My personal take on the pours. Not disagreeing with previous observations.
We are dorks.
Probably half or more are not dorks.
Someone asks for a recommendation and then takes a full pour. Good for them.
There’s another 50 awesome wines to taste.
My FIL attended this year, first time. His observation? What an amazing group of great people and a great cause.
I’m thankful for Jill and Frank, my friends at Laura’s House and the great time we have drinking great wines.
I like Steve’s idea a lot.
Although I didn’t really notice large pours, my guess would be they were people going to sit outside and eat, listen to the Laura’s House presentation, or take a load off, and they want to sit with a half glass rather than keep getting up and going back into the (often pretty crowded) house to get another ounce.
I kind of doubt it was usually “hey, XYZ Cabernet is $120 a bottle, I’m getting a 6 oz pour of it before it’s gone.”
If my guesswork is correct, Steve’s solution would be a good one. Designate a solid red and white and sparkling to put out in large quantity in the back yard for refilling glasses. Could be donated by a winery and/or by guests.
But it’s always been the case that certain more prized wines, especially ones without backup bottles, get emptied earlier. Not I think by chuggers, but just by more geeks prioritizing those earlier.
I’ll be honest, a couple of times I poured more than I intended to. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s kind of hard to do a precise 1oz pour in a crowded room with people jostling to get to other bottles, nowhere to set the glass down, etc. If it’s really an issue, we could get measured pour spouts for every bottle…
In general I think people know the difference between pouring themselves a glass and taking some to taste. We can’t expect anyone to pour ‘1 oz’ consistently all day nor 2 oz or whatever. We have to have people being respectful and conscientious. Someone pouring themselves a 5 oz glass at 1pm isn’t doing that. It’s an attitude.
I imagine Frank will have to do some directed scolding or firm instruction going forward about how everyone needs to conduct themselves prior to the event. It might require going back to designated people pouring at each table which no-one really wants.
In any case, removing bottles from the tables is a non-starter. That needs to be handled and corrected as soon as anyone sees it happen.
I am in awe of this event and really hope to make it one day.
A tremendous charitable cause, good friends, excellent wine, and wow what a view from that backyard! Spectacular.
As for the pours, not sure how you can “control” a group of that size. Some of us are geeks, many are there apparently just for the cause and the social. My wife, for example, the concept of the 1-2 ounce pours would be foreign to her. I would never foist that on her. I think Brig has it right in post 21.
2010
Except that those were the wines that were drained before the speeches. Just an observation.
Steve’s idea is a good one amd I plan on donating to that plan next year.
As was I. Great meeting you Bruce!
I appreciate the posts and the feedback, too. Being better, to improve is something I think about every day.
Applying this to the event, I have two thoughts. First, I will make a concerted effort next year to remind people when they attend that pouring an appropriate amount matters and we want to see that from everyone. We will make this reminder at the door during Saturday check-in, as well as during my 2PM remarks. I want everyone to be accountable to police themselves, and while we could make the pouring issue go away with putting the volunteers back, I don’t plan to do that as it makes the event too hard to run, to have to grab new people every hour to do their shift. I’ll also reinforce it in the short handout we also publish before the event that we call Falltacular Success Guide.
Conversely, we don’t hide info what is being poured in the event. Nearly 2 dozen times throughout the weeks leading up to Saturday, I maintain and publish the exact list of wines. Ask Sweater Boy Grammar…he uses that list to target his wines early in the event, as do I (see my TNs above). All one has to do is spend 5 mins prior to the Saturday looking at the list, picking out which station(s) you want to visit early on to get the wines you might enjoy.
We will improve this piece of the event next year. It’s on the radar for several of you, we want that to change.
No worries Frank, I think we can self-police. ![[training.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/d0f39866e5714408d7091b0bd2d7bb764d7bb973.gif "[training.gif]"){kind=small}
Frank,
Nicely put - and we’ll support whatever you want to do. It was ‘fun’ being a volunteer back in the day and pouring - I got a cool lanyard for my efforts 
- but yep, one more layer of ‘complexity’ that made your life more challenging - we don’t need to do that.
But folks, here’s the deal - this is the 12th year that the event has been held, and for at least the last 5, a speaker has spoken . . . and yet this is the first that I have seen the number of people with as large a pours as there were. And yep, there was more than one case that a wine was taken from its place elsewhere - this is simply not cool. I was out there and drank through my 1 oz pour that I had in my glass - I survived
This event is NOT about wine - it’s about raising money for Laura’s House and those in need. And as a wine community, it should not be difficult to ‘self police’ without being ‘holier than thou’.
Yep, some folks will search out specific wines to make sure that they get some - but ‘some’ should not mean 4 ounces when we only have 2 bottles - or about 51 ounces - to spread amongst everyone. The wines ‘went further’ when there were fewer people, but it’s wonderful to have as many folks as there are now to raise much needed $$$ for the cause and I’d hate to forget that that’s why we are there.
And again, I don’t think we’re talking ‘newbies’ here - I saw some ‘veterans’ doing this stuff and I would have hoped that they would ‘self police’ but I will be more ‘vocal’ in a kind way moving forward.
And here’s another hint - if you really really really need to have a bit more wine, then search out something that perhaps has 3 bottles present, or one that is not being heavily poured. Or best yet, bring an extra bottle to share with others and keep somewhere that you can access as others have mentioned.
All of that said, congrats to Frank and Jill and the entire community for making this the most successful event in the 12 year history - and can’t wait to break the record with lucky number 13 next year!
Cheers.
From my perspective, the main point of Falltacular is to support the work of Laura’s House in particular, and to raise awareness of domestic violence in general. From the big picture perspective, Falltacular has been (and continues to be) an extremely successful event.
The issue of wines poured/tasted is a bit of a balancing act, and different guests have different desires. Some people aren’t into the wines much at all, some people are moderately interested, and some people are heavy-duty wine geeks who take extensive notes. So no system is going to make 100% of the guests 100% happy. And I know going into the event that I’m not going to be able to taste EVERYTHING, so I don’t get too bummed about what I miss.
The Cabernet issue is a challenge for me, because in an ideal world I would approach the wines in a certain order–whites/ roses, then Pinots, then Cabs and/or heavier Rhone varietals. So if I try to do that, it inevitably means that I’ll miss some Cabs or Rhones because I don’t want to taste them first. It’s a bit disappointing, but in the grand scheme of the event not a big deal. Realistically, does anyone come away from Falltacular feeling like they didn’t get a chance to taste/drink enough wine…?
Bruce
Bruce,
Great points and I totally agree . . . .
But yes, this year, many people I believe did feel that they did not have a chance to try certain wines that they looked forward to doing so - and I really have not heard of this in the past. And that’s just from some of us who are more vocal than others
I say we pitch in for enomatic machines moving forward
Yep, different people have different desires - but that does not mean it should be a free for all. There should not be more than one degree of separation from those who know how the event works to those who may be newbies - so this should be pretty easy to ‘control’, right? But as I said, from what I saw, it was not necessarily ‘newbies’ who were the issue. Perhaps it was ‘out of sight, out of mind’ since the wines that went quickest were upstairs? Just a thought . . . Perhaps that area is ‘off limits’ for the first hour or two until folks have gone through whites/roses and pinots?
Cheers.
Frank, don’t take this upon yourself in blame, not whatsoever! You did nothing wrong, and I don’t want you to feel responsible for any complaints listed, as it’s upon those who acted as such, not you, and I think education - as you said - is key in future events.
I think part of the issue is simply that the event has gotten so large, and there are many more non-wine-geeks there than prior years. The latter category knows how to pour/serve/taste at such an event, whereas others who ‘like wine’ see it more as an open bar. I noticed a couple people walking around WITH BOTTLES, trying to pour them into others’ glasses, talking about how great the wine was. Neither of the folks I saw walking around with bottles to pour were winemakers or related to the winery in any way. That was a new one for me.
Your FAQ sheet is wonderful, and I look at it every year, even though I’m probably 9 years in. I just think that it’s not enough ‘in your face’ for the newbies, particularly those who are not experienced wine event participants. Without making you do a ton of work in scouring data to find out who is brand new and if they’ve been to a Pinot Days or other wine event (to know that you don’t pour 6 oz of wine into your glass or take a bottle around), perhaps a ‘NEW ATTENDANTS, PLEASE READ!’ separate document to add to the list? Even that, though, I feel will be avoided by many. To announce it at the door is damn near impossible because people come in anytime from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Perhaps a giant sign on foam paperboard at the door with instructions? Perhaps 8.5" X 11" signs on every table, with guidelines? You need to enjoy the event as well, and not give 12 lectures at 15 minute intervals for any potential newbies at the event (well, I’m assuming ONLY newbies were to blame - guess that’s not the case!). I know exactly what you are going through, as I have to work with Newbies for every BerserkerDay, and if a winery hasn’t participated, you have to spoon feed every bit of information to them, as we often run on the assumption that they know what they are doing.
Perhaps the folks at the stations need to pay closer attention and regulate the pours a bit? That might be the easiest - giving them two jobs, opening wines and checking pours.
This was my first year to participate as a winery and I couldn’t have been more proud of that. My only regret is that I was unable to attend in person, something I am already planning to remedy next year.
The wines I sent were in support of the event which is for Laura’s House. After they delivered safely, my job regarding the wines was done, knowing they were in very good hands.
I wasn’t there so I do not know first hand about pour sizes, but someone somewhere mentioned a separate table perhaps outside that folks could leave drinker bottles. I think this is a great idea - we all have some nice wines in our cellars that we could very easily donate to a drankers table, a table that allows folks to get after a larger pour should they feel so inclined.
And if I am reading the tea leaves correctly, the lesser represented wines (Cabernet, Rhone) seem to be the wines most affected. Not everyone is a pinot drinker and this event is heavily skewed to the Burgundian varieties which likely exacerbates the problem. Maybe Steve/Riverain, Craig/Sojourn & I (and any other Cab producers I missed) need to send more next year
100% right there. Probably most of us encountered a couple of wines we wanted to try that had run out, but really, we all tasted dozens and dozens of good wines if we wanted, and the downside of having missed out on an ounce or two of a couple of wines is almost negligible. I went to try the William and Mary cabernet, and literally, one person ahead of me got the last pour of the second bottle. No big deal at all, there were good wines to try to all sides of it.
But nonetheless, I love Steve’s idea of having wineries and/or guests donate drinkers that can sit out in the back yard by the tables and grill. That’s great problem solving in a positive way there. Bravo.
Hey, let’s get back to talking about the event and the wines. Anyone else have favorite new wines or wineries they discovered at Falltacular? As I mentioned in my notes, the new Cabot Humboldt County pinots and the Ladd Cellars lineup were exciting finds for me and my wife.
All good commentary. I didn’t particularly notice people with big pours, but I was too busy tasting, notating and talking
As Frank notes, I do understand the “risk”. Why are the Boheme notes my first 4? Because I saw there was only one bottle of each and so I assumed they would be gone early. Sure, I missed stuff—the Carlisle Papera, the Riverains, the Switchback Ridges, the Rhys Alpine, the LF Pinot being just some examples. I had chances to try all of these and made choices. I’m fine with that.
So glad to see your notes, Frankie—I always worry that you are so engaged as host that you don’t get to try the wines yourself…looks like you got a good look at a lot of things this time.
The one station where I might put monitors are the whites, more to keep the opened-and-sampling bottles out of ice so that they don’t get over-chilled.
Otherwise, I think the move of the Syrahs into the courtyard worked beautifully, as I didn’t feel crowded at any point anywhere in the house during the event.
And Will, I will amend my TNs for the William & Mary which was super stuff and impressed me greatly.
BIG KUDOS to Arnie and his team who put the auction together. There was so much stuff and I really didn’t think we’d fit it all into the garage, yet the team made it happen. Bravo.
I also want to thank everyone for making Heather feel so welcome. She continues to gush about the event and she tells me she got to taste just about everything except about half the whites.
Next year seems a long time away! Hugs and handshakes to all for a record-setting event that was at the same time the most joyous and convivial.
Mike
Heather is a gem. No surprise that a friend of your would be such a kind and delightful person, Mike.
Thanks for bringing her along. Always interesting to exchange notes about the wine world with someone who lives elsewhere.
Bruce
She’s on the A-team.