Wine and the tweet life

 

I posted recently about food personalities on Twitter, which got me thinking about the wine tweet scene. There are lots of wine writers and other professionals getting it done in 140 characters, and the bigger companies have a few people dedicated to the social media beat. But winemakers themselves don’t seem to have taken to Twitter quite so avidly as cooks, don’t know if they’re shy or just too busy.

One exception is @RandallGrahm. Founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz and champion of unheralded grapes, Grahm is a regular on Twitter, posting about everything from what’s new in the vineyard to his late-night crossword cravings.  Presenting a strong but never strident point of view, he’s a must-follow. Another winemaker on Twitter is the Napa Valley’s Cathy Corison, @cathycorison. And Adam Lee, winemaker/owner of Siduri Wines in Sonoma County, @SiduriWines, posts regular updates.

Here are a couple other voices I tune in to. (Yes, this list is random and by no means comprehensive. Feel free to use the comments section to chime in with a few of your favorites.)

Hardy Wallace, @theNPAHardy. Hardy is the guy who won the “really goode job” social media director contest at the Murphy-Goode Winery a couple of years ago. he now works at the Natural Process Alliance winery doing a little bit of everything. Look for plenty of enthusiasm here.

Kendall-Jackson, @KJWines. Cheerful updates from the winery that made America fall in love with chardonnay.

Brown Estate, @brownestate, a cool winery in the Napa Valley producing good wines and fun tweets.

Chateau Montelena, @ChMontelena. This beautiful winery in Calistoga is famous for producing the chardonnay that beat the French at the 1976 Tasting of Paris (a story retold, kind of, in the movie “Bottle Shock.”)

Want more? This link from the Napa Valley Vintners, @NapaVintners, will take you to a list of winery Twitter addresses.

Cheers, communicatively.

 

 

 

The Tweet Life

I love Twitter. I’ve been on it for about a year now and follow nearly 100 people, mostly in the food and wine world. And @KanyeWest, naturally.

I don’t tweet a lot, mostly new blog postings and the occasional observation about the weather or a particularly good piece of work by someone else.

I’d like to post more, but … I’m afraid the tweet bar has been set a bit high.

For instance, I’ll log in of a morning and see something like this:@WellKnownWineWriter Just checked into (major airport) on way to (hot wine destination) to meet with (legendary winemaker).

I could post: @Me Just dropped child off at (battered public school) on way to (living room) to meet (deadline that I must have been insane to agree to). But … it just doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it.

Lunch time rolls around and I might see, @FamousChef Just popped in to @OtherFamousChef”s (new restaurant). Had the (exotic entree I don’t know how to pronounce). Fantastique!

And once again, my option might be, @Me Just peeked into (fridge from which I have yet to remove stuffing crumbs from Thanksgiving). Sampled the (turkey, even though it’s been a few days and I’m beginning to wonder whether it’s still gastronomically viable). Loves!

Now that’s verging on pathetic.

But things may not be as bleak as they seem.

I just emailed two very soignée friends of mine in the food and wine business, complimenting them on their glam life and recent tweets about being out and about in the culinary stratosphere and got back a gleefully honest response that at the time they got my e-mail one half of the couple was typing away while slathered in a face mask and the other was also hard at work while sporting “two days worth of beard combined with his chic ensemble of a gray T-shirt and khaki shorts, which he keeps wearing despite the fact that his wife tells him the colors clash and, oh by the way, it’s winter.

“I feel a bit better now.

Perhaps it’s time to go sniff the turkey.

Bon appetit and Happy Tweeting!