In the second video installment in my Going Pro series, I talk (from y favorite reading chair!) about the difficulties in treating a blog as a business, I offer a killer book recommendation for budding wine bloggers, explain that you probably suck at marketing and need to get better, and share what aspects of wine blogging I will be focusing my time on as I continue to “go pro.”

Cheers!

In this episode of 1WineDude TV, we’ve got our first video in my on-going Going Pro saga, in which I talk about something very simple that every budding wine writer should do to vastly increase their writing skills.

A couple of points for you before watching:

1. The reason I’m flushed and sweating (gross!) in this vid is that just before filming it I ran for three miles, showered, and then got dressed and jumped in front of the camera – basically, I didn’t give myself any real cool-down time.  I know, rookie error… just try to ignore it…
2. This advice is going to seem obvious and maybe even stupid to a lot of people.  If you’re among their ranks, rather than tell me I’m a shallow idiot in the comments, I humbly suggest that you forward this advice to a blogging friend who needs to see it – and I personally guarantee that you know more than one who needs to see this (if I’m wrong, then you can call me an idiot in the comments!).

Mentioned in this vid:

• Steve Heimoff
• GoodGrape.com
• RJ’s Wine Blog
• The Emperor of Wine

Cheers!

In today’s episode of 1WineDude TV, I offer my take on the new trend in in-home wine tasting – T.A.S.T.E. sample packs – using Blackbird Vineyards’ “Flock Box” as my primary target specimen.  In fairness to Blackbird, their wines are, for the most part, superb and you can read my takes on some of their recent selections  after the jump.

The Pros: the tasting kits work, and the wine quality from them is pretty much 100% (though they are NOT designed for aging); they’re also a good and inexpensive way to sample a wine portfolio, and they score high on the coolness factor.

The Cons: a 1.69070114 US fluid ounce pour is not a lot to go on when you’re trying to give a wine serious attention (and it’s probably not enough to get a Barbie doll drunk).

What do you think?

Are these new T.A.S.T.E. sample packs good, bad, or just plain scary? Also, please don’t comment on my orange sweater, it’s almost  Halloween for Pete’s sake…

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She Said “Freeze!,” He Said “Wow. Really?!?”

In this (long overdue!) episode of 1WineDude TV, I (briefly) interview (the very tall) Marnie Old, Philly’s first lady of wine and co-author (with Dogfish Head’s extreme beer maven Sam Calagione) of He Said Beer, She Said Wine: Impassioned Food Pairings to Debate and Enjoy: from Burgers to Brie and Beyond.

Marnie and I dined earlier this week at downtown Philly’s excellent Osteria, where Marnie deftly navigated the Italian-heavy wine list to match lesser-known selections with our crazy-good fare (the perks of friendship – Marnie’s been at the forefront of the Philly restaurant scene for years). 

In this interview, Marnie talks about her new book Wine Secrets: Advice from Winemakers, Sommeliers & Connoisseurs, and shares a (very!) inexpensive tip from the book for preserving open bottles of wine – and it’s one that I guarantee most of you haven’t tried yet!

Interview after the jump. Enjoy…

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