Odds 'n Ends
Vote for the August Charity Winner: Well, we learned that the polling software doesn't get picked up in the e-mail feed. So, if you want to vote for the August charity winner, you need to CLICK HERE and vote on the site. Over 50 votes have been registered so far, but it is still an open race. The poll is only open until 8am on September 2nd, so vote now! Harvest Update: We've received the following date ranges for the upcoming harvest periods. We should get about 48-hours prior notice for our specific crush/sort date and time. Doctor's Vineyard: 9/16/08 - 9/30/08. Annahala Vineyard: 9/26/08 - 10/10/08.
Wine Spectator Snafu: Wine Spectator recently published their annual restaurant review issue. Splashed across the cover was the headline: "Restaurant Wine Service - Not Good Enough!" Maybe it should have read: "Restaurant Review Service - Not Good Enough." It seems that one Robin Goldstein entered a fake restaurant for review by Wine Spectator this year and was actually awarded their Award of Excellence. Not only did the restaurant not exist, but the wines that Goldstein provided on the fake wine list were among the lowest rated wines in Wine Spec's recent history. According to Wine Spectator their Award of Excellence is, "the basic award, for lists that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Typically, these lists offer at least 100 selections." You can read about the exploit here. A reminder to all of us not to take any of these things too seriously!
Sagient Update: I'm very pleased to announce that for the second year in a row Sagient Research was named to the Inc. 5000 list as one of America's Fastest Growing Companies. We've got a ways to go to match the #1 performer who had a three year revenue growth rate of 31,525%! How is that even possible?? Needless to say, I'm very proud of the great team we've got here and all the hard work they've been putting in over the past few years.
Bruliam Brigade: The pictures keep streaming in and we currently have a nice backlog of pictures. But don't let that dissuade you from sending in your shots. Remember to take your Bruliam t-shirt on your next trip, outing, or escapade.