This past Saturday Ghirardelli Square in the city was flooded with hundreds of wine enthusiasts, some just enjoying good tunes and company but some were questing for an undiscovered treasure. Of course Ryan and I were there pouring wine and spreading the word for Deerfield. I’ve represented Deerfield at about a half-dozen wine events and competitions now and we always get a good reception.  People love our wine and always let us know, but this event was different.  There was some electricity in the air and the crowd was buzzing. Those who know Deerfield always make it a point to seek us out at events but we are always working to introduce more wine drinkers to the quality of our wine. Normally we work very hard to attract people but this time something special happened.  It was like a chain reaction: a few people stopped by, tasted, savored and next thing you know came back with a group of friends. People saw the commotion at our table and checked out what was going on.  Next thing you know we had attracted a would like to think they were there to talk to us but know that the wines speak for themselves so and we all know they have an eloquent tale to tell. People really appreciated the difference in what we are doing. Our blends made us stand out. Our Merlot Cuvée is the soft approachable wine that everybody can enjoy. Our Old Vine Zin is the intense style that zin lovers gravitate towards. What really made this event different was getting to show Deerfield to so many people who appreciated fine wine.  There were people there from all walks of life and people at very different stages of developing their palate for wine and everyone seemed to really care what they were drinking and realized what a good value they had found. One young gentleman who many would expect to see with a pint glass as opposed to a wine glass took out his homemade list he had typed up on Excel with all of the wineries present at the event and a grading rubric and pointed to it and said our 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County got an 8 which he explained was “reeeeeally good.” I for one am excited. I feel like this is a renaissance where enjoying quality wine is no longer viewed by as a bourgeoisie indulgence. It’s somewhat surprising that this increased interest in quality wine is taking place during an economic downturn but I think what people are really looking at is the value of wine, dependent on the price. People will buy wine at a price point they can afford – what’s important is that they care what it is they’re drinking and are cognizant about what’s out there.  They are actively seeking a great value. I’m part of this new generation of wine drinkers so I’m very pleased with the current trend. Just pick up a copy of Wine Enthusiast’s may issue and count many times they talk about Millennials, the wine drinkers from age 21 to 35.  Here in Sonoma there’s an upcoming wine competition where all of the judges will be members of the Millenial generation. It will be very interesting to see the results. Until next time, Salut!