I’m going to go ahead and say it…I’m sick of wine.
To be more specific, I’m sick of all the chatter, white noise, debate, and over analysis of wine. I still love drinking it and having a blast with my friends getting buzzed. I also still LOVE talking about Paso Robles and all the cool stuff happening here but all the rest of it is nothing more than a big pebble in my shoe.
This guy Jeff Miller, from Artisan Family of Wines, wrote this blog post recently and I LOVED it. Now, his point and mine probably vary slightly here and there but overall he said what I had been thinking for some time. Part of the problem is my own fault…due to what I do I tend to search the internet for articles about wine and general wine news, which include online magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, as well as wine blogs…and oh my freakin’ damn there are TOOOOOOO many wine blogs.
You see, we do not have a wine blog. We have a blog focused on Paso Robles and our own adventures. We do not critique wines but we will critique customer service or social media use by wineries…so maybe we’re a customer service and social media blog. It’s possible we’re just a Paso Robles blog or maybe a lifestyle blog…I don’t know and I don’t care. I am not trying to classify what we do other than to say we are not a wine blog.
I find wine and the wine industry to be fascinating but not in the sense of talking about tannins, nose of tree bark, or punch downs. What I dig about wine are the stories and not just any stories…the stories in Paso Robles. I also care when new wineries open up or when new restaurants open…I like to pass that info along. I also enjoy talking about events and things that are going down in Paso…again, to pass that info along. I enjoy talking about beer as well and writing the occasional blog post that may be motivational or maybe a post about how to use social media. By the way, I know I used the word “I” a lot in this paragraph and honestly I don’t care…this isn’t some stuffy, everything-has-to-be-perfect international magazine…it’s just my blog.
The problem I see in the world is people taking things way to seriously or over analyzing something to the point that it simply isn’t fun anymore. Sure, let’s talk about the wine for a little bit (what does it smell like, what does it taste like, even structure and all that) but when is enough, enough? I know, I know…I can just turn the channel and ignore all that and I get it. The point I’m trying to make is that every person that creates something (writing, poetry, paintings, sculptures, music, quilt’s…whatever) has a duty to keep things fresh.
Don’t post something for the sake of posting something (I’ve been guilty of that) and there’s no need to wax poetic about one wine in a 3,000 word blog post. Freedom of speech…I get that too, but when should people take ownership and accountability of what they are babbling about, I mean…creating? I’ve sat around with winemakers here in Paso and after discussing the nuances of a wine for 5 minutes we move on to real world shit like skinny dipping, why bunghole is still so funny, and who the folks are that opened the newest tasting room. I’m well aware that some people may find analyzing a wine down to its gritty bones enjoyable but if anyone has the numbers on how many people in the world are that way I’d be interested in knowing.
To take this recent peeve a step further I am noticing these people are usually the ones bashing others for their choice in wines or beers. Okay, bash may be a strong word but if I drink Bud Light and you think I’m ignorant for doing so…it’s kind of like bashing. I do drink Bud Light but I also enjoy great craft beer but evidently I am not as wealthy as some of these egotistical drinkers out there. Hell, Annie and I are the same with wine…we always have a good stock of cheap shit alongside more expensive wines. Fortunately there are a lot of Paso wineries that give us great discounts which is greatly appreciated.
I’m rambling now so I will break it down to these takeaways:
Over analyzing is like masturbating, you should do it behind closed doors and spare everyone else.
Do not ever criticize anyone for what they drink…unless they don’t drink, criticize them for that.
Cheers!
Bottom line…. Shut up and drink up. CHEERZ !! (Wow Matt. A pebble?) LOL
Mo, LOL…yes indeed. I like wine more than pebbles. 🙂
I dunno Matt, I feel like I have to call you out on this one. If you’re tired of talking about the vino all the time, okay, that’s understandable… but the tagline for this very blog reads “Drinking Wine For The People.” That’s pretty specifically wine-related.
You mention social media on your “About Us” page, as well as other businesses (beer, etc), but it’s mostly about wine and how Paso’s a wine region. If you’re saying you want to refocus this blog to be not about wine, again, that’s totally up to you! It’s your little corner of the internet, after all. But I don’t think it’s fair to try and purport that this website didn’t start out as and get successful as a wine blog. That’s your niche, I think you owe it some lip-service.
And to get to the ‘meat of the matter’ … I think it’s easy for those of us who spend loads of time in and around the wine industry online to get tired of the same old schtick. I GET what you and the Artisan wine blogger are saying. But I also believe it’s arrogant for us to assume (and this is an arrogance I’m guilty of myself) that other people are reading and involved like we are. It’s all about being empathetic with your audience — what are they looking for? For lots of people wine is still new, and that “boring” vineyard photo is the prettiest thing they’ve seen in awhile. That’s why it’s getting thousands of views and a hundred ‘likes’ on Facebook. We might be bored of it, but we’re in the minority… I think that’s easy to forget.
Lindsay, I can agree with part of what you say. Our tag line is drinking wine for the people not analyzing wine for the people…which is what i apparently did not get across. My issue is over analyzing wine (or anything for the matter) to the point where it is not fun.
I do not feel we have a wine blog, as I say in the piece, I feel we (if anything) have a lifestyle blog. Much of our posting has been about wine because we enjoy it (drinking it) and spreading the word about Paso. So again, if anything…we have a lifestyle or Paso blog…not a wine blog. That’s how I see it anyways.
I do agree with those folks that are new to the wine scene and how it is that “vineyard photos” get tons of likes or whatever…great point on that. Being part of this scene all the time can make it a bit “over done” but there are a lot of people not around it much so every vineyard photo transports them to paradise. Totally get it.
I feel what I owe lip service to is being lucky enough to live in Paso. I’ve blogged about wine, restaurants, wine events, lavender festivals, beer festivals, my feelings about why Paso is great, the ocean, my kid, my marriage, and so on…so again, tough for me to call it a wine blog and pay any success (which I don’t think I have) solely to wine. I really appreciate your thoughts….because it made me think and will continue to make me think. Cheers to you and sincerely, thank you. 🙂