The Desert Wine Guy - Todays Thoughts - New Vineyard Update

   Folks, today I have finally had enough, enough of the big wine corporations who insist on not responding in any way to those of us who spend time reviewing their product. To me it is actually simply a matter of courtesy. I am pretty sure that I am not the only person with a wine Social Media site who feels this way. Aside from that topic, I am also going to talk a little bit as well today about the start of my new vineyard here in Citrus County, Florida. So, where do I begin? I guess I'll begin first by talking about the so called "professional" wineries/vineyards who make it a habit to not respond to their customers and fellow wine industry folks (in this case a reviewer). While I can only speak for myself here, I believe that there are many other people out there like me who spend their time for free, reviewing wine and attempting to educate others in that area and we deserve to be acknowledged. As of the writing of this blog I have 2,187 people who follow me on my Desert Wine Guy Facebook channel (https://www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy) and perhaps you are one of those followers, if you are I certainly thank you. For a guy who dedicates a lot of time to this venture I think that is pretty good and I'm happy, it is a labor of love :) You might ask, what prompted this little essay?  The other day I completed my review of the 2016 Joseph Carr - Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-desert-wine-guy-2016-joseph-carr.html). I absolutely loved the wine and felt it earned a 95 point rating. I sent the review to the media rep for Deutsch Family Wine And Spirits and....Crickets, no reply. Now keep in mind that I got the wine directly from this rep because of an inexcusable fault in their Cork on a bottle. I ask you guys, don't you think that I should get a response? I don't know guys, I believe that if you are selling a product you need to be communicating or acknowledging your customer base especially if you are a media rep, that's all. I don't like companies in general which feel they are so high and mighty that they no longer need the consumer in order to remain at the top of their game or even in the game. Guess what, you do need the consumer and the people who (when warranted) push your product. If the lack of response was limited to that one particular winery then I could perhaps excuse it away as an isolated occurrence but it is not, it seems to be a systematic problem. I have had this same problem with Peju and a few other big wineries as well.
When I spend my money on wine whether it be $10 or $100 and also take the time out of my day to write a review and send it to you as a representative of a wine company, I expect you to at least acknowledge me. I never ask for anything other then the winery keep me in mind the next time they send out wine for reviews. I don't think that is too much to ask but perhaps I am wrong here and if I am please do tell me. In closing I will leave you with this. There is no such thing as "too big to fail"

   Okay, I feel better now. It is time to talk about the latest news concerning the new vineyard I will be planting here in Citrus County, Florida. Today I broke ground on that particular vineyard as I put in five poles to begin my rows of grape vines and in time I will be at the stage of planting the vines, I will keep you updated. Speaking of planting the vines, there is a big problem that Florida has when it comes to growing the wine grapes that we are use to enjoying. The species from which most wines we enjoy are made from is known as Vitis Vinifera. It seems unfortunately that Florida and a few other states near Florida are hotbeds for a disease known as Peirce's Disease which restricts the vines water usage and eventually kills the fruit and the plant. Another problem with grapes and plants in general here is Fungal infections. I have found from doing my own my own research that attempting to grow Vitis Vinifera is a losing battle and one that is simply not worth fighting. Now, that doesn't mean that there are not grapes to grow here as the Muscadine Grape seems to absolutely thrive here in Florida. I am not a lover however of the Muscadine vine itself and I am also looking to an extent to push the envelope. After doing my research I discovered that there are grapes which are considered Pierce Disease resistant as well as being resistant to Fungal infections as well. One of those grapes and the one I will be planting is the Black Spanish Grape also known as Lenoir. So far I have only gone five rows wide so as to keep costs down in case these grapes fail to thrive for some reason. I put a spacing of five feet between these rows as I expect these vines to grow vigorously and expand out. As for spacing between vines themselves I am looking at 5 feet between each one as well. I am happy that I still have a good chance at growing wine grapes because it is a passion of mine and also keeps me outside in the fresh air moving and exercising. I have also learned one other bit of information that I am very excited about and that is I will be opening up a whole new world in the cultivation of grapes here in Florida as the only vineyards (?) which are currently in existence here grow Blueberries. Yeah, I know guys, terrible huh? Let me give you a little background on the the Lenoir Grape. It seems that the Lenoir varietal was an accidental crossing of both the Vitis Berlandieri and Vitis Aestivalis species.The wine is currently grown mostly in Texas where it is used as a blend for Port wine or it is blended with Ruby Cabernet to make red table wine.

   Well guys. that is all I have to say today. It is now almost 6 PM here and the temperature outside where I am writing this has dropped to 59 Degrees so it is indeed time to head inside until tomorrow when I will hopefully make some more headway on the vineyard. Than you guys for listening to me complain and I hope you enjoyed the news on the vineyard as well. 

                                                                                                                  The Desert Wine Guy

www.desertwineguy.blogspot.com/

www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy?fref=nf

https://twitter.com/DesertWineGuyLV

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ/videos

https://www.brighteon.com/channel/thedesertwineguy