Thanks to Theo Koebel of Quality Wine & Spirits who took a gamble in opening their recent Holiday Show to a handful of Atlanta bloggers. I think it was a little bit of an experiment, but I was honored he reached out to me and some of my colleagues. Now, having said that, upon approaching the registration desk, we noticed a line on the far right that was identified as “Unregistered Guests.” From what I noticed, this pretty much means anyone interested in showing up and tasting some wines as well as spirits and food (Inland Seafood was co-host of the show) could do so, no matter who they were… so, something to keep in mind if you’d like a cheap happy hour at AmericasMart next time.
The show was laid out in a very organized manner and it was easy to get around. Of course, there was just way too many wineries present to be able to meet or taste them all. A lot of the wineries I had heard of before, as expected, and many were fairly big labels: Domaine Serene, Bouchaine, Hahn Estates, Kosta-Browne, etc. However, there were a couple of smaller wineries we noticed including Halleck Vineyardswho only makes about 1200 cases a year. The tables were being manned mostly by sales managers, business personnel and just a few winemakers. Again, Ross Halleck, was one of the few winemakers who made the trip cross-country to attend this show and push his juice.
This was just one event in a full week for Ross while in Atlanta as he met with club members and other business acquaintances. It’s amazing he can still stand.
Ross is a great case study for those who are interested in getting into the winemaking business. “Sure,” he says, “I started out just like you guys as a passionate lover of wine.” But, like the rest of us, we need to be able to pay the mortgage and put food on the table, so there’s a level of dedication, pressure and stress involved to keep the business going, make consumers aware of his wine and keep existing club members excited as well. Even so, he’s still thrilled and honored when someone spends their hard earned money to put his wine on their table. You can tell he’s a marketing juggernaut, as his website bio will attest , but then he also has to balance viticulture and vinicultural duties as well. Just Sunday night at dinner, he was on his cell with his vineyard manager about targeting the Gewurztraminer harvest later in the week. Ah, a winemaker’s job is never done.
And Ross’ wines are pretty darn good. He focuses mainly on Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, but also has a Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer in his arsenal. The Gewurztraminer is wonderful with perfumey aromas of rose pedals and lychee nut and plenty of acid to keep it crisp and refreshing. My favorite Pinot is the Hallberg Vineyard which is sourced from a vineyard in the Russian River Valley that use to be an old Apple Orchard for many, many years. The Hallberg is lighter, red fruit (strawberries), smooth and has a longer finish than his other Pinots and it matures a bit in the glass eventually giving off some slight toffee, warm aromas. The Three Sons is more black cherry, allspice and cinnamon, which reminds me a little of Willamette Valley in style.
If you are a certifiable pinotphile, you will really enjoy Ross’ wines and you will enjoy Ross’ company even more. He really puts a name, a face and makes a real connection with you and the wines and you quickly become friends. Sounds like a perfect pairing.
Cheers!
Ed,
Great seeing you last night. I dig your blog! Great content!
I just wanted to clear something up. The Quality Wine trade show is for people in the business only. We’re glad you made it obviously and would be honored to have you again but it is not open to everyone and the last thing we want it to be is a “cheap happy hour.”
Also thanks for the tasting notes on some of the wines you tasted. The Lioco wines are some of my favorite in the portfolio.
I look forward to seeing you around!
Thanks for the comment, Ryan, and I appreciate the positive feedback. The site is a work in progress and I continue to learn about wine from industry experts like yourself… Enjoyed that Tuscany/Piedmont tasting, by the way.
Hey, the “cheap happy hour” is more of a tongue in cheek comment as I absolutely understood it to be industry/business-focused. This is why I was honored to have been invited and commented about my positive experience. It’s cool to get a better understanding of how different cogs in the wine-business wheel operate.
However, you guys may want to have someone work with the young lady who managed the “unregistered guests” table because that appeared like a swinging door to anyone walking in the room as no credentials were being checked.
Ed,
We’ll monitor that swinging door. Thanks for your feedback as well!