A Reinvention, of sorts...
Today, I want to be blunt. The wine business needs a facelift.
At no other time in my nearly 35 years of schlepping wine around this country have I noticed it more plainly. Consumer behaviors have changed, seemingly in the blink of an eye. Wine drinkers are consuming better, but less, and searching for super sharp prices. People are interested in creating memories, shared experiences, and enjoying hospitality, not checking scores or trophy hunting. Smart wineries finally want to be a part of the important discussion happening about environmentally sound and ecologically sensitive business practices. And thankfully, and maybe more so than ever, consumers still want a story to go with their purchase.
I'm in the dinosaur phase of my wine biz life, and I can clearly recognize that the old ways are simply not going to keep working. I continue to follow our competition closely, and any of them that are still sermonizing smugly about sensory analysis, and monologuing about concepts that most people find cumbersome and boring, like terroir, grape clones, and barrel toast, are losing the mindshare battle. Frankly, 99% of people just don't give a damn about this stuff.
Which brings me to my friend Matteo. Some of you reading along here have met him. He's an Italian fellow that runs a fantastic little osteria in Custoza, not far from Verona. Matteo is the ringmaster of his restaurant, shuffling around the dining room taking orders, slicing huge cuts of meat tableside, and now and then sitting down at a chair to see what open bottles his wine importer friend brought around for him to taste that evening. Matteo has been working his dining room like that for more than 20 years, with only some gray hair and the fact that his son has now joined him, giving away his age. I've been there dozens of times, and it's my favorite place to be when I most want to feel like I'm in the wine business. And why? Because Matteo can't stand wine bullshitting.
If Matteo likes a wine I pour for him, he stands there and gives it a kiss, and before pretending he needs to put it down and get back to work, he gives it another. If he doesn't like it, he pours it over the balcony into the garden below, or puts it on a table with dirty dishes and walks away. I think Matteo might be the best and most authentic wine taster I know.
About 3-4 years ago, I brought Giovanna Tantini with me one evening to meet Matteo. They live exactly 3 villages apart and have never heard of each other. Let's just say that by the end of the gathering, a lot of glasses had been kissed, the garden was dry, and Matteo spent more time at our table than at all the others combined. There was no endless, mind-numbing drivel about grape varieties, vineyard age, or vine density. There were just 5 people (wine business people!) sitting around a big table, with a great meal, an awesome host, and evermore empty bottles.
I've forgotten many (or most) of the wines I've drunk over the years, but not any of those. Not on that night. The wine business sort of reinvented itself for me right there in Matteo's dining room over that dinner. It was the utter lack of pretense, of disguise, and of talking hokum that showed me that a facelift is always possible, even among dinosaurs.
Giovanna Tantini ‘La Rocca’ Bardonlino 2023
Giovanna introduced us that evening to a new label she had just made called La Rocca, a stupidly delicious Italian red Bardolino, and very clearly a two-kiss effort. A new stash of it has just arrived in our warehouse and is ready for your consumption. Here's everything you need to know:
It's $26/bottle and worth every nickel.
Giovanna's image is the only thing on the label. She does not need a facelift.
You should invite 4 people to dinner and drink at least 3 bottles among you while you eat a mushroomy pasta, some juicy steak, garlicky vegetables, and fried potatoes.
There are just 96 bottles available.
Thanks for reading along.
Dan