Township 7 at Hamilton Street Grill

Once again Neil and the gang are having one of their great wine nights and they're featuring Township 7 wines.

http://www.localwineevents.com/Greater-Vancouver--BC-Wine/event-174014.html

OpenWine Consortium - worth investigating

I've had the opportunity to join a fledgling group of wine people who are congregating at OpenWine Consortium. It's a group of wine types dedicated to spreading the good word through the world of rapidly developing technology.

If it sounds a little dry, fogedaboutit! It's a vibrant, global community still in it's infancy and is still being shaped by new membership.

So far it seems like an ideal environment where wine makers, winery owners, web developers, marketers, retailers and others connected to wine can meet to brainstorm and discuss various aspects of the business and discover how technology can serve the cause.

Along the way you'll meet some interesting people with a common interest and, in some cases, a common destination.

I urge everyone in the wine business to at least give it a look, especially those of you in the BC industry. It will help alleviate that "outpost on the edge of the world" feeling you may sometime experience in this industry. If you do register, please join the Pacific Northwest group to further define your origins.

Wine Ski Wine Ski - It's the Winemaker's Cup!

I just heard about an event that really is close to my heart because it combines two things I'm really interested in.
Skiing and wine.
Hats off to the organizers for even thinking of this. Great idea. I encourage everyone in the business to take the day and come up for some fun, sun and casual networking.

Mt. Baldy Ski Resort. Oliver, B.C.
Cost:For Race participants: $50.00 which includes Lift Ticket, Ski Race, BBQ Lunch, honorary T-shirt, and prizes. If you have a ski pass, only $29.00 per person.
Spectators: only charge is $10.00 per person for the lunch.
Ski or Snowboard rentals are available for $16.00 per person

Pre-Registration and information:Contact Tim Foster at Mt. Baldy with any questions you may have by phone,(250) 498-4086, Fax: (250) 498-4087 or e-mail: timf@skibaldy.com

Pre-Registration deadline Friday March 13th.

Want to work on an island?

Garry Oaks is looking for tasting room people.

See their ad and description by using the link at the top of the right sidebar.

You can live the summer in the islands, grow your hair, do yoga in the forest, commune with the tides.

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

The biggest wine festival in North America is now well under way at this point and will continue through the weekend. I'm popping in on Friday afternoon for trade day to see some old faces and taste some new wines.
Each year the festival pooh-bahs select a region and a wine as the thematic influences. This year the country is Italy and the wine is bubble.
Next year is what I'm interested in:
Our own little old British Columbia will be featured as the region and Pinot Noir will be the wine.
As a result, my main squeeze Township 7 will be in attendance and I'll be there to press the flesh and dispense the stuff. So mark your electronic calendar devices now! March 23 -29, 2009.

Keep a breast of the sexy wine world.

In my tireless search for informative and educational items for my readership I have to look at a lot of schlock before the true gems are revealed.

Here is a gem.

This is a forum devoted to the wine industry professionals of the world and if you're at all interested in what we talk about, if you seek the truth, check it out.

http://cellarrats.proboards91.com/index.cgi

You can probably join even if you're not hip deep in pomace every fall.

Notice I've loaded the title for maximum hits. I was tempted to put NASCAR in there too.

San Pellegrino and my grape photos.

Every once in awhile something amusing happens on this internets thing.
Some photos I took of Gewurztraminer out in the vineyard here are now appearing on a San Pellegrino website. My people were contacted by their people and requests were made and permissions were granted. No lunch invite yet, though.

I check this morning and I was able to scroll through a few dozen nice photos accompanying a story about the Italian "traminer" version of the Gew.

Just checked again and had some trouble accessing the story properly but you may have better luck.

Check it out!

Staff Training - Terms Explained

There's always new staff to train in a growing organization. It helps to have a manual or training book with wine and vineyard terms explained from your company's viewpoint.

A little humour always helps.

Here's an excerpt:

Fermentation
Naturally-occurring or commercially prepared yeast (a genus in the kingdom of fungi) strains (usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces bayanus) prefer sugar (complex carbohydrates) to complete their life cycle. The by-products of their activity include alcohol and carbon dioxide. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is also used in the production of ale and stout. Another yeast, Saccharomyces pastorianus, is used for lager. Molson Canadian is a lager. If you notice, pastorianus has the word “anus” embedded in it which explains why Molson Canadian tastes like ass.

Malolactic Fermentation
Primarily used for red wine and Chardonnay, the ML fermentation is a bacterial infection that takes malic acid and converts it to a form of lactic acid. Human taste receptors perceive malic acid as sharp and tangy (think Granny Smith apples) while lactic acid, prominent in dairy products, is softer and ‘creamy’. In conjunction with other factors present, a wine that has gone through ML and barrel aging will be considered to be smoother and more complex. Aroma is also altered. Descriptors can include: corn, cream corn, banana, popcorn, caramel, butter, cheese. ML in white wine (Chardonnay) has been on the decrease in recent years.



Tannins
They get their name from the tanning of animal hides. This was done by using an acidic solution sourced traditionally from oak bark that stopped the decomposition of the hides. Tannins in wine are complex astringent polyphenols that help stop the decomposition of the wine. Tannins are sourced from the grape skins, grape seeds and the wood of the barrel. Care must be taken to not extract too much tannin during production, especially from the seeds which can supply particularly harsh tannins. Tannins combine with substances in wine such as proteins and other macromolecules to form strong and heavy complexes that often precipitate and are seen as sediments in aged wines. The best way to describe the effect of tannin in wine is to have the subject drink from a cup of cold, strong tea. Tea contains a lot of tannin and there are few other flavours to confuse the palate. The effect will be a ‘furry’ tongue sensation. The tea should be sipped with the cup handle grasped between the thumb and the forefinger and the pinkie finger raised.

Assistant Wine Maker Wanted.

POSITION FILLED
You may recall we were looking for an assistant wine maker for Township 7 back in November.
We received some good response. Unfortunately our short list evaporated due to head-hunting, family committments and other things beyond mortal control. So the talent search had been re-launched.

Assistant Winemaker Required:
Township 7 Vineyards and Winery requires well-rounded individual to perform all cellar duties and some vineyard tasks associated with the production of top end wines at their 10,000 case facility in Penticton, BC.

Candidates should have two years related experience, some academic training in the enology or viticultural fields and a willingness to excel.

Physical requirements include an ability to lift and carry 22 kg. The job requires working inside and outside exposed to the elements at hand. Many work days require being on your feet for the entire shift.

Preferred skill sets would be (but we will train as required): forklift experience, familiarity with common cellar equipment and bottling lines, computer and common software friendly.

Personal attributes would include: attention to detail, punctuality, open-mindedness. Some travel required.

Salary negotiable.

Respond with a cover letter and CV to:
brad@township7.com

Check it out

15 Cool, Sexy Jobs In The Wine Business

Somebody asked me the other day what kind of jobs there were in the wine business.
Here's a few -
1. Wine maker - duh.
2. Cellar master - any place that puts together more than a few hundred barrels each year could proabably use a dedicated employee to look after them and the wine inside. You'll have to cellar rat a few years and then specialize your training. Perhaps pursue some secondary education. Maybe a stint at a barrel maker would be handy. Which leads me to . . .
3. Cooper - somebody, preferably a craftsman, has to make all those barrels. Study carpentry and joinery and then get a gig in one of the big houses in the U.S. or Europe. Then branch out on your own.
4. Cellar rat - slightly above a hose dragger, mostly a full time gig doing all the menial and dirty jobs around the cellar. There is no better way to learn how the wine is made.
5. Harvest helper (hose dragger) - if you're heading into production you'll have to do this at some point. Depending on the operation, you could be doing everything from picking grapes to filtration to driving truck to filling in behind the shop counter. The pay is minimal; the experience is essential.
6. Sales - after the owner decides to hang up one of the hats he/she wears, sales jobs suddenly materialize. Days on the road, customers with no freaking idea, missed quotas, everybody wanting free wine. Pure joy for the right person.
7. Wine Shop staffer - different operations have different systems, but like any retail operation, look for the place that rewards proven performers. Besides the wage, is there any bonus structure, perks, possibility of advancement, benefit plans or wine allowance?
8. Wine Shop manager - one of those jobs where the crap can come at you from above (boss), below (staff) and sideways (public). If you like to juggle, you may want to try this.
9. Winery Supplies - It's mostly 9 to 5. Wineries need stuff and equipment. The lab has to be stocked, the wine shop needs knick-knacks, the cellar needs another bag of citric acid. You can fill this need with your huge inventory and free delivery for orders over $50.
10. Winery Equipment - The big stuff like presses and tanks. You don't sell one everyday but when you do - yipee! Find a line not represented in your area and get an exclusive distribution agreement. Helps to also be a . . .
11. Equipment technician - if you understand how stuff works (machines) you can carve out a niche in the winery business. A lot of wine makers and winery owners come from varied fields and seldom do those fields include the skills to fix electric motors, pumps, compressors, belt drives and all sorts of stuff.
12.Packaging - even wineries that spend too little time on their wine seems to spend an inordinate amount of time getting the bottle, label, closure and capsule just right. Help ease the pain by representing a spiffy line of packaging for the wine business.
13.Wine Club organizer - wine clubs as sales drivers are nothing new. But with the rapid rise of the internet over the last two decades comes on-line clubs that, in some cases, eclipse the sales of the bricks and mortar wine shops in their own organization. If you're a marketing expert with an emphasis on web communities this may be your calling.
14.Food Service - if you have a background in food preparation or service you may have noticed that many wineries are integrating food into their customer interpretation centres (wine shops).
It could be the fanciest restaurant in the area or a simple cold counter serving deli style take-away. Come up with a concept and sell it to the winery with the greatest need and the greatest possibility of success.
15. Tour Guide - get your chauffeur's license and drive folks around wine country. It seems to get more popular every year. There's all sorts of ways to build in commissions to this gig. They're your captives for several hours. Shouldn't you earn something for recommending the same excellent restaurant everyday to well-heeled visitors?

Job Opening

Use the button at the top of the sidebar to the right if you're interested in an assistant winemaker's job.