Many Sonoma County locals anxiously await this time of year….why you ask? Salmon season.

The Russian River - Photo Courtesy of Sonoma County Water Agency

As many of you know, Murphy-Goode was founded in the Alexander Valley, right down the road from the beautiful Russian River, which runs from Mendocino County, through Sonoma County and out to the Pacific Ocean. Spending lots of time on the river, Dave Ready, Jr. knows a thing or two about fishing and he’s one of the first guys out there – Grateful Dead T-shirt, sunglasses, and iPod…

David’s not the only one with a love for fresh fish. We know a good many folks in the area that live for fishing. They spend many moments before the official start of the season, just looking at the river, talking about the river, dreaming about the river. Or the ocean. Some like to ocean fish more… Either way, we look forward to the fishing days as well, as that means fresh salmon. Or, a good ‘ol dinner of fish and chips made fresh from cod or halibut…MMMMM, MMMMM!

David at 18 (middle) long hair and tye dye...go figure!

And then he grew up...but still fishing!

And talk about timing! We are about to release our brand new Pinot Grigio, and heck! That goes great with fish n chips! The grapes for our 2008 Pinot Grigio warm up during the day and chill out at night, resulting in a refreshing wine with unforgettable brightness. It shows layers of lemon, apple and light spice with floral hints.

And yes, we love our wine, but we also love beer, so we’re not afraid to say, “Hey, if you want to have a beer with your fish and chips, have at it. Might we suggest an amber ale or lager, red ale, pale ale or doppel bock.”

Cheers!

The “Really Goode Job” kiosk in SF

When the Really Goode Job search was first announced in April of last year we received a call from a guy in Atlanta. He said he planned to fly to San Francisco so he could be first in line when we opened the “Goode Job Kiosk” on Market Street: where those present would get a 24-hour head start on everyone else.

We leveled with the guy. “Look,” we said, “Your enthusiasm is great and the event will be fun, but really a 24-hour head start is not that big of an advantage. Save your money, make a great video and apply later; there’s plenty of time.” But he was insistent. He was coming all the way from Atlanta anyway.

Hardy arriving in San Francisco

We shook our heads and planned to be on the lookout for this guy from the “Dirty South.” Well that person was Hardy Wallace, and he did indeed become our Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent-

As Hardy would say, the experience was “awesome.” It was awesome for Hardy and for all of us at Murphy-Goode.

Hardy is a remarkable guy. He is infectiously happy, gregarious, humble, interested, interesting, personable, knowledgeable, a great public speaker and plays a mean game of Liar’s Dice. Now that the six-month gig is over, Hardy has found a great new home and we know that he is going to be, well, AWESOME… a lot like Barney Stinson

Hardy Wallace and Winemaker David Ready, Jr. First day of Goode Job announcement, first in line. It’s Goode to be first!

So with some “Awesome” shoes to fill, several of us at the winery will be jumping in and letting everyone know what’s going on in the world of Murphy-Goode.  So please continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and on our  blog.  Because now that we have given our winemaker, Dave Ready Jr. access, who knows what you are in store for.  Stay tuned, LOTS more to come!

And once again, THANK YOU Hardy for the awesome ride.

The Murphy-Goode Family

(Jamie Jamison, Chef Debbie Gold, Al Samuelson, and this guy, 1st day on the job in KC)

There is no way I can easily write this post.  To try and some up the last six months in a single post is just not possible.  I thought of a video, a photo essay, a tweetstorm (don’t know if that exists, but it sounds good), but perhaps just a few words on the page would work the best.

Getting here and being hired on by Murphy-Goode was an amazing experience.  I owe everything to those who supported my dream, my friends, family, Tracy, and the online communities who pushed me, and who made me get up and go when I thought I had nothing more to give.  When I look back, those were the hardest days, but perhaps the most life-changing–  Where I clearly saw that everything and anything was possible in life, and where I was encouraged to risk it all for a shot at my dream.  I thank everyone for this.

Life in Healdsburg:  What can I say?  This is paradise for anyone who loves wine, food, and most importantly– people / community.  My friends who have come through have been blown away, and I am so lucky to have found a new home.  If you haven’t made a trip to Sonoma County, put it on your list.  It is a special place in the universe.

Murphy-Goode:  The one thing I heard from the very beginning from our most loyal fans- “We like your wines, but we LOVE your people.”  There are thousands of wineries out there, many make good juice, but when it comes to something as personal as wine, you really want to deal with the people you love.  It is more than a product, it is a story, a connection, a spot on the path of life where you stop to say hello.  The people at Murphy-Goode are great people.  Winemaker Dave Ready Jr. is the heart and soul of this brand. When you meet him, you walk away a friend.  I hope you find that in every bottle you pick up.

Value of Social Media:  I just posted about that here, but whether in wine or any other industry, the value is in connection and relationships, and fortunately, that is the fun part too.  I am grateful for all of the life long friends I have met along this journey.

The Future:  I leave Murphy-Goode in very capable hands.  To keep in touch with me, feel free to follow me @dirtysouthwine or at www.dirtysouthwine.com

This has been the most incredible ride of my life, and the future looks amazing.  I hope to meet you on the path.

With heartfelt thanks,

Hardy Wallace

In the past few days, there has been a little bit of a online storm surrounding the value of social media in wine (and some beating up of social media in general).  Just another clash of traditional vs social media (or vice versa)–  As a social media guy, I love all media, but I just don’t like it when you call my kids ugly.

The current topic of debate– “Are we spending so much time tweeting, blogging, facebooking, youtubing, fourquaring, and vloggin’ (though I could always use more vlog) that we don’t stop and make real-life connections?”  The curmudgeons say yes (followed by “huzzah!”"), the straddlers say “maybe” (followed by “but, I’m not sure”) and the advocates tweet “R U Kidding Me?!?” (followed by a “pls RT”)

It isn’t difficult to guess what side of the fence I ride.  Social Media at its nature creates connections with real, living, people- but is perhaps at its greatest is when it brings complete strangers together face to face via these tools.

Just today, an awesome crew from New England was traveling through Sonoma County tasting, touring, and having a great time.  At the same time, they were curious to see what wineries were active on social media-  Before I could respond, a friend on twitter (who I’ve never met face to face) shouted out for them to connect with Murphy-Goode.   I saw the tweet, reached out, we connected, and our four new friends made an hour long drive to stop at the Murphy-Goode tasting room.  We had a great tasting, viking helmets were worn, and we had a awesome time getting to meet each other when we never would have met before.  I didn’t care if they bought wine or not.  They made a detour on their route to walk through our door and spend time with us.  What happens next is up to the wine.  I’m happy that they liked it. In business sense, they walked away customers, in social media sense, they walked away friends.

So again–how did this happen?

A referral from a friend on twitter who I’ve never met…

At its core, social media brings people together, whether online or off.  In the wine business, nothing is more important than getting to meet people face to face, to share your story, and build a friendship over a glass of your wine.

In six months of work in “A Really Goode Job”  it is days like this that I will remember the most-  when social media succeeded in bringing strangers together.

This was the greatest job in the world.

(Huge thanks to Kenta, Claire, G, and Mary-Beth for stopping in, and to Carolyn for connecting us!)

WHOA!

Sorry for the silence this week-  A bout with flu, moving, house guests, and next steps has left me spinning.

This is not my last post, but just a pre-emptive heads-up-  The six-month journey is coming to a quick close, and has been an amazing experience.

Huge thanks to the great folks at Murphy-Goode for making this happen!

Finally– A wine movie that I’m going to stand in line to see.

I’m happy to announce that I will be a contestant in this year’s Mr. Healdsburg Pageant!  A tongue-n-cheek spoof of beauty pageants put on as a fundraiser for Headsburg’s Raven Theater.

Though a spoof, the Mr. Healdsburg winner has responsibilites fitting any pageant winning king or queen– Ribbon cuttings, parade waving, and representing the good town wherever you go.

We hope to see you 2/27 at the Raven Theater!

Uber-Vikings fan and Murphy-Goode drinker (Ken M.) from Tampa FL, gears up for the big game with some 2005 All-In Claret.

Murphy-Goode salutes you! SKOL VIKINGS!

This Sunday, team Murphy-Goode is going to be drinking Zins, grilling out, and celebrating our beloved Minnesota Vikings crushing defeat of the New Orleans Saints.  Yes, that’s right-  a crushing defeat.  Murphy-Goode’s roots reach back to a love for the Minnesota Vikings-  So much so, that our labels are purple and gold, our tasting room is decked out in Vikings helmets, and our winemaker mysteriously disappears during game time.  I seem to recall him saying, “A Vikings win makes the grapes grow better”–  Judging by this season, our 2009 vintage could be a classic.

So apologies to our friends in the Big Easy, but there’s always next season.

On 1/26, Castagnola’s restaurant in San Francisco is throwing a winemaker dinner that is twice as goode!  Join winemakers Dave Ready Jr (our guy!) and Van Williamson (Edmeades Winery) for a tag team event or Sonoma and Mendocino proportions!

There will be food, wine, fish tales , a Liar’s Dice tournament for the ages, and even a comedy show!  Bring your A game, or maybe even the A-Team…  This one is going to be crazy.

Info:

Castagnola’s

1/26 5:30 PM

286 Jefferson St.

San Francisco, CA 94133