A college friend of mine was celebrating his birthday at French Laundry and he said lady gaga was sitting next to his table. He’s a huge fan and got to take some cool pictures with her. Her outfit was very interesting. I wonder what the others guests thought while they dined there…
While having dinner in the bar at Girl and the Fig, she mentioned that she was out looking for a house in the area… probably no wine, but at a vacation home in Sonoma shows good taste!
Interesting. Was visiting family in eastern PA a couple of months ago, and read in the local paper how she and her boyfriend were shopping for houses in Omish country in PA. The appeal there is certainly not the wine…
But on a side note, there are a lot of well heeled people who get deep into wine as well as some who dabble. Ernie Els, Dave Roberts, Rich Aurilia and many others recently named in other threads. Some buy the winery, others have their wines made. If you have the money, why not. It can be a write off or an income.
If you’re not going to be in it hands on start to finish, why? Ego? Disgusting.
Personally, I find it the bane of our industry that people want to 'own" a winery or label which means nothing more than prancing around with your name on the label. What could be more vapid?
Move here. Take some chances. Make some mistakes. Stop. Listen to the rythym of the seasons. Feel the pull of nature. rGet your hands dirty. Learn how to actually grow and make wine. Make some mistakes and learn from them. Realize your role in it is insignificant and that nature is everything. But for chrissakes- don’t hire someone to grow it, somneone to vinify it, someone to market it and say you are “making wine”.
rant over. Please return to your regularly scheduled thread.
Agreed John. Some do. Most don’t. But I also have disdain for the large companies, buying out wineries and producing corporate wines too. I know those who dedicate their lives to the business from farming to production can burn out or come on bad times in bad years and decide to or be forced to sell their winery and/or vineyards. There are also a number of people who aren’t so well heeled that spend limited time/money to have their own label and those I have met have a real zeal in what they do. Prestige of having a wine in your name and having a wine you had “some” hands on aren’t that far apart. There are many wineries producing exceptional wines wherein the owner of the winery/vineyard relies on a well known wine maker and a vineyard management company to ensure quality and consistency. On the flip side, a winery making a wine for “star person,” does provide support and income for some wineries to stay solvent and continue to keep their own wines at peak and on the market.