Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 5:46 AM
Subject: Orangewood Wine News - 28

To Our Wine Aficionados,

Introduction

No sooner have I put out a newsletter than something else newsworthy happens.  In this case 2 more sales people signed up to take specific areas of the state. 

Box Score

New Restaurants/bars:   4

New Retail outlets:          1 – Sort of…

New Sales people:         2

New Wineries:                 0

Contents

Events

CRU Fine Wines – Friday, July 7^th

AJ’s Arrowhead – Saturday, July 8^th

New Sales People

      Micky Jansen

      Geno Mei

New Restaurants

Elle

Jackson’s Grill

Pesto’s

Soleil

New Retail Outlets

Epicurean Wine Service

Events

CRU Fine Wines – Friday, July 7^th               6:00 – 7:30 PM

      Kelly and I will be pouring a selection from the Frank Family and Napa Cellars wine selections.

AJ’s Arrowhead – Saturday, July 8th         1:00 – 3:00 PM

      Bill and I will be pouring wines from Vino Con Brio, Napa Cellars, Frank Family and who knows where else.

New Sales People

Micky Jansen

Micky lived in Flagstaff for many years and now makes her home in Cave Creek – at least for the winter.  Laurie got to know Micky at a horsemanship clinic; and it was afterwards, when we were all sipping wine, that we realized this could be the start of a beautiful relationship. Micky’s day job is as an artist who primarily paints with oil on canvas.  Her paintings are on display at the Norby Gallery in Cave Creek, the Black Diamond spa in Flagstaff and Razz’s Bar and Grill in Scottsdale.  She is now selling our wines in the Flagstaff area and has started with Jackson’s Grill.

Geno Mei

It was back in 2002 when Geno called me to say he had heard that I distributed a great Sangiovese from Vino Noceto.  Would it be possible to try some?  Who are you I asked!  Geno was the lead brother who started the first Nello’s pizza restaurant in Tempe.  He liked the wine and was a major customer until he sold the restaurant 2 years ago.  Now that he lives out in Fort McDowell, he has agreed to scout out (I was going to say “hang out in”) the restaurants and bars in Fountain Hills on our behalf.

New Restaurants

Elle – 3048 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson

The full name of this restaurant is “Elle – a wine country restaurant”.  They take their wine seriously and offer a lot by the glass.  Food is serious, too.

Jackson’s Grill – 7085 S Highway 89A, Flagstaff

      When Frank (yes, you Frank) was trying to help me establish some accounts in Flagstaff he took me for lunch at Jackson’s Grill.  It’s the perfect place, but I have found it takes energy and presence to be serious in a market and took it no further.  Now that Micky is right there it was a delight to find that this is her favorite place.  Located on 89A a little south of the Flagstaff airport exit from I-17, this could become a feature of any Grand Canyon tour.

Pesto’s Pizza, Pasta and Calzone – 1960 W Ray Rd, Chandler

      I love it when a restaurant gives me a big hint about what they make right there in the name.  This Chinese restaurant…just kidding.  In addition to reasonably priced, great food, they have figured out that good wine adds value and attracts additional customers.  I have not been there yet, but Greg, our driver, says this place is really nice inside.

Soleil – 3001 E Skyline Dr, Tucson

Soleil, which means Sun, if my schoolboy French serves me, is located in the art district with stunning views of Tucson from the dining room, this independent restaurant takes its food and wines very seriously.  Who else has a quote from the economist John Milton Keyes on the wine list?

New Retail Outlets

Epicurean Wine Service

      John Scremin, owner of Epicurean Wine Service, was one of my mentors as I started distributing wines.  He tasted all of the wines I was considering bringing into the state and hosted visitors from wineries at his wine tastings.  There was a time when he was selling every wine in our portfolio.  Now his wife is moving to Colorado and he is going, too.  Thanks and best wishes, John.  He has sold the store to Greg Brickey and Jeff Davis.  Greg belongs to the Vino Noceto nut club – and I have delivered wine to him on the winery’s behalf.  Change of ownership is sort of like a new account.  Vino Noceto and Wilderotter are the immediate beneficiaries.  Check out the store as it evolves towards a new vision.

Rambling

With all major areas of the state now covered by sales people, I find myself in the enviable position of not looking for more sales people.  This is a major relief.  Now I can sit around and do nothing.  Well not Ed Zachary.   We have become a popular distributor for wineries.  So far this year we have approached or been approached by over 12 wineries.  All of them produce great wine, but I don’t feel that we can do justice to a portfolio that suddenly becomes 50% bigger.  So mostly I decline, some I ask for samples and I try them with the sales team, and one or two do make it to the portfolio.  We’ll be talking about those two in the next newsletter.

Occasionally in a fit of self delusion I start to tidy my desk and files.  Mostly I have a piling system rather than a filing system.  It looks neat and is kind of fun to try to find something in a pile.  I run across all the other things I should have been dealing with and soon get distracted.  In one pile I ran across this old newsletter from Vino Noceto from Spring 1995.  Our friends, Pam and Dick, had sent us a half case of the 1993 Sangiovese and the newsletter showed up with the wine.  Little did we know where it would lead us.

Ciao,

Richard and Laurie

Richard (newsletter writer) and Laurie Corles (editor)

Orangewood Consulting LLC

480.488.4794 or 602.410.3774

http://www.orangewoodwines.com

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