It All Comes Down To Your People

It's been a while since I've posted here. Things got a bit hectic with summertime rolling in and the new tasting room opening its doors. Opening a second "chain" should have been easy, but it turns out it's not. In fact, the second tasting room has a completely different vibe, a whole different way of marketing, and a full set of new challenges. This isn't a bad thing at all; in fact, it makes Riverbench as a whole all the more interesting and exciting, and allows two entirely different groups of people to have access to our wines.

Last night, we held our annual employee appreciate barbecue at the vineyard. More than ever, our ownership took the reins, cooking and serving all the food, setting up the festive flower arrangements and tables, and planning a great time for all. The main difference, however, is that our staff has gone from a simple little group of 12 people to a much larger group of 23! And we're still growing. Yet even though the two store locations are in two different places an hour apart, every single member of our team came together beautifully. It was pretty remarkable to see the two groups co-mingling and having a great time getting to know each other.

I've always said that the best hires I've ever made were of people who had never worked with wine. Instead, they all had one thing in common: they smile a lot and know how to be friendly. Such a basic thing, yet so hard to come by.

I know good people exist, but finding them isn't always easy. Somehow, though, I've managed to find two incredible groups of people to build two entirely different segments of the same business. And that, my friends, is a bit of a miracle.

It's not enough, but I do want to give a special shout out to the three most amazing managers with whom I've ever had the pleasure of working: Amber (Tasting Room Manager in Santa Maria and Wine Club Manager), Krysta (Hospitality Manager), and Christina (Tasting Room Manager in Santa Barbara). Without the three of you, things wouldn't be this amazing, and our future wouldn't be as bright. Thanks for all you do.

Here's to an exciting future at Riverbench!

The Great Unveiling!

I'm pleased to announce that Riverbench Santa Barbara will officially be opening on Tuesday, May 28! Come in, taste some delicious wines, and check out all we've done to make the space gorgeous.





Enjoy wine by the glass or the bottle, or do a fun tasting. Our staff is awesome and we're running on a high right now with all the excitement.

Short and sweet, but again, come see us from 11 AM to 6 PM in the Funk Zone!

Rain, Rain, or Lack Thereof

"It's been a dry year," said my skin, cuticles, and hair.

No, really. We're wayyy under average for rainfall in 2013, and fire season is off to an early start already. It's going to be interesting.

So how does less rain affect the vines? Jim Stollberg answered this question, and the response isn't what I was expecting:

After harvest, in the early parts of the year, the vines get more water to recharge and rejuvenate them after all the hard work they do producing those lovely little grapes. Without much rain this year, we watered with water from our wells. Apparently, while this is fine, well water is not nearly as clean as rainwater, and can result in more salt deposits than usual. Short term, this isn't a big deal, but if we were to be in a drought for, say, five years, it might become an issue.

See, rain helps dilute the salt in the soil, which is good, because if you get too much buildup, the vines can't absorb water and nutrients as easily.

So there you have it. We need more rain.

Riverbench Goes to the Windy City

I love cities. Their energy, the masses of people, the endless list of things to do. It's like being on a sort of high with overwhelming options for entertainment, especially for people who love food and wine and excitement.

Needless to say, I couldn't wait to visit Chicago for the first time. It's an absolute haven for amazing restaurants and people who love to eat and drink. An assortment of distributors and friends had given me many recommendations of places to go, which ended up being all combined onto one document which became affectionately known as "The List." I just unpacked that crumpled and stained piece of paper, which will have to be edited and retired because everywhere we went someone added their own recommendations to it. The result? "The List" is now longer than when it started, though we did manage to hit up several amazing places every day.

This just means I'll need to go back.

Among the favorites were Girl and the Goat (goat empanadas! nom!), Pops for Champagne (no explanation needed), Longman and Eagle (tete de cochon, anyone?), and this awesome little cocktail joint called Billy Sunday (giant ice balls - Enough said). But every place we visited was outstanding, serving delicious food, fun wines, and upbeat atmospheres.



The main reason I planned to visit Chicago was to pour at Pinot Days there. Riverbench has participated in the event in Los Angeles and San Francisco for years, but never this one. Man, we've been missing out! This event at Navy Pier had some of the most fun wine lovers in attendance! There wasn't a drop of Riverbench wine left at the end; wine drinkers in Chicago apparently have wonderful taste. I was also invited to participate in a Diversity Seminar to talk about the Santa Maria Valley that morning which was really awesome, and featured some lovely wines as well. Overall, a killer event. We have sold wine in Illinois in the past, and have now re-established ourselves there with a new distributor, so will be back in the area a little more often. (Thank goodness, as I'm already suffering from withdrawals.) :)

See you again soon, Chi Town!

It's NOT A Puff!

Lucky me got to have a pretty amazing experience recently. Winemaker Clarissa Nagy and I headed up to Alameda for not only a chance to personally show Connoisseur's Guide's Charlie Olken and Steve Eliot our Riverbench wines, but also to participate in their daily blind tasting with them. This type of rare opportunity doesn't come along often.

We sat in a beautiful room surrounded by gorgeous river views, and I thought to myself that almost nine years ago, I packed up my little car and drove out to California, bulldog Roy smushed into the center console of the front seats, to start a career in the wine industry. I was nobody special. I'm still not. The folks at Consilience wines took a chance on me and gave me my first experiences in the tasting room. To be at Riverbench now is a dream, but tasting at the same table with Charlie, Steve, and Clarissa? That goes down as a pretty special moment for me.

Listening to Steve and Charlie talk about their years in the industry, wine politics, and wine in general led to a great time with lots of laughs. Over lunch, I happened to casually mention how getting scores and "puffs" from them in their publication makes such an impact on marketing our wines. Turns out, I needed to be enlightened, and so do many others.

"They're not puffs! Have you ever read a Michelin Guide?" asked Steve. "What do they give when they rate restaurants?"

"Stars," I answered, hesitantly.



Wouldn't you know that they're the exact same little figures that we call "stars" in the Michelin Guide, but people for some reason mistakenly call them "puffs" when talking about the Connoisseur's Guide. The guys don't know how this started, but I vowed to educate as many as I can. They're not clouds or puffs...they are stars!

Either way, the Connoisseur's Guide does it right. These two truly love wine (hearing them talk about it is a magical experience all on its own). Their blind tasting was so enlightening for us that we decided to hold monthly ones here ourselves. Maybe we'll start rating wines based solely on a "puff" system. ;)

The Bucket List

Life is short. And nothing's guaranteed. Change is constant. Carpe diem and all that.

I have a very long bucket list, so each year on my birthday I make a short list of the things I'm going to accomplish that year. In year 31, the list includes the following:

Visiting Thailand:



Bonding with an elephant: (meet Yatmanim)



Playing with tigers:





Praying in a Buddhist temple:



And, among other things, opening our second Riverbench tasting room. The tasting room is slated to open in April (finally!). A productive year 31? You bet.

All that's missing from these pictures is a glass of Riverbench, because we can all agree that with the best life experiences, whether you're swimming with elephants or celebrating the fact that you made it through the day, there should be a darn good glass of wine involved! Enjoy every minute, and don't forget to pop a cork or two.

Think Pink

Everyone knows someone who has been affected by that awful curse, cancer. It's just one of those things that has become a permanent part in our world. That's why fighting it is everyone's duty, sick or well.

When we first released our Riverbench Rosé of Pinot Noir in 2009, I asked Jim and Fred to use a gloriously bright and lively pink wax on the top of each bottle. We spent hours creating the perfect "swoop" and eventually nailed it. (Fred's a pro.) People loved the packaging, but for a reason that didn't originally occur to us: it reminded them of breast cancer awareness.

This connection between our rosé, the pink wax, and breast cancer was so obvious, so instantly we decided to donate a portion of the profits from every vintage to our local cancer center's program. Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria has taken great strides to build a premium facility on the Central Coast, and we're proud to support it. In January each year when the rosé sells out, we write a check, and each year it's gotten a little larger as we add to our production incrementally. We're surely proud to contribute to such an outstanding cause.

We at Riverbench believe so much in building sustainable business, and in doing so, supporting our community. This is just one little way we want to keep giving back.