Wine Blog
"Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz"

Remember “Hey, you, get off of my cloud!”

Or, the Little Red Hen story….

When the bread was finished, the tired little red hen asked her friends, “Who will help me eat the bread?”
“I will,” barked the lazy dog.
“I will,” purred the sleepy cat.
“I will,” quacked the noisy yellow duck.
“No!” said the little red hen. “I will.” And the little red hen ate the bread all by herself.

I’ve worked tirelessly (and pretty solo) for years on many projects, and they’re all humming along right now pretty well. So now, I’m currently being bombarded with requests from people who want to tie into the successes I’ve created… with many hours in those tireless hours from me that in any other language would be called “volunteer”…

And, I just can’t get it up to extend all that I’ve done to those who are ready to tie right in and continue to ride my coattails.

I had someone say to me once, “Go start your own group!” He was pretty upset when I made what I (and others ) thought was a great idea. When I decided to just let it go and let time do for me what I was wanting to do ASAP, that’s what he said to me, so I did.

Am I selfish for not feeling like letting others take advantage of me? I’m a pleaser, so I’m conflicted, of course.

I wonder where the dog, cat, and yellow duck have been all this time… and I’m not talking people, but the companies behind them that say, “Go ask Jo, whom we haven’t supported in anything she’s done in the last 20 years, but we can now make money from her efforts and take advantage of her.”

Today I’m letting some rain rinse the hen house. Some days, it’s just fun to rant and then let it go. This is obviously one of those days.

Not making any news here, just blowing off steam in my wine journal. Come back on Monday for the real deal, and have a great weekend.

Tags: Baking and Confections, Bread, Cooking, Diaz Communications, Duck, Home, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz, Little Red Hen, Recreation, Red Rail, Wine

As I read two incoming Emails this morning, I laughed to myself because they seemed to be perfectly interconnected.

Here are the two titles:

• OMG – We’re working late too!
• Drink Red & Smile White with NEW WineStraws

I think someone is staying up too late, when what they’re coming up with is a wine straw.

What do you think?

I’m speechless.

Tags: Diaz Communications, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz

Tags: Advertising, Diaz Communications, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz, Marketing, Press release, Public relations, Social media, Steve Heimoff, Super Bowl advertising, Television advertisement, Writer

The day began so peacefully, that I knew it was going to be ~ pretty much ~ smooth sailing.

My crew and I had spent the night in Jack London Square after an exhausting day the day before, as we began the annual setup for (what was now) the Sixth Annual Dark & Delicious wine and food extravaganza.

I took some time to photograph the tranquil waterfront, taking it all in as a sign of what was going to come for the rest of the day.

That evening, nearly 1,000 people gathered in the old Naval airplane hanger, converted to Rock Wall Wine Company, to get it on with Petite Sirah.

This party is as grass roots as it gets. Based in Alameda (who else bases an annual varietal wine and food event there?) looking outward to the San Francisco skyline, someone told me on Friday night, “It reminds me of the the early beginnings of ZAP.” I wasn’t there, so I don’t know and can’t compare… I do believe, though, that we’re on a different path with a much slower growth, because not everyone and his father’s planting a lot of Petite Sirah the way Zinfandel plantings have exploded over the years. We might never grow to that proportion, either… given the depth, complexity, and mysteriousness of Petite Sirah. It’s not a mainstream variety. That’s just fine by me. I’ve never been mainstream, so it makes sense that the universe delivered Petite Sirah to me as an off-beat banner to carry. For now, it’s a perfect fit.

From what I’m also seeing from behind the scenes, it seems to have an intriguing following… engineers, a nuclear physicist, a VP of Microsoft, a biochemist, doctors, lawyers, and a few reverends, when I think of the communications that came in with this one. And then, there was the seemingly new generation of hippies now calling themselves WineWoot millennials… piercings, tattoos, and outrageously colored hair.

What a delightful mix of people, as I watched it all unfold over the two days of setting up, having the event, and tearing it all down in  a few hours like it never happened.

Put on with a skeleton crew… A staff of four people,  (Jose, Katie Kelley, Lyla Moore and me)…. the Rock Wall Wine Company crew expertly lead by Jason Landis, my friend Sondra Barrett, and our group of eager, able, and trustworthy volunteers lead by Laurin Beckhusen… we all came together to put on a party that included 56 Petite Sirah wineries, 34 specialty foodies, our media friends, a few trade people, and a whole lot of avid Petite Sirah fans.

There are a lot of cult people out there quietly enjoying Petite Sirah, but they weren’t so very quiet about it this last Friday night. It was a lively buzz, everyone was talking about how much fun they were having with so many delicious wines, and the quality of the food was knocking people’s socks off. We’re so fortunate to have so many foodies who tell me that this event is their favorite above all others… And they all say that it’s the fun factor (vintners, foodies, consumers, and our volunteers). I appreciate having fun, and that’s all I want for this event… for people to really enjoy it. I love that people fly in from other countries, and that they come from all parts of the United States… I gave away some tickets, and then we had some of those winners fly in from New Jersey and Washington state. The tickets are only $63 a piece… It’s not like they won the lottery, but they’re willing to come from both near and far.

PS I Love It.

Thanks, Dan Berger of Vintage Experiences, for a great name for a group of Petite Sirah wine lovers. I wish my mother was around to see this one. She so loved to party.

Now, to unpack the truck…

In the the late 60s, my friend Leon Pinkham said to me, “Album covers have the greatest art on them.” I hadn’t thought much about it before he said that to me. I had just taken it all for granted, but once Leon pointed that out, it was clearer than clear.

Along with that musical generation came a platform for visual artists, too. They created, and if it was exceptional it became a lead into the magic that was inside.

Today, the same holds true for a bottle of wine. And, if you’re just beginning to enjoy wine, you’re the most susceptible, because you’re not bogged down by what you know. You’re open to innovation… You can live the excitement, and you’ll also build a brand.

Packaging will either draw you in, or move you on down the isle to find exactly what you’re looking for. Before I understood (better than I do today) what was in the bottle, I was drawn to the label like a moth to a flame, bought the wine, and only then discovered what was inside. (Pretty exciting days.)
This is a Millennial generation thing…

I once received a bottle of wine that reminded me of those exciting decision making days, and this wine’s headed right for the Millennials: Loud River, subtitled “Roaring Red.”

Loud River… I was already a fan, and I hadn’t even unscrewed the cap… (Later I’ll write about this wine’s flavors: 50 percent Petite Verdot, 40 percent Carmenere, 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon… enticing, and listed right on the front of a label… the label’s totally innovative.)

The art on this wine? A roaring river, fish swimming against the current… What it reminded me of? Whitewater rafting. My connection was made, because the art reflects my own exciting adventure. I can see so many connections beside my own… Fishing, kayaking, camping riverside… the list goes on.

More later on the flavors of the wine. That’s not my rambling today, although I love the innovation that this wine blend presents right on the front label. You don’t have to turn the bottle around to learn what’s inside, and it’s totally enticing: Petite Verdot 50%, Carmenere 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%, Colchagua Valley – Chile ~ another product from La Playa.

Here’s how wine marketing works, and it’s a personal story. I call it Wine Marketing 101, because it’s on such a basic level, completely proving my point about how we buy and what we buy… based on emotion.

Before living in California, I lived and worked for radio station WBLM-FM, in Portland, Maine. I was as far away from viticulture as possible, but I loved my weekend food and wine adventures with my husband. We had a favorite wine shop that I’d go to each Friday. I’d buy a bottle of wine, bring it home, and we’d enjoy it over the weekend.

Finally, after months of doing this, Jose said to me, “Alright! I’m going to buy the wine this Friday, because every time you buy a bottle of wine, it has some flower or plant on it” (like a Field Stone Sangiovese). I couldn’t argue. He was right. So, off he went to Audie’s Wine Shop, and he bought a bottle of Clos du Val Cabernet.

You know, that’s the label with the three graces on it… a.k.a. three naked ladies. Rest my case!

Tags: Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Campbell Mattinson, Carménère, Diaz Communications, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz, La Playa, Petit Verdot, Wine

Each Year, the auction gets better and better. Each year’s live auction is responsible for keeping PSILY solvent for one month out of the year. It looks like this year, we’re headed to two months of solvency, through the generosity of our members.  What a nice growth that I’m witnessing through the members…

Here’s a listing, in order to give some publicity to those who have taken the time to be so generous. The donations in this Auction are pretty much hard to find, because they’re library wines which are only offered to their wine club members, or are in very small production and you’d have to visit the winery to know about them, or exclusively set up for this live auction

• AVER FAMILY VINEYARDS: One (1) magnum of 2007 Aver Family Vineyards Petite Sirah “Blessings” ~ $100
• BOGLE WINERY: One (1) 3-Liter Bogle Winery Petite Sirah ~ $100
• CLAYHOUSE WINES: One (1) 3-Liter of the 2007 Clayhouse Estate Petite Sirah ~ $500
• COCO TUTTI: Large Box of Delectable Confections ~ Chocolatier ~ $160
• DAVID FULTON WINERY
• One (1) each of 2006, 2007, and 2008 David Fulton Petite Sirah ~ (Two of the same auction lots )~ $70
• One (1) each of 2006, 2007, and 2008 David Fulton Petite Sirah ~ (Two of the same auction lots )~ $70
• DON SEBASTIANI & SONS: 3-Liter of 2010 “The Crusher” Petite Sirah ~ $150
• FIELD STONE ~ TBA
• GUGLIELMO WINERY: Estate Private Reserve Basket ~ $130
• GUSTAFSON FAMILY ESTATE VINEYARDS: A very exclusive offer… One (1) Night For Four (4) People in the Vineyards ~ $1,090
• HARNEY LANE: Three (3) Bottles of Harley Lane 2009 Petite Sirah ~ Pre Released Release date is February 25, 2012 ~ $75
• JUSTICE GRACE | SHOE SHINE WINE: One (1) bottle of 2007 Tenbrink Vineyards, 2008 Wolff Vineyards Edna Valley, 2007 Golden Vineyards (Biodynamic) Mendocino County ~ $145
• KENT RASMUSSEN WINERY: One (1) Case of Kent Rasmussen 2008 Esoterica Petite Sirah ~ $480
• LAVA CAP WINERY: PRIVATE TOUR & TASTING ~ $100
• LINE 39: One (1) Case of Line 39 Petite Sirah ~ $120
• MIXED HALF CASE OF PETITE
• 6-Pack One (1) ~ $127
• 2008 Oakstone
• 2005 Concannon Central Coast
• 2007 Parducci
• 2007 Crooked Vine
• 2007 Twisted Oak
• 2008 Line Shack
• 6-Pack Two (2) ~ $131
• 2006 Windmill
• 2007 tercero
• 2008 Pedroncelli
• 2008 McCay Cellars
• 2009 Line 39
• 2007 Artezin
• 6-Pack Three (3) ~ $140
• 2004 Marr Cellars ($30)
• 2006 Windmill ($15)
• 2006 LaStoria ($30)
• 2007 Clayhouse Red Creek ($30)
• 2008 Parducci True Grit ($20)
• 2006 Parducci ($15)
• MC CAY CELLARS: A Wooden Collector’s Box of McCay Cellars Petite Sirah ~ $180
• MICHAEL ~ DAVID WINERY: Magnum of 2009 Petite Petit 85% Petite Sirah, 15% Petit Verdot ~ $175
• MIRO CELLARS ~ TBA
• MOUNTS FAMILY WINERY: 3-Liter of 2007 Mounts Estate Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley ~ $200
• OAKSTONE WINERY: One (1) Magnum of 2005 Oakstone Reserve Petite Sirah ~ $75
• PARDUCCI CELLARS:
• An exclusive offer… One (1) Night for One (1) Couple in a Parducci Guest Cottage ~ $600
• A Private Tour and Tasting for Six (6) people at the winery ~ $100
• PEDRONCELLI WINERY: 3 Bottle pack of 2008 Pedroncelli Petite Sirah ~ $48
• R&B CELLARS: Two (2) very tasty bottles of Petite Sirah, A 2008 and a 2009 R&B Cellars Pizzicato Petite Sirah ~ $56
• RIDGE VINEYARDS: Two (2) Bottles of 1997 York Creek Petite Sirah ~ $130
• ROBERT BIALE VINEYARDS; Magnum of Royal Punishers Petite Sirah, ROYAL PUNISHERS: an anagram for Petite Sirah ~ $110
• RUTHERFORD GROVE WINERY & VINEYARDS: A Vertical of Petite Sirah Fit For a Very Special Gathering ~ $222
• STAGS’ LEAP WINERY: Magnum of 2007 Stags’ Leap Winery Petite Sirah ~ $100
• STANTON VINEYARDS: One (1) Magnum of 2007 Stanton Vineyards Napa Valley, Petite Sirah ~ $100
• TRENTADUE ~ TBA
• VINA ROBLES WINERY: Trio of Petites in a Decorative Wooden Box (two bottles of each wine) ~ $250
• WILSON VINEYARDS ~ Six Bottles of Wilson Vineyards Petite Sirah and One (1) Day with the Grape Grower for Wilson Farms in Clarksburg, lunch included, for One (1) couple. ~ $27

Tags: Auction, Diaz Communications, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz, PS I Love You, Rock Wall Wine Company; PSILY

This is our sixth annual event, and each year it’s sold out.

Each year, the event also continues to slowly grow, and has reached its evolutionary maximum size for all future events. Not only is this about the size that I’m comfortable with managing, but it’s also about responding to consumers’ resounding feedback each year. “It’s because of the moderate size that we’re interested in returning each year, ” I hear at each event. The people who attend Dark & Delicious are a cult following, enjoying the relative intimacy of this event, versus attending other major events that reach epic sizes of 8,000 to 10,000 people. Those events have their mission and serve their purpose, so I’m not knocking them… I just can’t manage something like that, and I do admire the people who can. I guess I’m as cult as the following we’ve gathered, all people who prefer what this event offers as it now stands.

It’s all about the size, and it’s also about the quality of the wine and food being presented,
along with having access to the owners.

There will now be more events within the event being offered in the future, like this year’s newly instituted private tour that the Petite Sirah advocates (called GrouPieS) will be having with Shauna Rosenblum, prior to the 6:00 p.m. entry. The maximum capacity of this Wine & Food extravaganza is 1,000 people in all. This includes all wine and food vendors, volunteers, staff, and consumers. We’ve reached that max again this year, growing it slightly, and now knowing what it will take each year to reach a maximum. I suspect the selling out aspect will come sooner, because there just isn’t any more room for anything from tables for vendors, to staff, and to the people attending.

• 60 wine companies (120 people)
• 36 food vendors (restaurants, caterers, specialist foods (72 people)
• staff (40 people)
• media and consumers (768 people)

I enjoy that I’ve figured out the ceiling of comfort, and am really looking forward to this Friday night.

As a footnote, we DON’T sell tickets at the door. We cannot accommodate anyone else, as we just don’t have the supplies or room to pull it off. So, PLEASE, don’t come to Alameda thinking that you can/will get in. Each year we regrettably have to turn people away. This year, I’m sure will be no different, just don’t make it you who has to turn around. please.

Tags: Alameda, Alameda California, Dark & Delicious, Diaz Communications, Food, Food & Wine Event, Friday, Juicy Tales by Jo Diaz, Petite Sirah, PS I Love You, Wine, Wine & Food event

I love those of you who take your time to read my blog.

And so, today is a very simple blog posting.

Just comment on today’s blog, and if you’ve not yet won a pair of tickets (through my Facebook efforts) for Dark & Delicious this coming Friday, you’re eligible. (This sixth annual event, if you don’t know, is the consumer event for the group that I founded and am the director, called PS I Love You.)

On Wednesday morning, I’ll have a drawing  and announce the winner.

D&D Details:

• 58 wineries
• 36 foodies
• a great group of volunteers
• loads of PS Fans
• We’ll be a total group of about 1,000 people in the building… Not as big as others, not as small as some….

It’s from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

• Free parking, no gratuity
• An awesome deal for three hours of feasting with Dark wines & Delicious foods.

Comment away, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tags: Dark & Delicious, Facebook, PS I Love You, Valentines Day