The Grapevine
Fall 2021
From the Host
Beginning the Strategic Plan
I am pleased to report that your Wine Society Board of Managers has started updating the Wine Society Strategic Plan, which was previously revised in 2018. We are very fortunate that Jeff Morgan, FASAE, CAE, has agreed to assist with facilitating the strategic planning process. Thank you as well to Julie Montross, Senior Vice President, Business Development, who joined us for the meeting and offered important insight. The first meeting was productive, and the Wine Society board has identified the following key areas of focus:
- Operational/Membership
- Auction(s)
- Sponsorships
- Educational Offerings/Value Proposition
- Communications/Branding
Smaller task forces from the board will be created to work on each of these areas and will present their recommendations to the full board. A final meeting will be held at the World Conference with the intent of finalizing the strategic plan at that time.
Your board continues to work on other Wine Society initiatives, some of which are included below:
Friends of the Wine Society—The ”Friends” continue to be updated and are listed on the Wine Society page of the CMAA website.
Treasury Wine Estates—I reported in the last Grapevine that Treasury has agreed to become a Friend of the WS. They made an informative power point presentation to the WS Board last month. In addition, they will be hosting an extraordinary wine and education webinar and tasting on Tuesday, October 19, for the Chapter Representatives, and will feature Gillian Balance, Treasury Wine Estates Master Sommelier, who will be presenting an offering from their 2018 inaugural California Collection.
Napa Valley Vintners—The NVV team is looking forward to renewing their relationship with the WS and made an impressive presentation to the WS Board, outlining a list of resources and benefits that they are willing to provide to WS members. Some of these benefits include:
- Educational “Napa Valley Sessions” Webinars
- Napa Valley Rocks
- Premiere Napa Valley
- NAPA Magazine
- Supporting the WS at World Conference
2022 Conference—Jack Grehan and Blaine Burgess, CCM, CCE, are finalizing details for another amazing annual wine dinner, which will be held at the iconic San Diego Yacht Club.
Chapter Representatives—Ryan Brennan, CCM, has been working closely with the Chapter Representatives and has been planning virtual education tastings with our Friends of the WS, with participation increasing monthly. This is an excellent way for the Chapter Representatives to inform their chapter members of ways to share your wine experience with your department managers, employees, and club members. Please reach out to Ryan and/or Sara Thom if you are a new Chapter Rep or would like to get more involved in the WS.
Take Five!—These interviews with industry winery owners and winemakers are published periodically in the Grapevine newsletters. Please feel free to share names of anyone you feel would make for a great read.
I hope to hear from you with ideas to improve the WS, introducing industry contacts who you feel would be a great “Friend,“ or anything else of interest that you think would be beneficial to your peers. Thank you for your continued support and interest in the Wine Society!
Cheers!
Karl Habib, CCM
2021 Host
Society Happenings
Pre-Conference Experience at Ballast Point
Presented in part by the CMAA Wine Society, The Ballast Point Experience will take place on Friday, February 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Join your peers and Ballast Point owner/operator – as well as co-founder/CEO of Chicago-area craft brewery Kings & Convicts Brewing Company – Brendan Watters for a face-paced day of experiencing and learning about the craft beer and hard seltzer business and trends. A pioneering brewery born 25 years ago within the hallowed, hopped walls of San Diego’s Home Brew Mart, the complete art of the craft swims in the DNA of Ballast Point Brewing Company. From bringing a hoppy twist to a porter or adding four types of malt to its amber ale, to creating the breakthrough gold-medal winning Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point is known for adding its touch and asking if there’s a better way. The animated Watters and his talented team of experts and brewers will take us through a day of learning, networking, touring, and tasting!
Transportation to and from the San Diego Marriott as well as lunch and spirits included in the registration fee for this experience. Participants must be 21 years of age. Registration is $275 for CMAA Members and $375 for non-members.
Please note: This seminar does not fulfill the workshop requirement for CMAA certification purposes. Four (4) CMI Credits will be awarded to participants upon completion.
Secure Your Seat at the Annual Business Meeting and Education Session
The Annual Wine Society Business Meeting and Education Session will be held on Sunday, February 20, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The business portion of this event will include the election of the Wine Society Board of Managers, the announcement and recognition of the Wine Program Awards, and the annual membership recruitment awards.
Following the business portion of the event, Wine Society members will be introduced to Winemaker, Christopher Carpenter and will sample various wines from the Kendall Jackson Family portfolio, including Mt. Brave, La Jota, and Cardinale.
The Wine Society Business Meeting is only open to Wine Society members and you must RSVP to attend as space is limited.
Connect at the Wine Society Member Reception and Live Auction Preview
Please join your fellow Wine Society members on Monday, February 21 at 1:30 p.m. for the Wine Society Member Reception and Live Auction Preview.
The reception will feature sister wineries, Handwritten Wines and Jessup Cellars. Tastings will include the Jessup Chardonnay and Zinfandel and Handwritten Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Wine Society Live Auction will be held immediately following the reception.
Get Your Tickets for the Annual Wine Dinner
The 2022 Annual Wine Dinner will be held at the San Diego Yacht Club on Monday, February 21 from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. Dress code is business casual. Tickets are required upon entrance to the dinner, which you will pick up at Conference Registration.
Prices is as follows:
- Wine Society Member: $200
- Guest of Wine Society Member: $200
- Non-Wine Society Member: $225
Please note that all guests must be registered, adhere to the health and safety policies , and must wear a badge for event access at all times. If you would like your guest to join you for the Wine Society Dinner, you must either register them for a CMAA World Conference and Club Business Guest Full Access or Limited Access badge.
To purchase a ticket, please contact Alanna Eckard. Tickets will first be available to current Wine Society members only until December 12. Thereafter, non-Wine Society members may also purchase tickets to attend at the non-member rate.
Get Involved in the 2022 Wine Auctions
The Wine Society’s Silent and Live Auctions are annual events to benefit the members of the Wine Society. The auctions, held annually during the CMAA World Conference and Club Business Expo, have been successful, lively, and lucrative in the past and your donations can ensure that 2022 is the best year ever. The auctions are a fun way to raise money for a worthwhile venture—your industry’s future. The Wine Society will use the auction proceeds to produce exceptional education and member offerings to those in the Society.
Despite the 2021 Silent Auction being held virtually, it was a huge success thanks to the hard work from our Wine Society Chapter Reps and CMAA Managing Directions. With fewer expenses involved in a virtual auction, the Wine Society Board has decided that the silent auction will once again be held virtually, while the Live Auction and Live Dinner Auction will be held in person in San Diego.
Donate
What does that mean for donations? Silent auction items will be collected the same way as they were for 2021, through your Wine Society Chapter Rep, who will then group the wines into lots and enter those on our online auction platform.
Please note the guidelines for the Silent Auction donations:
- Minimum bottle cost of $50 wholesale value, as the focus should be on quality of wine over quantity
- Minimum of 3 bottles/maximum of 6 bottles per lot
- Silent Auction donations must be received by your Wine Society Chapter Rep by Monday, February 7 so that they have time to configure lots and input your donations into the online auction platform.
With the Live Auctions taking place in person, those bottles will be handled in a different manner. All Live Auction donations will need to arrive at the San Diego Yacht Club no later than Monday, February 14.
Please note the guidelines for the Live Auction donations:
- Minimum bottle cost of $100 wholesale value, again with the focus being quality over quantity
- To ensure that we have successful live auctions, we would love to see each Chapter donate at least 3 bottles of wine.
- Donations of wine experiences, such a winery tours and tastings, are also greatly appreciated, as they do well during the live auctions.
And don’t forget, the Chapters that donate to the Wine Society Auctions are in the running for the Wine Society Bucky Awards! The Per Capita Bucky Award Winners typically donate $100 wholesale value per chapter member and the Overall Bucky Award winners typically donate more than $20,000 in wholesale value.
Please complete the online donation form for silent AND live auction donations and include the packing slip at the time of shipping with each Live Auction donation box you ship to the 2022 Wine Auction Clearinghouse:
WS Live Auctions Donation
Attn: Tammy Hackney
San Diego Yacht Club
1011 Anchorage Ln.
San Diego, CA 92106
Additional information can be found on the Wine Society Silent Auction page.
Volunteer
Are you attending Conference? Volunteer to help set up and work the auctions—it’s a lot of fun! Help is especially needed during set up, the Live Auction and Auction Shipping. Please email Sara Thom if you are interested in helping.
Bid
The Wine Society and The Club Foundation will again enlist the help of the experts at GiveSmart, a silent auction technology company, to host the auctions on an online platform. Bidders can preregister for the auction or in person with the swipe of their credit card.
Checkout will improve as you can pay your bill as soon as the auction closes. Just don’t forget to pick up your winning lots on Wednesday, February 23.
Silent Auctions – Bidding will run from Monday, February 20 at 10:00 a.m. through Tuesday, February 22 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Bidders may view the wine lots online via the auction website, which will be located within the Conference app.
Live Auctions—The Annual Live Auction will be held on Monday, February 21 from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. Location is TBD.
Welcome Our Newest Members!
This quarter the Wine Society welcomed sixteen new members:
- Joshua Aaronson, Cherokee Town & Country Club
- Rob Anen, CCM, Spring Lake Golf Club
- Kimberly Brady, CCM, The Merion Cricket Club
- Nicholas Chamulak, Woodbridge Golf & Country Club
- Matt Dossey, CCM, The Patterson Club
- Francis Eric Ciganek, Belle Haven Country Club
- Adam Gartside, Country Club of Charleston
- Linnea Grate, Burning Tree Country Club
- Konstantin Kalmukov, Spring Lake Golf Club
- Christopher Keane, Spring Lake Golf Club
- Jade Kluver, Fishers Island Club
- Russ Lowther, Jr., Burning Tree Country Club
- Lindsey Stewart, The Springs Club
- Samantha J. Van Veen, CCM, The Briar Club
- Tom Westfall, The Sioux City Country Club
- Melissa Woods, Sailfish Point Country Club
Do you know someone who might be interested in joining the CMAA Wine Society, but they’re not a CMAA member? They’re in luck with the Wine Society’s Associate Membership!
Associate Membership in the Wine Society shall be open to individuals who are 21 years of age or older and are not members of CMAA. These individuals must be from a club that has a CMAA and Wine Society member to sponsor them. The membership is nontransferable and nonrefundable if the individual leaves employment at the club and moves to a property that is without a CMAA and Wine Society member. They shall be admitted to membership following the receipt of a completed application, a sponsor endorsement, and payment of dues.
Upcoming Deadlines and Events
Take Five with Chris Carpenter
By Karl Habib, CCM
In the spotlight with Chris Carpenter, the winemaker for Lokoya, Cardinale, Mt. Brave, La Jota, Caladan in Napa Valley, and Hickinbotham in McLaren Vale, Australia, and General Manager for Jackson Family’s Vineyards of Napa Valley.
What is your management philosophy?
Lead by example, let people have a sense of ownership on their jobs and the projects they are involved in, provide the right tools to get the job done at the highest quality level for your people, set boundaries but don’t micro-manage, foster an environment of respect and trust that goes both ways and be decisive on those that violate that, communicate, communicate, communicate.
Were you in leadership roles when you were younger?
In high school I was an athlete, but I was also part of the nerdy group of guys that didn’t know how to talk to girls, read sci-fi and generally did really good in school because we had little social life outside of our circle. I was probably the unofficial leader of that group of kids. My first official leadership role was managing a campus bar at the University of Illinois when I was 21.
How have your parents influenced your leadership style?
I left my parents’ house when I was 17 and a lot of what I learned as a leader was by way of trial and error and forging my own path. I was influenced quite a bit by my high school coaches and then as a college athlete who was surrounded by coaches who had different pressures on them then the high school coaches and as a result, I learned to recognize leadership for the betterment of the group vs leadership to keep a job.
What were some early lessons for you as a young manager?
The hardest part of managing is interpersonal conflict, and it took me a while to learn that there are always three sides to a story (person 1, person 2, the truth) and asking questions to draw out the real story is a skill that takes practice, patience, and empathy.
Where did you go to college?
My undergrad is from Illinois-Urbana, MBA from Illinois-Chicago, MS from UC Davis.
What’s the biggest challenge facing the wine industry today?
Climate change, nuff said.
Tell us about your family and children.
My wife Tina, who is a graphic designer specializing in wine packaging, and I have raised two beautiful daughters. Maggie is a senior at UW-Madison and is studying interior architecture, Sadie is a senior at Napa HS and is studying how to be as independent from us as possible.
What don’t most people know about wines from your region?
I specialize in mountain AVAs and understanding how place plays in defining the different mountains is a big part of my job. Part of that is utilizing the native yeast that are in the vineyard to carry out 95 percent of my fermentations. It adds another level of complexity that I wouldn’t get inoculating.
Favorite bottle of wine?
Regionally – I love Brunello, historically probably the best bottle of wine I have ever had was the 1990 Dom Perignon Enoteca.
Favorite food?
Pizza
Favorite vacation spot?
Hawaii
Favorite part of the job?
When someone who has drunk my wine relates a story to me about how that wine made for a memory that will carry on in their lives forever.
Are you a golfer?
I was but had the game of my life in 2001 and left at the high point—a Mike Eruzione from the 1980 Olympics Hockey team type of decision. I also crew on racing yachts and had to decide which time-consuming activity I would concentrate on as raising children wouldn’t allow me to do both.
Wine Industry Trends, News, & Stats
Wine Drinkers Know Less, Don’t Care
The average consumer knows less about wine than two years ago – but that has not stopped people from spending big bucks on vino. In fact, there is some evidence that people who know less might even be spending more. These are findings from UK-based Wine Intelligence. To measure wine knowledge, the company polls consumers directly.