Do we have to be Italics club members to join your virtual happy hours?

Some things I've seen on the virtual happy hours/tastings is that you'll need to be prepared to talk a lot. Just like in radio, dead air kills the flow of these things. Facebook Live seems to be the best platform for larger groups, although Zoom works fine if you have less than about twenty people. Any larger than that, and everyone just talks over each other and it doesn't work. With Facebook Live, it helps to have someone monitoring the chat if you're doing a Q&A so people's questions don't get missed. I think the most important thing is to keep it light and informal. People want to fee like their part of something, and if it's too structured, you don't get that personal touch.

The ones we've done with Gruet have been via Zoom with the winery folks doing the talking and comments and questions from attendees in the chat room with someone monitoring them and passing along questions. We've done two fo them now and they've been very fun and interesting.

wtmartinaggie said:

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we've organized a in-person virtual tasting experience as well and been working the ecommerce angle as well, but everyone is slamming people with emails so often we're trying not to be too big a part of the flood. we designed our virtual experience so it's more private and with one of our hosts in-person. the idea is that if you have friends across town/country that you havent been able to see, you can organize a tasting with them and spend some time together over a few good wines, get a tour of the caves and ask me or one of my team any questions about the wines/process/etc. we also send some food pairing options so you can make a night out of it. check it out and let me know what y'all think. any constructive criticism is welcome...

Italics Winegrowers Virtual Tasting

Here's a video preview if anyone's interested as well. Not trying to be overly salesy here or anything, but right now it's throw everything up against the wall and see what sticks...

Video Preview

If anyone has any bright ideas or if you've seen another winery do something that is working, i'd absolutely love to hear it. we've got a live winemaker session with Marbue set up for April 6th and then i'm hosting a happy hour the third thursday in April (23rd). If anyone would like to join, please let me know we'd love to have y'all.

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in the process of trying to get one set up. Is the April 6th and 23rd event on the website?
Rodney

Rodney, that's awesome! Looking forward to it.

We're getting everything updated now. Should be up by this afternoon!

Nope, all are welcome. I'll post the link for them soon so y'all can join if you'd like.

We are also launching a concert series in partnership with one of our charity partners and Live in the Vineyard. Basically we have a set number of spots, for the first one it is 20 probably growing up to 50 depending on the artist. Trying to keep it small so everyone can actually talk and get a word in edgwise. We've gotten a few songwriter friends of ours to host a private virtual concert where wenhave a group wine tasting, listen to them play good music, and hang for a few hours. We're putting together a full lineup now, i'll make sure to post it when we get it. Tickets are $200 and comes with 2-3 bottles of Italics wines, access to the concert, a donation to the TJ Martell Foundation and some other fun stuff from the folks at Live in the Vineyard.

The first one is going to ber with Emerson Hart (Tonic) and David Hodges (Evanessence). Hoping to get some Texas Country/Red Dirt music folks on one! If y'all have any recommendations, i'd love to hear it.

If anyone wants to join, let me know!

Thriller said:

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Friday was a 2015 Joseph Phelps Pinot Noir (Quarter Moon Vineyard)
Saturday was 2014 Myriad Beckstoffer Dr. Crane
Sunday was 2015 Shafer One Point Five

We may start working our way through some of our Beringer Single Vineyard cabs. Beringer gets a bad rap for their low end wine, but the we really like some of the upper end wines.

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Didn't even realize Beringer had upper end wines (which was frankly a stupid assumption on my part) until we had it at Aspen Food and Wine Festival. I was absolutely blown away. They had the best wines we tried at that event and that event has a lot of incredible wineries there.

To the question on what I'm drinking...I'm drinking well when I drink. My wife has quit drinking altogether so that leaves me with a surplus of wine for me to solely get through. I have roughly 100 bottles of red and my own consumption has dropped considerably. I have gone from a daily drinker to a one day a week drinker.

Thus, everything I drink is now wine club because I can't possibly consume at a pace to get through it all. No longer buying wine retail.

My options:

• D.R. Stephens - boutique Cab maker in Napa
• Frank Family - Cab and Pinot
• Testarossa - Pinot from St. Lucia
• William Chris - various
• Veritas - random 3 bottles every month from local wine shop

We are cancelling D.R. Stephens and Testarossa to cut expenses. Keeping Frank for the value, keeping WC to support Texas, and keeping Veritas to support local.

My wife and I opened a 375ml of 2013 Maybach Materium last night. Year after year, that's my favorite Cali cab.

We visited them outside Montalcino on our honeymoon.

How is it drinking? I have half a case of 2012s that I'm sitting on.

With all Ironman races cancelled in the foreseeable future, a lot of wine has been consumed at our house.

2014 Pott Actaeon Quixote a couple days ago with prime rib; thank you BSD for this one

2016 Goldeneye Pinot Noir yesterday

Today was a 2013 Italics Sixteen Appellations with a variety of wild game from rainbow lodge

Open one of the 2012 and try it. The 2013 still had a good amount of acid and tannin to go for another 10 years. If you're wanting to drink the 2012 with food (which is a good idea), make something rich and meaty and give it a shot. If it's too early to drink, you still have five bottles left.
My thought generally is if I'm going to open something a little early, I serve it with food to help balance out the acid and tannin. If it doesn't need the food, just set it aside and drink it after dinner.

Starting this week saving the empties. Should make quite a pic when this is over.

Have a goal to drink all my Mike Smith Wines. Maybe save a vertical of Elysian. Had 2016 Dr. Crane and 2016 Elysian on consecutive nights. Mike has just moved way past my palate. WAY too over extracted for me, and I really think some RS. Saved a sample to test for RS. His wines get huge ratings though, so I know that many people do like them.

In contrast have had a couple of 2016 Durfort-Vivens. Quite a bargain for a 2nd growth (some think it really shouldn't be a 2nd growth now) but it's really good for a $60-ish bottle.

cecil77 said:

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Starting this week saving the empties. Should make quite a pic when this is over.

Have a goal to drink all my Mike Smith Wines. Maybe save a vertical of Elysian. Had 2016 Dr. Crane and 2016 Elysian on consecutive nights. Mike has just moved way past my palate. WAY too over extracted for me, and I really think some RS. Saved a sample to test for RS. His wines get huge ratings though, so I know that many people do like them.

In contrast have had a couple of 2016 Durfort-Vivens. Quite a bargain for a 2nd growth (some think it really shouldn't be a 2nd growth now) but it's really good for a $60-ish bottle.

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Nice, actually told my wife that we should have done this as I was taking our recycling out Sunday evening. She said she didn't want the evidence in front of her like that and would be embarrassed.....

We don't have recycling, but I've often wondered what our garbage pickup thinks of us...

Today only, Inglenook current vintages 50% off, $5 shipping.

2016 Rubicon for $105.

Cecil, is there a certain site to go to or code to use? Went and browsed their website and didn't see the sale prices.

Price discount showed in cart. Here's the link from the email.

add to your own collection

Thank you sir, just placed an order. FYI in case you haven't tried it, the 1882 is a nice daily drinking wine.

Concur on the 1882.

cecil77 said:

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Today only, Inglenook current vintages 50% off, $5 shipping.

2016 Rubicon for $105.

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Thank you for this. Just got a half case. Incredible deal.

Thanks for the Inglenook info!!

Hope you guys are right Inglenook - ordered half a case.

For those with Alpha Omega club membership 2011 Georges III Single Vineyard and Dr. Crane Single Vineyard have over 50% discounts. Ordered via a friend.

Any other great deals out there?

Opened a Landmark Hop Kiln Pinot and a 2013 Caravan last night. The Caravan was finally drinking well on the last bottle of it.
As for good deals, I'm going to be getting some half bottles of Roar Pinot Noir for $15 next week.

HTownAg98 said:

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Opened a Landmark Hop Kiln Pinot and a 2013 Caravan last night. The Caravan was finally drinking well on the last bottle of it.
As for good deals, I'm going to be getting some half bottles of Roar Pinot Noir for $15 next week.

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How do you get the half bottles? I love a full bodied Pinot Noir but the wife not so much.

The wine shop I frequent is getting them from a distributor because restaurants aren't buying them, and they have to sell them.

greenband said:

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Any other great deals out there?

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I'm also looking for deals. Especially on 2008/2009 Dom and Cristal. And any Yquem. So if y'all see any...

Not sure if it's a deal, but WTSO had half bottles of Yquem for $199 in their last chance or premium section.

I'm debating on whether or not the weather will hold on long enough to get a box of Rossos and Brunellos over.

Just the SLH or some of their single vineyards?

Virtual tasting last night with the family on the Zoom. Nothing but Paso wines. Clos Solene En Coulisse, Nelle Syrah, Epoch Ingenuity, and Linne Calado Rising Tides.

Speaking of Paso, Last Bottle has the 2018 Ridge Dusi zin today for $29 and free shipping if you get a 4 pack. That's pretty much retail price for the wine, but it is a good one from a quality producer shipped to your for for free, so I bit!

big-ag said:

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Virtual tasting last night with the family on the Zoom. Nothing but Paso wines. Clos Solene En Coulisse, Nelle Syrah, Epoch Ingenuity, and Linne Calado Rising Tides.

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What's year was the Rising Tides, and how was it?

A2 said:

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Just the SLH or some of their single vineyards?

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Not sure. They come in tomorrow, and I'll find out then. I'm guessing it's just the SLH.