Welcome to the Brit's Wine blog

This weekly Somm Pick introduces you to a hidden California winery gem. If you are a Pinot connoisseur this is for you: A husband and wife teamed up with famous Sonoma winemaker, Kale Anderson, to produce wines from vineyards that supplied grapes to wineries like Kosta Brown, Gary Farrell, Paul Hobbs, and many others. The result is amazing bottles of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé for you to enjoy from the comfort of your home.
 
“You are doing great things--the wines alone are wonderful (…) When I say Excellent, I mean it. I would buy them myself, and happily recommend them to anyone interested in top quality Russian River wines. You should be very proud of them. I am, for you.”
- Ronn Wiegand, Master of Wine and Master Sommelier

This week's special was selected by our chief sommelier and founder, Brit Campbell, to reflect the unique essence of Domaine de la Rivière wines. Take a peek at the bottles you’ll be tasting:
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2018 Middle Reach Vineyards Pinot Noir
Everyone enjoys the beautiful Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley AVA. This wine-growing region in Sonoma County is well known for its high-quality wine, and its great reputation. Such classics as Kosta Browne or Rivers-Marie will go for over $100/btl or more, but today, we are excited to bring Domaine de la Rivière, a piece of this very special area, to your home for $75/btl.

“The 2018 Middle Reach Vineyards is a perfect balance of full-body strength and elegance in each glass. The aromatics are bursting with vanilla, toasted marshmallow, and baking spices, which are strongly complemented by dark cherry, blackberry, and dark plum. Balanced acidity supports a long silky finish.”
-Kale Anderson, Winemaker
Order through your iPhone!

2019 Shoshana Rose of Pinot Noir
“Our 2019 Shoshana Rosé displays bright energetic fruit. Harvested from Lone Oak Vineyard, the grapes were picked in late August at approximately 20 Brix. A perfect salmon color, the nose is fresh with hints of honeysuckle and other floral aromas. Light raspberry, strawberry, hints of orange and lemon zest expand in the mouth with the underlying minerality from a natural grapefruit or lemon-like acidity.”
-Kale Anderson, Winemaker-
Aged 6 months in French oak and stainless steel barrels.
Order through your iPhone!

2017 Next Door Neighbor Chardonnay 92+ RP
“The 2017 Next Door Neighbor Chardonnay exhibits aromas of grapefruit zest, crisp pear, honey suckle and has flavors of caramelized peach, green apple, baked pie crust and a hint of crème brûlée. Barrel aging has softened the youthful acidity adding layers of silky minerality. This wine should age graciously for 7 to 10 years.”
-Kale Anderson, Winemaker-
Aged 11 months in French oak and stainless steel barrels.
Order through your iPhone!

Domaine de la Rivière is the result of a family’s passion for fine wine and hospitality. They are focused on growing and sourcing the best fruit from the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley. Their philosophy of blending traditional and modern winemaking techniques has allowed them to craft limited production wines that truly create a memorable experience for those who taste it. Working together with famous winemaker Kale Anderson who received his first 100-point score from Wine Advocate with Pahlmeyer in 2016, Domaine de la Rivière wines have already exceeded expectations receiving multiple 90+ point scores from experts. Their history is filled with warm stories about family, dedication, and of course wine. We love to connect you with this great local winery and bring to your house this premium experience from Sonoma County.

​As a special surprise, we will be hosting a complimentary virtual tasting with Marla Bedrosian, Co-Founder at Domaine de la Rivière. To taste along with us, simply purchase the 4-bottle bundle or any 2 bottles below. Simply click the button.

ORDER YOUR BUNDLE ON BRIT'S WINE NOW
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“There are just too damn many apps on our phones already [and] I firmly believe the technology is going to have an impact,” explains Peter about the future of the wine industry, owner/partner and master sommelier from the well-respected San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant. 

With the recent studies published surrounding how millennials are influencing the wine industry, the importance of finding ways to sell wine and create a more interactive experience has never been greater. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) reports that millennials consumed 15%, and Gen X consumed 34% of all wine purchased in 2018 , and the online retail beer/liquor/wine industry increased in 2017, with wine accounting for over 60% of all sales. While brick and mortar merchants and wineries attempt to gain a higher online following and retail presence, Brit’s Wine may just have cracked the code. 

Brit’s Wine, which launched its newest product in 2019, essentially connects wineries and retailers to consumers during wine tasting events at time of taste, so that even if they don’t purchase a specific wine or sign up for the wine club at the time of event, preference data and consumer info is readily available for the brand to connect after the tasting. Through participating in the app, the consumer voluntarily gives their information- name, and email- so that the winery has the ability to accurately understand preferences and reach out to individual consumers in the future. Also in the app is a swipeable selection of wines to either match, pass, or order, which allows consumers a recognizable motion on an app platform while also allowing for more orders to be easily placed, strengthening many brands direct-to-consumer programs. 

“We're giving an access point for marketers to provide a tool so people can swipe on the wines, essentially a digital tasting list or a digital menu,” Brit Campbell, founder of Brit’s Wine, describes. In the world of digital marketing, having consumer data and therefore the ability to market relevant content is vital, and Brit’s Wine allows for both. The acquisition of consumer data, accurate preferences, and the ability to connect consumers to wineries and marketplaces through real-time interactions at time of taste is what the wine industry has been missing, and what sets apart Brit’s Wine from all other software solutions. “And the best part, consumers LOVE it. In fact, we surveyed 100 millennial and gen-x wine drinkers and 98% said they would prefer their favorite wineries and retailers to market to them on the basis of wine they tried and liked, but did not buy,” says Brit.

This, however, raises questions about security and privacy of the consumers. When discussing the online wine industry with Britney, Peter asks some fundamental questions like “Who's funding this? Where does this data go? Who benefits from it? How is it shared? How is consumer privacy protected there?” Brit’s Wine does not sell private  information to third parties, and uses all collected data to market more efficiently, only sending relevant information to consumers, and allowing wineries to better understand their guests and their preferences. In addition, consumers opt-in to the tasting experience through the app.

While there is an opportunity for millennials and gen X-ers to dominate and influence the wine industry, there needs to be more efficient ways of providing information and points of sale to benefit the rapidly changing industry- and that’s how Brit’s Wine fills the market gap. These segments want experience and a digital backdoor to “lifehacks”,  according to Rob McMillian from Silicon Valley Bank. 


Resource: https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-changing-wine-industry-walmart-2019-3
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/7864505-181/rob-mcmillan-silicon-valley-bank-wine-forecast
Peter: https://fpwm.com/our-management-team/
          https://www.petergranoff.com/index 
Brit’s Wine: https://www.britswine.com/

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On day 3 I continued my journey through the Mosel region of Germany and found myself in the beautiful town of Pünderich and greeted by Clemens Busch in his home on the river bank.

Clemens Busch knows Riesling. An organic wine producer and member of the VDP – his Grosse lage estate, essentially the Grand Cru classification of wine in Germany, can be found worldwide including my two favorite US cities, New York and San Francisco. 

In 1971, many small vineyard parcels were combined into larger ones, but Busch decided to retain the original parcel names contained within the greater “Marienburg”, which is designated on each label.

There are three distinct types of slate that contribute to the palate of the Pündericher Marienburg vineyards. Red Gray and Blue.
Rothenpfad: Red Slate
Falkenlay: Gray Slate
Fahrlay: Blue Slate

Each one influences the pointed nuances of the wine’s flavor profile. For instance, the red slate creates a certain spice in wines, blue slate wines have a distinct minerality and are extremely concentrated, and the gray slate wines present fruity tones, are creamy, rich, and have a mineral tone. I had the opportunity to try each of these wines at the estate after Clemens pointed out each of the parcels in the Marienburg site (pictured above). The cool river breeze and reflection of the sun, make this great climate for the steeply plotted vines that run up the hills of the river bank. You can even make out the variances in the colors. As marked best by Clemens “Each parcel has its own personality. It´s as if each wine has it own soul.”

I had the chance to ask Clemens about the Rieslings on Finger Lakes in New York state. To which he replied they aren’t Mosel riesling but appreciates them for what they are, and gave his nod of approval. The one thing that stands out between a German riesling is the striking balance of the sweetness and acidity which creates a robust flavor that is more approachable than the traditional sweet white wine.

These are top quality amazing wines at a great value. Period.

If you’re located in NYC – Appellation Wine & Spirits carries Clemens Busch. They will be tasting Rieslings and other world wines on November 6th.

With all the talk about wine wankers in the news after Nick Bhasin’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald last week, I’m going against the grain a bit and thought I’d give a proper introduction on how TO look like snob whilst sipping wine. Because lets face it – we all want to look like we know what we’re doing. While many savvy sippers try to avoid looking like a wine snob, I personally own it, embrace it and apologize later…actually I don’t. Wine is meant to be enjoyed – not hidden – and here are a few slightly tricky steps to sipping wine like a true professional. There are no rules in drinking wine, but if you want to play the part, you’ve got to know the basics! So the next time you’re at Hotel Biron, do the following, and be prepared to dodge flying objects.

1. Swirl the wine around in your glass and don’t spill it all over the place like a twat.

2. Jam your entire nose in the glass. Sniff. Ladies, please mind the rookie mistake of repeating after your lipstick has rubbed off on the rim, leaving a red moustache on your face.

3. Press your index finger over each nostril. Sniff.

4. Thrust your stemware into thin air, dramatically in search of the perfect lighting with which to inspect the wine. This will ensure that everyone sees that you clearly know what you’re doing.

4.a If you are in the mission replace “stemware” with “mason jar”…scratch that…drink PBR instead.

5. Inspect the 3 Cs. We’re talking color, consistency, clarity here.

6. Raise your glass to your lips, tip the glass and let the wine slide into your mouth. But do not, I repeat, DO NOT swallow. I know this might be hard from some of you.

7. Give the inside of your mouth a little wash with the wine and make sure it touches each part of your tongue to experience it’s full flavor profile.

8. Oxygenate the wine in your mouth. Try not to choke on it. Taste again.

9. Turn to your friend and nod in approval with an awkward grin…because, you know, there’s still wine in your mouth.

10. Swallow. Now that you’ve properly teased your tastebuds, you may swallow.