Virginia Wine and Social Media – Part II – Doukenie Winery

The Social Media Interviews – Virginia Wineries – Part II:  Doukenie Winery

This post is the second in a four part series featuring Virginia wineries that are leveraging social media tools to connect, communicate and build their brand.  Part I featuring Breaux Vineyards can be found here and the original post, ‘Social Media: Do Virginia Wineries Get It?’

On Outsourcing Social Media… Although I’ve asked each participating winery the same general social media questions as part of this series, today’s interview differs because each of the responses below were provided by Chris Wolf of Wolf Pack Communications on behalf of Doukenie Winery.

Like the topic of social media use in general, outsourcing the management of a winery’s social media program seems to elicit strong opinions. Personally, I am neutral on this topic.  I can appreciate a winery that has carved out the time to learn and work in the social media space, and, I also recognize the value of having a PR/Communications firm run the winery social media program.

If I were a winery, I would be neck deep in social media, no doubt. Of course, this is easy for me to say because I’ve never operated a winery and am clueless regarding the time challenges associated with farming, making wine, paying the bills, keeping the bloggers happy J, running the tasting room, ABC paper work, etc.  If I could not find a way to allocate dedicated resources to develop and execute a social media strategy, I would definitely retain a PR/Communications pro with social media domain expertise.  I’m surprised more Virginia wineries don’t take advantage of outsourcing (especially those who seemed to have ignored social media all together).  Good on Doukenie Winery for taking action to address social media!

I’m curious about other’s opinions – wineries, bloggers, PR professionals – on outsourcing social media.  Pros/cons either way?

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Before we talk about the specifics of Doukenie’s use of social media, let’s address the topic of outsourcing social media – why would/should a winery outsource their social media program?

As I’m sure you heard so many times this past weekend at the Drink Local Wine conference, time is the real concern for wineries in relation to social media (SM).  Whether or not that concern is justified is a matter of debate, and certainly some aspects of it may be related to the basic fear of anything new and potentially overwhelming that we all feel occasionally.  Nonetheless, I believe there is broad agreement that SM cannot be ignored.

Small to medium sized wineries that consider outsourcing their SM management should choose a professional who has experience not just in SM but also in the needs and challenges of the winery business.  A close relationship must be maintained with the winery management and staff.  That includes everyone from the owner to the winemaker, the business manager, the tech people, and the tasting room associates.

It is incumbent upon any media professional worth their salt to be aware of the goings-on with their client everyday.  In the case of wineries, peaks in activity, along with the related levels of craziness and stress, are usually seasonal.  Getting updates during harvest might require slapping on a pair of boots and following the winemaker around the vineyard or shouting questions down to him/her while they are knee deep in a tank doing pump-over; however it’s usually in those months that customers are most interested in the process, so that information must be gleaned.  During the less busy times of the year, meetings on overall strategy and tactical S.W.O.T. analyses can be performed in preparation for when it all breaks loose again. Understanding the ebb and flow of activity with the client is crucial in maximizing the relationship, and subsequently providing a superior level of representation.

I have had the pleasure of representing Doukenie Winery for two years.  It is a family operation that consistently extends the bounds of “family” to staff and customers.  As such, on any given day, I’m not only aware of what is happening with pruning, bottling, tasting room sales, and upcoming events, but I also know when the dog is due for surgery and which grandchild is getting the best grades.  This level of engagement affords me the opportunity to share the entirety of the Doukenie story with all interested parties.

The degree of passion for the process that is exhibited by our winemaker, Sebastien Marquet, is palpable.  Our customers see it, our staff feeds off of it, and quite frankly, it makes my job easier.  His vineyard experience and love of wine, along with his willingness to embrace the challenges presented by climate and the management of properties located hours apart, contribute to the success of the winery.

Sebastien, and winery owners Dr. George and Mrs. Nicki Bazaco, understand the power of SM and are excited to ride this new wave of outreach to our customers.  They have limited full-time staff and it makes sense for their business plan to outsource matters such as Public Relations and several other tasks for which they are not yet at the point to hire additional staff.  Many Virginia wineries are in similar situations and are enticed by the new opportunities that SM provides.  Outsourcing is a viable option for them to explore this exciting realm of communication.

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About Doukenie Winery:    Doukenie Winery, located in Hillsboro VA, sits on 500 acres owned by the Bazaco family.  Doukenie Bacos, grandmother of winery owner Dr. George Bazaco, was the inspiration for the name.  It is a family operation with a small number of full-time staff including our winemaker, Sebastien Marquet.  Sebastien has over two decades of international winemaking experience, beginning in his native Burgundy, France, and most recently in Sonoma, California.  He has been making wine for Doukenie for nearly three years and his creations have won numerous awards, including five medals from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in 2010.  Doukenie sells all of its wine out of our on-site tasting room and hosts several events each year, ranging from art instruction and cooking classes, to festivals such our very popular Taste of Greece in the Spring and Taste of Italy in the Fall.

When did Doukenie begin using Social Media? What social media tools do you currently use (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, Ning, etc.)?

We began using Facebook in July 2009 and Twitter (@DoukenieWinery) in August 2009.  We have recently increased our use of Twitter as that medium expands and provides more opportunities for outreach to a highly specific group of followers.

Does Doukenie have a defined approach in terms of how you spend your social media time (formal Twitter strategy, specific customer acquisition plan, limited to Facebook, etc.)? If so, please describe how you developed this strategy.

Social media is about having a conversation, and we believe that exchange has to have value in order to be meaningful to our customers and “followers”.  We use social media to communicate news about events, updates on activities in the vineyard and cellar, vintage releases, and other interesting tidbits about life at Doukenie Winery.

Has Doukenie realized quantifiable results from utilizing social media (increased tasting room traffic, sales, buzz, media attention, etc.)?  Describe.

The amorphous nature of social media means that quantifiable metrics are often a challenge, but we do employ Search Engine Optimization tools to aid in the continued tracking of the impact we have.  Many of our customers tell us that they appreciate the convenience of Twitter updates and Facebook page posts because it allows them to interact with us on their own time, and still receive the information they want.  Our Tasting Room is quite busy, and that can be attributed to several factors, including the quality of the wine, increasing customer loyalty, the enjoyable nature of the Doukenie experience, and our public relations efforts.

Since many Virginia wineries are small, family-run operations with limited staff, finding time to devote to social media can be a real challenge.  What advice can you share with your fellow wineries on how to work thru the time constraints of the social media learning curve and how to best use their social media time?

Doukenie is boutique winery with limited full-time staff.  As such, it makes sense to employ part-time or contractual staff to handle matters that may not require full-time commitment for a winery of its size.  Doukenie has done that for certain tasks, one of which is public relations and social media.  Similar wineries that want to increase their use of social media can consider outsourcing the task as an initial foray into that realm.  It allows the winery to sample the experience without the encumbrance of additional employees, and to also enjoy the high degree of flexibility associated with outsourcing. (Editorial Note: This is the key – I hope other wineries not currently engaged in SM read this paragraph again.)

Given your experience thus far with social media, what are your lessons learned, and how will your approach change (if at all)?

The general rule of never overwhelming your audience is one that should be observed constantly when using social media.  The highly targeted nature of the group of people who choose to follow us on Twitter or become Facebook fans requires a great level of respect for their time that I believe Doukenie Winery has achieved.  We are constantly asking for feedback from our fans and followers regarding the too much/too little balance and are grateful for their willingness to share their insights.  If there is a formula to be followed by Virginia Wineries regarding the use of social media, it is certainly still under construction.  So far, our experience has been immensely positive and we are enjoying the expanded interaction with our customers that social media affords us.

Editorial Disclaimer: Your humble correspondent is by no means a social media or wine expert – not even close!  Rather, I write thru the lens of a passionate wine enthusiast, advocate of the Virginia wine industry, observer of trends from a common sense perspective, and user of social media.

Next up in the series – Corcoran Winery…

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WBW 68 – Got Gamay? Recap

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the 68^th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday.  I appreciate your patience, as I am quite tardy with posting this recap.  A special thank you to the New York blogging contingent that came out in a big way for this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday.  The number of high-quality, educational blogs in NY is impressive.

I would like to start the recap with a special welcome to a new WBW participant – Corinne from Life’s A Banquet! For this edition of WBW, Corinne went with a local Gamay from the Finger Lakes – 2007 Gamay Sheldrake Point.  Good call on the home made margherita pizza.

Tom from NY-based Ithacork also went with the Sheldrake Point Gamay 2007.  Great review, especially the diacetyl information – clearly a Chemical Engineering PhD candidate.

Also joining us from NY, Michael of Undertaking Wine chose a local Gamay from Long Island – Pindar Vineyards 2008 Gamay Noir.

Rounding out the NY contingent, Debbie from Hudson Valley Wine Goddess, also went local with a Gamay Noir from the Hudson Valley area – 2007 Whitecliff Gamay Noir.  Thanks for joining us Debbie, and not losing the sticky note this month…

Matt from a A Good Time With Wine provided our lone video entry – he went with a Chiroubles from Domaine Ruet.  Although Matt noted that he is not much fonder of Gamay, he did enjoy reviewing this wine and will likely try other Cru Beaujolais in the future.  I’ve had this particular Chiroubles before and liked it. Thank you, Matt for  the informative video entry!

My friend and favorite Wine Blogger Conference alumni, Marcy Gordon from Come For The Wine, went with a Morgon – the 2008 Jean Foillard Morgon Cote Du Py.  I’ve had this particular wine several times and have always liked it.

Bob at 2001 Bottles – A Wine Odyssey from Vancouver, BC went with a Gamay from Canada’s Similkameen Valley, and two Cru Beaujolais – a Cote de Brouilly and a Fleurie.  Thanks Bob for overachieving by selecting three Gamay’s and pairing with a meal. (Sad to hear you won’t be joining the Gamay fetish club.)

Fellow Virginia wine blogger, Swirl, Sip, Snark went with one of my favorite’s, the G. Descombe Morgon along with the 07 Domaine des Michelons Moulin-a-Vent (which I’ve never had).

Fellow Drink Local Wine Conference attendee, Dave Falcheck of Empty Bottles, joined us with several Cru Beaujolais. I had a great time hanging out with Dave tasting wine at DLW – great palate.

Travis from Pull The Cork did join us by sharing a wine lesson he learned while visiting France two summers ago.

Peter from Mano a Vino went with a Loire – Domaine Sauvete Gamay Les Gravouilles – and paired it with Thai food (interesting pairing that I’ll have to try)

The Wine Predator, Gwen, joined us with one of my favorite value wines – Louis Jadot Beaujolais.

Gary Vaynerchuk also participated, albeit a few days late due to his hectic schedule.  After finalizing the theme for WBW 68, I contacted Gary with the deets and asked him to participate since he hadn’t dedicated a show to the Gamay since episode 570.  Gary quickly replied and agreed that he needed to do another Cru Beaujolais show.  Thanks to Kristen Murphy for trading so many emails and pulling together the Cru Beaujolais episode (#852).  Gary went with a Fleurie, a Moulin A Vent, and St. Amour.  I believe the 2007 Chapelle Des Bois Fleurie was the standout of the show.

Last but not least, we were able to tear Wine Blogging Wednesday founder Lenn Thompson away from New York wines this month.  Although Gamay is grown in NY, Lenn has yet to find one that impressed him, so he went to one of his favorite areas – Loire – Clos Roche Blanche 2007 Cuvee Gamay Touraine. (Nothing beats a great Chinon either, eh?)

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

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Virginia Wine and Social Media – Part I – Breaux Vineyards

The Social Media Interviews – Virginia Wineries – Part I:  Breaux Vineyards

As a follow up to my post three weeks ago – Social Media: Do Virginia Wineries Get It? – I contacted several Virginia wineries that are ‘actively’ engaged in social media to solicit their input on how they are utilizing social media tools to connect with consumers. Today’s post is the first in a four part series featuring Virginia wineries that are leveraging social media tools to connect, communicate and build their brand (and setting a great example for others).

My initial post on the subject was intended to create (or continue) dialogue between Virginia wineries, PR folks, bloggers, and me, with the hope that we could all learn from each other.  The number of comments/responses surprised me – as did the position several of the respondents took. Unfortunately, a few of the ‘most colorful’ responses were sent to me via email, and would not comment directly to the post.

One of the disagreements came from an unexpected source – a friend of mine who knows a tremendous amount about wine, and in particular, a lot about Virginia wine.  As we discussed why he feels Virginia wineries do not need to embrace/leverage social media, one of the primary reasons he cited was the amount of tasting room traffic wineries have on the weekends – especially those wineries located on one of the ‘Wine Trails.’   (in fairness, I paraphrased his comments here for brevity)

I categorically disagree with the notion that wineries – especially small Virginia wineries – do not need to embrace/leverage social media simply because their tasting rooms are packed on the weekends.  I’ve only come across a few wineries that appear satisfied with their current level of sales with no desire for future sales growth or winery expansion.  Most of the winemakers and winery owners I’ve spoken to all have plans (and desire) for near-term growth.

Although social media is certainly not the panacea of winery success, it is a medium that cannot be ignored – Virginia wineries are going to have to embrace social media (just my opinion – highly unlikely that I’m wrong) to stay competitive.

To continue the dialogue, and to make the case to those ‘social media hold outs,’ I went directly to the source – one of Virginia wine industry’s most active social media practitioners – Jennifer Breaux-Blosser of Breaux Vineyards.   (Editorial Note:  some responses were condensed)

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About Breaux Vineyards: Breaux Vineyards is located just west of Leesburg, VA in the town of Purcellville.   In 1994 the Breauxs found themselves captivated with a picturesque piece of Virginia landscape that would rapidly evolve into one of the fastest growing wineries in Virginia. Along with scenic views, there were 3 acres of grapes on the 404-acre property that were planted in 1985.  Breaux now has over 100 acres under vine.

Assisted by Dave Collins, who would later become Breaux Vineyard’s winemaker, the Breauxs soon began making hobbyist wines. Discovering that their home-produced wines were more popular among friends and guests than many commercial offerings, the Breauxs collaborated with Dave to begin producing commercial wines at an even higher level of quality by investing in all new state-of-the-art wine making equipment and using proven vineyard practices, such as planting, harvesting and sorting by hand.

The winery and vineyard are managed and operated by Jennifer Breaux-Blosser, daughter of owner, and Chris Blosser, son-in-law of owner.  Breaux is the largest wine-grape producer in the state of Virginia and sells over 65% of their fruit to other wineries. All Breaux wines are made from Breaux Estate grown fruit that is harvested by hand, pressed on site, aged and bottled at our facility.

When did you begin using Social Media?

We started with Facebook about 3 years ago and Twitter about 15 months ago. I was very pro-active with Facebook right away with a great response. After setting up my Twitter account, it took several months before I really understood what Twitter was all about and before I was comfortable engaging with people there.

What social media tools do you currently use (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, Ning, etc.)?

Twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, Ning(thanks to you!), blog has been started but not live yet,  You Tube, Cruvee, foursquare, flickr, meetup, Stumbleupon, digg, Delicious, friendfeed, open wine consortium and  other wine –based sites that are mostly for trade purposes.

Do you have a defined approach in terms of how you spend your social media time (formal Twitter strategy, specific customer acquisition plan, limited to Facebook, etc.)?

I monitor Facebook and twitter daily – even when I don’t have time to commit to more than a few minutes. On days when I know I don’t have time to spare, I check in and at least search my business name for mentions, certain hash tags and see if anyone may be visiting my winery or asking a question etc. Even on my busiest days, I have time to send a quick invitation to visit or a tweet of thanks to someone who RTs (ReTweets). I check Facebook daily as well. My Twitter status automatically posts to Facebook (def. not the other way around!) just in case I only have time for one. I do log onto Facebook several times each day – regardless of the amount of time I have to check on what’s going on and to change my status, add events, and chat with people/patrons etc.  I find that I have more of a local presence there and people are so active and ready to engage that I can’t resist.  Cruvee is awesome and helps me to stay on top of ALL the buzz around Breaux Vineyards. I’m learning daily how to be more efficient without forsaking the quality. My strategy is not formal at the moment; however, I do have defined goals within my informal approach. They are:

• Engage daily on Twitter and Facebook, keep the Facebook status fresh and fun, interesting and relevant and check Cruvee daily.
• Commit 1 hour daily minimum to allow for “engagement.”
• Commit to creating long-lasting relationships with writers, bloggers, consumers and doubters of VA wine.
• Nurture the relationships with our current customers that connected with us via Social Media.
• Regularly research other social media sites to pursue new opportunities.
• Track the success of our efforts and ROI via Google analytics, Google alerts and point of sale among other things.
• You Tube when possible and link all sites back to our website (currently under construction).
• Regularly invite advocates of my trade to be a part of our industry and business (events, tastings, etc.).
• Stay on top of the latest trends in technology in order to support the growing trends in SM.
• Read and respond to blogs that are relevant.

If so, please describe how you developed this strategy.

I’m currently working on a more comprehensive plan for our social media based on what I am learning in my research and from others. We have a marketing plan in place for our company and have added social media as our #1. Although it’s in the plan, it’s also noted that it should not be used like traditional advertising. Our strategy includes using Social media as a tool to gain and retain customers while organically communicating with them and being available to them. Getting people interested in our business, wines and mission.

Has Breaux Vineyards realized quantifiable results from utilizing social media (increased tasting room traffic, sales, buzz, media attention, etc.)?

Absolutely! All of the above. Our tasting room is always busy so I encourage people who I’m “connected” with to let me know when they’re visiting. This helps me to loosely track the results of my efforts.  I get to meet so many patrons this way (face-to-face) and this connection helps with customer retention and satisfaction.  Most weekends, I meet a new face to the winery that I’ve connected with on Twitter or Facebook. People will come in and ask for me because they had tweeted with me or exchanged dialogue on Facebook – that justifies using social media for me. Our current customers who are active in social media love that there is a fast and fun way to connect. They’re gaining satisfaction and with that, I am again retaining customers. Those people do make purchases when they come in and they also refer their friends and family to us. I can post info about events and sell tickets as a result, or post a sale on one of the sites and immediately see the results. During the horrible blizzard we had to close for about 2 weeks total.  I got creative and had a “sneaux sale” and for every inch that fell, my online prices on wine fell. On a day that was dismal, I was able to have some fun with customers and made a few thousand dollars for the winery. I don’t do that sort of thing often so my followers accepted me giving them a “sales incentive” and they didn’t react by ceasing their follow.

As far as media buzz, where do I begin? Social Media has given us a platform to the world that we would not have otherwise. When we decided to export our wines to London, we participated in the London International Wine Fair and as we were traveling, I was tweeting and made great connections. We had writers and bloggers stop by our booth that had no plans to do so until they saw my tweets. It added validity to our business. Those connections provided buzz from London back into the US via Twitter. The local bloggers and writers have been an incredible resource for us as well. They create such an awesome excitement to an audience that is at our front and back door. I know that many of our Twitter followers are a result of the blogger influence. I believe that our supportive VA bloggers give “permission” to the rest of the world to enjoy wine from this wonderful, emerging wine region. Most people would not even think twice about following me unless they are from my area or have visited – especially those who are wine writers, “snobs or from the leading 4 wine regions in the US. Our local bloggers have clout and often times open the doors for us for many opportunities. They certainly help us gain market presence and validity. These are the people who I want to create relationships with and who can really teach the wineries so much about social media. They want us to succeed, after all.

Since many Virginia wineries are small, family-run operations with limited staff, finding time to devote to social media can be a real challenge.  Despite many of the same time constraints, you have found time to include social media in your marketing strategy.  What advice can you share with your fellow Virginia wineries on how to work thru the time constraints of the social media learning curve and how to best use their social media time?

With the lack of staffing and limitless hours put into work days, it’s easy to drop the ball on social media.  I still struggle with the balance of home life and work life as we all do in this industry. The two comingle and that’s just the way it. Like so many of us, I need 4 clones of myself in addition to the 5 other staff members I also need to get just the basics of every day complete.  I recommend taking the time to at least learn how to create and manage a Facebook account – it’s the most efficient way to see results almost immediately. A minimum of 20 minutes each day is my recommendation while you are getting acclimated to the process. 20 minutes allows for simple updates and other “bare minimums”. That encouragement of your success in gaining a presence via followers and feedback will push you to further build your site and plant the seed of soon-to-be addiction to social media. After that point, my recommendation is to spend at least 1 hour each day engaging via SM. This will help create actual relationships and propel your mission to success. You’ll have a great following in no time at all and you’ll quickly realize the potential and be sold on its significance for your winery.  I’m not a believer (yet) in paying someone to run social media for the VA wineries. By that I mean no “outsourcing” to PR firms who have to rely on you to give them your message. We’re currently emerging and morphing as an industry and people want to be connected to the people behind the wineries, vineyard and wines. It’s important to get your message out via social media in a personal manner.  Again, take the time to learn how to at least start a Facebook account and the rest will follow.  As I mentioned before, utilizing the skills of others around you may be necessary – a staff member, one of your kids or grandkids or fellow members in the wine industry are all great resources. Bottom line, SM is free with exception to the time you’d spend anyway creating an ad for a publication. Just do it!

Given your experience thus far with social media, what are your lessons learned, and how will your approach change (if at all)?

I have learned that SM is so much more fun and effective than traditional means of getting my message out. I’m becoming slightly addicted and am learning as much as I can about it. It has helped our business to grow and gain validity within the wine community and allowed me the pleasure of fostering new friendships along the way. If I could change anything it would have been to immerse myself sooner than I did. As we grow, I am turning over my marketing to another member of my team but not social media. I see it as relationships I’ve created and I’m not willing to turn my “friends” over to someone else. My goal is to keep learning and keep getting better as we mature in our SM efforts, launch our blog and have some fun along the way with the people we get to “meet”.

Congratulations to Breaux Vineyards - 2002 Merlot Reserve was selected as favorite red wine at the Drink Local Wine Twitter Taste Off on April 25, 2010. Pictured: Chris and Jennifer Blosser.

Editorial Disclaimer: Your humble correspondent is by no means a social media or wine expert – not even close!  Rather, I write thru the lens of a passionate wine enthusiast, advocate of the Virginia wine industry, observer of trends from a common sense perspective, and user of social media.

Tomorrow we hear from Chris Wolf at Doukenie Winery and their thoughts on social media.

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Wine Blogging Wednesday 68 – Got Gamay?

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday.  Today mark’s the 68^th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday – Got Gamay?  You can read the announcement details here.

As I mentioned in the announcement post, the Gamay grape is one of the most underrated varietals – afflicted with ‘guilt by association syndrome’ because of Beaujolais Nouveau.  I hope this month’s WBW served as a catalyst for a couple of people to try a Gamay wine that they may not have otherwise tried, and/or maybe changed the perception of this oft maligned grape.

I have come to appreciate the ‘wallet friendly’ wines coming out of the Crus of Beaujolais.  Aside from Chile, there aren’t too many regions that offer such a high value, high quality ‘bang for the buck’ as Cru Beaujolais (I know I may have opened a can of worms with that comment).

My intent for this month’s WBW was to feature one Beaujolais from each of the ten Crus.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a ‘Chenas’ or a ‘Cote de Brouilly’ in my local shops (and was just too lazy to order online).  Instead, I decided to feature my favorite, not so favorite, and honorable mention.

Of the handful of Crus I tasted, my favorite by far, was the Marciel Lapierre Morgon.

Marciel Lapierre 2008 Morgon – I picked this up at Terrior Wine Merchants in San Francisco during a trip last month.  I believe this was $24/bottle at Terrior.  Imported by Kermit Lynch.  One of the owners of Terrior, Luc Erotran, noted that this wine has no sulfites added.  Very simple at first, this wine blossomed like desert wildflowers after a rain – bright, lively, fragrant.   On the nose I picked up cherry, plum, violets, and spice with more violets, cherry and pepper in the mouth.   True to form, high acidity, low tannins.  This wine had a great floral finish.  Although this one was at the high end of my Gamay acceptable price point scale, I consider this an excellent value.    My only regret is that I didn’t buy more bottles of this wine.  If you can find it – buy it!

Conversely, and surprisingly, my least favorite of the Gamay’s I tried this month was the Jacky Janodet 2007 Moulin à Vent.  This wasn’t a bad wine, but it certainly wasn’t what I have come to expect of a Moulin à Vent and Jacky Janodet – rich, more terrior, robust examples of Gamay.  Ah, the hazards of high expectations!  Simple black cherry, strawberry, game meat, and pepper with light acidity.  At $17.99, I found myself disappointed with this wine.  I would consider this a low value at this price point.

An honorable mention for WBW is one of the best ‘value’ wines I’ve had in  a long time – Louis Jadot 2008 Beaujolais Village (see Penny Wise Wine Nirvana post here).

Please post your Wine Blogging Wednesday links or writeup in the comments section below, and I’ll have the recap up on Friday.

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