And there is only one beverage of choice…Jager!!

No wait…Champagne!! (and sparkling wine after things are getting fuzzy.  Don’t waste the cash on the good juice if you’re not going to remember it anyway.)

So here’s what we’ll be drinking:

Champagne

It’s the go to.  Start your night off right with a killer bottle (and while your palate is fresh).  All of the listed bottles are super affordable.  (Sorry Selosse…you know I still love you!)

Aubry:  Best-valued Champagne ever.  Nuff said!

Pehu-Simonet:  Everything from this producer just rocks (Brut, Rosé, Blanc de Noir).  All of his bottlings contain at least 80% Pinot Noir and worth the effort to seek out.  See why this newcomer is quickly becoming a fave of the somm world.

René Geoffrey:  Straight hedonism.  Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir dominate this house’s blends, creating vibrant, rich and seductive bubbles.

Diebolt-Vallois: Purity and Focus.  These Chardonnay-driven examples are some of the most linear and expressive Champagnes on the market.  Serious Champagne for serious drinkers.  Look out for the ‘Prestige’ bottling in particular- it’s one of the best sparklers I’ve had all year.

Non-Champagne Sparkling

Wish I was super rich but turns out I’m in the F&B industry.  Maybe I should’ve listened to the folks and pursued finance…hmmm….decisions.

I LOVE Champagne but needless to say, it’s not always (by which I mean rarely) in the Ballstein budget, which has made me a resourceful bugger when it comes to sparkling wine.  Here be my faves!!

Baumard Brut Rosé, Crémant de Loire: Just so happens that one of my favorite producers out of the Loire makes some spectacular sparkling from Cab Franc on the side.  Known for their intense Savenniéres and stunning Coteaux du Layons, Baumard is rightfully considered one of the premier producers of the Loire valley.  Take advantage of the stupidly reasonable pricing; it might just be the best deal in the sparkling wine world.

Jean-Luc Joillot, Crémant de Bourgogne:  This might as well be Champagne.  Produced from the classic Chard and Pinot blend, this is a better representation of Champagne than quite a few Champagnes I’ve experienced.

Castelroig, Cava Rosada:  Obviously, I hold the French sparkling wine industry in a high esteem since it’s all I have recommended thus far.  Well, I gotta give Cava its due shout out as well.  Penedes, the ‘real’ home of Cava has quickly progressed over the past couple decades to become a quality player on the international level.  This particular producer is killing it and this Trapet-based (obscure, indigenous varietal) is plush, giving and straight up hedonistic.  Tons of fun!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Ballstein

The impetus for all this love is that Social won 3 categories in the Charleston City Paper “Best of”, right on the heels of our 3rd anniversary.  It has been a roller coaster of a ride (think one of those new, super intense, Superman-style ones at Six Flags) and being able to earn such accolades makes all the effort 100% worth it.  I could not be more grateful to our wonderful staff and of course, all our fantastic customers.  None of this could have been possible without the contribution of all involved, both directly and indirectly.

We won “Best Wine Selection” for the 3rd year running, “Best Happy Hour” (we really do have the best happy hour if you have yet check it out- let’s just say $3 for most anything), and “Best Upscale Bar”.  Our goals for this upcoming year are loftier and we will strive to be the best at all capacities in which we operate.  Your feedback is necessary in making this happen and we will be adding a section to our website to allow for anonymous criticisms and (hopefully) praises about your experience (keep you posted when this becomes live).  Until, Thank You and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Ballstein

Moving on…What a jammed pack month.  Social celebrated its 3rd anniversary- it is still incomprehensible that three years have passed.  A gigantic ‘thank you’ to all who attended the festivities as well as made it possible.  The juice was flowin’, the music via Space Invaders was bumpin’ and the debauchery was incitin’.

Next, I competed in the Regionals of the Youth Sommelier Competition.  Didn’t win, didn’t advanced but I learned a massive amount and plan to be a tour de force next year.  I’m gunnin’ for the gold mofos.

More importantly, our new GM, Zach Smith, started on the 1st and is now in full swing.  He hails from Charlotte via Houston has been a GM for Upstream restaurant and XO wine bar and lounge.  One should expect higher standards in all facets of the operation so pop by and make friends.  He happens to be a really nice guy too.

Lastly, I was accepted to sit the Advanced Sommelier Examination (Level 3) in Anaheim at the end of April.  The pass rate is painfully low at 20% but everybody needs a challenge.  Over the next two months, I will be sure to keep you posted of all the odd rules, regulations and appellations that I must learn to pass.  The wine world is a funny place and quite often, bureaucracy as opposed to logic, becomes the driving force- just ask Tyler Coleman(www.drvino.com).

That’s the update.  I have a lot of big, big plans for this blog in 2010 so stay tuned…or just check back in a few days.  Tell then, drink some delicious juice and stay warm (unless you are currently cold, then get warm).

Ballstein

So I had the most awesome of opportunities to attend the Wine Entrepreneur Conference in DC last week and I figured  that the least I could do is share with you the insights I learned from it.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy two days worth of seminars condensed down into this bite-size blog post.  I realize that this post would have to be of an extraordinary length to actually fully cover all the material covered, so here are the big picture lessons.

1. Buying a vineyard = Worst Business Model Ever!!! Don’t buy a vineyard and produce wine with the intentions of making millions.  I must reiterate the most classic wine business joke, “How do you make a million dollars in the wine industry…Start with 10 million!”.  I will take my chances in the airline industry.

2.If you want to make wine, source the grapes, rent part of an already existing warehouse and start producing juice immediately.  Not overly capital-intensive and if you can make some good enough wine and market it properly, you can grow organically and one day you can have a winery of your own.  Baby Steppin’!

3. Importing is a beast horse!  Lots of laws, lots of time trying to sell your product in your market, very little time traveling around the world sourcing products aka writing off awesome vacations.  It’s one of those ‘if it was easy, everybody would be doing it’ kinda things.

4. Wine Journalism=Super Fun…but hard to monetize (though becoming easier).

5. Can’t underestimate the power of social media in the wine industry.  Just ask Hardy Wallace.

6. How do you combine the aesthetic and rigidity of a glass bottle with the sustainability of an aluminum can?  That’s right- The Aluminum Bottle…aka the way of the near future.

Can’t wait until next year!