The Wine Makers – Robyn Sebastiani, Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance

The radio misfits podcast network from the birthplace of modern winemaking Sonoma, California

Welcome to the winemakers with your hosts Brian Casey Danielle Langua part Hanson and Sam Cateri

Clearly doesn't listen that often

She's so busy she's so busy with Sonoma Valley

Oh, that's right and a foundation as well because I think I used to call it Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers

Association and then I I think it's that's not correct. Yeah, it's challenging. There are two names

The Alliance comes from the Vintners and the Growers coming together. It's always been as opposed to as opposed to opposed to each other

Yeah, you know, sometimes the used in the old days and the Plaza after harvest the Vintners and the Growers

They fought they fought

until the Alliance

Like and then even after the Alliance then they turned it into a softball game, right and you know

They still clear the benches. Okay, and now just fights in boardrooms

All right, so our guests. Hey, what have everyone look at the winemakers?

Danielle today keeping us on today. Danielle's out today, but we have Robins of Asciani a long time

Friend of the pod and one of our favorite people in Sonoma and

We wanted to get an official

Sonoma Valley vintners and Growers Alliance report because

You know even though Bart is like the president sometimes

You know, Gabel now

You do an awake. Yeah, and a win a win. Really you have to wear a win. That didn't make it

I haven't feeling it probably well at some point. No, it did

But I think the last time we did a podcast was

22 coming out of the pandemic and Bart and I went and visited with Laura and

Andriana Adriana and Adriana and we were in the house. What is the name for the house? The Mason of a house

Yeah, how do you spell it?

Just like it said Mason Avi

Yeah, Brian

M-A-Y-S-O-N-A-V-E

Yeah, yeah, that requires spelling

Mason Avi house, which is kind of where your headquarters. It is. Yeah, we're in the carriage house in the back if you can't find us which used to be

General Vallejo's spot. Well, did he build it?

It was the Mason of a spot. Yeah, just going out on the limb here

It was a family that built it. It was a family that built it

It what it essentially holds now is a lot of the historical archives

And historical society

Yeah, there's some really cool stuff there. Yeah, well, the refrigerator is cool

It is the kitchen is yeah, an archive if you will buy itself

It's like you stepped into 1950. Yeah, or even I don't know earlier. Yeah

Yeah, I don't have a lot of flush toilet though. It does

I can bet the gardens are absolutely stunning. You can rent the space. I think it's actually just an underutilized space

It's incredible. Some people will come and have small weddings and things and the historical society does a fantastic job

And and reasonably priced also

And used to be on that property was orchard land or something. It was like pairs or

Like everything around the plaza was until

Like 50s and 60s even I mean where we're sitting

It's orchard place. This was all orchard. Oh way the the

You know go on a tangent Ted talk Sam history man Sam splitting time

um

Until you know the 60s and 70s the center of life in Sonoma Valley was not the plaza. It was over on it

It was the springs. That's where the hotels and the bars and all the

And around the plaza was

What was farms vineyards orchards, you know the

Where the Eldorado is was a winery

Um, you know the feed store was an actual feed store

The you know the grocery store was that the Mercado was a grocery store

I mean it was like and the post office is that where we're dead letter where dead letter is moving and that was the post office before

Cool and and you know of course the the um

The quarry

Was very active at that point so if you think of where

Overlook trailers and everything that was all the old quarry the plant to those of us who know the what the plant oh the plant

Who robin do you know the plant? I only because I married a

She married into the plant

All right, so

Let people know what is the history of Sonoma Valley vendors and growers lines and then what is their mission?

And what services they provide to their members? Sure

So Sonoma Valley vintors and growers alliance and foundation um has been a lot of round for a very long time

And has always been a heartbeat of the community as has been the wine industry and so

Back in the 80s the vintors and the growers came together

Which I do believe is representative of Sonoma Valley. We all help each other. Everyone gets along or at least tries to get along

And is in it for the long haul to continue to support the wine industry and so the alliance does just that

It's a membership organization that supports the industry that promotes tourism

That engages with the needs of the vintors and growers

As well as consumers to promote specifically Sonoma Valley wine

We also have a foundation that has done a tremendous amount of good over the many decades. It's been around

Through different formats like the old wine auction

and continues today

Through vintage festival weekend and so

It's an organization that's not only supportive in the things that are needed

But also a whole lot of fun when we get together as well. Now what are the needs of the growers when you say something like that

What is that? Well, so this is always kind of changed like remember during covid

It was the vintors and growers that kind of helped get all the vineyard workers their first

Vaccines during the fires

The vintors and growers helped get people get back to properties

Um, and it so it's really kind of as it goes right now

You know, we're trying to help people

Find buyers and we're having more fruit for fruit and we're having a

Essentially a speed dating event for growers and whymakers at three fat guys on next week

I don't remember. Yeah, but like the problem is I think having you here was going to help with this

Oh, do you need specific dates? I mean, I wish I got it. I got it. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. They need to be members

So okay

So but the whole thing about it is is I think we're going to have a lot of growers in that

Wow, yeah, it's going to be the the desperate the desperate people looking for the

Yeah, yeah for the hook. It's tough. It's a tough time and so

Really following what people are asking for and need. I mean, I can't go out and sell their grapes for them

But you know, we can at least try to network and engage with the right people to help

To help ease the burden and then we have it's by the way

It's March 31st from three to four thirty at three flat fat guys three fat guys

So then you're inviting people who make wine and people who have grapes to sell and hopefully getting them together

And maybe you sign some contracts for fruit or at least get them to start talking about it. I'm tired. You know, like yeah

Right, we acknowledge that maybe there might be whymakers that are looking for something more specific

But you know also there's probably growers that are looking for someone

That that they wants to work with them, right? Like you know, maybe you've got too much of one variety and maybe someone goes

I'd really love to have some of this. Yeah, so again, it's just we're just trying to do what we can do

Yeah, you know, the other thing we do is we do a quarterly

social event for our members

Which the next one's coming up at Hamill?

You know, so again purely social

purely social bring wine to share

There's some sort of food element to it and just get to know your neighbors

And as I like to say everybody needs to think Sonoma Valley first, right?

Say Sonoma Valley. Don't say Sonoma say Sonoma Valley and when people say hey, you know

Where should we go think here first before you send them to Healdsburg or Russian River? Where's that exactly?

Sounds like driving which doesn't sound like fun. Right

Well, but it's a lot of people don't understand that also when you talk about Sonoma

And this goes back to the brand identity Sonoma Valley and people say Sonoma and they're you know in Healdsburg and they're you know trying to come here in 20 minutes

Todd Jolly just posted on this Sonoma wine merchant which he has

Jumped on to our board and kept hearing us talk about how no one knows where Sonoma Valley is and he's like

I know what I'm going to do and gave us a geography lesson which you know why it's so simple that perhaps we should be

Doing this more often, you know, we're the gateway from San Francisco

We are the insider's choice

Healdsburg is an hour away and people don't realize it when they come to visit and are trying to pop around to tastings and

Healdsburg Sonoma Napa on a day. It just sounds terrible

Yeah, and if you if you ever have worked in restaurants or in tastier rooms

You hear that a lot people and usually it's when people are on their phone talking to someone back home

And they go, yeah, we're in Napa. We're at this tastier room and you want to slap the phone out of their hand

But then I could you imagine going into Sonoma's best and saying this is the cutest place you've been to in Napa

Well, I hear people say it all the time

So apparently we need to educate more. I try and put myself in their place if I was like like when I was in Italy if I was in

Monte Polciano and I was on the phone and said I was in Montecino or I don't know

Maybe you know, you're kind of you're not you're unfamiliar with where you are. You're very

Thank God they're here visiting us

But you never really need to leave Sonoma Valley. There's enough great wineries here in Sonoma Valley

You could literally spend the entire weekend go into five wineries a day. I don't encourage that but you could and

Make it a whole week and go to three wineries a day

There you go. That's the plan. Yeah, but the diversity of grapes and ritals and quality of wine

There's so much to discover any other because I think it's because it was agriculture

And you had a lot of Italian families here all the different varietals that we have planted all over the place

Well, none of us can get along so everybody wanted to grow something different than their cousins. Thank God

Be innovative, right people kind of they think of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

As Sonoma and you think of Napa as Cap but over here in Sonoma

We have so many different varietals planted. So yeah, whatever you like we're growing it

And then the other thing to go back to the the organization is that we were the first of these organizations to have the growers and the vittner's join

And work together in an organization like this most of them are there's the dry creek great growers association

There's the Alexander Valley, you know great growers

Well, there's still like it's mostly like that, right? Yeah, Napa's like that. Yeah correct

Even at the county even at the county level, right? Yeah, yeah, where are there other

Grower and wine vittner alliance. It's in Santa Barbara that way. I'm not sure. Yeah, I didn't think that there were

So maybe we're the only then

You just reminded me of something whatever happened to the word number one

You know what happened to that tax thing that we were talking about for a while weed

The weed yeah, you know, it's what it could have shoot it

It could have shoot it you know, it's fascinating talk about another thing that Sonoma Valley was the forefront

What was it in 2018? Yeah long time ago

You know, there was a lot of insight in knowing that we needed marketing funds and to join together for said marketing funds and the county

Shut that down and Sonoma County vittner specifically also said, you know, we don't want this to pass because

Then we can't do it at a county level then nothing happened

So we had organized in a very successful way here to support the heritage district is what it was called

And would have been an absolute game changer went to a lot of meetings for that

I'm sure the amount of documentation I read on that particular project was incredible

So well organized, but

The county didn't worry. Yeah, Maureen. She knew what was needed for sure

And so then fast forward, you know, we've got some great Sonoma Valley

Local proprietors that sit on the county board that got involved and

I'm said hey, we need to do something, you know, Steve Sanjakamo was involved

Premakaroli

And it was something that you know, they just wanted to try to figure out something

What can we do because we all need to organize and get together on this and so the the press

Got a hold of it. It wasn't done. I would say in the right order of operations there we should have like a you know

A study done on what not to do to pass a win is really what happened at this Sonoma County level. So

I

You know tough time to pass a an assessment

But there's a lot of great things that could be gleaned from that and many others have put these together

But they're very complicated

The Sonoma County level would be such a

Gigantic budget that we would need someone to really organize around it

So you know in the future. I think that there is a way of going about it

But perhaps it's almost self-taxed

There are other ways that we don't even have to go through you know this sort of process

Another thing I'm going to give Robin and her team a shout out to is

They've been on the forefront of trying to reach out to the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau

and working with the chamber

and

Trying to get all of our marketing together. So we're kind of uniform and we're trying to and we're saying the same thing

Try to help promote each other

And so that's currently something that she's working on and trying to break down some of those

I I and it's more assesses. Yeah, is that Tim's honor

Tim and Mark both and Hammer who both in their own do great jobs

But what we need to do is you know

Do it together Synergy Synergy. Yeah

Yeah, we're actually both formal alliance right? I know

We're I don't know if you know this we're hosting I think 15 to 20 volunteers from the Visitors Bureau here on Wednesday night

I saw that on the counter you're gonna be in Atlanta

Yeah

I guess I'm what a great thing to do is Jasmine's hosting 15 people from the when you think about

You know the amount of people that walk into the Visitor Center

They need to be able to come up with recommendations and so to experience that it's so smart

We're just a short walk from the Visitors Bureau for sure

So yeah, are they in the Tuscona Hotel now?

It's fine. We need to activate that bar. It's very cool massive bar

And the downstairs in that yeah, like the Tuscona Hotel. Yes, how fucking dope is that?

But I can't I have asked how would you like me to organize everyone? Would you like someone to show up every Friday?

I'm happy to do that

They're a little bit worried about the state

But I feel like do you want me to ask what the rules are because we need wineries to go and poor sips and get people to ask for forgiveness when they get

Met at us because we did it right at this point. I think that's the best option

Sort of my

So interesting with the width that have passed in other areas what I learned in

Working with many of those

areas at the direct to consumer wine symposium right you were on a panel perhaps you've heard of it

Just a little bit

They all finally said we've got a seated at the table

We're working with visitation and the chamber and pulling together a marketing plan

I just sat here listening thinking

We don't have to wait for something to pass in order to take these steps

And so that's why I'm really passionate about doing because we need to just keep moving forward here and getting more people to come back to this place that we love

All right, so

What is going to be happening this year? What is on your calendar? Yeah, let's be real

We invited Robin on today because we missed the

webinar on the

Oh

And rather than meeting an email

We wanted to just find out in person

And as I'll record the conversation for the rest of first it was going on

You know, we we have a weekly meeting that happens Thursdays at 10 a.m

So it was just right there was my way for us to

To actually get in on it, but I think I signed up for it

But then I wasn't sure exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. Yeah, so

Do I have to shoot anything?

Um, do you want to?

Am I shooting ducks the good news before I do the tasting? There is an opportunity to shoot before the tasting

Not ducks, but you know, clays, clays

So

We're partnering with a wing and barrel to provide a space that's a member only club

And tell people what wing and barrel is

So member only sporting club where you can go and

Shoot do archery fish beautiful clubhouse

A place that's not open to the public. There are many social

Facility and don't they isn't don't they have a famous chef that works for them too?

Is it am I thinking of the I always forget the chef's name. I need to commit it to memory

He's phenomenal um, and we'll be

Dining on his food some great high-end barbecue

But what people will have the opportunity to do is come to wing and barrel

There are sporting events available

To register for if you're attending the party

But the western reserve this really is this harkening to

Our brand like who is Sonoma Valley? Um, what where did we begin and in talking about you know the orchards the that western

Beginning that really is this renegade spirit that we have here where it's it's fun

It's something that we don't we don't take ourselves seriously

There were horses running around we had a rodeo

Yeah, Morrison family winery was the site of a

Rotary rodeo every year

Yeah

And so we really want to dig into that brand and that spirit and provide that

For our guests and so it's going to be an exclusive high-end event with wine that you can't get

On a normal given day

You can't jump online and order it and so our wine makers proprietors and founding families will be coming

And hosting

All of you that choose to attend Charlie Palmer. Yes. I mean, that's it there

He's the executive he's the executive chef and the culinary advisor

And then executive chef Jim Cutler leads daily

Thank you, but yeah, Charlie Palmer is a big name. That's like for decades in the

In the culinary world. We're coming for yeah, and so

We this really will be something quite memorable and fun and this changing

Luxury

That we're experiencing luxury isn't all white table cloth. It's really how you feel and something memorable and something that

You know sticks with you and that's what you're going to get here this

Spirit of Sonoma Valley that down home fun

Irreverance, but also the best wine that

We have to offer with the best people the most passionate to really deliver on this experience

It's going to be very unique

And we're we're really looking forward to it. It's Saturday

May 16th at Wing and Barrel Ranch tickets are on sale. You can go to Sonoma Valley

You don't have to be a member to go. No, no, okay. That's

That's the jam. Yeah, where is this property?

Sound on highway through 37 within thought I think I cited the racetrack

It's it's in a bit of an odd location, but it's in a location where

You need people out there, you know, firing off guns downtown

Or arrows anymore. Yeah

It's really discouraged. Yeah, so we get to go and do that

And really like sink into who we are

And have a great time with it. Cool. There's going to be a element of a

fundraiser there in that we are going to have

silent auction

There'll be a very small live auction with a number of very special lots that we're working on and this is all to

Fund our foundation which makes donations to local Sonoma Valley charities

Everywhere from the high school wrestling team to the Sonoma County Sonoma Valley Health

Community Center

Help me out Rob and yeah, it's um, we give grants and scholarships the last two years

We've given over 75,000 dollars back to the community and so this is something that was

um

Invol, like

Incorporated into vintage festival and we're peeling it out and really delivering to

You know wine lovers some things that they don't have access to some fun things

A unique barrel that will go up for auction where you can get a case um some mixed packs of

uh

Really exclusive Sonoma Valley wine that you can take home a six pack and

Really taste your way through the valley and pick your favorites and come back and visit

Exclusive experiences that you'll be able to come back and enjoy think you know walk through a vineyard and a lunch and

Speaking to you know the vineyard owner themselves and um, so we really want to deliver that experience of

Falling in love with Sonoma Valley and our wine and who we are cool

So that experience sounds like it's yeah kind of interactive and then

What you were saying kind of a high-low thing? I think that's the term the kids use now is where it doesn't have to be white linen tableclots where it's

No

But people want to have a great experience and feel like they're taking care of but not necessarily feel like it's a

Stodgy or totally yeah, and I think that we

We're able to do that exceptionally well here

Yeah, and we want people to come in and see it for themselves. Okay, so we're excited. So tickets are on sale

And tell your friends. It's definitely going to be something memorable. How do people get tickets? Where do they go to find them?

They can go to Sonoma Valley wine.com slash western

Dash reserve

Uh, so on our events page at Sonoma Valley wine.com. You'll find it. Yeah, just go to Sonoma Valley wine and then go to the events page

Okay, so you're going right?

Yes, he is. Yeah, I won't I want to I don't know what day the week it is, but it will someone else will work for me and I will go out there and

Yeah, do I think I want to be say what day it is we did okay good yeah

It'll be a lot of fun. I want to go out there and pour some

Baller wine

Exactly. Yeah, that's all we got that's right

Can't help it

And so there's more events throughout the year the programming continues

We actually just finished our winter program Sonoma Sips $15 tastings really encouraging people to come and try something new during winter months where we can accommodate that

As well as then moving into the summer season harvest and then our vintage festival weekend the last weekend of

September every year. It's always the last weekend of September

And we are having an event that is a little bit different. We've always had a harvest dinner

On the Friday of vintage festival weekend and we're bringing it to the plaza

So we've been celebrating the 200th anniversary of Sonoma Valley wine

And this campaign has lasted three years this year is the year of community the community comes from the wine industry

But also how wine creates community and so we're going to do that in fine fashion in front of city hall and the large horse shoe

If you've never seen it, we can fit gosh upwards of 800 people

We'd like to get 500 to come

They've done this once before the girl in the fig

It's one of the more epic. Uh-huh. I mean yeah, everyone talks about it like folklore. Yeah, we're like let's do it again

And so and there's a lot of good wine being passed around that yes it was

And there will be yeah, and and and again part of this is

previously on the vintage the

Vintage dinner it was a little more white

White tablecloth high-end kind of what we're trying to do with wing and barrel. I remember we did we be our cone

Exactly

Benevista. Yeah, we did one year and that was last jacamo last year was at Bianca

And they're incredible. They're these summer nights or I

Is summer and if the fall summer fall is but around here

It's right around

But but also also also it was a little it was a little more costly and

This was an opportunity to you know make it you know a party for the people so to speak yeah exactly

You know and on the plaza and then you know let it let it happen let it rip let it rip and then roll in the next day

Saturday is the actual the daytime festival at the vintage fest or on the plaza for the vintage festival

We've created a music festival vibe with a wine garden and it was new last year

And it was an absolute home run. It was so much fun to be there to work there to even sell tickets

We were having a blast so people just brought their chairs their picnic blankets

We had seating as well, and you could just get sips of wine so your hearts content and listen to awesome live music

It was all the rage

We're going to be adding in

Some vintage cars around the horseshoe as well to come and see we have artisans there

So lots to experience no matter you know what your interest is

Okay, then leading in to go ahead. Yeah, go for it. The boy scats will be there with the salami. Oh

Absolutely, there is no vintage festival without the salami toss

Okay, so they have making sure this day there's certain hills that I die on and that's one of those

It is a Sonoma Hill for sure. Yeah, so can people can you buy tickets now for that dinner?

Um, they'll go on sale in June

Okay, so all tickets will have at least 500 to 800 seats available and who's cooking all that food

That'll be the girl in the fig they've done this before so we went to them and said let's do it again

I think they did it for 500

There was a lot of there was a lot of people hundred yep 600 legs of duck on fee

That is a lot of it was epic. Yeah, and what are we serving we're serving duck

There will also be a veggie option if you just don't like duck

But we'll be using grapes from the harvest in that which are fine

So okay, so people sit down at this we'll have to save some because by September 27th the fucking harvest is going to be over this year

No, I I don't even yeah, and then people bring their own wines or they know we'll have

Ventures with wines that they're pouring for tables and talking about it

So salmon. I would encourage people to bring some really nice bottles of wine that they want to share with us

Yeah, as always

We're also gonna have dueling pianos in the center

So to like dueling pianos coming to entertain wind dinners over which I'm so excited about

They're gonna get

Unruly and fun and we're gonna be requesting songs and I can't wait

You're gonna stop this thing once it gets going. I'm fine with that. Let it let it go

Someone else is gonna clean up that mess before Saturday morning

We're back on the square. Well, yeah me and the team

So the nice thing about the nice thing about the nice thing about being on the plaza is there are

Bars that everyone can just invade and they will be prepared for that kind of like that tractor parade everyone just

Funnels into every bar

Around and it's just electric. Okay, so the dinners Friday night Saturday is that plaza festival

So everything around the festival and then anything going on Sunday

Well Saturday night is the grand finale which is the grand tasting at the barracks at the barracks

It sells out every year

We keep increasing capacity and different areas. We activate with the state and it still sells out

It is the party you can't miss in cinema every single year

But now we're planning so many of those so just put it in the budget and is it chefs do it parents

Getting together with the wineries too and doing like little pairings at the tasting now

We have usually about 12 different chefs that come with bites and then

Usually I think last year we had 56 wineries pouring wine. So just

Overwhelming amount of wine and fun

Cool, and if people want to make a complete weekend out of it

That's pending. There's more information there delightful. There's nothing on Sunday yet unless you're going to play

It is highly possible. We'll have a vinyl Sunday at the barn. Just perfect sort of close out the weekend

I love it, but there might be moving parts

T B D

So there'll be little activations as well what we're trying to do is send people to our amazing properties throughout

Sonoma Valley for like maybe a 10 person experience

So look for those

Because it's it's not just the plaza. There's so much going on outside of the blood kind of the thought is if you're a winery and you want to

Host a tasting whatever it is your idea

For that maybe on Sunday whether it's a retrospective of the infantels or just as a variety to throw out there. Yeah exactly

It's always at the top of the list

backwards alphabetical

So you can you can schedule for that Sunday and then it can maybe be linked in with the promotion of the vintage festival

Okay

So if you wanted to do a you know Rossi flight and wanted people to come

For that on Sunday you could use that to market it

Um, what else do you want people to know about Sonoma Valley?

Well, we've still got to get to the tractor parade. Oh, the tractor parade become the cult classic

Every Thanksgiving weekend

That Saturday night everyone descends upon the plaza

They're every tractor shopping and shipping. Oh, yeah, we start with the sip and shop

Which is a blast and so everyone's ready to start their Christmas shopping they come in by a glass

We have wineries pouring in all of the retail shop

So you're wandering around

Sipping you feel more compelled to shop when you'd be when you're sipping which is fantastic and then

The it gets dark. We all come people start lining up on the streets and it's become thousands and thousands of people

Where Sonoma loves a parade? It's and this is a lighted parade. Yes, and

You know the fourth of July parade. It's an institution

But the lighted tractor parade rivals the Disney electric parade. There are so many lights like we shine lights

Did you see it last year? See it from the heavens

So it's an absolute blast

People get it keep getting more and more into it the tractor's keeping it larger, which is a little horrifying

Um, I mean Justin Wilson tells the tale of almost being like coat lined by a

A wire like going down one of the streets. So like you know people almost die

It's great all for the sake of some good entertainment. What's also beautiful

It's like just shy of an hour. So you come down with your kids

You know, it's not too long the kids are loving it

You come to dinner beforehand you go to dinner after

Everyone every shop every restaurant every wine bar like it's all

Like on fire that night just everyone enjoying themselves and it's such a good feeling. We

um

Gosh, this has been three years the first year

We published it and remember selling cups to the sip and shop and we were like I wonder if anyone's gonna come and ten people lined up in the horseshoe

And it went through the horseshoe the first year

Never again. It was so crazy

um

But we were like yay ten people got the word and then floods of people and we'll never go back

There's just thousands and thousands of people so

Make a plan for your Thanksgiving weekend

To come to the tractor parade cool. I'm gonna make it this year

You have to

I feel like we talk about getting a tractor in the

Yeah, but you know that's mass organization just to show up. Yeah, we got

We'll get somebody else on that

It's so much fun. Well in the nice thing. It's not like the fourth of July parade where you like have to like

You know get your space and it's very competitive this you can be standing

You can walk up and stand and see everything and then walk away

So it's not nearly nobody's camping out at 4 a.m. Exactly for the light of tractor parade. We don't

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I pray not I can't handle that. I'll hand it off at that point

So it's a lot of fun. You know we have other things going on

We're gonna introduce a Sonoma Valley tasting pass really trying to show people all the places that they can go

And experience Sonoma Valley wine

Making it easy for everyone to really navigate

We're gonna be at NASCAR this year, which is gonna be a blast

We've been trying to do that for a long time. So NASCAR we're coming for you in June

There'll be a Sonoma Valley activation

Yeah, cuz I remember we did a like an event out there

Yeah, we kind of got to check out the property

But that'll be fun to do stuff out there. Absolutely. I mean anytime you can bring drinking and driving together

What's like shooting that drinking?

I mean, we're just living on the edge here in Sonoma

But yeah, we got that race track

Let's and they got some pretty cool little VIP swanky space. Oh, they do

They do we're not gonna be in turn 11

But it'll be our own little Sonoma Valley wine area that people can come

Is that why they always you know when the person wins they always they're drinking milk all the time

Are they not allowed that was a sponsorship that's when that's when that's one race. Oh, I thought it was because they're not supposed to like drink

No, that's the after the race. It's Indianapolis right that does the milk at the end for the winners. I think it's in yet

No, they

This was one of my job. I used to have to go and like pick up the sparkling wine from a Sonoma Valley producer

For the you know for the winter circle. Oh, he used to work with first league. I used to work

I did yeah worked out there every summer because I didn't want to work in vineyards

So I come up from college and I go to the work of the track

It was a great gig

I was working work they loved working for Steve page

It was it was the most fun and I was there from like

The change from serious point to infinity on and all the you know money that got sunk into that place and all the expansion and

You know all those VIP places that used to just be like tense and and you know portable buildings

It was it was a it was a cool time to be out there

It is a world-class racetrack. Oh for sure. It's I mean and there's no like especially in the NASCAR world

There's no destination

like

Sonoma

I mean it's tall and and because of it all the like sponsors and

Race teams and all the like you know all the wives and girlfriends everybody wants to come to the Sonoma race

I don't really got like bristol Tennessee. Sorry bristol Tennessee

Shout out to our podcast listen bristol

I know we have a lot to offer. So what's changed since you got involved

Oh gosh, I mean we've returned to growth

It really was something where we were looking for our voice for a couple years and a lot of change and so I took that on and

Have had an incredible board that we just keep pushing forward and so

We're financially stable. We have new members joining every single year

And there really is this belief in what we're doing and we just keep trying to add new marketing programs and opportunities for

People to come and experience our great wine

Visited a couple things that you've got on your dream wish list

That you haven't kind of gotten to yet. Oh wow dream wish list for board members out there listening. Yeah

Make Robin's dreams come true. Yeah

Well, I mean what Bart was talking about really is a passion point

In really unifying a message with the visitors bureau and chamber and this whole valley

To be able to make sure that

We're people are remembering to come here. It's not oh gosh, you know great place in Napa

Or they arrive in Hieldsburg and they're saying oh, you know cinema is beautiful

But really being able to find yourself in a place where we have a marketing budget and campaign

That's worthy of standing up against some of the other areas that have frankly done a better job

Can I just throw it a stat that I give people sometimes it's that I ask sometimes I'll ask people

Do you know what percentage of wine

That comes out of California comes from Napa and people always say like 80% 70% 50%

But it's 3% but they have for the whole state

Yeah, and we're not much bigger. We're around five five to it depends on

There's some vintage variation, but um, but I say Napa just has done a really good job with marketing

But there's they've got they throw a lot of money at it and so people think that most of the wine that comes out of California comes from Napa

And it's not true. I mean, it's most of its central valley, but

But yeah, they they

throw a lot of money at

Marketing and have a lot of resources

Yeah, four letter name. It's easy, you know, easy to spell

Seriously Napa napa. I don't know

Well, and they were also able to brand themselves as making great cab

Psych Napa cab and you know, and the they're pushing luxury in a way that I don't know that that is the current term like

Definition of luxury and I think that's changing and we're here for that and we are the place where people can come and have

Great wine, but also engage with interesting passionate people that are owners and proprietors

That are moving the needle in the industry in a way that you're just not going to find in all these properties in Napa

And so I challenge everyone to really think about that and

Why create that lasting memory that stickiness that story that makes wine so beautiful that you want to bring that bottle over to your friend's house and say this is so cool

Um, we should order more and and I hear it all the time because I'm in the tasting room

I hear that yeah, we used to go over there and now we come here and we love it

Yeah, it's a place where you just feel welcome

And there's something for everyone and so I want people to know that and we need to do a better job

Getting that out there. I'm very specifically and so you know might not be the wid but I know that there's an answer

Out there for us to really make sure that we're marketing that properly

So I don't know if that's my dream or just my pain point

a little bit above

Yeah, and wins wins Tuesday night starting up. That's gonna be coming up soon. Yeah, but it's hey, doesn't it seem like we're

What also it feels like it's about like so much

Like why is there no farmers market this week at 85 degrees? What do I do on a Tuesday night?

It's a no-mo when it's 85 years. Yeah, I need a Mike's pizza. I need you know

I know I hope we don't get hit with some weird cold rainy

Don't even say

What the fuck man

No, if you say it, then it won't happen

That you said it when it happens we get to blame you

Oh, publicly

Yeah, I know this one. It's the most fun to hang out in cinema when the sun comes out and you get to go to the

Fairmont on Friday nights and listen to live music

Can you come here on Tuesday night downtown and listen to live music and hang out with friends and rick wine sit on grass

It really is that true essence of community. Yeah, and whether you live here or not you feel that yeah, you feel a part of something

So Bart what's been um, it's been your favorite part of being the prize. Oh

Brian it's all very new. Yeah, exactly. You know what it has it's it's been well

The pain point. It's been learning parliamentary

Oh

Because I did start the first meeting to kind of mock the whole thing because I knew it was gonna be wrong

I started with here you here you

Was Dana, but you didn't you didn't approve the minutes first so then the here you didn't make it in

Yeah, if you have a kid in 4-8, you know the whole procedure so true. Yeah, they take it so seriously

Run the entire meeting and so then you're you're used to you know exactly when they're presenting motions

And they need a second and even I mean it's four-year-olds are those beanies give me anxiety because I'm like

I'm gonna say something wrong if I speak up right you're so out of line. Yeah

Do not yield old school government lessons. Oh, no

Um one thing that Bart and I are doing is going on a wine cruise

Yes, we are

Along with Melanie the general manager at glory for our

and so we're and

Making make me mine. Mm-hmm. And so I mean Randy too. No, you know what Randy apparently has a new job

And he's not gonna be able to get get away

That's except wait. Is there still tickets? No good jobs. Yes, there are still

Lesson learned lesson learned

Yes, there are still

Cabin's available on the ship

So we would love to have you join us if you have any questions reach out. Yeah, go to cinema only wine.com

It's all right there. We're gonna have a blast. We're starting at Arles

and heading up the road

until we get to

I don't know where it is where we transfer to a different river

Um, and then we end up in Dijon of course, there's no river that runs through Dijon

So I think we get off the boat the bus to Dijon

A village before and then they take us up to Dijon

And many great villages will will drink a lot of great wine

Including a lot of cinema valley wine we'll be bringing on

We have like 24 hours in Leon, right that like where we can be off boat and just the sheer amount of milk and you

Need 24 hours

A lot we'll count. Yeah, I'm gonna try to figure out what it is. I'm gonna be on the hunt of the you know my favorite

Maybe my favorite escargo plate

Everyone you know or the like have you're like baseline

It's like ordering the currently to stock out every taco truck to see like what is the best place

One with your 100% so it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be really fun. Yeah, so

Cool fantastic. Yeah, thanks for coming on explaining everything that's going on. Yeah, and if people want to

Just I guess in a cinema valley wine robin at cinema valley wine

Not robin with a Y. Oh, there you go. Yeah, that's the tricky part

May or may not have made that mistake before. Yeah, and then if you if anyone wants to get involved if

There are any businesses out there that want to get involved with our ventors and growers. We have associate members

That help make things happen for our members help make business easier

If you sort of businesses like to sponsor an event if you'd like to sponsor an event

We are open to that

There's all levels. So if it's something that sounds like a lot of fun you want to bring you know your team or

Some clients of yours were here for it

But the businesses. I mean it ranges from you know, Merrill Lynch and g3 and trichor brawn to small

Small probably like small business here, you know

Yeah, so bourbon propane has come in. They're actually sponsoring the tractor parade

Everyone's gonna know their name. Sam you were there. I was there. You were there. I

It was it was it was a wonderful experience to see Hank Hill in person

See who I'm present Hank Hill. Oh, no, I mean, you know what did the funny thing about that is is I had more than

three people

Come up to me and go you know that presentation was actually really good and two people actually said

I never thought about it diesel can go bad propane doesn't go bad some simple things that they mentioned

No one knew yeah, yeah, I mean, it's worth looking at

propane is quite a good option and that's why they're there. They wanted to introduce themselves

So we run a bunch of the wind machines on propane that you know it's

Ready to go. Mm-hmm. You know, I'm gonna read the diesel small businesses large businesses

We work with all of them

But it was there was Hank Hill it was really was it was amazing. Come on Bobby

I remember when I used to go to spike in mics and a twisted animation festival

Palace Fine Arts. Yeah, when those when those first came out wasn't called that. I think it was called Embraged Jeds

Sorry, we digress we digress so what's fun? I think that we did a pretty good job of not digressing until this far into the show

I'm impressed. There's only one you were really pulling it together for me

You're our best behavior. I'm talking about politics too much riding exactly. Yeah, there you go

Yeah, yeah, all right, and if you don't like our politics reach out to Charlie at Cabernet franc dot com

We did we get more hate mail. Yeah, we did. Oh, fuck yeah. Yeah

Exactly

You know what that means?

Somebody was listening

What's going on Barty you got anything going on coming up winery wise

You want to talk about you know

New releases are out have been selling some wines wine club

Email is in your mailbox as of the time this

So not while we're recording but by the time it's released

Sometimes this week

You knew if he had if he said he said it now it's got to be up

You know, I already sent it. I already sent it in it's scheduled so it's happening

And then so the next couple weekends that we will be open for people to come by and pick up their wines or come try the new releases

And that's it that's really on the calendar at this point. What did you decide ultimately was going to be in the release

We're just putting all five wines out there let people give the people what they want

You know, yeah, if you're a two-bottle member you get one rosé one white

And you can upgrade to a cab and a mall back if you want because you can pick whatever you want

But I just why try to hold something back

It doesn't work well for me. Yeah, then you have to remember to release it later

Well, yeah, and I'm kind of like do you want to try the shenan is like well, why wasn't this in the release?

Wait, you make shenan

You do again. We are back in the shenan business. I don't think I've ever had you shenan. Mm-hmm. Oprah Winfrey's favorite wine. That's right

One of our favorite things

All right, we got anything going on or do we just want to talk about it later when we

When we know more organized

Yeah, I mean there's lots of things going on, but

You're gonna figure it all out. Oh, you know what? It comes to us at region. We're gonna be there. Yeah, April 3rd

You were gonna be like all weekers all month or but but us personally we're gonna be pouring they pour our homage block at region

out of the machine

I don't know, but Sam's actually gonna be there on the third and

You're gonna bring some fun stuff. They're gonna be pouring the mutes SP address and the dosa monee sara and then I'm gonna

Be there on the 10th with our own Cameron of sepian of sepian

Formally of the voice one

Who just have it's only higher people who've been on or will be on the voice

So he's gonna come on the 10th and come hang out and we're gonna

I think acre pizza who's right next door to region is gonna do food for us

Yeah, it'll hang out in spas pool and robin. Why don't you give a shout out to your little

brand? Oh

West Shore can wine. I was I wanted to ask. Yeah. How's it going? It's great

We're about to do a new production run. Love the wine going in really excited. I need more time in my life

But I am a firm believer that we need to find ways to engage with the younger generation

And trailblazer

Portability of wine

Being able to go on a kayak like go to the beach

It's not always practical to bring a big glass bottle

But there are ways of engaging with wine that don't have to be that and

It's small. It's the perfect size and had a can at red grape the other night. It tastes delicious

You need 250's right? Yeah

Yeah, third of a bottle what more could you ask for? Yeah, the first time our first can run somebody sent me a picture

Like she had brought it to her kids soccer practice. I was like there you go. I know that's such a success

Like it's exactly what we had in mind

I mean, so it's that kind of joy and it really was birthed out of my business partner and I having young kids

And needing wine

regularly

To survive that and just not being able to find anything portable

So we decided to do it ourselves. Yeah, and it's and it's happening

Like you know when you first got into it. I was like oh, it's gonna you know

Maybe out at the pool. We could do it. Yeah, but now I mean yesterday is someone can you show the shit ton of cans as weekend

Yeah, say shit ton

Someone bought fuck time. What do we like what do we do about cats of cans? Oh, that's awesome

That is success and they hear all these great stories about what they're doing with it. So it's cool

Fisher and I know cans and boxes pretty sure Jesse Woods is filled an entire reservoir in northern Alabama with our cans

Because I don't know what else he's doing with all of them that he gets maybe built a wall in his basement with the cans

Yes, I think like concessions like so the people running concessions

They need to open up every single bottle and all the trash instead. It's open up the can pass it off

Yeah, you're at a concert, you know, you're outside. They love it

75% of the of the aluminum that's ever been mined is still in production

Like the can is the easiest to recycle. Yeah, it's very sustainable. Yeah

Yeah, so where can we get?

Where can we get your cans?

Really all over like Marin County, Sonoma County is where we are. We're kind of at that point of needing to grow

So this is partner live in Marin. Is that it now? Yeah, that's where she used to and now she lives in Texas and that's a whole

leather can of worms

And I don't even know if I mean love Texas. It's hard to take on Texas. So we'd have to find a

stable distributor to take us on

either way

You know

Sonoma cheese factory Broadway market Broadway market

Sonoma's best the lodge

There's all I mean all through Sonoma many markets through Mill Valley anywhere we usually target places where it's grabbing go

so

Is it in Tahoe? It's West Shore

Yeah, actually we had a couple spots

in Tahoe if that chambers

So I just need more time to go sell the funny thing. It's like you go and it's like here's the concept and they're like

Yep, and then they just keep ordering so it just makes sense. So thanks for asking. Yeah, no, that's great

Cool

What are what are our plans for the upcoming week?

for shows

Well, we got

Jen Rue from Oakville Ranch. I know that's

Another Valley not Sonoma Valley

coming on we have

What else have we got scheduled? We had another one that was supposed to be today, but they postponed

Oh, and the movie

Right, yeah

Eden which I still don't completely understand, but you seem very excited about it. So are they film festival?

Would not know this is people who just reached out to us. They did a documentary on

Mount Eden winery down in Santa Cruz mountains and

You know the guy who started it and the family business succession going on there

and

They want to come on the show and talk about it. They sent us screeners like we're like real

Members of the media or something so we get to watch it on our vimeos

And do they're coming on the show? What's vimeo?

It's like YouTube but higher quality. Yeah, yeah

It's like if you need to pass a movie like you've made a movie or video

It's very hard to email or take up space in box vimeos of the best format for it. Cool

This segment has been brought to you by vimeo

Please sponsor us

Some reach out to robin and some valley wine.com with a wife with a wife

And then just because we finally got Mick oonty on the show for mentioning it

Let's just throw it out there

We are going to get less claypool on here from purple pack at arm

We're gonna make that happen before he heads out on his next tour on his they're going he's going on a european tour

So or bring us with you and then we really need to get up to

Up to Amador to go see and go see it's shake bridge

So we're trying to make those things happen with our limited

Brain capacity and lack of time

Or budget. I believe no budget no time no brain no budget no time. We're not getting paid

And remember if you want a bottle of Sonoma Sam russan

Let me know it's only a thousand dollars and I want to try I want to try chateau rhes if anyone has a bottle

In their cellar that they want to settle if we will drink it in teen rossi ridge semi russan for a bottle of rhes and the rhes will drink it on the show

And give you your your do

This might be what some of those complaints were about

Right if they listened all the way to this part of the show and then they have super fame they have complaints

Please send your complaints to robin

With a wife

I wonder who's going to e-mail me someone e-mail me

All right guys look forward to talking to you next week. Thanks for listening drink more canned wine leave reviews

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