Monday, December 3 2007

Limited Edition Wrap-Up

Kansas City, Missouri

Ahh, I love this time of year: I finally get to sit at my desk (and sleep in my own bed) for the first time in months.

Starting way back in January I've been planning Limited Edition events, writing marketing stuff, tasting wines, making recipes, making up presentations, practising my jokes (although I use the same ones every year and never change them, I like to work on my timing). Starting in September I have to work on the program in earnest, collating materials, tasting notes, recipes, PowerPoint slides and booking flights--lots and lots of flights.

Every year there's a different focus: one year it's Central Canada (Ontario, mainly) then the East, the USA, etc. I always do a bunch of events for my Winexpert Authorised Retailers, but rarely have time to do consumer events, so these get rationed about. Luckily I have a great network doing the tasting events right along with me, Al, Craig, Leah and Gavin in British Columbia, Rick in the Prairies, Lorri and Andy in Ontario, Yves in Quebec, and Peter in Eastern Canada. Dave Laroque, a very skilled wine educator, also does a fabulous presentation based on my material, and tours across Canada with it. I don't know how we'd manage without his efforts.

My final presentation for the year was in Kansas City Missouri, for Bacchus and Barleycorn over in Shawnee. The event was actually over in Lenexa, at the conference centre. When I first saw it I poked Brian, LD Carlson's account manager for KC. "Dude, I've been booked in churches, active breweries, and once even a bowling alley on league night, but a barn?"

I needn't have worried: the venue was fantastic (imagine a barn with a sound system fit for an orchestra and with a jumbotron screen for presentations!), and our hostess Alberta Rager couldn't have organised a better event. I got a chance to talk to her customers afterwards, and it's obvious they've been taking her expertise to heart for years. It was great to see her again (Hi Alberta!) and funny too: I've known her for years, but I didn't realise she was the Alberta Rager, who wrote for Zymurgy magazine. As a wee beer geek I used to read her recipe column and drool over the descriptions. Funny how if you hang around long enough you get to meet everyone.

I even got a chance to try some KC barbecue. I've been to Texas, and Carolina, and Georgia. They all have good barbecue, but KC is something special: I had a rack of barbecued lamb ribs . . . I can still taste the sauce in my dreams. Or maybe there's just still some in my moustache . . .

I'll be blogging a bit more frequently from now on in, and the first order of business is to get a guest blogger in line. Next up will be Andy Fargnoli, almost-recent newlywed, soon-to-be new father and Winexpert account manager in Ontario. Andy's a beer guy from way back (oy, going out for a pint with him can be torture, if they don't pour the Guinness right on the first try) and he knows how to eat and drink (qualities I appreciate).

But don't forget to get your orders in for your Limited Edition kits: you've only got another week or so! I've got my order in, and I can't wait to try each of the wines as they evolve over the next five years, and to compare them to previous Limited Editions. If you didn't get a chance to see the presentation about the flavours and the foods, there's a video clip here of me noshing and slurping, to give you some ideas.

Lots of projects underway--I'll let you all in on them as time passes. They say there's no rest for the wicked, but I don't remember being this naughty!

Posted by Tim AT 6:09AM

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