What's Normal? - Are You A Wine Drinker? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bryant]

There was a point made above about different the US wine culture is than in Europe and I can't stress enough how true that is. I've always loved how the French, Spanish, and Italians (among others) view their "everyday wines" - amazing quality but totally unpretentious. Often made in co-ops in small villages and served in liter carafes with no label and for just a few Euros. And always meant to be shared with friends and family with smiles all around. We need more of that "come as you are" approach to quality wine here and that's pretty much what my place has become known for.

Nice. Can you tell us more about your business and how you've grown it?

 

[Quint]

as someone who works in the wine industry, i consume on a daily basis.

Thanks. What do you do in the wine industry?

started in 2008 as a harvest intern, and have moved on to the sales side. currently i'm the hospitality manager at a small winery in Sonoma.

Awesome. It's probably been a decade since I went to Sonoma but I absolutely loved it. We stayed in Healdsburg, just a wonderful time.

Healdsburg is cool: bunch of great wineries & restaurants up there.

 

[Terminalxylem]

At least once a month...

Sheesh, I think I drink less than just about anyone in the FFA and we have wine a few nights a week. It's pretty rare there isn't something to open if we're in the mood. I don't think we've gone a month without wine....in a long, long time.

While not a problem, a glass of wine a few nights a week is far more than average. 1 in 6 adults never drink, and about half didn’t drink in the last month.

Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 85.6 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime; 69.5 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 54.9 percent reported that they drank in the past month.1

Now that survey doesn’t match the FFA demographic, but I‘m sure there are more than a few like me (maybe @brun), who can take it or leave it. And many others who quit, for a variety of reasons.

All things in moderation.

Sorry, I wasn’t trying to judge. Just pointing out your perspective might not apply to the general population, or even the FFA.

As far as moderation goes, no amount of alcohol intake is considered safe, according the World Health Organization, based on this study.

 

[Drunken knight]

as someone who works in the wine industry, i consume on a daily basis.

Thanks. What do you do in the wine industry?

started in 2008 as a harvest intern, and have moved on to the sales side. currently i'm the hospitality manager at a small winery in Sonoma.

Awesome. It's probably been a decade since I went to Sonoma but I absolutely loved it. We stayed in Healdsburg, just a wonderful time.

Healdsburg is cool: bunch of great wineries & restaurants up there.

Just started with chalkboard group this week

 

[Gawain]

Drink maybe 6 glasses of wine a year at most and work in wine and spirits distribution. We carry a few high end allocated wines (Opus One and such) but if I’m shooting the lock off the wallet, I’d much rather hunt allocated bourbons.

 

[Buc in Exile]

There was a point made above about different the US wine culture is than in Europe and I can't stress enough how true that is. I've always loved how the French, Spanish, and Italians (among others) view their "everyday wines" - amazing quality but totally unpretentious. Often made in co-ops in small villages and served in liter carafes with no label and for just a few Euros. And always meant to be shared with friends and family with smiles all around. We need more of that "come as you are" approach to quality wine here and that's pretty much what my place has become known for.

Nice. Can you tell us more about your business and how you've grown it?

Sure. There's an "About Us" section on our web site that goes into more detail than I will here (I recommend that page as an insomnia cure) but the short of it is that I'm a recovering lawyer who spent 10 years working for Big 4 public accounting doing M&A and other corporate transactions. I went through an ugly burnout period at that point in my life. My wife and I made a visit to the Willamette Valley in 2008 and fell in love with what we call the "micro-boutique winery" concept. Very small production so you can only get the product directly from the winery (i.e. no retail store distribution, limited if any restaurant placement). Owners front and center sharing their passion and telling the stories behind the wines, making the experience much more memorable than the larger more corporate wineries. I had been making wine as a hobbyist and we decided to take the plunge ourselves. We knew we weren't experienced enough to make the jump at that point so I spent 4 years in a wine production apprenticeship as well as a series of other steps during those years to get more rounded industry experience. We moved to Oregon in 2012 to start looking for property. Found our 10 acres at the end of that year, spent 2013 clearing the property for planting and working on our first vintage which we released when we opened our doors in 2015.

Our business model is not typical. We have no employees - I make the wine, drive the tractor, and run the private tasting appointments which we take 7 days a week in a converted pole barn on our property overlooking the valley. My wife is the marketing department and the first point of contact for people scheduling tastings with us. We do contract with a labor crew to do hand work in the vineyard like pruning and harvesting but on a day to day basis, we're all there is - and that's the way we want it. Of course I think our wines are great, but this area is filled with great wine so we know that's not enough. Being small, we focus on the quality and intimacy of the customer experience so we only take 1 group a a time and prefer smaller groups, as it allows people to get to know us better and vice versa. It also allows me to personalize a tasting to each individual customer and meet them wherever they are, which ties in with my comment you quoted above. If I have a wine geek, we can geek out - if I have a novice, I avoid technobabble and focus on making the world of wine less intimidating. As it should be.

It's probably the most inefficient method for short term sales but we are playing the long game with this approach - we count on building relationships with each of our customers so that they will (hopefully) not only become repeat customers but also brand ambassadors for us, though word of mouth, social media, review sites, etc. There are now about 800 wineries in our region and getting people to know we exist is our biggest challenge. I'm among the smallest production operations in the region (600 or so total cases annually) and I don't plan to grow my production much, if at all. We got into this business to share our passion with like minded people and have a healthier lifestyle and so there's a point where more isn't better. We're close to that point now.

Anyway, I'll stop here as I don't want to take the thread too far away from its intended purpose. Happy to answer any questions folks might have - I've hosted several FBGs (including GB GM) and its always a good time so come see us if you're in the area!

 

[Joe Bryant]

There was a point made above about different the US wine culture is than in Europe and I can't stress enough how true that is. I've always loved how the French, Spanish, and Italians (among others) view their "everyday wines" - amazing quality but totally unpretentious. Often made in co-ops in small villages and served in liter carafes with no label and for just a few Euros. And always meant to be shared with friends and family with smiles all around. We need more of that "come as you are" approach to quality wine here and that's pretty much what my place has become known for.

Nice. Can you tell us more about your business and how you've grown it?

Sure. There's an "About Us" section on our web site that goes into more detail than I will here (I recommend that page as an insomnia cure) but the short of it is that I'm a recovering lawyer who spent 10 years working for Big 4 public accounting doing M&A and other corporate transactions. I went through an ugly burnout period at that point in my life. My wife and I made a visit to the Willamette Valley in 2008 and fell in love with what we call the "micro-boutique winery" concept. Very small production so you can only get the product directly from the winery (i.e. no retail store distribution, limited if any restaurant placement). Owners front and center sharing their passion and telling the stories behind the wines, making the experience much more memorable than the larger more corporate wineries. I had been making wine as a hobbyist and we decided to take the plunge ourselves. We knew we weren't experienced enough to make the jump at that point so I spent 4 years in a wine production apprenticeship as well as a series of other steps during those years to get more rounded industry experience. We moved to Oregon in 2012 to start looking for property. Found our 10 acres at the end of that year, spent 2013 clearing the property for planting and working on our first vintage which we released when we opened our doors in 2015.

Our business model is not typical. We have no employees - I make the wine, drive the tractor, and run the private tasting appointments which we take 7 days a week in a converted pole barn on our property overlooking the valley. My wife is the marketing department and the first point of contact for people scheduling tastings with us. We do contract with a labor crew to do hand work in the vineyard like pruning and harvesting but on a day to day basis, we're all there is - and that's the way we want it. Of course I think our wines are great, but this area is filled with great wine so we know that's not enough. Being small, we focus on the quality and intimacy of the customer experience so we only take 1 group a a time and prefer smaller groups, as it allows people to get to know us better and vice versa. It also allows me to personalize a tasting to each individual customer and meet them wherever they are, which ties in with my comment you quoted above. If I have a wine geek, we can geek out - if I have a novice, I avoid technobabble and focus on making the world of wine less intimidating. As it should be.

It's probably the most inefficient method for short term sales but we are playing the long game with this approach - we count on building relationships with each of our customers so that they will (hopefully) not only become repeat customers but also brand ambassadors for us, though word of mouth, social media, review sites, etc. There are now about 800 wineries in our region and getting people to know we exist is our biggest challenge. I'm among the smallest production operations in the region (600 or so total cases annually) and I don't plan to grow my production much, if at all. We got into this business to share our passion with like minded people and have a healthier lifestyle and so there's a point where more isn't better. We're close to that point now.

Anyway, I'll stop here as I don't want to take the thread too far away from its intended purpose. Happy to answer any questions folks might have - I've hosted several FBGs (including GB GM) and its always a good time so come see us if you're in the area!

Thanks @Buc in Exile That's awesome. Best to you and your wife in all this. It's been a while since we've been to Oregon but if we get back, we'll try to visit.

 

[BobbyLayne]

At least once a month...

Sheesh, I think I drink less than just about anyone in the FFA and we have wine a few nights a week. It's pretty rare there isn't something to open if we're in the mood. I don't think we've gone a month without wine....in a long, long time.

While not a problem, a glass of wine a few nights a week is far more than average. 1 in 6 adults never drink, and about half didn’t drink in the last month.

Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 85.6 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime; 69.5 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 54.9 percent reported that they drank in the past month.1

Now that survey doesn’t match the FFA demographic, but I‘m sure there are more than a few like me (maybe @brun), who can take it or leave it. And many others who quit, for a variety of reasons.

All things in moderation.

Sorry, I wasn’t trying to judge. Just pointing out your perspective might not apply to the general population, or even the FFA.

As far as moderation goes, no amount of alcohol intake is considered safe, according the World Health Organization, based on this study.

You do you, friend.

***************

Cursory math.....based on the number of wine corks in the kitchen basket - they get tossed into an art piece at YE - and glancing over my banking activities this year, I've probably had 15-20 glasses of wine this year. 3-4 per month.

Last year I was drunk at my bachelor party (4 drinks = wasted), but not my wedding. I can't remember another instance of drunkenness in the last 7-8 years but surely it happened at least once, thought memory is a funny thing. Prior to that I don't think I drank more than 4x a year for ~ 30ish years. I'm comfortable with my level of consumption. Abstinence was never a goal, and it's certainly not the topic here.

All things in moderation.

 

[Terminalxylem]

At least once a month...

Sheesh, I think I drink less than just about anyone in the FFA and we have wine a few nights a week. It's pretty rare there isn't something to open if we're in the mood. I don't think we've gone a month without wine....in a long, long time.

While not a problem, a glass of wine a few nights a week is far more than average. 1 in 6 adults never drink, and about half didn’t drink in the last month.

Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 85.6 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime; 69.5 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 54.9 percent reported that they drank in the past month.1

Now that survey doesn’t match the FFA demographic, but I‘m sure there are more than a few like me (maybe @brun), who can take it or leave it. And many others who quit, for a variety of reasons.

All things in moderation.

Sorry, I wasn’t trying to judge. Just pointing out your perspective might not apply to the general population, or even the FFA.

As far as moderation goes, no amount of alcohol intake is considered safe, according the World Health Organization, based on this study.

You do you, friend.

***************

Cursory math.....based on the number of wine corks in the kitchen basket - they get tossed into an art piece at YE - and glancing over my banking activities this year, I've probably had 15-20 glasses of wine this year. 3-4 per month.

Last year I was drunk at my bachelor party (4 drinks = wasted), but not my wedding. I can't remember another instance of drunkenness in the last 7-8 years but surely it happened at least once, thought memory is a funny thing. Prior to that I don't think I drank more than 4x a year for ~ 30ish years. I'm comfortable with my level of consumption. Abstinence was never a goal, and it's certainly not the topic here.

All things in moderation.

Again, I‘m not judging you, nor preaching abstinence.

Just clarifying - many people drink a lot less than your first post indicated. At the time, you seemed surprised at the prospects of drinking wine once a month, or less, in comparison to your consumption, which you initially indicated was several times per week.

I’m also pushing back at the idea of all things in moderation, especially when the term is arbitrarily defined. And incongruent with health, per the WHO. Of note, their contemporary guidance is directly in opposition to prior recommendations, which allowed for alcohol in “moderation”.

Although I rarely drink, many (most?) of my friends do, and my wife consumes roughly the same as your updated average. Rest assured, I don’t lecture them on their drinking or WHO guidelines. I‘t none of my business, and I don’t care.

But the thread topic is “What is Normal?”, so I see no harm in clarifying the frequency of drinking, especially as it pertains to health.

 

[General Malaise]

There was a point made above about different the US wine culture is than in Europe and I can't stress enough how true that is. I've always loved how the French, Spanish, and Italians (among others) view their "everyday wines" - amazing quality but totally unpretentious. Often made in co-ops in small villages and served in liter carafes with no label and for just a few Euros. And always meant to be shared with friends and family with smiles all around. We need more of that "come as you are" approach to quality wine here and that's pretty much what my place has become known for.

Nice. Can you tell us more about your business and how you've grown it?

Sure. There's an "About Us" section on our web site that goes into more detail than I will here (I recommend that page as an insomnia cure) but the short of it is that I'm a recovering lawyer who spent 10 years working for Big 4 public accounting doing M&A and other corporate transactions. I went through an ugly burnout period at that point in my life. My wife and I made a visit to the Willamette Valley in 2008 and fell in love with what we call the "micro-boutique winery" concept. Very small production so you can only get the product directly from the winery (i.e. no retail store distribution, limited if any restaurant placement). Owners front and center sharing their passion and telling the stories behind the wines, making the experience much more memorable than the larger more corporate wineries. I had been making wine as a hobbyist and we decided to take the plunge ourselves. We knew we weren't experienced enough to make the jump at that point so I spent 4 years in a wine production apprenticeship as well as a series of other steps during those years to get more rounded industry experience. We moved to Oregon in 2012 to start looking for property. Found our 10 acres at the end of that year, spent 2013 clearing the property for planting and working on our first vintage which we released when we opened our doors in 2015.

Our business model is not typical. We have no employees - I make the wine, drive the tractor, and run the private tasting appointments which we take 7 days a week in a converted pole barn on our property overlooking the valley. My wife is the marketing department and the first point of contact for people scheduling tastings with us. We do contract with a labor crew to do hand work in the vineyard like pruning and harvesting but on a day to day basis, we're all there is - and that's the way we want it. Of course I think our wines are great, but this area is filled with great wine so we know that's not enough. Being small, we focus on the quality and intimacy of the customer experience so we only take 1 group a a time and prefer smaller groups, as it allows people to get to know us better and vice versa. It also allows me to personalize a tasting to each individual customer and meet them wherever they are, which ties in with my comment you quoted above. If I have a wine geek, we can geek out - if I have a novice, I avoid technobabble and focus on making the world of wine less intimidating. As it should be.

It's probably the most inefficient method for short term sales but we are playing the long game with this approach - we count on building relationships with each of our customers so that they will (hopefully) not only become repeat customers but also brand ambassadors for us, though word of mouth, social media, review sites, etc. There are now about 800 wineries in our region and getting people to know we exist is our biggest challenge. I'm among the smallest production operations in the region (600 or so total cases annually) and I don't plan to grow my production much, if at all. We got into this business to share our passion with like minded people and have a healthier lifestyle and so there's a point where more isn't better. We're close to that point now.

Anyway, I'll stop here as I don't want to take the thread too far away from its intended purpose. Happy to answer any questions folks might have - I've hosted several FBGs (including GB GM) and its always a good time so come see us if you're in the area!

Thanks @Buc in Exile That's awesome. Best to you and your wife in all this. It's been a while since we've been to Oregon but if we get back, we'll try to visit.

Would love to tag along with you. And he's being modest - his wines are EXCELLENT. The case we brought home didn't make it through the end of 2022 (we were there in July). Although to be fair, we did bring bottles over to friends' houses as gifts, so there was help dwindling the case and we were doing exactly what he and his wife had hoped - marketing for them. The wine does the rest!

Count me in as somebody who really likes the private tasting experience vs. just co-mingling with other groups. You get a great education and he does tailor the pours to your liking, which is unique.

 

[wlwiles]

Got invited to a birthday dinner for one of my dad's best friends who I grew up hunting with. There were 5 couples, plus me and my dad (divorced), one of those nice restaurants where everyone orders drinks and apps and you're an hour into it before you even see an entree menu. Every couple ordered a different bottle of wine, they took turns sharing and passing them around, meanwhile I'm sipping a beer and didn't notice the server pouring me a glass of something red (I would have declined). Figured I'd try and fit in, so I put down the beer and started sipping the wine. I noticed one of the other guys at the table kind of watching me, and after 2-3 sips he leaned over to ask me how I liked it. Evidently my response of "it's pretty good" wasn't well received, as he turned and wouldn't speak to me the rest of the night. I later learned that he'd told the server to pour it from his bottle which was some certain vintage from a particular vineyard something something and I had the equivalent of about $80 worth of wine in my glass.

That was the day I learned that I have no appreciation for good/expensive wine. Probably 10 years ago now, and I might have had 2 glasses of wine (wedding toasts) since then.

 

[Drunken knight]

@wlwiles

Having the beer first likely didn’t help

 

[Judge Smails]

Wow really surprised at this. Thought all FBG’s liked the finer things in life.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

as someone who works in the wine industry, i consume on a daily basis.

Same.

Except for the whole working in the wine industry thing.