January
27
2012
Please read again???
We received a ton of feedback after a recent post we did on customer service so it has been our goal to start a regular series on the
good, the bad, and the ugly of customer relations in our daily lives. Our number one goal is not to bash any person or business, but to get people to understand what they’re doing correctly…and what they are doing incorrectly.
So let’s begin this journey by asking you what you look for in a customer service experience. What’s the one thing that turns you ON to a business and what’s the main thing that turns you OFF to a business? It could be a winery, a restaurant, or some other hospitality related business…we’re curious! We hope to have this lead to numerous other ideas/ topics we can write about here…so let us know and let’s keep business names out of this for now. Cheers!
Wine Marketing: We’ve Got Something On Our Minds (hootnannieblog.com)
Do Your Wine Marketin Tactics Stink (hootnannieblog.com)
January
25
2012
Natures Touch Samples
You’ve seen us sipping on wine at the Paso Robles Garagiste Festival…we’ve shown you the small production winemakers that are living on the edge, making wine and living the dream! We’ve also given you the “feel” for the event, from the setting to the crowd to the food. What we haven’t shown you is one of the attendees that stands out; Natures Touch. What’s a Natures Touch, you ask? Well that’s easy! It’s a living, breathing, local market in downtown Templeton.
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January
23
2012
Talley Vineyards are located in a beautiful part of San Luis Obispo (although there aren’t really any ugly parts of this county) very close to where Orcutt Rd. and Lopez Dr. meet.
Talley Vineyards
I’m not going to bore you with all the generic information other than to say that the wines we tasted through were very nice. There are two different tasting lists, one is $6.00 for five tastes and the other is $12.00 for five tastes. This area of San Luis Obispo really does make some great Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs due to the cooler temperatures, and Talley is no different. They also have a nice cool climate Syrah, which I am enjoying far more than the warmer climate Syrahs. The price points are pretty reasonable, with most being between $15.00 and $36.00, most are in the $20’s it appears. Good price range to be at in my opinion.
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January
20
2012
Water Running Over the Rocks
I think we found the promised land…and it’s in Los Osos, CA.
Well, if it’s not the promised land then it’s certainly up there. The place is called Montana de Oro and it is Disneyland for the outdoor lover and beautiful scenery seeker!! There are numerous (as in a LOT) trails you can jump on and walk, run, or bike (even a handful that you can take your horse on) your heart out.
While many trails lead you toward the coast, some of the trails are on the east side of the road which take you up in elevation through wilderness to amazing viewpoints of the ocean, although we did not do one of these this time, we will absolutely go back.
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January
18
2012
The View....See???
We love the ocean…not sure if you’ve noticed that before, but it’s both of our favorite place to just “go” to. The ocean is peaceful, yet
powerful; beautiful, yet dangerous; familiar, yet mysterious. There’s definitely a pull there, whether it’s the tide or just an emotional kind of thing, we both feel excited to go, at peace when we arrive, and sad to leave the ocean. So, one of our favorite ocean spots is Cayucos, California. It’s the quintessential funky beach town located right between Morro Bay and Cambria on the Central Coast. Smack dab in the middle of Cayucos is the BEST spot ever…Schooner’s Wharf!
January
16
2012
We haven’t been to Tolosa Winery since we had a party there for Annie when she got her Master’s Degree, about 4+ years ago…so, it was time to go back!
This really is a great spot across from the airport in San Luis Obispo, the tasting room is well done (as you’ll see in the video) and the back patio is breathtaking (which you won’t see in the video) They have tables and chairs out back along with an outdoor tasting bar and a big grassy area; all with vineyard and production facility views.
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January
13
2012
Victorian at Halter Ranch
We got to spend New Year’s Eve, 2011 in style this year at a swanky restored victorian, thanks to the amazing people of Halter Ranch Winery and the Cork Dorks. Adam Montiel and Jeremy West are the “Dorks” that do a weekly radio broadcast on 92.5 The Krush that features local winemakers. We were honored to be invited to join this New Year’s Eve extravaganza at the Halter Ranch property, with Adam and Jeremy and a bunch of other wine biz friends. The property is located on the west side of Paso Robles, roughly where Vineyard Drive meets Adelaida Road.
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January
11
2012
HnA at the Harmony Headlands
We’ve started a new adventure game! Make a list of 50 adventures you want to do this year…and then get off your arse and go do them!
The idea came from talking about wanting to explore more of San Luis Obispo County than just the wineries and restaurants…we aren’t going to stop doing those things but we were starting to get a bit of a reputation!
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January
9
2012
We recently went on an adventure to Monterey, California. This is a great coastal town that has all kinds of beauty every where you look. Monterey is a huge ocean bay that boasts a history that was worthy of John Steinbeck‘s musings back in the 1940′s. Ever heard of the novel “Cannery Row“? This was Steinbeck’s novel about the life happening along the coast led by those in the fishing industry during the Great Depression. The book created a lot of notoriety for the area, turning it into a sought-after tourist destination.
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January
6
2012
The Cass Crew
Back at the Garagiste Festival we chatted with Jacob Lovejoy, the amazing chef at Cass Winery and Cass Catering. It was a beautiful day at Windfall Farms in Paso Robles for this wine event and to end the day outside eating some of the grub prepared by Jacob and his crew, it was amazing.
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January
4
2012
100% Pinot Noir Rose from Ancient Peaks
There’s a great little tasting room right in downtown Santa Margarita called Ancient Peaks. It’s located right on the quaint (another word for small, rustic, old) little main drag…if you drive too fast, or blink, you’ll miss the main street of this small town; but that’s the great thing about it!
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December
31
2011
It’s New Year’s Eve, that time has come again where we look back on all that has happened in this past year and look forward to what this new year might have in store. We reflect, we ponder, we remember, and we hope. We gather to say good-bye to the old and say hello to the new. Some of us look forward to leaving the old year, some of us are sad to see it go. No matter where you are or what your feelings are on this Dec ember 31, 2011…you own this moment and all the moments around the corner s
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December
28
2011
So, getting back to the discussion about wine marketing and your wine brand; we’ve been unsure how to attack this. Mostly due to the fact that there are numerous ways and opportunities as a winery to market yourself and provide amazing customer service. We weren’t sure whether to put everything into one blog post or to write a book…instead, we are going to break it up and have each blog post contain a couple of points that we think could benefit a winery. In other words, we have a lot to say!
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December
24
2011
Here we are again…that time of the year! Christmas creeps up on us every year…summer comes and goes and then, BAM! It’s Christmas already. They don’t even really let us enjoy Halloween or Thanksgiving before they inundate us with decorations, music, and ads for strange gifts that we just can’t live without.
What’s wrong with society? Why can’t they just let us enjoy the moments? Life is short, but we don’t have to rush it along, do we? We’re working on enjoying what’s happening NOW, not tomorrow or the next day. It’s a difficult thing to do sometimes, because things are flying by us at a mile a minute, but if you can just slow it down and pay attention to THIS moment, I promise you’ll have a different view on life.
There are so many things in life that affect how you look at the world, and Christmas is one of those times that makes you reflect on what’s important. We’re in one of those reflective times and wanted to share some of it with you. As you may have seen in our recent posts here and on Facebook and Twitter, we were pregnant. Unfortunately, we miscarried…which has been quite a learning experience for us. It’s shown us several things; one being that we know how much we’d like to have a child, another is how much we feel love and support from our family and friends. It’s also helped us to refocus and appreciate the things we have right now. We have each other, we have our incredible family and friends, and we have YOU!
So the point of this corny Christmas message is that you don’t get do-overs, but as long as you’re breathing you can make right now matter. It goes back to what we have talked about so much, life is meant to be lived. If you are just filling space, it’s time to step outside and live a life that matters. Even with the miscarriage, we have CHOSEN to take a look at the positive that came out of it, because that is the only aspect of this that we control…how we react to the situation.
How can we be upset when we so much love and support? How can we be upset when we have each other? How can we be upset when we got to experience how much love we felt toward this little nugget of life? Choose to live your life. Choose to enjoy the little moments, because those are the ones that matter. Choose to take the positive road versus the one that ends up eating you alive.
To all of you that read this junk we throw out into the world, to all of you that interact with us, to our friends and family…you truly do mean the world to us. Our world is better because of each one of you and we hope we are able to put a little bit of laughter or positivity into your lives. So please, enjoy this Christmas…but make everyday as special as Christmas is suppose to be. Live in the moments and appreciate those around you.
We wish you the most amazing Christmas…enjoy the people, not the stuff! Cheers!!
December
21
2011
While on one of our recent adventures to the Bay Area, we found ourselves in the well-known downtown Mountain View scene, Castro Street. This drag has tons of great restaurants, shops, and other cool things to look at. As usual, we were on the hunt for food and drink and sniffed out this Spanish Tapas Restaurant called Cascal. Like usual, we perched at the bar and took stock of the goods.
Cascal Restaurant Food and Drink
You might have guessed by the use of the word “Tapas” earlier on, that the menu was chock full of all kinds of interesting small plates. Everything from seafood to meat to veggies and everywhere in between, along with larger plates and an excellent wine list! The interesting thing about the wine list was the selection of complimentary varieties from regions like Spain, Argentina, California, and beyond.
Tapas Menu
Wondering What We Had?
Well, we started off with some Lamb Meatballs on a bed of Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce. Good? Ummm…YES!
Grab one and see…..
Lamb Albondigas with Cucumber Sauce
Next came the scallops…that’s Scallops Seared with Shitake Mushrooms
Scallops
Now comes the homemade tortilla chips with crazy-good dip assortment…Guacamole, Mole Black Beans, Queso Fundido with Rajas (like fondue with chili strips melted in).
Homemade Tortilla Chips with Tasty Dips
Another successful food adventure! We want to know about your food adventures…got any?
December
19
2011
In the next in our series of interview clips with Allen Shoup, he discusses the future of wine growth in the United States (specifically California, Oregon, and Washington) and also mentions Turkey, Italy, France, Chile, and so on.
Conversations with Allen Shoup
The time we had with Allen was extremely informative, be sure to check out the other short video clips with him where he covers everything from Gary Vaynerchuk and social media to his mentor Robert Mondavi and his wine project Long Shadows Winery.
One of the most fascinating things this wine blog (although we prefer to think of it as a lifestyle blog) has done is give us the opportunity to talk to so many different people and hear their thoughts and stories on life in the wine world. At the end of the day, the thing we enjoy the most, is the people and the stories. We thank Allen Shoup once again for his time and generosity in sharing a few of his thoughts and stories!
Related articles
- Robert Mondavi and Allen Shoup; Two Wine Greats (hootnannieblog.com)
- Allen Shoup Discussing Social Media and Gary Vaynerchuk (hootnannieblog.com)
- Allen Shoup on Long Shadows Wine, Among Other Things (hootnannieblog.com)
December
16
2011
We ran into another heroic Paso Robles winemaker while at the 2011 Garagiste Festival…Christian Tietje of Cypher Winery told us about what he’s up to these days, along with some of the unique “toys” that winemakers are working with this year. He’s got a big personality that you will see in this video interview as well as taste in his wines.
The Garagiste Festival features small-production winemakers that maybe don’t have a tasting room, or the opportunity to get in front of the public very often. Festival goers can taste some of the most creative and unique wines, as well as those hard-to-find wines from the cutting edge winemakers in the area. Christian is one of these winemakers…while he does have a tasting room on 46 West, he’s making some incredible wines and wanted to tell us all about them.
Who is this Christian Tietje?
Instead of trying to capture Christian in written word, we figure we will let this video and his own words give you a glimpse into his world.
Cheers…and enjoy!!!
Related articles
- Garagiste Winemakers Rock Paso at Sold Out Festival (hootnannieblog.com)
- Ranchero Cellars at the Paso Robles Garagiste Festival (hootnannieblog.com)
- Janell Dusi is in the Paso Garagiste House! (hootnannieblog.com)
December
14
2011
We went on the hunt for something a little different; something new and refreshing, that could be enjoyed by anybody at any time! What might this be, you ask (yeah, the title was a give-away)??? Exactly! Non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Now, before you start wondering what we’re up to, we’ve found that there is a time and a place for things like this…for example; you love wine, wine tasting, food and wine, wine and friends, well you get the idea, but you’ve just found out that you’re pregnant and you can’t drink!
Wait! What? Yes, that’s right! I’m pregnant. I’m not all that far along and some might think we’re crazy for telling you so early on, but we’re excited NOW and want to share it! This is our first-ever experience with this kind of thing and we couldn’t be more ecstatic about it all!
So, in light of being healthy and all that, I’ve given up drinking alcohol. I thought this might be a difficult thing for me, since I’ve been enjoying my wine for a VERY (20 years or so, don’t do the math) long time. I’ve heard everything from “I didn’t drink a drop my entire pregnancy” to “It’s fine to have wine when you NEED it” to “I know a mother who drank and smoked all through her pregnancy and her kids were okay!”. All very interesting arguments, but I figure that this is my one shot at bringing a person into this world and I’m going to do everything I can to make it my best shot!
JLohr NA Brut Sparkling
Not to ramble on…but I’m a pretty healthy girl; I rarely get sick, I’m not allergic to anything, I can stomach just about anything, my ancestors lived really long lives (some over 100 years old) and I’m stubborn as a mule. I figure that all these things put together should give the little one a pretty good chance, along with the fact that Hoot’s got strong genes and an even stronger conviction. So here we go! Off on another adventure…and we’re happy that you’re along for the ride with us!On to more important things, shall we? Yes, the Sparkling! J. Lohr Winery makes a whole line of Non-alcoholic wines under the label Ariel. They’ve got everything from Sparkling to Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and more! With the Holidays coming up, I thought the Sparkling would be perfect…and it even tastes good (no, really it does)! Almost like the real thing! I used to wonder why anybody would bother drinking NA wine and now I know one VERY good reason! Pregnancy! A girl just needs a little something fancier than sparkling water in her glass once in a while!
Cheers!
December
11
2011
Our most recent food adventure took us to what’s locally known as “THO” which is short for Thomas Hill Organics. This restaurant is the product of a local farming family that wanted to bring fresh food from farm to table in a unique atmosphere in the downtown Paso Robles district.
So, this wasn’t our first time visiting THO, we’ve been in a handful of times; each of which the food was incredible, the service amazing, and the overall vibe, great! But, we’ve got a confession to make…we haven’t gone back for probably a year or more as a result of our last experience. There’s no need to get into specifics, but it involved sitting at the bar and overhearing two different sets of people that worked there discussing customers, other staff members, complaining about kitchen functions, etc. This is a BIG no-no in customer service, and it was disappointing to say the least.
Now don’t misunderstand, we know that every establishment has their good days and their not so great days. Our point in sharing the story is simple; as a customer service establishment, you never know how your level of service is affecting your clientele. It’s all in the details; maybe customers don’t sit at the bar very often (it was really shallow and not the most comfy bar to sit at) so they didn’t think about not talking shit in front of us, or maybe the management never paid attention or…who knows? But the result was that they missed out on our patronage for a chunk of time. Bummer for us and for them.
The outcome of all of this is that we went back…even after a year, to give it another try. Maybe it was time, maybe the disappointment had worn off, or maybe we just knew it would be okay this time around. It was awesome; back to the great service, incredible food, and wonderful atmosphere! Yay!!! We walked away feeling like we’d had a great time and can’t wait to go back! Good job, THO, and thank you for a great meal.
Now, down to the details; we were in for lunch…it was a cold winter day in Paso Robles, the iPhone said 30 degrees at 11am (brrrrr for us) so we bundled up and headed in. We chose to brave the elements and sit outside on their enclosed courtyard patio. The waiter was kind enough to bring us our own personal heater which was awesome!
We started with the Pork Belly Tacos with Pomegranate and Cilantro Salsa…
These tacos were incredibly tasty…with a rich ancho chile sauce, there was a tiny bit of spice, some sweetness from the salsa, and just an overall exciting group of flavors. The perfect way to start our lunch.
After the tacos, we moved on to the Roasted Turkey Sandwich smothered in Celery and Apple Salad with Currants, Cashews, and Cranberry Relish. This sandwich was like glorious Thanksgiving nestled inside of a pillowy, fresh, roll. Incredible!
This was the perfect lunch for us; light, incredibly tasty, in a cool spot. The flavor combinations were fresh and original and everything just popped! You can definitely taste each ingredient and the farm to table feeling comes through in the brightness of the dish. Again, thank you to Thomas Hill Organics for a great experience! We’ll see you soon!
Related articles
- Wine Marketing; We’ve Got Something on Our Minds… (hootnannieblog.com)
December
9
2011
You’ve heard the name Robert Mondavi, right? I mean, what self-proclaimed wine lover/drinker/consumer/beginner/expert hasn’t heard that name? Robert Mondavi was instrumental in changing the way Americans drink wine, starting right here in California. He had a huge influence over the wine world, as well as many people in the wine world.
Allen Shoup on Robert Mondavi
When we got the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Allen Shoup, the father of Washington wine, he told us about some of the things he learned from his mentor; Robert Mondavi. Can you imagine some of the conversations that went on between these two? Oh, to be a fly on the grapes, errr, wall. Allen was in town to receive a lifetime achievement award from Sunset Magazine at our local Savor the Central Coast Event.
We’ll let you hear what Allen has to say about Robert Mondavi…two very admirable men, indeed!
Related articles
- Allen Shoup on Long Shadows Wine, Among Other Things (hootnannieblog.com)
- Allen Shoup Discussing Social Media and Gary Vaynerchuk (hootnannieblog.com)
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