1 Wine Dude

Going Iconclastic: Dead Bolt Wine StubHub.com Giveaway!

Posted on by 1WineDude

For the latter part of this week, I’ll be in (stay classy) San Diego (which of course in German means “a whale’s vagina”), acting as one of the judges in the 2013 Critics Challenge competition (an opportunity at which I jumped, as the rest of the stellar judging cast is, in the words of Ron Burgundy’s deep-timbered narrator, “the ballz!”).

Given my bordering-on-crazy travel schedule this month (and based on the huge response to our last giveaway here on 1WD), I’m opting for another giveaway to assuage your genetic psychological need to respond to the new and different.

This week, I’m teaming up with Dead Bolt Wine to offer a $100 gift card to StubHub.com (cash value: $100… duh…), so that (if you win) you can get your Summer concert fix on!

Part of Dead Bolt’s well-positioned marketing focus is the idea of pushing the envelope in iconoclastic ways, which is a bit of a recurring theme in the features here on 1WD. Dead Bolt have also been heavy into the independent music scene this year – another topic quite close to my ticker. So for this giveaway, here’s how it’s gonna go down:

  • Leave a comment on this post and let us know who in the wine world you most admire for going against the grain (there’s an oak-aging/anti-oak-aging joke in there somewhere).
  • In one week, on June 25, 201 at 8PM ET, I will randomly select a winner from the commenters, who will receive the $100 gift card to StubHub.com.

To get you in the Summer concert going mood, I’m including an embarrassingly staged photo of me from my band’s recent WSTW FM radio appearance, and a clip from that show in which we performed a wine-related tune live on the air (for more on that song, titled Wine Kissing Days, check out the video premier from 2011). You might like it, in which case you’ll be primed for both wine drinking and Summer concerts, or hate it, in which case if you win you’ll be able to go see some other act that’s actually good!

In any case, at least it gives you some background music while you’re writing your comment…

Wine Kissing Days: The Steve Liberace Band

Cheers – and good luck!

13 thoughts on “Going Iconclastic: Dead Bolt Wine StubHub.com Giveaway!”

  1. Most admired–Michael Muscardini. Gave up a construction business to follow his passion of Italian wine in Sonoma. His inspiration was Franco Bondi-Santi (maker of great Brunellos). When they had the chance to meet, Bondi-Santi said to Michael, "Ma che fai," meaning, "What are you thinking!" He clearly did not believe good Sangiovese could be made in California. Six years later, Michael was granted a private appointment with Bondi-Santi, presenting him his 2005 Sangiovese and a 2005 Tesoro. The elder winemaker skeptically, but graciously, accepted his gift. A week later Michael received a letter from Biondi-Santi saying, "The wine of all the bottles you gave to me were very good, very well done and with a great color (absolutely black)." I've tasted and purchased several Muscardini wines, and I'm very glad Michael went "against the grain"!

  2. There are few people I admire in the wine world more than the great Russ Raney. Always humble, always unique, always doing things his own way.

    He moved to Oregon in the mid-80's, before there was any reputation for this area, because he loved Burgundy and wanted to make pinot noir. He bought land in West Salem, far away from where other vineyards were planted, because he believed in the potential of the site, eventually helping to start the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. He switched to Organic farming because he lived on his vineyard, and noticed that there were no birds at his house, because there were no bugs for them to eat. It was only the third organic winery in Oregon, back in a time when "organic" was a dirty word. When his wines began to sell faster than he could produce them, and receive scores in the Spectator, he kept his production the same, because he wanted to make the wines himself; and kept his prices low, because he wanted this friends and neighbors to be able to afford them.

    These are just a few examples of the things that made Russ a unique and fantastic character in the Willamette Valley. After selling his winery in 2010, he now works part-time at a local wine shop. I stop by almost every week to ask him about his vineyard or his "house yeast", but he is usually more interested in talking about some $12 Rhone wine that he's pouring. Russ lives his life against the grain, and does it in a more humble and honest way than any winemaker I know.

      1. Russ is my winemaking hero, I hope I can be as authentic, traditional, and humble as Russ. By the way, the name of his winery was Evesham Wood, which I think I forgot to mention

  3. Times Ten Cellars in Dallas. Bunch of regular guys who loves and were passionate about wine, opened their place in an old post office, and just took off. They got grapes from California and bought land in west texas, and their wine is very good (very unusual). They have some very good red blends.

    1. Thanks, Jason. Are you saying it’s unusual for Texas vintners to bring in ca grapes, or for them to make good wine (or both)? Just asking as Texas is one area with which I’ve little experience, apart from visiting briefly to endure Africa-like heat and eat dinner of the best Mexican food I’ve ever tasted :-) .

  4. I think one of the most interesting wine stories comes from "The Scholium Project" http://www.scholiumwines.com/. Although I have never gotten the chance to taste their wine their style seems unique and I really enjoy their attitude of always learning as well as their deep respect for the earth and winemaking tradition. Their grapes come from small vineyards and each wine is single vineyard bottled. Have you gotten to try any of their wines? One day hopefully I can be so lucky!

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