24 Years Educating About Petite Sirah Since October 2002

Petite Sirah’s US History Since 2002

In 2005, I began my wine blog. I was the first female publicist in the world to do so. Tom Wark was the first male publicist to begin one, ahead of me, and he told me he’d never write about his clients. I was honest and told him I would occasionally, although it would be mostly about wine in general. I had opinions, and I still do, while I still ride two horses with one behind.

As a publicist, I labored over stories, crafted them, fought for them, and watched them find the light of day. When the web became Web 2.0, I saw the opportunity clearly. My own blog meant I could publish on my own terms, build internet real estate, and give every story a longer life. PR people don’t always run with your work, more often, you inspire them to write their own.

That’s how it works, and I made my peace with it long ago. But the urge to get a story published has always been something more personal for me. It’s a passion. And after 24 years of writing about Petite Sirah, that enthusiasm shows no signs of slowing down.”

Next

My education about Petite Sirah began in 2002, with the first Petite Sirah Symposium I produced for Foppiano Vineyards. We had an unexpected guest that day. The Rhone Rangers showed up, which surprised us, since the symposium had been designed exclusively for growers and producers. At the time, the Rhone Rangers hadn’t considered Petite Sirah producers for membership, dismissing it as ‘not a Rhone variety.

Never mind that the grape had originated in Montpellier, France, developed by François Durif. We forged forward anyway. And apparently, so did they — by the end of that day, the snowball was rolling down the hill. The Rhone Rangers eventually did open their doors to Petite Sirah producers. They didn’t make a big deal of it, they didn’t need to. The snowball had already done the work.

P S I Love You Symposium Born

As the organizer, I stayed quiet through most of the symposium and just listened. But toward the end, I spoke up with one concern. If Petite Sirah producers joined the Rhone Rangers, they risked becoming just one of many varieties in a crowded room. The Rangers were pushing hard for their consideration, but they weren’t offering anything exclusive to Petite Sirah. That stuck with me.

After the event, I sent out a feedback form with one pointed question: ‘If there was a Petite Sirah group, would you join?’ The people who said yes were sent a bill. And just like that, PS I Love You was born, in November 2002. Foppiano Vineyards and Kent Rosenblum were the first to sign on… instantly, without hesitation.

The Second Symposium Began Annual

Jeff Cohn Was Pivotal

From that first symposium, the event took on a life of its own, running for eleven years straight. At the second one, Jeff Cohn walked in planning to just listen. Instead, he “spilled his guts.” He shared with me privately, at the end of the event, though he doesn’t mind that I’ve passed them along.

And what came out defined what a perfect Petite Sirah could be: cold maceration, frequent punch downs, constant monitoring, micro fermenters. Everyone in that room took those ideas straight back to their crush pads. Petite Sirah was being re imagined, vintage by vintage, symposium by symposium. Jeff shared it openly, and the next generation of winemakers under his influence got it. They really got it. Heck, I got it, and I’m not even a winemaker.

Next Blue Tooth Tours

Blue Tooth Tours ~ Thanks to Concannon Vineyard

First Year ~ Motor Home

Then came the Blue Tooth Tours, and we took Petite Sirah producers across the country, on two separate legs. The first year, we loaded into a motor home and drove from San Francisco to LA, Phoenix, Santa Fe, and on to Dallas. I couldn’t help myself. I wrote about every leg of it, because there were always two stories to tell: the Hysterical Blue Tooth Tours. If you want the full picture, those posts are still on my blog — and worth the read. That’s the kind of support that makes things happen, and Concannon was eager to support the cause.

The second leg ran from Boston to New York, Baltimore, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Miami. Same formula. Same two stories. Honestly, I’m not even sure what that first year cost — we just did it, and Concannon Vineyard picked up the bills. That’s the kind of support that makes things happen.

Second Year ~ Patrick Henry’s Luxury Train Cars

The second year, we were booked on a luxury, and I mean luxury, passenger train. Patrick Henry’s two cars gave us two weeks on the most amazing journey ~ LIKE EVER. First on the West Coast, then in the rest of America, from Fort Worth to Dallas, then St. Louis, to Chicago. We traveled to so many places. Pulling into town, invitees of trade members and media came into the train to taste and off they went. Many of them would actually go through the process, then run around to come back in again.

From There It Became Dark & Delicious

From trade events, we then took it to the public, beginning in 2006, and it ran for 11 years. They began with a very small group of vintners and consumers, at the original Rosenblum Cellars. By the last one, we had morphed to 1,000 people. There were 60+ wineries, over 30 food vendors, and the rest were guests. It was at Rosenblum’s Cellars’ new location in one of Alameda’s an old military airplane hangers. It became too demanding managing, honestly. I felt it was time to return to our original plan with a twist, to get publicity for the variety, with a fresh twist.

Social media was calling, and it’s where we’ve been ever since. Yet, people are still talking about Dark & Delicious, whenever I come across a fan. If I put anther one on, we’d fill the house again. There’s some magic in Petite Sirah, and I’ll always look back on all of the wineries who have supported my efforts over the years.

The Marketing Must Go On

And still, the marketing must go on. This Chart… With Petite Sirah being Number Seven in California’s Top Ten Wine Varieties… I’d have inserted Petite Sirah, but I didn’t make this chart. And, please don’t get me wrong. This chart took a lot of time from conception, for Vinepair. It it had been included, it would be Petite Sirah + Durif. They could easily replace a few of the most obscure varieties many people have no idea what they (including me) and can’t even pronounce. And it’s okay, it just tell me that my job is not complete – I still have work to do, to get the trade to know about Petite Sirah’s popularity.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written by Jo Diaz, a partner of Diaz Communications, who is helping to make stars realize their dreams. Edited by partner Jose Diaz. To reprint, please contact Jo Diaz: jo@diaz-communications.com