socialwine

Wednesday March 31st at 6pm PT you can follow our tweetchat with 4^th generation Napa grape grower, Jennifer R. Thomson, known on twitter as @ThomsonVnyrds.

Our line of questioning this week will be on the topic of “bridging the gap with social media between generations i.e. old world farming new world business”, a topic she knows plenty about! To share your questions for that event early, please contact @craigsutton by direct message or email before the event and include your questions.

All chosen questions will have there twitter handle associated with them when asked, and the best of the day will be interviewed by Craig for a blog post to be mentioned in the following #socialwine chat.

Jennifer R. Thomson’s Bio:

I’ve kicked and screamed my way into this industry fighting off the family business as long as could. A 4th generation Napa grape grower, as a woman I am the micro-minority. However, my great grandfather, grandfather, father and uncles were instrumental in planting some of the first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Los Carneros; back when global wine leaders insisted that you couldn’t grow good fruit in Napa Carneros and nobody knew what a clone was. As a result we’ve got one vine left of what we call Chardonnay “Tuti-frutti” clone and it’s downright comical watching the Old Farmers discuss just how they plan to take bud wood from one single vine to replant the entire vineyard.

Our name isn’t Mondavi or Sattui. But, the Thomson’s have farmed 80+ acres of pears, apples, prunes, and cattle since 1936 and developed the first irrigation system in Napa Carneros in the 1950s. As a result of this family tradition, I went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and worked at one point for UC Davis developing social media, new technology marketing campaigns. I eventually bought off every single one of my professors with a bottle of wine while submitting my MBA thesis on the Economic Status of the California Wine Industry.

George (The Farmer) and Jennifer Thomson

I’ve held professional titles such as “Marketing Director”, “Creative Director” “Project Manager” and I currently construct and implement strategic communications campaigns in my day job for the City of San Francisco. In my spare time – my other full time job – is running vineyard operations and strategy for Thomson Vineyards. My Dad, George, affectionately referred to as The Farmer, stomped his feet at me last year and said, “I put grapes on grapevines, that’s all I can do.” And that’s where I come in, I do everything else. I manage relationships with winemakers and wineries, prospect new wineries to sell to, write contracts, coordinate harvest crews and logistics, buy and negotiate for equipment, meet with field reps to discuss water usage, new organic products and techniques, review P&L statements, watch the weather, sit on the end of the bin at harvest and pick leaves out to ensure we deliver clean fruit each and every time, and drive an ATV and tractor occasionally.

Social media and technology are huge components of that job, because they allow me to work remotely from Napa and the vineyard, which increases efficiencies. Hopefully one day these efficiencies will add to our bottom line. Until then, no one in this family business has a “title” except for The Farmer. He’s the guy that puts premium grapes on grapevines and has a lifetime of knowledge about farming, soil, irrigation, cropping and the genetic makeup of grapevines that not even the brightest star of a winemaker can compete with.

The wine industry is often overly glamorized by winebloggers and social media gurus eating oysters and drinking champagne all over the west coast. And while everyone in the industry runs around trying to answer “How will Millennials affect the wine industry!?” What do consumers want!?!”  “I need a social media director to tell my story!!!” Thomson Vineyards message is simple, “Beyond the slick wine label, underneath the over the top retail price, just next to the ambitious winemaker is 12 months of farming. Farmers battle weather, pests, equipment malfunctions, early morning hours, long days, and hard labor for 12 months to grow the fruit before it can even begin to be considered what we will eventually know it as – California Wine.” And THAT is the message the industry should be working towards to build relationships with consumers; ultimately leading them to be more brand loyal and eventually stabilizing the industry.

You can follow The Farmer through the vineyard on Twitter @ThomsonVnyrds and soak up punchy banter and wine industry insight from the Farmer’s Millennial Daughter on the Thomson Vineyards blog at www.thomsonvineyards.com

Wednesday March 17th at 6pm PT you can follow our tweetchat with Winemaker Greg Fries, and ask questions about the regions strength for grape growth, what goes into his decision making process and why Prosser, WA is the right place for his winery.

Greg grew up working on his family’s farm in California’s Central Valley, farming row crops such as cotton and tomatoes. When his family moved to Oregon in 1982, his family switched to farming hazelnuts and planted a small vineyard in 1985.

In 1990, Greg enrolled at UC Davis and began studying agribusiness,but his interest quickly shifted to vineyard management and grape growing. He soon changed his major to fermentation science with an emphasis in enology. During his summer breaks, he returned home to Dundee, Oregon, and put his knowledge to use on the family vineyard.

In 1992, his family decided it was time to open a winery of their own. They purchased a plot of land alongside the then rural Hwy 99W in Dundee. In 1993, Duck Pond Cellars opened its doors to the public. Wanting to expand beyond Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, the family also began planting the 480 acre Desert Wind Vineyard, located on Washington’s Wahluke Slope. When Greg graduated from UC Davis in 1994, he spent that summer and fall working under Duck Pond Cellars’ winemaker at the time. In 1995, he worked the first ever harvest at Desert Wind Vineyard and took over responsibility as head winemaker at Duck Pond Cellars. In1997, the Fries family decided it was time to start thinking about producing another brand of wine using the premium fruit from the Desert Wind Vineyard. With Greg as head winemaker, the initial releases of Desert Wind wines (1997 Ruah, 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999 Merlot and 2000 Semillon) were released to the public in 2001.

In 2004, the crush pad at Desert Wind was completed and Greg was able to bring fruit from the nearby vineyards to Prosser instead of trucking the fruit to the family’s Oregon facility for processing. As the wines continued to grow in popularity, the family decided it was time to open a tasting room and event facility in Prosser. In February 2007, Desert Wind Winery opened its doors. During construction, Greg oversaw all aspects of the project, at times acting as general contractor and general laborer. From the stucco on the walls of the winery to the wine in the bottle, nearly every aspect of Desert Wind bears Greg’s touch.

Greg considers the completion of Desert Wind the highlight of his career. He also prefers the term vintner to winemaker, as he feels it more accurately describes his position. “I enjoy the business of wine as a whole,” he explains. “I make sure I am involved in every aspect of the operation—from the planting and management of the vineyards to the operation of the buildings.”