Millennial (Insider) Wine Consumer – Michelle

What's in that glass, Michelle? A margarita? Enquiring minds!

Howdy, Gang!

Welcome back to our third installment of Millennial Wine Consumer interviews.  Usually it takes a second season of a TV show or more before they go tweaking it, but this all about social media which moves at the speed of-

(I actually finished that sentence,  you just weren’t quick enough to read it.)

For our third interview, we have Michelle, a great addition to the roster, and…here’s the cool twist…she already works IN the wine industry!  She’s the Marketing Director for Keller Estate Winery in beautiful Sonoma County.  If you haven’t been there yet, please do swing by for a great taste and a “hello!”

I amended the questions a bit for Michelle and she’s been a great sport in dealing with my (dorky) sense of humor. I have to say I was most curious to see if her choices as a Millennial Wine Consumer were any different from those of Matt or Jean, my other two Millennial interviewees to date.

Which has more influence in Michelle’s wine-loving world?  Her Millennial designation or her working at a winery?  Check it out!

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Everyone, please welcome Michelle!

1. How old are you and how often would you say you buy wine?  (Assuming, of course, that Keller Estate wine doesn’t already flow from your faucets.)

I’m 25 years old, and while it would be awesome if Keller Estate poured from my faucets, alas, I do buy wine. I purchase wine about once a week, either from a grocery store (I love Trader Joe’s), a specialty wine store (this is a little more like once a month), online (about once every three months) or directly from a winery (when I go visit).

2. How do you decide which wine(s) to buy if you’re at a store or a restaurant?

When I purchase wine, I’m really interested in people who are trying out new varietals in different regions. I’m really into wines from New World places like New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and Argentina, as well as California, of course.

I like to choose wines in the under-$20 price range if it’s for an everyday meal, but when I’m out at a restaurant, I like to splurge. I also like trying tasting menus with wine pairings — it’s fun to see what a sommelier thinks is a good pairing.

3. Would you consider yourself more “fluent” in wine brands than other friends your age?  And do friends call you for recommendations more than others?

Top 10 for A Goode Guy!

In the event that you haven’t yet heard yet, I found out in an e-mail from Murphy-Goode Tuesday morning at 11:55am that I am one of the Top 10 candidates for their Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent.

I think I need a nose job...stat!

Which.

Is.

Awesome.

Many THANKS to all my peeps who’ve been so supportive throughout this whole process.  You rock!

I am thrilled to be part of Murphy-Goode’s top selects, I am honored by the skills and accomplishments of my fellow applicants and all those who applied…and I am getting stoked to meet the crew at Murphy-Goode in a week and a half for the final round of interviewing, planned shenanigans (plananigans?) and other wine-y activities.

Next steps (for anyone keeping score):

Ojai (”Oh, Hi!”) Old Creek Ranch!

My intellectual buzz after wine-tasting.

Since one of the job descriptions from the Murphy-Goode folks for AReallyGoodeJob is the rooting out of new and great picnic spots within Sonoma County, I thought I’d share one I found over this past holiday weekend down in my neck of the woods!

If you’re ever near Ojai (pronounced OH-high), California and would like to find a quiet and beautiful place for a picnic, be sure to swing by Old Creek Ranch Winery just off of Highway 33, due south of Ojai.

I happened by there on Friday after sitting in bad traffic for several hours headed to Santa Barbara (but then changed plans at the last minute and decided to check out Ventura and Ojai) and I found the Old Creek Ranch to be a great oasis.  Picnic tables everywhere…serenity…10 great wines to taste for just $10…very friendly staff…need I go on?

My recommendation: Pack a lunch for you and your family (plenty of kids were visiting the winery with their parents), do some wine-tasting (both reds and whites!) and pick a bottle right there to complement your lunch.  Then just grab a table right outside…and enjoy!

(If only life were that simple, right? “It’s April 15th…do your taxes and ENJOY!”)

The Ojai region doesn’t have a tremendous wealth of wineries…you’re still a tad too south for the Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez/Lompoc/Buellton extravaganza, but this proved to be a GREAT day trip outside of Los Angeles.

More enticing pictures at the Old Creek Ranch website!

Millennial Wine Consumer – Jean

(Millennial) Jean...she's awesome!

To continue my series on Millennial Wine Consumers, next up is Jean, a dear, dear friend who is on the cusp of the Millennial generation and has a different experience with wine than Matt, my first interviewee.

I incorporated many of the questions from the comments section of the last interview (thanks for all your contributions!) and I think you’ll find Jean’s response to those and my other questions realllly interesting!

Since I sang Matt’s praises, let me say that Jean is a fun, smart gal with an unmatched intellectual curiosity. She is 100% organized (we tease her about it all the time) and 1000% dependable.  We’re also convinced that she either doesn’t sleep or has found more than 24 hours in a day to accomplish all that she does.  (And no, I don’t get paid to say these things.)

So, without further ado, let’s meet Jean!

THE INTERVIEW

1. How old are you and how often would you say you buy wine?

I’m 29 (soon to be 30!) and I probably buy wine at least once a week. Maybe more. My goal is to have at least one white and one red at home all the time, but usually I have at least two bottles of each. I shoot to have different varietals and even different brands – it keeps things more interesting for me and gives guests more options.

2. Have you ever purchased wine online, directly from a winery or online retailer?

I have! Just once, I think. Last year I ordered Lamborn wine online as a Christmas present for my dad. We’d tried it on a trip together [because the winery name holds family significance] and I remembered that he had really liked it. When I couldn’t find it locally, I bought several bottles online. According to my mom, it was a hit! But I’m more likely to purchase in person when I’m already out shopping. It just seems easier.

3. Have you ever been to a tasting room at actual wineries?

Top 50 Announcement

Whoa...my Photoshopping ain't so subtle today. Can you guess which video box is mine?

I woke up this morning to find an e-mail from Mr. Dave Ready, Jr. (winemaker par excellence for Murphy-Goode) which stated that the Top 50 had been announced…at 2am (boy they are some night owls up in Healdsburg)…and that I had made it into that next tier!

So a nice bit of awesomeness to start off the weekend, right?

(If you have a fetish for press releases, check it out here.)

It’s a great group of people that includes some whom I’ve yet to meet…and quite a few excellent peeps who didn’t make the cut.    Fortunately, this correspondent position requires the collective efforts of everyone so I don’t see this as a farewell with any of those very talented people.

Thanks to EVERYONE who has supported this journey to date and to all who voted for my application video!  I do believe you all helped make this possible!

Next steps: The Top 50 will be pared down to the Top 10 and that will be announced on Tuesday, July 7.

That’s the crazy cut since the Top 10 will fly up (over, down, whichever) to Sonoma County for a few days of merriment and INTENSE SCRUTINY (or maybe not) from the AReallyGoodeJob folks in hopes that they find a person who meshes quite seamlessly with their family and crew.

That’s all for now.  Thanks, again, and have a great weekend…probably listening to your favorite Michael Jackson songs.