MAY 6th, 2010

Springtime - let's celebrate! It seems it’s been a long rainy winter, at least for those of us in California.   We do have a winter season especially in San Francisco. With the spring, we come out of our hibernation and take a moment to reflect on all the great work being achieved by our clients and our team. We wanted to share some of the highlights with you to give you a glimpse into some of the exciting undertakings here at Charles Communications Associates. We also have a special reason for celebrating, as this week is the 7th anniversary of the company started at my dining room table with one client, and today in a great office in San Francisco, with a killer team and 14 amazing clients!  We are grateful, energized, excited and inspired by each other and our clients, so we raise a glass to many more years of satisfying and gratifying work and play!

-Kimberly Charles, Founder

Some things are worth the wait

In December of 2009, seven years after pulling out the old vineyards with the goal of restoring the land, DeLoach Vineyards achieved their Demeter Biodynamic® certification for its Estate Vineyards. As one of only 64 wineries worldwide with Demeter certification, DeLoach is in great company with some of the most prestigious and special estates in the wine world.

For the Boisset Family, who purchased DeLoach Vineyards in 2003, going biodynamic is not just about meeting specific standards or adding “biodynamic” to the label- it's about a holistic approach to working with and living on Earth. This approach is evident when you visit the property: wildflower honey is produced as result of the colony of bees that pollinate flowers and cover crops, lunches are prepared for the harvest workers from the produce from the organic garden, cut flowers adorn the tasting room all season long, picnic baskets are prepared for guests who come to taste, fresh eggs are collected from the chicken coop, and rabbits and sheep graze on the cover crops. When asked to describe biodynamics, we feel it is better explained with a field trip to the DeLoach property.

Over the past several years, biodynamic, organic and other approaches to sustainable winegrowing have been gaining momentum, and DeLoach Vineyards is among the frontrunners of this movement. We are proud to share that the estate vineyard is now a rich ecosystem and 2010 will mark the first vintage of wines from the biodynamically-farmed estate vineyards. Congrats!

Reflection in Oregon

As San Franciscans, we have a tendency to favor our neighboring vineyards, backroads and farmers markets. While this certainly ensures we don't take our surroundings for granted, it does make us a little naïve to the incredible landscapes in other areas. A trip to the Willamette Valley in Oregon taught us that lesson.

During our trip to Dundee Hills where we visited Archery Summit winery, we learned why Willamette Valley is vying for the title of the ultimate Pinot terroir. South-facing slopes are like a paradise island sheltered from the fluctuating wind and weather patterns of the Columbia River Gorge and the Valley floors.  Here, in the legendary volcanic red soil, Archery Summit has been one of the most prominent Oregon wineries since the very beginning, producing complex, elegant Pinots. We'd return just for the wine- but our "local" lunch gave us even more reason to fall in love with the Northwest: hazelnuts, dried cherries, black figs, Oregon blue cheese and duck confit topped a salad that was decidedly not from the Bay Area.

At CCA we are proud of representing Archery Summit, not only because adore the thought-provoking wines, but we also love the story about this tenacious wine region, which exudes a quiet confidence and a wine country that rivals the beauty of the Bay Area. To capture this spirit, we are excited to launch a photography contest this summer - stay tuned for the details!  

Adventurous bubbles

One of the many things we love about Domaine Carneros and working with the brilliant CEO and winemaker Eileen Crane, is her great sense of adventure whether it’s traveling around the world, trying new flavors, finding the coolest new chocolate or ice cream flavor, she’s game for all things fun and experimental.

When we talked with her about trying her award winning sparkling wine, the Cuvée de la Pompadour Rose which undergoes a two year bottle aging before release, as an ingredient in wine-based cocktails, we were delighted that she was so game to let her elegant, refined wine be a component to a mixologist’s craft.

   
Of course, we worked with some of the top talent to create seasonal cocktails given Domaine Carneros’ commitment to organic farming for the vineyards. Here in Northern California we are surrounded by the best bounty any chef or cocktailian could ask for. Recipes from Maria Hunt author of the Bubbly Bar, Scott Beattie, mixologist and author of Artisanal Cocktails, and one of our favorite personalities in the spirits business Duggan McDonnell, whiz kid owner of Cantina in San Francisco are featured on Domaine Carneros’ website  highlighting ginger, persimmon, pears, apples, pomegranates …ingredients that span the seasons and provide great supporting roles to the finesse of Domaine Carneros’ sparkling wines. A votre santé!

Expert panel to shed light on the wine business' blind spot

When the bright spring sun sheds a revealing light on the dirt that's been hiding during the dark winter months, we know it's time to bring out the broom and get the dirt out from under the carpet. But sometimes sunshine and a good breeze isn't enough to make us realize that we have some cleaning up to do. In such cases of eclectic blindness we recommend a cure called 'hard facts'. Hard facts are definitely needed in the case of what we feel is a benign myopia in the US wine business, which seems to have a very persistent blind spot for the issue of 'corkiness' - that dank odor resulting from Trichloroanisole (TCA) that ruins so many wines. That's why DIAM - a producer of a technical cork, which in our opinion is the best closure in the market - decided to commission a research study to once and for all determine the level of coincidences of TCA and random oxidation in the US wine industry.

For this purpose we have put together a panel of experts from every facet of the wine industry, which is designing the research study to ensure its objectivity, statistical validity, scope, and significance. The panel has just completed a small-scale pilot study before defining the frame of the major study. The first results of the pilot study are expected shortly.

Fond Farewell

It was a sad day in March when Ashley Parker-Snider called me to let me know of her father Fess Parker's passing. The Parker family and Fess have always held a special spot in my heart. They were my first client at Charles Communications Associates, and I had the privilege of working closely with Fess and his family for seven years. A big highlight was the moment Fess donated his Daniel Boone costume to the American Museum of Popular Culture at the Smithsonian in the summer of 2004. A standing room only crowd shared with Fess how he had shaped, changed and influenced their lives, it was one of the more special moments in my life much less career. His legacy lives on through his son and daughter Eli and Ashley and son-in-law Tim Snider who run the winery and vineyards. He will be missed. For some great sentiment, visit the Shooting Gallery we set up on Fess' 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of Davy Crockett online at the winery website. -Kimberly Charles

Greening the greens

Given that we celebrated 40 years of Earth Day in April of this year, we have much to be grateful for at CCA. We represent a great and dedicated group of clients the majority of whom are dedicated to sustainability, organic and biodynamic farming and all that entails in terms of running their businesses as well. One of the leaders in sustainability for California would be our new client Wente Family Estates, who have been walking the sustainability walk since 1883 when the family-owned winery was founded. This philosophy extends not just to the  management of their 3000 acres of estate vineyards, but to every aspect of their business including the 18-hole award winning golf course as well as the locally focused Restaurant at Wente Vineyards.  

In January this year, the Course at Wente Vineyards was designated a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by Audubon International which recognizes a property that demonstrates a high degree of environmental quality in Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat Management, Outreach and Education and Water Conservation among other disciplines.”  There are 797 golf courses globally who enjoy this distinction, and 52 in California.

What we've been up to... 

	"Lately I find myself seeking open water for inspiration, perspective and meditation. I went kayaking in Santa Cruz and saw gray whales migrating, I’ve been sailing  and taking my kayak out whenever possible. Bliss!"
	"Springtime! You can find me at the farmers market and then biking to the sand dunes at Fort Funston with a bag of kumquats, a crusty baguette, some SF Drake triple cream and a bottle (or two) of a dry, floral rosé."
	''Having been traveling these past couple of years, as of February my new digs are here in San Francisco.  When I'm not exploring the city, having the mountains and ocean close by keeps me pretty busy."
	"Traveling around California, experiencing and tasting everything it has to offer. Being new to this country, it keeps amazing me how beautiful and diverse it is - and I'm still hungry for more..."