Radical Rants by Richard

Waining Light

Wed, 06 Jan 2025 16:18:00 -0500

The sun is slowly setting in the west, and the day is ending not with a crash and a bang, but with a whimper. I have acquired a distributor in the central Florida area and will be there in late January to cement the deal. It looks like a promising opportunity, so keep your fingers crossed for us!

My favorite saying? "You can either make the dust or eat the dust." I realize times are tough, but do your best to find new opportunities, let your voice be heard, and above all, and stop eating the dust! Jack's favorite saying is: "If you're not the lead sled dog, the view never changes."

Richard

Day After

Sat, 26 Dec 2024 14:23:00 -0500

It's the day after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. Well, the season of joy and happiness is past for another year, so start saving for next Christmas. I bought some perfume for Rebecca and sent some money to my young grandchildren, and as for the rest: Bah Humbug. A young man came in this morning with a tee shirt which read "Smile, it pisses people off." Good lesson there...we should spread happiness and joy all year around.

In other news, Rebecca is going to Colorado to visit her mother and sister, and to get away from the craziness that is going around. Secret to success: "Do the best you can with what you have wherever you are!"

Cheers!

Richard

Twas the week before Christmas

Wed, 23 Dec 2024 08:59:00 -0500

It is a grey foggy morning the Monday before Christmas, and dampness is everywhere. I am taking a day off today because we are going to be open for Christmas. Last week I was talking to my friend Mary at Villagio in Yountville, she said "Thank you for being open for Christmas, we need a few wineries for our clients who are here for the holidays and have nowhere to go." Well, I decided what the heck, why not be open since there were only a few wineries open and we should be one of them! Besides, I wasn't going anywhere anyway. So now we are making history and being open on Christmas for the first time in twenty five years.

Merry Christmas!

Richard

Another day in paradise

Fri, 04 Dec 2024 09:20:00 -0500

It's a beautiful day to start the Calistoga Passport weekend, so check it out, it's a great opportunity. And while you're at it, stop by Graeser Winery....you can never have too much wine! The Christmas port special went up today, so check it out, and save it for a special occasion in front of a roaring wood fire. I will test my new skills while I am in Florida next week as a long distance blogger. I know it's real easy for you young whipper snappers but cyber-space is a challenge for us Great Generation tech-ignorant old fogies. I will keep you all posted on my adventure to the other coast. Is it true that there are dragons in Florida?

Don't forget that our Semillon goes wonderfully with turkey!

Richard

Blending Seminar

Tue, 01 Dec 2024 13:23:00 -0500

Tomorrow (12/2/09) I am doing our Blending Seminar for 3 guests at 1:30 and I still have room for three more guests. Is anybody interested? You'll get a tutorial on the why's and wherefore's of blending, accompanied with a snack plate to illustrate how wine flavors change when you pair them with different foods. Then we'll tour the vineyard for a short show and talk about trellising and how it affects grape quality, and ultimately, the quality of the wine you drink. Then we go to the cellar where you blend your own wine and take the bottle home with you. It costs $85, takes about two hours, it's great fun and a it's great learning experience. Rebecca is still doing her magic here at the winery in her marvelous manner. She has relinquished the opportunity to go to Florida to promote the winery, and I am going instead.

We are going to offer a Christmas special for Port and Chocolate in a gift box for a Christmas...it will be up on our web site soon!

Richard

Whether to be or not to be -End of Crush

Sat, 28 Nov 2024 19:10:00 -0500

Last June I wrote that I was now back and would be a regular blogger. Well, here I am, and I am here to report that there have been many changes over the summer; first I'll get you caught up with that. In July, Bruce Harrison left for various reasons, but then Tony Dodd joined us after many years of absence...an event that pleased me greatly since Tony and I bantered with each other and always had a great time in the tasting room. Sadly, Tony collapsed with a major heart attack on Labor Day morning and passed away...Tony will be greatly missed. Several weeks later Desire moved on to work for another winery in Napa Valley.

Through all of these challenges we have kept moving forward and added many wonderful programs to enhance the experience of Graeser Winery, and I thank all of my departed staff for their contribution to our new selection, each one added a great deal to our efforts to enhance the Graeser experience. We are now doing blending seminars in which you learn how and why to blend wine, and actually blend your own formula, taking a bottle of your wine home with you. We keep the formula and will reproduce it for you on demand. Weather permitting we offer a vineyard hike around the vineyard and a wine and cheese pairing at the top of the hill, or a sit down private tasting in our historic dining room. As part of our regular tasting experience (when we're not slammed with thirsty customers) we offer a tour of our historic 1888 Italian farmhouse-style estate home and a tasting out of the barrel in the cellar. Our customers really seem to enjoy the experience, which keeps them buying wine (which is what we like!). Going forward I'll try to keep you all up-to-date on a regular basis, so my intention is to Blog at least once a week (or more often) if possible.

You can make the dust or eat the dust. I will write again soon.

Richard

New Tasting Room, New Team

Tue, 09 Jun 2025 15:00:00 -0500

Well, here I am after short hiatus from blogging and I was supposed to bring you this sooner, but what the heck--I'm back now, and a lot of changes have been made since I last talked to you all. Rebecca supervised the remodeling of the tasting room: the bar has been extended from fourteen feet to forty feet; the walls are freshly painted with new colors; the floors are refinished and stained; there is new lighting; and finally, the wall separating the tasting room from the event room has been removed, thus creating a much larger space. But don't take my word for it--come by and see for yourself. Bring your lunch, buy a little wine, spend a little time, and enjoy the unique ambiance created here at Graeser Winery.

Rebecca is still masterminding the entire operation, allowing me to put my foot down and have my way as long as she gives first approval. A few months ago added three new people to our team: Desiré Espinoza (Director of Sales), Jim Derrickson (Director of Marketing) and Bruce Harrison (Tasting Room Manager). Desiré will apply her considerable experience and skill to increase restaurant sales of our wine as well as help with the tasting room and tours. Jim will draw on his past experience as an MBA, an entrepreneur and an executive at Warner Bros. to market the winery, handle the website and web stuff, and do everything possible to increase the number of visitors that come here each day. Bruce will bring his vast knowledge of wines to our tasting room and give you, our loyal customers, the best wine tasting experience you could imagine. And Rebecca, of course (what would we do without her?) will continue to concentrate on special events and celebrations as well as her regular duties of keeping the winery on track.

So, my friends, be sure to keep in touch. And remember: you can either make the dust or eat the dust.

Richard