It Was Just Meant to "Bee!"

Jim and his vineyard assistant, Will, came running into my office the other day all excited!

"Will found a beehive in the vineyard! Can you move it?" Jim asked.

Wow. Wowwowwowwowwow. Ok, so I've had multiple opportunities to move wild hives before through some other local beekeepers, but haven't had a chance to learn because I've been at Pepperdine every single time something like this has come up. Now, just a few days out of school, and there's a hive of Riverbench bees just for me! Ecstatic!

Immediately I emailed and called my local bee resources, asking for instructions, advice and help. They responded with all of the above and, most surprisingly of all, seemed confident I could handle it alone. The hive was small and completely exposed, just hanging right off of a vine. They all talked me through various methods, and I decided to go for it.

Last night was the night (you want to move them at night so most of them are "home"). I suited up, got my supplies, and drove out to examine the hive. With just the light of Jim's trusty headlamp, I found that the hive was actually attached to three separate grape clusters. I started dissecting, cutting the clusters one by one. The hive buzzed but not a single bee moved.

Then the action started. Once I cut away one cluster, the hive became unstable and started to fall. I got the bucket underneath and caught it just in time. A few more clips and most of the rest of the pieces fell in, too. The bees remained relatively calm until I covered the bucket with a lid to seal them in. The buzzing that ensued was angry and not just a little terrifying.

I carefully transported them in the backseat of my car, then dumped them into their new home. About 15,000 bees were at this time flying all around me, landing all over me. My gloves were black, completely coated in them. The light buzzing sensation on my hands was pleasant, though I was still a little nervous about hurting them or messing things up.

I closed up the hive, let the rest of them fly off, and left the scene. They were still there this morning, buzzing around and holding my bucket hostage, but they seem to be settling into their new home. Their view is really gorgeous, actually, overlooking Block 44 and the San Ramon Chapel.

Successful bee extraction #1. (I hope.) That enough excitement for this week.

Note: I'm an idiot and didn't take pictures. I thought I'd have time but things got crazy pretty quickly. Next time.

Nostalgia

Last night, we held our very first staff meeting for the SB team. It was a chance to get all of us in the same room and talk about things, mainly of course, wine. While we do a pretty intense training program for new employees at Riverbench, we hadn't had a chance to sit down as a group and taste through ALL of the wines together. We took the time to do this last night.

Telling stories about my first days at Riverbench six years ago, and the history of the property and the owners, made me a little nostalgic. I found myself remembering the evolution of the Mesa Pinot Noir and missing our former winemaker Chuck Ortman a bit.

I was sitting in the dusty back office (while Riverbench North was being renovated, I worked in the back building with the mice and forklift) my first October at Riverbench in 2007, and Chuck came by. He was going through the vineyard to taste Pinot Noir and asked if I'd like to come along. Of course I jumped at the chance. Tasting grapes with a winemaking celebrity? Yes please.

We tasted row by row and block by block, ending up at the four acre Mesa block. Even to my untrained palate, I could tell those grapes tasted different from everything else we had tried that day.

"Why don't we make this on its own? These grapes taste...different," I asked him. Chuck just smiled his mischievous little smile.

"We could, and they do," he said.

I still don't know if he took me to the Mesa block last on purpose just to see if I'd react. It's long since been, according to Chuck and Jim, the most highly demanded fruit on the vineyard. So that year we kept those grapes separate from the others. The resulting barrel samples that spring blew us away, and the Mesa Pinot Noir become a staple in our wine portfolio.

I miss Chuck sometimes, and he usually somehow senses that and gives me a call to check in. He was such a legendary talent not only on the Central Coast, but in California's wine history. And certainly he was a big part of shaping Riverbench early on. What a sweet and funny man. We miss his goofy sense of humor now and again around here. I count myself super lucky to have worked with him; experiences like the one above will be the things I remember forever.

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. ;)