My Wine Education
Clients are often amazed about how much information we share and they are shocked that we’ve learned this all in the five years plus that we’ve been here in Napa and Sonoma. There are two reasons that we’ve accumulated so much info, and are able to share it so easily.
First, we are researchers; our first tour book was our twelfth book, so we are accustomed to gathering and organizing information. Second, this area has the largest collection of wine educators in the world.
Right from the start I did something quite different from most professional drivers; I got out of the car! Most drivers get the clients to the door of the winery and then wait in the car, sometimes with the air conditioning on. I’ve always used that time to research the winery, talk with the staff, walk the vineyards, go on the tours, read everything I could find around the place, and then I wrote about that in our books and articles.
This takes a bit more work than just sitting in a car. It is not uncommon for me to walk five miles a day during a tour. That is on top of the one to two hundred miles of driving. Twelve and fourteen hour days are common in our tour work, so when you put this all together you can bet that I go home tired at night.
The wine educators here come in all shapes and sizes, education-wise. Some are sommeliers who have traveled here from far and wide. Many are locals who also know the history and stories and have grown up with the culture of wine. Others are folks with marketing backgrounds who realize that education is one of the keys to developing a loyal customer base.
Not only have they been my teachers, but I’ve remembered so many of their stories, including the punch lines and that’s part of what makes a good tour.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites
Napa,Sonoma,tour,Wine,education
|