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I got my 4 new wines this last week and they are fabulous!
I received our EVO 2009 Merlot. This great new wine has aromas of currant, plum and violet with
hints of green peppercorn and clove. And the Merlot grapes are 100% organic. :) I found it a bit tart right out of the bottle, but once I decanted it for about an hour it was wonderful.
Then, the 2010 EVO Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay has aromas of green
apple, citrus and honeydew melon with hints of Meyer lemon and oak. It is so good, crisp and refreshing for summer!
Our Mariana 2009 Lodi Petite Sirah has aromas of blue berries, strawberry
jam and vanilla with hints of cocoa and fresh coffee. What a wonderful, jammy wine. Great with freshly grilled steaks, fresh veggies, and my favorite baked potato with blue cheese dressing. YUM!
Lastly, the 2010 Mariana North Coast Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of Golden
Delicious apple, grass and pear with hints of cantaloupe and pear. I'm saving this one for this week, so I'll have to update you, but I love Sauvignon Blanc's and WineShop at Home has never put out a bad one in my opinion so I'm really looking forward to trying it.
If you would like to try any of these wines, I can make that happen! Send me an email at cassandra@swankytastings.com and we will schedule a private home tasting for you and your friends! For ordering information, either email me or visit my website: www.SwankyTastings.com
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Seven Reasons To Host A Wine Tasting
Here are seven great reasons to host a wine tasting!
1) You get 6 bottles of artisan wine worth $120 for only $59. That's 50% off!
2) You get a wine consultant for FREE to come and walk you and your friends through a wine tasting!
3) It's an extremely inexpensive way to get 16 friends together to "go" wine tasting, without having to go anywhere but your living room!
4) You get to try wines you have never heard of before! (ie., a mourvedre!)
5) You learn about food pairings and try some new cheeses and chocolates!
6) You get to try the wines before you buy so you never have a bad bottle again!
7) Tasting wine with friends is really, really fun!
1) You get 6 bottles of artisan wine worth $120 for only $59. That's 50% off!
2) You get a wine consultant for FREE to come and walk you and your friends through a wine tasting!
3) It's an extremely inexpensive way to get 16 friends together to "go" wine tasting, without having to go anywhere but your living room!
4) You get to try wines you have never heard of before! (ie., a mourvedre!)
5) You learn about food pairings and try some new cheeses and chocolates!
6) You get to try the wines before you buy so you never have a bad bottle again!
7) Tasting wine with friends is really, really fun!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Please Follow Me!
I'm bravely and somewhat blindly trying to enter the 21st century! I'm blogging and tweeting and posting on facebook. Please like my facebook page, Swanky Tastings, follow me on Twitter, Cassandra Rabena, and follow my blog. If you are reading this you must know how to do some of those things! LOL!
I would like to keep you posted on interesting aspects of my wine business. Including updates on new wine releases, monthly specials and share my basic insights on the wine business.
I know all of these things will take shape with time, but all constructive criticism is welcome while I continue to learn how to get a handle on everything.
I would like to keep you posted on interesting aspects of my wine business. Including updates on new wine releases, monthly specials and share my basic insights on the wine business.
I know all of these things will take shape with time, but all constructive criticism is welcome while I continue to learn how to get a handle on everything.
Friday, March 18, 2011
New Wines for March!
Many people ask about all of our different labels and think that WineShop at Home represents different wineries. However, we do not. We produce our own wines and all 34 or so labels are our own. They are labeled according to appellation, blends, or season and many other reasons. This month is a good example. This month's 4 new wines are our Fleur Bleu weekend wine collection.
Fleur Bleu means Blue Flower which is what you see on the label. Our winemaker notes (included with every wine) explains, "In the early evening, when the shadows fall across the vineyards, one can often spot a perfect flower that in the daylight hour is a bright of hue. But, in the magic of dusk, this shadowed flower becomes Fleur Bleu, lit by a rising moon or an early star. The magic of our Fleur Bleu wines will charm and delight you - revealing their mystery with subtle bursts of fragrance."
This truly describes the 4 amazing wines released this month. The first wine is the Fleur Bleu 2010 White Bouquet ($17.00). Our winemaker took Riesling and Gewurztraminer for the floral aromatics and added Chardonnay to provide the base and structure to the bouquet. The result is a wine with aromas of apple and pear with hints of honey and spice. It is intense and mouth filling while still delicate and complex. The finish is clean and pleasing.
Next, the Fleur Bleu 2010 Muscat ($17.00) was harvested in the Madera appellation in the Central Valley. This sweet, light weight wine has intense aromas of gardenia, white peach and casaba melon with hints of orange and vanilla. The wine has an extraordinary balance of sweetness, aroma and acidity that is sure to delight the Muscat lovers.
Now, onto the reds. Our Fleur Bleu 2008 Six Petals Blend ($22.00)is a unique blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Each wine was fermented separately then blended together prior to aging in barrels. The result is an intense aromatic blend of blackberry jam, strawberry, red delicious apples and plum with hints of spice and leather. It's very smooth with underlying tannin.
Lastly, the Fleur Bleu Mourvedre ($23.00). This varietal is often used in blends, but stands on its own as a distinctly earthy and complex wine. Unknown to many this wine is definitely going to surprise and please. The aromas are rich and earthy of black fruit, brown sugar, spices and vanilla with hints of cherry and eucalyptus. It has a sweetness, but is not a sweet wine. Enjoy it now, or let it age in your cellar for 5-7 years. This is a special weekend wine you will want to have on hand to share with friends.
For ordering information on any of these wines or to arrange for a tasting, feel free to visit my website at, www.SwankyTastings.com
Fleur Bleu means Blue Flower which is what you see on the label. Our winemaker notes (included with every wine) explains, "In the early evening, when the shadows fall across the vineyards, one can often spot a perfect flower that in the daylight hour is a bright of hue. But, in the magic of dusk, this shadowed flower becomes Fleur Bleu, lit by a rising moon or an early star. The magic of our Fleur Bleu wines will charm and delight you - revealing their mystery with subtle bursts of fragrance."
This truly describes the 4 amazing wines released this month. The first wine is the Fleur Bleu 2010 White Bouquet ($17.00). Our winemaker took Riesling and Gewurztraminer for the floral aromatics and added Chardonnay to provide the base and structure to the bouquet. The result is a wine with aromas of apple and pear with hints of honey and spice. It is intense and mouth filling while still delicate and complex. The finish is clean and pleasing.
Next, the Fleur Bleu 2010 Muscat ($17.00) was harvested in the Madera appellation in the Central Valley. This sweet, light weight wine has intense aromas of gardenia, white peach and casaba melon with hints of orange and vanilla. The wine has an extraordinary balance of sweetness, aroma and acidity that is sure to delight the Muscat lovers.
Now, onto the reds. Our Fleur Bleu 2008 Six Petals Blend ($22.00)is a unique blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Each wine was fermented separately then blended together prior to aging in barrels. The result is an intense aromatic blend of blackberry jam, strawberry, red delicious apples and plum with hints of spice and leather. It's very smooth with underlying tannin.
Lastly, the Fleur Bleu Mourvedre ($23.00). This varietal is often used in blends, but stands on its own as a distinctly earthy and complex wine. Unknown to many this wine is definitely going to surprise and please. The aromas are rich and earthy of black fruit, brown sugar, spices and vanilla with hints of cherry and eucalyptus. It has a sweetness, but is not a sweet wine. Enjoy it now, or let it age in your cellar for 5-7 years. This is a special weekend wine you will want to have on hand to share with friends.
For ordering information on any of these wines or to arrange for a tasting, feel free to visit my website at, www.SwankyTastings.com
Friday, March 11, 2011
What Makes a Good Wine Club?
I've been thinking about wine clubs because I was able to work the NW Womens Show and many women I spoke to told me about different wine clubs they belong to. I asked what their wine club was like and I got a variety of answers. Some wine clubs offer membership with no monthly fee. But the member is invited to come monthly or quarterly and visit the winery and purchase certain wines only made available to members. Some wine clubs will ship wines to members every month or every quarter for a fee. The amount of wines shipped will be based on the retail price of the wines that month or quarter. In other words, if you pay $70/month for a wine club you will receive 3 or 4 bottles a month worth $70.
It's very interesting to me because WineShop at Home's wine club is very unique I think. Our wine club has no contract. It's $29.95/mo + t&s for 2 bottles of wine or $57.50/mo + t&s for 4 bottles of wine. The member can choose the color, all red, all white, or both, and can change that decision at any time. For example some people may want all whites in the summer and reds in the winter. The wines chosen for the wine club are not based on value, but are based on the new wines we release every month. WineShop releases 4 new wines every month and they go to the wine club members first, then trickle down into the samplers to be available to the public... the ones that don't sell out first that is. Each wine has a card with winemaker notes and a handpicked recipe to be especially delicious with that wine. Some months a member can receive $85+ worth of wine just because that is the price of the wines being released that month!
WineShop has also rolled out a new feature to the wine club where members are invited to a "virtual tasting" with the winemaker. Every month he has a conference call with just members and he goes over the flavors, aromas, and production of each wine released. Members can ask questions and learn more about the wine and food pairings.
So, tell me... I would really like to know from you... what makes a good wine club?
For more information on the wine club offered by WineShop @ Home, click here. There's even a special offer, just for giving it a try! :)
It's very interesting to me because WineShop at Home's wine club is very unique I think. Our wine club has no contract. It's $29.95/mo + t&s for 2 bottles of wine or $57.50/mo + t&s for 4 bottles of wine. The member can choose the color, all red, all white, or both, and can change that decision at any time. For example some people may want all whites in the summer and reds in the winter. The wines chosen for the wine club are not based on value, but are based on the new wines we release every month. WineShop releases 4 new wines every month and they go to the wine club members first, then trickle down into the samplers to be available to the public... the ones that don't sell out first that is. Each wine has a card with winemaker notes and a handpicked recipe to be especially delicious with that wine. Some months a member can receive $85+ worth of wine just because that is the price of the wines being released that month!
WineShop has also rolled out a new feature to the wine club where members are invited to a "virtual tasting" with the winemaker. Every month he has a conference call with just members and he goes over the flavors, aromas, and production of each wine released. Members can ask questions and learn more about the wine and food pairings.
So, tell me... I would really like to know from you... what makes a good wine club?
For more information on the wine club offered by WineShop @ Home, click here. There's even a special offer, just for giving it a try! :)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Build Your Customer Base with Wine Tastings
Here's the article I got to submit to Loan Officer Magazine:
Have you ever been to an in home wine tasting? For most people the concept is brand new, but it is gaining popularity among wine lovers and newbie’s alike. The in home wine tasting experience provides a unique atmosphere to grow business. When people get together for food and wine, pleasant conversation flows easily. After leaving my former career in 2009, I needed something new and fun. I found a very enjoyable way of blending my favorite things. Wine, friends, and of course… income! I became a personal wine consultant with WineShop at Home. When I tell people that I conduct in home wine tastings for WineShop at Home, the response is almost overwhelming. It is very easy to invite them to host a tasting in their own home with their friends. Within one month of starting, I was booked with more parties than I ever imagined! It got me thinking about Client Development Tastings. New customers are the lifeblood of your business. Keeping those customers and building relationships with them is critical to the long term success of your business.
Wouldn’t you love a unique way to develop better relationships with your existing customers AND gather leads from them effortlessly? It’s easier than you think!
You can have wine tastings in your home or office – Invite your friends, neighbors, clients…they’ll have fun, learn a little more about wine, and they’ll remember YOU as the one who put it all together!
Not only that, but if your guests decide to have a fun wine tasting in their home, you can attend and meet all of their friends. It’s a perfect way to effortlessly bring in new leads, build your database, market to past clients, and close quality loans.
Before a wine tasting takes place, the host orders a tasting sampler of wines sourced from WineShop at Home. These hand crafted, limited production, artisan wines are all from our winery in Napa Valley and they are not available in stores or restaurants. The host then invites 10-16 of their wine loving friends to their home, provides some recommended cheeses & chocolates for pairing, and voila! We have a wine tasting party! I come as the “entertainment. It couldn’t be any easier to get people together for a unique, enjoyable evening! At the end, there is opportunity for the guests to purchase their favorites, either from the wines we tasted or from any of our other hand crafted artisan wines. They can also join the wine club, send the wine club as a gift, host their own party, or get more information on becoming a wine consultant.
We also offer beautiful wines that our clients can personalize by uploading their own logo or picture to design their own label. These make spectacular marketing statements at corporate events or can be given as gifts. (RESPA friendly…hint, hint…) While other businesses are struggling, mine is booming! Why? Because prospecting is always better with a good glass of wine! All guests also receive my monthly e-newsletter straight from the wine country with Wine Country Lifestyle tips and recipes.
Most of the people who come to these tastings are people who would qualify as good mortgage or real estate leads. They are all of home ownership age and they have steady income. Our wines range anywhere from $12-$32 a bottle, you do the math. The host holds it in their home with their friends. Do you know people who enjoy wine? Do you know how many wine loving friends they would have come over… that you have never met before… for wine… if they allowed you to host a tasting at their home? How much would your business grow if you met 10-16 new people at a tasting? What if one of them had a tasting and invited you and you got to meet 10-16 of their friends? What if you could meet new people in a fun, social environment where you have the chance to build a relationship with them over your common love of wine? Locally, our professionals are sponsoring wine tastings and I make sure to thank our sponsor/host of the evening and highlight whatever service, workshop, “free credit report”, etc. they are looking to promote. I can’t tell you how successful these Client Development Tastings have been! Some of our local mortgage and real estate professionals have even decided to moonlight as a wine consultant and marry the two businesses together to reap huge rewards in both!
The cost to purchase a wine sampler is pretty insignificant when you consider the potential it has to grow your business. It only costs $59 + tax* and what you’ll get is a fun evening and some new opportunities to network. The timing couldn’t be better…most people today want to learn more about wine and food but they simply don’t know where to find the information. Our culture is about enjoying wine with friends and family.
If you are trying to think out of the box and want to add some “grass roots” marketing to your social media marketing try hosting a wine tasting with one of your friends and find out how successful it can be for you!
WineShop at Home is currently licensed in 29 states to conduct in home wine tastings. We can ship to 33 states. Our Private Wine Tastings are a unique experience designed to be shared by the host and their invited guests . To learn more about Hosting Your own Client Development Wine Tasting, Personalized Wine Labels, or any of the other services we offer, visit www.WineShopAtHome.com or call 1-800-WineShop. Please reference this article when contacting WineShop At Home.
WA Permit #402750
Have you ever been to an in home wine tasting? For most people the concept is brand new, but it is gaining popularity among wine lovers and newbie’s alike. The in home wine tasting experience provides a unique atmosphere to grow business. When people get together for food and wine, pleasant conversation flows easily. After leaving my former career in 2009, I needed something new and fun. I found a very enjoyable way of blending my favorite things. Wine, friends, and of course… income! I became a personal wine consultant with WineShop at Home. When I tell people that I conduct in home wine tastings for WineShop at Home, the response is almost overwhelming. It is very easy to invite them to host a tasting in their own home with their friends. Within one month of starting, I was booked with more parties than I ever imagined! It got me thinking about Client Development Tastings. New customers are the lifeblood of your business. Keeping those customers and building relationships with them is critical to the long term success of your business.
Wouldn’t you love a unique way to develop better relationships with your existing customers AND gather leads from them effortlessly? It’s easier than you think!
You can have wine tastings in your home or office – Invite your friends, neighbors, clients…they’ll have fun, learn a little more about wine, and they’ll remember YOU as the one who put it all together!
Not only that, but if your guests decide to have a fun wine tasting in their home, you can attend and meet all of their friends. It’s a perfect way to effortlessly bring in new leads, build your database, market to past clients, and close quality loans.
Before a wine tasting takes place, the host orders a tasting sampler of wines sourced from WineShop at Home. These hand crafted, limited production, artisan wines are all from our winery in Napa Valley and they are not available in stores or restaurants. The host then invites 10-16 of their wine loving friends to their home, provides some recommended cheeses & chocolates for pairing, and voila! We have a wine tasting party! I come as the “entertainment. It couldn’t be any easier to get people together for a unique, enjoyable evening! At the end, there is opportunity for the guests to purchase their favorites, either from the wines we tasted or from any of our other hand crafted artisan wines. They can also join the wine club, send the wine club as a gift, host their own party, or get more information on becoming a wine consultant.
We also offer beautiful wines that our clients can personalize by uploading their own logo or picture to design their own label. These make spectacular marketing statements at corporate events or can be given as gifts. (RESPA friendly…hint, hint…) While other businesses are struggling, mine is booming! Why? Because prospecting is always better with a good glass of wine! All guests also receive my monthly e-newsletter straight from the wine country with Wine Country Lifestyle tips and recipes.
Most of the people who come to these tastings are people who would qualify as good mortgage or real estate leads. They are all of home ownership age and they have steady income. Our wines range anywhere from $12-$32 a bottle, you do the math. The host holds it in their home with their friends. Do you know people who enjoy wine? Do you know how many wine loving friends they would have come over… that you have never met before… for wine… if they allowed you to host a tasting at their home? How much would your business grow if you met 10-16 new people at a tasting? What if one of them had a tasting and invited you and you got to meet 10-16 of their friends? What if you could meet new people in a fun, social environment where you have the chance to build a relationship with them over your common love of wine? Locally, our professionals are sponsoring wine tastings and I make sure to thank our sponsor/host of the evening and highlight whatever service, workshop, “free credit report”, etc. they are looking to promote. I can’t tell you how successful these Client Development Tastings have been! Some of our local mortgage and real estate professionals have even decided to moonlight as a wine consultant and marry the two businesses together to reap huge rewards in both!
The cost to purchase a wine sampler is pretty insignificant when you consider the potential it has to grow your business. It only costs $59 + tax* and what you’ll get is a fun evening and some new opportunities to network. The timing couldn’t be better…most people today want to learn more about wine and food but they simply don’t know where to find the information. Our culture is about enjoying wine with friends and family.
If you are trying to think out of the box and want to add some “grass roots” marketing to your social media marketing try hosting a wine tasting with one of your friends and find out how successful it can be for you!
WineShop at Home is currently licensed in 29 states to conduct in home wine tastings. We can ship to 33 states. Our Private Wine Tastings are a unique experience designed to be shared by the host and their invited guests . To learn more about Hosting Your own Client Development Wine Tasting, Personalized Wine Labels, or any of the other services we offer, visit www.WineShopAtHome.com or call 1-800-WineShop. Please reference this article when contacting WineShop At Home.
WA Permit #402750
Summertime Tastings
We had a great summer! In July we hit our goal of becoming a Team Leader!!! We have learned a ton of things about wine as we've gone along and a lot of it has been from the guests at our parties as well as the abundance of free training we have received.
We have a team call every Monday night and even when I can't actually be on the call it's recorded so I can listen in later. What has been so great about that is that we actually get to hear from the founder of WineShop at Home about the wines being released every month. He'll answer any question we have about wine making, varietals, aromas, flavors, bottling...etc. It's been very helpful as we do the new months tastings with the new wines. I can remember specific details he shared with us that I can pass on to our wine loving guests.
Every month we've been having new changes besides the new wines. Our red wine stemware came in... finally! Phew! The stems are so beautiful and elegant to drink wine out of that it's been really hard asking people to wait for them to arrive so we can start making them available again.
We've also made available a half case of personalized wine! This is going to be a hit this year because so many people are hesitant to order 12 bottles of wine to give as gifts, but 6 can really make a special gift to a select group of people.
I also got published last month in Loan Officer Magazine. I put together an article on using wine tastings as a way to develop new opportunities for Loan Officers & Real Estate Professionals. I'll post the original article here next.
My wine club wines come tomorrow so I'll have new material to discuss then. These are our special occasion wines. I love the research I get to do for my job!!!
We have a team call every Monday night and even when I can't actually be on the call it's recorded so I can listen in later. What has been so great about that is that we actually get to hear from the founder of WineShop at Home about the wines being released every month. He'll answer any question we have about wine making, varietals, aromas, flavors, bottling...etc. It's been very helpful as we do the new months tastings with the new wines. I can remember specific details he shared with us that I can pass on to our wine loving guests.
Every month we've been having new changes besides the new wines. Our red wine stemware came in... finally! Phew! The stems are so beautiful and elegant to drink wine out of that it's been really hard asking people to wait for them to arrive so we can start making them available again.
We've also made available a half case of personalized wine! This is going to be a hit this year because so many people are hesitant to order 12 bottles of wine to give as gifts, but 6 can really make a special gift to a select group of people.
I also got published last month in Loan Officer Magazine. I put together an article on using wine tastings as a way to develop new opportunities for Loan Officers & Real Estate Professionals. I'll post the original article here next.
My wine club wines come tomorrow so I'll have new material to discuss then. These are our special occasion wines. I love the research I get to do for my job!!!
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