Making a Splash!

We recently had the honor to be selected as 1 of 7 wineries to present to the elite wine media such as Wine Spectator, James Suckling, Wine Enthusiast, HuffPo and many many more. Due to the fact that our other owner team had just left to travel Asia with their family, my husband Jesse and I flew to New York City to hopefully wow the who's who of wine.

Getting up at 3am to catch your flight and traveling all day (because New Mexico is its own island it seems and you can't fly direct to most places) landed us in the city starving and exhausted. Our hotel was perfectly situated in the Lower East Side next to Katz Deli and down the block from a wine shop! We ate, we drank, we fell asleep by 8pm. Ya, par-tee animals!

Trying to figure out how to present to the top wine media is really tricky. We were given 20 mins to present, which when we arrived we were told would actually be 15 mins, to sell our wines we were pouring and ourselves. I had selected a vertical (different years, but the same grape) of Cabernet Sauvignon that would show the craftsmanship and age-ability of our wines (2005/ 2009/ 2013/ 2016), a bold move that I hoped would garner us some good attention. I had worked hard on crafting a beautiful slide show to highlight the beauty and uniqueness of where we live and also so they could see it is a family operation with the four of us pouring our hearts and souls into the winery. In addition I crated professional media packets with details, photos, bios and wine stats for each attendee. I had a list of talking points and had encouraged Jesse to figure out what he wanted to say. Jesse looked at me the morning of the presentation like a deer in headlights and exclaimed that he, the winemaker mind you, shouldn't have to present. Given I usually do the presenting and I do teach wine classes, I am used to public speaking and I assured him I would be standing up there too and would jump in when needed. By the end of the event, he had media writers dripping off him, asking for photos and crooning over his "perfectly tussled hair". It was an absolute success and the wines made a huge impression. Days later as we discussed an offer I'd received to speak at a prestigious conference, Jesse would reference that event and say "What are you going to talk about? Or are you just going to stand there and let me do all the work?". Of course he was joking, and it is this wicked sense of humor that made me fall madly in love with him, so my response was to laugh so hard I almost peed my pants.

It's a rare treat to have these kind of big splashes for a little winery and we just got hit with 3. The 1st was James Suckling himself posting a review of our Refosco on all his personal social media touting that our Refosco bested those from even Italy. Then the NYC trip and finally having the opportunity to present at a travel wine and food writers conference (IFWTWA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Being surrounded by travel wine and food writers from all over the world for 3 days as you pour your wines and create friendships was fantastic!

We are in our 21st year and while it feels like the success is over night, we look back and can't believe how far we've come. From food stamps and working other jobs to buy grapes and barrels, one by one, to being able to leave our incredible staff in charge so we can fly to NYC to shake hands with the top influencers of our day, it truly stuns us. And we owe it all to all of you, thank you!

Now hurry and get a glass of wine to celebrate with us!

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com

Written by Michele Padberg, co-owner of Vivac Winery. If you enjoy this blog, check out her personal blog at Wine First Adventures