WB influence - helps, hurts, or indifferent to wine makers?

[R_Roberts]

Bob, I wouldn’t go as far as saying those on Seeking Alpha are “professionals”, but I see your point and agree anyone who puts their personal work out in public has to have thick skin.

In some way it seems more personal when it involves the art/food/wine, but I couldn’t say from personal experience.

[Paul_Gordon]

Love you guys. Our most reliable customers are WBers and we appreciate it very much.

[Scott_Brunson]

@Merrill Lindquist

I just went online for the first time and saw this thread. As always, I will be open with my thoughts. But not today! My big sister woke me with a phone call this morning, and my daughter surprised me by arriving unannounced, holding a bouquet of flowers! It’s my birthday, and it looks to be a good one!

I’ll be back to this tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Merrill

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

I really enjoy the visits from WBers and while the majority of my wines are sold in Portland restaurants, the WBers are among my favorite “grape on the vine”.

Maybe the most important aspect is that WV is a down to earth relationship for me. When Rich Trimpi, Jason Hagen, or Mark Hudson show up, I just pour wine for them and we shoot the breeze and taste the wines.

I also love that WBers are not in a rush when they taste the wines. Most paid professional critics are tasting boatloads of wines every day. If you’re lucky they taste with you at the winery and it’s been at least 20-30 minutes since the last onslaught of wines. If you’re unlucky, your in a cattle call of bottles…I find WB TNs of my wines to be much more accurate(IMHO).

Someone reading Rich Trimpi’s Oregon notes or Loren’s is getting a far more experienced taster’s opinion for Oregon wine than any of the current reviewers(Josh Reynolds actually writes some very good notes).

Negative opinions are part of life and I value the truth in an opinion, good or bad. Pardon the brusqueness of this. Harvest is coming and this was a brief bit of hooky from the prep.

[GregT]

Love you guys. Our most reliable customers are WBers and we appreciate it very much.

And to think that my discovery of you has zero to do with WB!

[Evan_Pontoriero]

I think there is a big influence among the really small producers. It is something that comes up often in discussion with other winemakers. The passion here is not available anywhere else. I’m glad I found it after eBob and WCWN. I have considered making a berserker welcome sign in the past as I love the enthusiasm and detail that WB visitors bring to the tasting room yet maintaining the laid back quality of conversation that people enjoy in Sonoma.

When I tell visitors about Frank’s Party and Berserkerfest they are amazed and always ask how to participate. AFA being a winemaker and participation, I see myself as a community member first and winemaker second. I do probably feel mor cautious about posting and sometimes censor myself, but that happens with all other forms of communication too IYKWIM.

[GregT]

I do probably feel mor cautious about posting

Evan - put up the sign and don’t feel cautious at all. If people have a problem with your posts, screw them.

But remember the “e”!

[Chris_Seiber]

@Michael S. Monie

We should remind ourselves periodically that we represent a fraction of one percent of wine consumers.

True, but I think WB represents enough buying power to make a meaningful difference with some small wineries which catch on here. And I think that’s great.

[Merrill_Lindquist]

First of all, there is no question that WB is very useful/effective for getting word out about wines. It’s one of the places I learn about wines, too! Whether a new wine, an update on an existing label, or details about offers and shipments, we winemakers are wine lovers and collectors, too!

WB folks are well-represented in my customer base. But certainly not my entire customer base. I opened my business in 2003, and my first customers were folks who attended the first private tasting my wine found its way into. I had a short mailing list of 8 people or so waiting for the wine before I received my alcohol license!

I joined eBob in 2005. I was really just discovering wine in a big way, because I was in a relationship with someone who had a lot of wine knowledge and a fabulous cellar. I got into posting on Groth 1984 and 1985, 1985 BR Cohn, old Johnson-Turnbulls, and the like. I made friends through those notes and shared interests, and many of those people then became EMH customers.

In the early days, I did retail here in CA, and also poured at California Cabernet Society and Family Winemakers. People who bought at retail or tasted at a tasting sought me out and became customers. Some asked me to do dinners and brought their friends, who then became customers. They poured the wine for their neighbors, then they became customers. I had my wine in Boulevard and some other restaurants in SF - anything to get money in to support my new and growing business. It’s all fingers reaching out to the wine community. Other winemakers suggest my wine to their customers. I meet people on airplanes and hotels when I travel. Some of those have become customers. Many of these people do not even know that wine chat boards exist!

BerserkerDay is an awesome day of fun and business. And of course driven by WB.

I grow and produce a wine that pleases me. Fortunately, it pleases some others. I aim for consistency from vintage to vintage, and I try to keep the price attractive. I make a healthy profit, as I do much of the work myself!

I try to avoid super-contentious threads. In general, I avoid contentious people and relationships that do not bring me pleasure.

[Markus_S]

@Scott Fitzgerald

@Bruce Rudman

I think you should ask that question to:
Rhys, EMH, Myriad (and other labels); not saying just WB, but my suspicion is these boards contain a huge percentage of their buyers - conversely, I’m sure Caymus, Kendall Jackson, Silver Oak, among other big wineries could care less as we’re probably a very small segment of their market - but in those cases, perhaps WB hurts them from getting some of our business (case in point the Caymus 40th Anniversary).

Even with the winemakers listed, curious as to how much this board influences or impacts their business.

Okay, let’s ADD to that list: Maison Ilan, No Girls, Liquid Farm, Sandlands, etc, etc. Why would you not think the folks here have no influence? Consumers are like the proverbial sword.

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

Let’s deal with actual data:

At least 61.5% of my cellar represents wines that I directly or indirectly discovered or bought due to this BB or, before it, E-Bob. The actual number is probably higher than that, because it was just a quick read through CT and I am sure I missed some. There are a number of categories in rough order:

1. Wineries that I heard about through reading the BBs, recommendations on the BBs and tasting notes on the BBs. Largest holdings in this category are Carlisle and Saxum. Most obvious wine I never would have heard about but for the BB - EMH.

2. Wineries that I was referred to when visiting wineries I discovered on the BB and I asked them where else to go. Largest holdings in this category are Black Sears and Benovia.

3. Wines I bought from people on the BB or swapped when I had one allocation and someone else had another. A couple of wines here or there.

4. Wines I learned about by attending events that I learned about through the BB. e.g., Tercero at Falltacular.

5. The Hospices Auction Group wines.

Interesting item - what winery is the largest portion of my cellar that is not derived from a BB? Scholium! I was introduced to it by a local wine shop in about 2002 before I got active on the BBs.