Murphy-Goode Wrap-Up

Six of Top Ten. (Me, Rachel, Annie, Eric, Kamary, Nick) (Rachel Reenstra pic)

Breaking News: I was NOT chosen as the Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent!!!

And if that’s breaking news to you, then you’ve either been living under a rock or haven’t had the time or inclination to follow the social media goings-on over at Murphy-Goode Winery.

Hardy Wallace, a formidable applicant and all-around heckuva guy, was chosen as the Murphy-Goode WCLC…and I support him 100%.

In fact, we ALL do!

Which is indicative of the entire time spent up in Healdsburg…total support for one another, regardless of who was chosen…and ultimately completely in line with the idea of social media, right?

Before moving on, I simply have to THANK everyone who supported me and everyone else in the A Really Goode Job campaign.  Everyone’s amazing and unwavering support has truly humbled me.

Gosh I'm cool! Well, not anymore...I think I lost those sunglasses! Ack. (Eric Hwang pic)

As a quick wrap-up, the Top 10 were flown up to Healdsburg, CA in late July for what turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.  We had dinners scheduled every night where the Murphy-Goode wine flowed freely (kinda like Ancient Greece…or my version of heaven), educational talks out in the vineyards, a wine-blending competition, wine-pouring meet-and-greets, final interviews, haiku-writing contests, cooking dinner for 20+ people, a Segway tour of a local vineyard and on and on…CRAZY, right?

As soon as we realized that we were all so incredibly different from one another in the Top 10, we declared the weekend a “no competition” zone and set about to have a great time and be 100% ourselves.  Oh sure, we were competitive at Liar’s Dice and Texas Hold ‘Em (although Murphy-Goode winemaker Dave Ready, Jr. was the only one in the room who knew the rules for Texas Hold ‘Em…are you kidding me with all those goofy rules?), but the majority of our time up there was spent laughing and taking pictures and video, tweeting, Facebooking and just about anything else social media-related you can think of.

Rocky, Nick and I. Hell yeah I can play the tambourine! (Or so I learned that night.) (Rachel Reenstra pic)

It was only three full days we were there in Sonoma County, but it felt like summer camp.

Camp Murphy-Goode!

My Wine-y Pledge

My Mecca. (What? Too dramatic?)

Well, the time is upon us!

The Top 10 (including this here Goode Guy) are headed up to Healdsburg early tomorrow (Sat) morning for a few days of hijinx and shenanigans so I thought I would take this opportunity to make a PLEDGE to everyone:

Regardless of how much fun I have…
Regardless of how much great wine I taste (and drink)…
Regardless of the great meals we may eat and cook for one another…
And regardless of how much I may learn from Dave Ready, Jr. and my smart-as-a-whip Top 10 peers…

I will NOT become a Snooty-Snooterton.

My pledge having been committed to y’all here on the interwebs, let me just say…that…

I’M READY TO GO!

My bags aren’t quite packed (I’m a last-minute packer, it’s true), but I’m already jazzed to meet the entire Murphy-Goode crew that has pulled this all together, including winemaker par excellence Dave Ready, Jr…and hang for a few days with these super-talented Top 10 peers.  I predict we’ll have a blast.

TO FOLLOW ALONG, I’ll be Tweeting, posting videos, updating my Facebook page and even this blog when I get the chance.

(That’s the problem with social media, you have to be a tad anti-SOCIAL to keep up with it all!)

Thanks to everyone for their amazing support throughout this process…now wish me GOODE LUCK! 

Q&A with Me Over at TheWanderkind

Oooh, pretty. Looks cool in these summer temps.

Howdy, peeps!

Just a quick note to toss you over to a great L.A.-based blog, TheWanderkind.com, where the ever-gracious Nancy posted a Q&A with me about my thoughts on all things Murphy-Goode and making the Top 10.

She was able to wrangle all three of us L.A. Murphy-Goode Top 10ers into interviews which she’ll post throughout the week before we head up to Healdsburg this weekend.  She asks some spot-on questions, too!

Check out my Q&A for another flavor in this amazing process!

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!

—–

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):