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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

World Wide Chardonnay Tasting & Tweet Up


On Thursday, May 6th, wine lovers from around the world who also use twitter will be meeting in different locations to taste and celebrate the Chardonnay grape.  Rombauer Vineyards along with many other wineries in Napa Valley are joining this international event (called a tweetup). At Rombauer we will be offering tastings of yours truly- 2008 Carneros Chardonnay.
The event will take place from 5PM to 7PM at Rombauer Vineyards and feature our 100% malolactic fermentation Chardonnay.  The tasting fee is free  and there will be a shrimp boil to pair with the Chardonnay as well.
If you are a tweeter, there will be free wifi available at Rombauer so that you can tweet along all night. If not don't let twitter deter you from stopping by Rombauer and tasting some exciting local wines, you might learn a thing or two about Social Media as well! Bring a friend, or two...

FOR TWITTER :
Use the hashtag: #Chardonnay
FOR MORE DIRECTION ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE- CHECK OUT THIS INFORMATIVE VIDEO CREATED BY MR RICK BAKAS OF ST SUPERY WINERY:

Thursday, April 22, 2010

FREE THE GRAPES! & TAKE ACTION TODAY


A letter from the Napa Valley Vintners :

"In an effort to turn back the clock on the direct shipment of wine to consumers, a bill has been introduced in Congress recently that would, in effect, overturn the 2005 “Granholm v. Heald” U.S. Supreme Court decision that helped pave the way for wineries to ship wine directly to many more consumers around the country.


H.R. 5034, crafted by the National Beer Wholesalers Association would make it practically impossible to bring legal action against states’ wine shipping laws that violate the Constitution’s Commerce Clause by prohibiting wine shipment from out of state, while permitting their own in-state wineries to ship direct. The end result would be a return to discriminatory wine shipping laws within the states, creating economic hardship for wineries that consider direct shipment and important sales channel and greatly restricting choice among wine consumers nationwide.

The NVV believes that consumers in all 50 states should have the ability to directly purchase fine wine. Many medium to small wineries have very limited distribution and garner little attention from the large distributors. These wineries survive by selling wine through mailing lists, wine clubs, and over the internet.

Napa Valley Vintners agree that the existing three-tier system should be augmented, not eliminated, and should provide controls and regulations necessary to respect local laws, avoid underage access and provide provisions to make tax payments. It is not the intent of any winery to sell alcohol to minors or to avoid payment of local, state or federal taxes on their wines.

What the NVV is doing:


The NVV has been deeply engaged in the Direct Shipping issue for more than a dozen years. After several years of championing the cause through its own programs, the NVV formed Free the Grapes! and spun it off as a separate organization in 1998. Free the Grapes! was created so that there would be a complementary consumer advocacy side to direct shipping legislative and legal efforts. Since the creation of Free the Grapes! the NVV has donated nearly $400,000 in direct cash contributions to the organization.

In the years prior to the formation the Free the Grapes! the NVV provided support to the cause through in-kind contributions and continues such efforts to this day. These efforts included urging member wineries to donate funds, providing timely and relevant information to members, grassroots lobbying, and public awareness programs.

Additionally, starting in 2008, NVV has been a main financial sponsor of the Direct to Consumer Symposium, the wine industry's premier summit on direct marketing and sales.

How you can help:


Congressman, Mike Thompson, is already fighting on your behalf. However, it is important that Members of Congress from all across the country hear from consumers as to why H.R. 5034 is bad for them. Use your  e-mail database and Facebook page to encourage friends and family to visit http://www.freethegrapes.org/ where they may personalize a letter to their congressional representatives. To view Free the Grapes! sample language for a letter to congress click here.

Go Viral

Add your comments to the hundreds on the STOP HR 5034 Facebook site.



Thank Mike Thompson

Congressman Mike Thompson, as always, is in the corner of the wine industry. Congressman Thompson, along with fellow Wine Caucus Co-Chairman George Radanovich, testified on behalf of the wine industry at last month’s House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on this issue. Additionally, the two members discouraged their colleagues in Congress from signing onto the legislation, pointing out that it would, “Devastate California’s and other state’s wine industries, stunt economic growth, and harm consumers by allowing discriminatory law.” "

As a member of the Napa Valley Vintner's, here at Rombauer, we encourage each of you- for the continued enjoyment of Rombauer wines across the country, to take action. Your continued patronage and support is graciously  appreciated.

Cheers!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

21st Annual Wine&Spirits Magazine Restaurant Poll


APRIL 2010
21st Annual Restaurant Poll
The poll was compiled from data provided by 210 restaurants from
Zagat Surveys’ most popular restaurants in America.

Rombauer Vineyards
was ranked as the
5th Most Popular winery brand
in American restaurants.

Rombauer Vineyards’ Carneros Chardonnay
was ranked as the
3rd Most Popular Chardonnay
in American restaurants.

Congratulations to our fabulous winemaking team for their continued outstanding work!
Cheers!