How to tell Crap Wine from Good Wine!

Awww! A very important question! How do YOU tell crap wine from gooooood wine!?! It is actually fairly easy - but before we get to the exact science, lets talk a little about wine.

Not all wines are created equal. I am sorry - but they just are not! Many manufacturers of wine take short cuts in order to produce more wine faster! (They produce wine for profit, not for passion.) Now does that mean they are not tasty? Nope - they can be tasty! THAT is part of the problem! Chances are if you have indulged in large production wines, you enjoy them but had no idea what the difference was between that $6 bottle of Shiraz versus that $20 bottle. You were purchasing based on price rather than value. Let me share a little bit about big production wineries. Take that $6 bottle of Shiraz. It tastes like it has been aged in oak. It is simple and gets the job done, but with what consequences? Red wine headache? Maybe a rash? Horrible hang over? You probably always assumed these are the results of just drinking wine. WRONG.... this is the result of poor quality wine! Large wine producers only care about profit. Instead of aging the bottle of Shiraz to the proper time in an oak barrow, they instead added a powder to it that makes it taste like it has been aged in oak! WHAT? Yup! And if they did that to create a faux flavor profile, what else have they added to that wine too? YUCK!

Quality wine producers allow their wines the time and natural processes they need. Why? Because they are producing wine for the art of it, not the profit of it.

So how can you tell if your wine is of quality? Price? (Nope - not always an indicator but it is a step in the right direction.) Ready?  It is the length of the aftertaste.  The quality in all wines is based upon the length of the aftertaste. Huh? Really? What does this mean?

Grab a glass of wine and let's experiment! (Yay! A science experiment for adults!) Hold a sip of wine in your mouth for several seconds. ( I know this will be hard for some of you- bear with me!) Once the wine is in your mouth for several seconds you will experience 3 waves of flavors:
Attack - In the foretaste the wine is announcing itself to you. Here you will experience the fruity and sweet flavors that the wine might have.
Evolution - Next acidity amplifies the flavors in the attack.
Finish - Finally the flavors begin to fade away. The length of the finish will determine the quality in the wine. The longer the aftertaste, the better the wine!

Your Homework: So I want you to go to the store, buy 1 mass produced bottle of wine of a certain varietal and then buy 1 bottle of wine that is made by a small winery or estate that is the same varietal. Go home and pour out 2 glasses of wine. Take a sip of the mass produced wine and hold it in your mouth and see if you can determine the 3 waves of flavors. Count how many seconds it takes for the aftertaste to finally fade away. Now do the same with the other wine. What did you notice? Since they are the same varietal you should taste similar tones but you will notice that the quality wine lasted much longer AND the flavor intensity is more pronounced!

Now like I said before: In no way, shape or form am I saying mass produced wines are horrible. That is simply not true and should be considered an opinion and not a fact. Consider them as the "McDonald's" of wines. While we all love a good McDonald's burger from time to time, we just simply know not to have high expectations for that burger. We know quality and time was not put into that burger when it was made - no matter how much you are 'just lovin in'. Now think about when you go to a fine steak house. You know that steak you ordered has been delicately prepared by a chef and personally cooked and prepared for you. Time and quality was put into that steak. You can consider smaller production wine companies and estates to be the "steakhouse."  Now when you look at wines with this analogy, you will have a better understanding of quality of wines!

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

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Four Reasons Why Prospects Tell Us No When We Offer Our Opportunities

 Four Reasons Why Prospects Tell Us No When We Offer Our Opportunities

In an ideal world, we want to offer our opportunity to everyone and have them join our team. There is no bigger pleasure then signing on a new team mate! We get pumped up, we call another teammate and boast a little, we feel like we are at the top of the world, and we even become a little smug. 

But in reality we often hear our prospects say:

“I have to think it over."

" I am really busy right now, I just do not have the time."

 "Let me talk about it with my spouse." 

Or this one kills me - " I do not have the money right now."

 (I could go on a serious rant about this one but I will spare you all... )

Question: What's next? How do you turn those “not nows” into “right nows” ??

Answer:  PROPER FOLLOW UP

Following up simply means we have great conversations with our prospects and they look forward to chatting with us again.

It is said that average decision take 7 follow up! 7! Ekkkkkk! And, well… that’s only the average. We will all aim to do it in much less with the right tools! But first we need to understand WHY people say no!

 

Why people say "No" to our opportunity.  

#1 Bad Timing

•                Loss of job
•                Working too many hours
•                Moving
•                Family Issues
•                Relationship difficulties

 #2 Distractions - Humans by nature are easily distracted. That's why sticky notes were invented.

#3 Bad Sales Presentation - We have all witnessed this before - usually in form of TV commercials but a bad pitch can be just as horrible. It is never a good thing when your prospector can not wait for the conversation to be over!

#4 Bad Skills

Prospects smell incompetency – They want to join the biz with someone who has the skills to get them there! Does this mean YOU have to be successful? NO? Your success in the business has VERY LITTLE to do with your ability to be HUMAN and offer help!

So we cannot control #1 or #2 but we can at least control #3 & #4

Here is a follow up secret that will make the difference:

Prospects do not understand everything about our business AND THEY DON’T NEED TO until they are IN the business. Don’t get caught up with those details!

THIS is what prospects ONLY care about : HOW the business will change their life! What they are looking for is a trusted path and a trusted guide for their future success.

They want to know if:

               #1 – You know WHERE you are going

               #2- You know HOW to get there

               #3- YOU have the SKILLS to teach them how to get there

We also need to know what our prospects want out of this opportunity. If we do not know what our prospects are looking - then how can we serve them? If you know what is important to them – then you won’t waste you time presenting material that is of no use to them. How do we find this out? By listening to what they are saying. BE A LISTENER! (Stay tuned for future blogs on this topic.)

As always, I hope you found value and I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

Make sure to follow me on instagram as WinWithWine

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CHEERS!

4 Uncommon Varietals That Picky Wine Drinkers Will Adore

Four Uncommon Varietals That Picky Wine Drinkers Will Adore

Throughout my journey as a Wine Guide, I have had the pleasure of trying many different types of varietals. A varietal means a certain type of wine / grape. Everyone has heard of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Moscato, but rarely do people venture off the trail of popular wines. Why? Because we tend to drink what has been recommended to us or what we see others drinking. 

Well fear not! I am here to recommend 4 fine Varietals to try! 

Please note - For your convenience, I am going to picture current bottles that Traveling Vineyard sells as references because I have personally experienced each once of these wines. Plus, these bottles are exceptional buys! Any of the following pictured wines can be purchased directly from www.shop.winwithwine.biz

1 - Sangiovese (san-jo-vay-zay)

From: Typically found in Italy (it is actually Italy's top wine that is produced.) It was first introduced to the US in the 1980s. 

Description: Normally high acidity red, packed well with tannin. Traditional styles are famous for herbaceous flavors such as tomato leaf, dried flowers, thyme, and black pepper. Cool climate wines will produce a more dominate red currant to roast tomato tone while warmer climate's will produce a blackberry to raspberry tone.

Price Range: $15-$20

Pairs well with: Rich meats and tomato based dishes such as lasagna, mom's spaghetti and meatballs, and even pizza! (When in doubt - pair with Italian!)

Recommended if you enjoy: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo,

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Santoreggia -2014 Sangiovese

2 - Pinotage (pee-no-taj)

From: Most widely planted in South Africa. (Ohhhh exciting right!) It is actualy the most planted red grape in all of South Africa. It was created by a scientist who wanted to find a hardier strand of Pinot Noir to grow (since Pinot Noir's are so finicky.) However, do note that it tastes nothing like Pinot Noir. (Fire that scientist!)

Description: Normally high in body and alcohol. (YIPPEE) This wine also packs plenty of bold flavors. Cool climate wines will produce more red cherry and black cherry notes while warm climate wines will produce a fig or blackberry tone.

Price Range: Avoid cheap variations because they will be no good! Shoot for $15-$20.

Pairs well with: roast duck, lamb, Tex-Mex, mushrooms, black beans, arugula, and Cajun dishes

Recommended if you enjoy: Australian Shiraz, Petite Sirah, high priced Cabernet Sauvignons

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Burl - 2014 Pinotage

3 - Gerwurztraminer (geh-vurz-traminer)

From: Planted in France, Germany, Ukraine, and the USA.

Description: High in alcohol and fruit tones but low in acidity. Ranges from dry to medium sweet. Cool climates wine will produce a tangerine to rose tones while warm climate wines will have guava to lychee- nut tone. 

Price Range: $10- $15

Pairs well with: Anything spicy, crab, lobster, chicken, roasted veggies, and pork. Great Super Bowl Wine!

Recommended if you enjoy: Beer - many beer drinkers enjoy the hops like tones. 

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Screaming Goat - 2014 Gerwurztraminer

4 - Moscatel (mos-ka-tell)

From: Most often grown in South Africa and often is confused with Moscoto.

Description: Highly perfumy, with a juicy mouth feel, and well balanced with acidity. Tends to have a distinct "grapiness" and can also display tones of citrus or peach.

Price Range: $10 - $15

Pairs well with: Mangoes, peaches, pumpkin pie, blue cheeses, or pears. Personally enjoy this one by the beach or from my back deck.

Recommended if you enjoy: Pinot Gris, or Semi Sweet Rieslings

Pictured: Traveling Vineyard's Smirk - 2015 Moscatel

Well there are your 4 picks for picky wine drinkers to try! Trust me, I am a picky eater and drinker - so if I enjoyed them - I ensure you, you might as well too!

As always, I would love to hear you feedback, stories, or questions that deal with this subject. You can always find me directly at www.winwithwine.biz

Make sure to follow me on instagram as WinWithWine

Like me on Facebook www.facebook.com/ttvnicole

Friend me on Facebook www.facebook.com/nicole.travelingvineyard

CHEERS!