the shelf.”

The Bloom of Youth

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:53:31 +0000

“Nothing from California is going to age 20 years.”

Hmmm. Arrogant and uninformed, party of one?

So Let It Be Done

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:03:26 +0000

“If it’s drinkable, drink it up, and don’t waste it into the air.”

Doth Protest Too Much?

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:14:28 +0000

“If the label can’t come off, it’s no frigging good.”

You heard it here first.

Maybe, Kinda

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:21:28 +0000

“I guess I can sort of see how you might want earthquake protection for your wine bottles.”

“I hope that was rhetorical.”

It’s So Easy

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:57:03 +0000

“You buy your barrels on grain. The tighter the grain, the better the barrel.”

The Land Before Time

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:26:14 +0000

“Anything but a pulltap for your corkscrew, and you’re in amateur land.”

The Rich Drive Different

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:11:07 +0000

“Oh my gosh. It was 50 degrees out, at night, and he put down the top on his Porsche. Ugh.”

Look Out, Pliny

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:29:13 +0000

“The more I taste, the more I know, but with less certainty.”

Not quite “In vino veritas.”

To Sip On

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:58:49 +0000

“Some of the most scintillating bevvies I have ever tasted have been Madeiras.”

It’s not enough that they’re Madeiras. It’s that you use the term “bevvies” non-ironically. In the U.S.

Where’s Your Kazoo?

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:03:01 +0000

Gentleman(?) in his fifties: “After drinking a few glasses of Moscato d’Asti, I feel like a three-year-old at a birthday party.”

The Wobblies

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:34:52 +0000

“Ugh, the ‘Davis crowd.’ They’re just the industrial winemakers of the world. If I may so pejoratively label them.”

Boyz II Men

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:47:19 +0000

“Sulfites. The boys have separated from men in that field.”

– Overheard by Sniffy Sniff

Confidence is Everything

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:08:14 +0000

“It’s absolutely safe to say biodynamics is the hottest topic in the wine world right now.”

Taste the Rainbow

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:29:15 +0000

“Europe. They have three colors of wines. It’s called: red, white and pink.”

The Mind Boggles

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:14:29 +0000

“Tell me abou the Cabernet.”

“Well, I really like it. It’s from Monterey, it’s light- to medium-bodied, and it has green, vegetal notes.”

“Hmm. I’ll have the Malbec, thanks.”

Eye of the Tiger

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:02:27 +0000

“Winery owners tasting with wine buyers. You know, they’re like rabbits in Fatal Attraction.”

Pick Your Poison

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:36:23 +0000

Wine bar worker: “I don’t really drink Champagne, only reds, but I’ll tell you, I really like that Martini Asti.”

Take It to the Hoop

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:05:49 +0000

“Dad, no, wine really is a competitive sport.”

Because of You

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:27:40 +0000

“So, eventually, the lady in the corner pouring the Mumm told me she ran out of sparkling wine because of me. And then she called me her little wino.”

“I know you felt special.”

“Well, yeah. But disappointed. The wine was gone.”

I Was There When

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:12:17 +0000

“Well, yes, I was at Mondavi when Michael was making the wine.”

Don’t you mean Tim? Name dropping should only be done when one knows what one is talking about.

King of Sales

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:30:16 +0000

“Oh. You wanted to buy some wine?”

Mass Appeal Wines, take 2

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:28:40 +0000

Thought for the day: Our most searched-on term from Google? “Mass appeal wines.”

Take note, wine marketers (and winery owners and press people and wine writers and bloggers and everything else under the sun) everywhere.

Though, you’re all checking out this Mass Appeal post. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with lovely vanilla oak chips producing luscious milk chocolate flavors (truly, our fave. No sarcasm intended. Why don’t more high-end producers admit the usage? So tasty.) or fun wine labels or shelf talkers.

If you want to know what the public really likes, why don’t you talk to them regularly, when you’re in the grocery wine aisle and they’re buying wine? They’ll gladly tell you and you won’t have to turn to Google to find out what they may type into a search engine looking for something they may or may not like. Only problem? You have to actually speak to them. Also, see Nielsen data. And Millennials’ wine posts on Yelp. And Leah Hennessey’s Millennier.

Back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

Like Taking Candy From a Baby

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:27:16 +0000

“Come one, come all. Drop names and get interwinery discounts.”

Relative Term

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:50:37 +0000

“So, yeah, I’m a winemaker.”

“Oh, great.”

“So, Petite Sirah must see some extended maceration to get that crazy color right? Like 60-90 days?”

“Nooooo. I make wine too, and my Petite was done with fermentation after six day and we pulled it off the skins right then. It’d be undrinkable otherwise.”

To Cap It Off

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:01:40 +0000

“I have this argument all the time with people. ‘Screwcap? It’s not going to taste any good.’ I tell em, ‘Yeah, it will. It’s called freshness.’ “

A Line in the Sand

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:31:26 +0000

“I understand brown eggs. I understand organic. I even get cage-free chickens. But ‘cage-free vegetarian hens?’ Uh-uh. The line has to be drawn somewhere.”

California Love

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:06:49 +0000

“California may know how to party. But certainly not how to drive.”

NorCal Parenthood

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:18:51 +0000

“Moooooooooom, I just want the popcorn and the pizza. Wait–are you listening to me?”

And that’s why one shouldn’t let their eight-year-old ride around in the shopping cart. Amongst other things.

The Bright Side

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:02:57 +0000

“And then we got locked in our wine cellar. But it was okay–we have lots of wine.”

The Sport of Tasting

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:17:35 +0000

“Like, if there was an Olympics for wine tasting, I’d get the gold medal.”

Tasty Terroir

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:13:00 +0000

“I want authenticity, I want purity, I want to know a lot about the site. The thing is–you can taste it.”

Green Wine

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:56:12 +0000

“If you’re not sustainable today, you’re an idiot.”

Super Sacrifices

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:17:43 +0000

“I gave up Lent for Lent, a long time ago.”

Keg Party

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:12:40 +0000

“We’re simply not ready to put a wine on tap, aesthetically.”

Excuses, Excuses

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:14:54 +0000

“I emailed him last month about the class. I would have emailed you too, but I have a different computer now.”

Six One

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:25:30 +0000

“Wow, trying to go to the post office is almost worse than going wine tasting in Napa in June.”

The Art of Dictation

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:34:21 +0000

“Hey, I think we should mention our authentic-ness in our next wine club email blast.”

Or NOT.

One Year Anniversary

overheardinwinecountry — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:19:18 +0000

Our first Overheard in Wine Country post was exactly one year ago. Wow. Thanks for reading! — The Overheards

“Yes, we are a non-pretentious champagne bar.”

Sounds Like

overheardinwinecountry — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:20:02 +0000

“Oh, no, this doesn’t have any residual sugar. It just tastes like it.”

Oh-kay.

Multipurpose Instrument

overheardinwinecountry — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:28:18 +0000

“Straws are for drugs and hangovers. That’s it.”

Only in Nor Cal

overheardinwinecountry — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:23:54 +0000

“Just because you have a 100% electric car does mean you get to drive in the bike lane.”

Small Victories

overheardinwinecountry — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:32:30 +0000

“So, he said I passed him at least three times going 80. And he observed four moving violations. But he only cited me for one.”