Podcast Guest on Social Pros

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity along with my Happy Bitch Wines business partner Keryl Pesce to be guest on Jay Baer's Convince & Convert podcast called "Social Pros Podcast."

We had a hoot doing the podcast!  They titled it "Get Happy: Putting Yourself into Your Brand's Personality."

I invite you to check out Convince & Convert Social Pros - Get Happy: Putting Yourself into Your Brand's Personality Podcast http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-pros-podcast/get-happy-putting-yourself-into-your-brands-personality/

Wine Down Wednesday

A few weeks back I was a guest on Wine Down Wednesday with Jazzie Chanel.  It was a very busy day as that morning I was in the audience for a taping of the Rachael Ray Show. If anyone knows me, to stay up past 10pm is an effort. But I must say, my adrenaline was pumping even after the show. It must be that radio in me. (I grew up in radio as well as worked in it.) For your listening pleasure -

Listen to internet radio with JazzieChanel on Blog Talk Radio

Visit Happy Bitch Wines at the New York Wine Expo

Happy Bitch Wines is hitting the town again and this time we are going to the Big Apple!  We are very excited to be participating in the New York Wine Expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center March 2 - 4.  Make sure you GET YOUR HAPPY ON and come visit us in booth 558.

Besides tasting Happy Bitch Wines Rose, you will have the opportunity to taste wines from approximately 150 producers throughout the world.  Finger Lakes Wine Country will be there with their and have a variety of wines and information on the region. This year Wines of Greece will have a nice presence. I am looking forward to tasting some of their wines. (Keryl does let me out of the booth to go mingle and taste)

Don't forget about the wine education.  The wine seminars are an additional $30.  The seminars being offered are

• Wine 101: Taste Like a Pro with Wine Spectator
• Portugal - Discover a World of Difference (Friday only)
• The Rhone Valley: A River Runs Through It (Saturday only)

Come spend Friday evening or Saturday afternoon with us.  Use discount code GODDESS and receive $15 off your admission ticket.


See you at the Expo!!

Albany Chefs' Food & Wine Festival Pouring Happy Bitch Wines

Got plans this weekend, if not the Albany Chef's' Food & Wine Festival is taking place at the Crown Plaza - Albany City Center and Happy Bitch Wines will be there.

This is a 3 day Food & Wine themed festival that highlights the chefs and restaurant in the Capital Region (Albany, NY) and educates consumers on healthy, sustainable agriculture.  All net profits from this event are donated to a deserving non-profit arts organization.  The beneficiaries are listed on their website.

The festival begins Thursday evening at City Hall with the Mayor's VIP Reception from 5pm - 7pm.  On Friday evening from 4pm - 8pm the first Grand Tasting of over 250 global wines, spirits and beer.  There will be food tastings available as well as educational food, wine and spirits seminars.  Friday evening at the tasting you can meet the up and coming chefs of the region at the Rising Star Chef Pavilion, taste their creative dishes that will be paired with boutique wines.

After the Grand Tasting there will be 10 Chefs participating in the Slider Slam where you will be able to vote for the "Best of" & "Most Creative" sliders.  Beer pairing will be presented by Ommegang Brewery.

Saturday the Grand Tasting begins at 12pm and runs until 4pm. Once again there will the Rising Star Chef Pavilion and from 1pm - 3:30pm there is a Signature Chef Invitational.  This is a competition between 5 chefs for a spot on the 2013 Signature Chef Team.  Saturday evening concludes the festival with the Grand Gala Reception and 6 Course Dinner.

Tickets for the events can be purchased on their website.  Prices vary for each event.  The Grand Tastings are priced at $50, Slider Slam $25 and the dinners range from $125 - $150.

Note:  The hotel was the Crown Plaza until December 31.  It's now called Hotel Albany and will be a part of Hilton 

Upcoming Happy Bitch Wines Tasting

If you haven't had a chance to taste Happy Bitch Wines Rose we have lots of tastings in the next two weeks.  In fact tomorrow December 9th we are going to be in two places at once!  Now is the time to come out and taste.  Happy Bitch Wines makes a great holiday gift.

Come visit and celebrate the holidays with us at the following tastings

December 9 - JK's Wine & Liquor in Kingston Plaza, Kingston NY from 5pm - 7pm - Keryl will be here with copies of her book available for sale and signing.
December 9 - McArthur's Wines &; Spirits - 870 Violet Avenue (Haviland Shopping Plaza) Hyde Park, NY - Girls Night Out - 5pm -7pm.  I will be pouring and will have copies of Keryl's book "Happy Bitch" as well as Happy Bitch wine glasses for sale.
December 10 - Viscount Wines &; Liquor 1173 Route 9, Wappingers Falls, NY 1pm - 4pm.  Keryl and I will be pouring tastes of Happy Bitch Wines
December 15 -  Hudson Plaza Wines &; Liquor Hudson Plaza, Poughkeepsie NY 5pm - 7pm.  Keryl and  I will be pouring taste of Happy Bitch Wines.  Keryl will have copies of her book available for sale and signing.
December 17 - Summerlin Wine &; Liquor Summerlin Plaza, 942 Route 376, Wappingers Falls, NY -1pm -4pm Join us here for wine tasting and book signing.  Happy Bitch wine glasses are also available for sale here.
December 18 - Arlington Wine &; Liquor 718 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie, NY - Join us here to get your last minute Happy Bitch gifts for the holidays.  We will have wine tasting and Keryl will have her book for sale and signing.

We hope to see you at one of these tastings before the holiday!

Shrinky Dinks - You Thought It Was Only for Kids

The very first SHRINKY DINKS were sold on October 17, 1973 at Brookfield Square Shopping Mall in Brookfield Wisconsin. Since that time there has been over 250 different Toy Activity and Craft Kits created and marketed. Whoever thought at my age I would be spending a day making shrinky dinks for adults.


It all began with the idea of Happy Bitch Wines wine charms or tuits two weeks before the launch. Where were we going to come up with these and what were we going to put on them.  Of course something that has to do with our brand and were we going to be able to get them before the big launch?


We searched the internet, made some phone calls and were thinking.  


Then I get a text from Keryl "Your partner is brilliant, shrinky dinks" with a picture of the wine charm bottle.  Crafts were never a strong point in in my life but shrinky dinks was a term from my childhood.  Oh my gosh they were great.  I was laughing.

So the Sunday before the launch we cranked out 600 shrinky dink wine charms, 150 each of the wine bottle, sign, shirt and lips. Yes printing, cutting and baking (and it wasn't cookies). The things you do to get a project done for our fans.

I hope everyone who attended the launch enjoys the wine charms.  All I got was carpal tunnel in my left thumb.

The Launch Party

Last Thursday at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie the Happy Bitch and myself, the Hudson Valley Wine Goddess launched Happy Bitch Wines. It was a beautiful day and foliage was at its peak.  I couldn't have asked for a better day.

The Grandview outdid themselves, the food was fantastic!  We had 150 people attend the launch.  The compliments from the well wishers was just incredible.  I am not use to being the center of attention and people were coming up to me and thanking me, telling me how wonderful the wine is. It was a fantastic experience and I am glad I have been given this opportunity.  An opportunity to work with Keryl who is quite a dynamic woman herself and produce an outstanding wine that is not just a wine, but a lifestyle. 

I want to thank everyone who attended the launch!  I also want to thank, you.  Yes YOU, my readers for all the support and encouragement you have given me. THANK YOU!!

Here is the link to the pictures I've posted from the party..  http://www.flickr.com/photos/hvwinegoddess

Oh No - Wrong Color Bottle Closures

I am going to reveal something here before I should.  Our packaging for Happy Bitch Wines Rosé isn't the traditional wine bottle.  I mean it is as far as the bottle goes, but not the closure.  It's not a cork, but a cap...yes a bottle cap for an easy open.

We ordered our caps thank goodness with somewhat of a buffer time, just in case something should go wrong. Not that we expect anything to go wrong...but...you just can never be sure.  The caps ordered were Hot Pink.  When they were delivered Keryl opened the box AND.....OH NO- They were purple.

Now purple is my color, pink is Keryl's and the color scheme of Happy Bitch Wines.  Purple caps are not going match the outfit our Happy Bitch Wines Rosé will be wearing.  What to do?  People say when someone hands you lemons, make lemonade.  Well....

The company we purchased the caps from couldn't do enough for us.  They worked throughout the weekend, emails and .jpgs going back and forth to make purple turn pink. Although they aren't as hot pink as we would like, they will match the outfit just fine.  They arrived this past Friday, so we are all set.

QUESTION: What do we do with all these purple caps?  This is where our customers are going to benefit.  We are throwing in a bunch of purple caps when we bottle this week.  If you are one of the lucky people to purchase a bottle with a purple cap, you will receive a special gift from us at Happy Bitch Wines.  It could be a set of glasses, a shirt, the Happy Bitch Book or some other Happy Bitch Wines gift. We will have posted on our website instructions on how to claim your prize with your purple cap on November 1st.  Why November 1st - well - October 20th is our launch party where you'll see the bottle perfectly dressed and get to taste it but November 1st is when it will be available in the wine stores in your neighborhood.

More Happy Bitch Wines Please

You might be wondering which Happy Bitch Wine won last week at the Hudson Valley Wine Fest.  Happy Bitch Wine #2 was the grand winner and will be renamed Happy Bitch Wines Rose on October 20, 2011. To read the press release click here.

Things are happening at such a fast pace that we were asked to attend the Hunter Mountain Wine & Brew Festival last weekend.  It was a last minute so we didn't have time to announce and promote that we were going to be there.  We poured #2 and received a tremendous response! Seems everyone at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival swallowed so all we had were "I Spit" stickers.  Guess we'll have to order double next time.  Since our wine is a big hit with men as well, we will have a special sticker for those men who hesitate to try our wine and are pleasantly surprised that they like it, and the men who have no problem saying they love our wine.

At Hunter Mountain, people just kept wanting more of Happy Bitch Wines #2.  Here is what they had to say:

 

Happy Bitch Wines Debuts at the Hudson Valley Wine Fest

We've come a long way in a few months and you have all been with us every step.  Now it's time to determine what blend we will produce.  Join us at Booth 45 at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival this weekend for the debut of Happy Bitch Wines and taste 3 different blends and vote for the one you like best.

Come say hi to me and Keryl.  Taste the different blends and vote.  We have some fun things planned for you.

There will be two girls at the glass counter (my daughter Melanie one of them) to hand you a card to remind you to visit us.  Don't throw the card away, the flip side is your invite to the big Launch Party on October 20th.  (and don't forget to wish Melanie a Happy Birthday as her birthday is Tuesday - I love embarrassing her!)  You can find our booth by looking for this banner in Building B.

Keryl and Craig will be pouring Saturday (yes, we do allow husbands to help every now and then) until I finish up with the Hudson Valley Wine Competition.  Then it's Keryl and I, together for the remainder of the festival.

Although we won't have any wine to sell, yes you have to wait until the Launch Party, Keryl will have some copies of her book Happy Bitch for purchase.  I bet if you are a Happy Bitch she will even autograph it for you.

We'll see you this weekend at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival.  If you want to purchase tickets in advance so you don't have to wait on any lines click here.

Designing the Happy Bitch Wine Label

I've always appreciated people who have artistic talent.  When I was in college I was friends with a few graphic designers and illustrators (yes, Matt, Jeff, Pete I'm talking about you) and was always amazed by their work.  Unfortunately when they were giving out the creative gene, I wasn't on that line.  Stick figures is it for me.

Now with Photoshop and Illustrator one can do wonders when you find your artistic ability you didn't know you had. I am still shy on the creative gene, but Keryl is a wiz at designing and has great creative insight.  Designing a wine is a little more than a design.  It has to get TTB (Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau) approval.

We knew we wanted bubbles on the label.  It has to contain of course the Happy Bitch logo, and all the other requirements by the Feds.  Then there is the back of the bottle.  We also have a special message for everyone on the bottle.  All of this has to be approved by the higher ups.

So now we sit here and wait...and wait....and wait....

Hopefully the approval will come soon and we will be able to bottle the chosen blend right after the Hudson Valley Wine Festival.

We will unveil the label and wine at the Launch Party on October 20 at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie.  Your invited, so don't forget to purchase your ticket. Ticket cost is $65 and $10 of every ticket purchased will be donated to Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation.

We Nailed It!

Blending trials are challenging.  You like aspects of one blend, color of another.  You kind of wish you could just add chocolate chips and bake at 350 and it would come out wonderful and tasty.

At our 3rd blending trial everything was going well.  Each blend was the same color but slightly different.  It was unanimous we all like blend #4.  The winemaster said that was the blend you all liked from the beginning.

So we thought...I noticed it was missing something on the nose.  It wasn't as aromatic as the blend we liked at the first blending trial.  Same with the taste - it was missing something.  Just because I was the odd ball out, I said something.  Hey this has to be the perfect base blend.  Once I said "wait, there is something missing, who has their notes from the first blending?" the winemaster agreed that it wasn't true to the first blend that we liked, there was something missing.

So a few days later Keryl and I returned to try the blend with the missing ingredient. The color was good   the fizz was good, the aroma was wonderful, it put a smile on our face.  The taste - FANTASTIC!  Glasses clanking together, we nailed the base!

Now - visit us at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival, September 10 & 11 and vote on one of three blends made from this base.  The winning blend is the Frizzante we will produce.

Bottle Shopping

Who ever thought choosing a bottle was going to be so difficult.  A wine bottle is a wine bottle. NOT!  There are many factors going into the bottle that we are looking for.  For starters, it has to be light weight.  I hate picking up a wine bottle and my arm gets a work out from the weight just by pouring.  I also get angry when I order wine and the shipping charge is so high because the bottle empty weighs 5 pounds.  Then there is the color, frosted, plain.

Next is the top/cap/closure/cork - whatever you want to call it.  We want this to be a fun beverage.  No worries and easy to access.  How many times have you gone somewhere and didn't have a corkscrew.  Did we want a screw cap, a crown cap, what type of cap.  Well that brings us back to the bottle.  

Since our first blend is a Frizzante - can the bottle hold the 2 volumes of pressure, be light, and of course the wine has to look good in it!  Not to mention the game of dressing up the bottle. Sorry I can't reveal any pictures of the clothes the bottle will be wearing (label etc..)  But let's just say Harry and Patricia Kislevitz the creator of Colorforms would be very proud of us.

Good news / Bad news...We found the bottle we really, really like...it's made in Italy...guess where everyone in Italy is during the month of August.  On vacation! They have the life.  No worries, we found a supplier in the good old US of A that has a bottle we love. We played dress up on it and wait until you see how wonderful she looks!  

Happy Bitch Wines Tasting Trial #2

Just back from the Society of Wine Educators conference in Rhode Island, and Keryl just back from vacation there is no time to waste.  It was time for tasting trials #2 of Happy Bitch Frizzante.

At this tasting we were going to narrow down the color, sweetness, flavor and aroma. There were two samples that the Winemaster developed for us based on our last tasting trials. A little cheese and crackers and we were set to taste.

Keryl did the honors of opening the first selection.  We compared the selections that were prepared for us to the selections we like from the first tasting trials.  We poured the two new selections in our glass and began the tasting evaluation.  It was quiet.  We swirled and sipped.  OMG I exclaimed, there is no fizz in this.  There were other comments that went around.  To sweet, little dryer, no nose, lacking flavor.  We were very disappointed!  However, all wasn't lost on the evening, we did agree on the color.

First item on Sunday's agenda was to let the Winemaster know of our disappointment and send him back to the lab to create something that will give us a WOW factor.  We're tough bitches! Nobody said creating a wine was going to be easy.

Remember - Happy Bitch Wines will be at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival, September 10 & 11 with two or three of the tasting trial blends for you to vote on.  The winning blend is what we will produce.  If you are in the area, make sure you stop at the festival and visit us in Booth 45 and cast your vote.

First Blending Trials of Happy Bitch Wines

You, the extraordinary woman, became our profile to create Happy Bitch Wine. What, in our minds, defines an extraordinary woman? an extraordinary wine!

With that in mind, we sat at the tasting table.  Me, Paul, Keryl, Craig and the Winemaster. Ten groupings sat in front of us, each the different dosage, but with different base blends.  Group A was all the same base Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Group B was Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Let the fun begin!  That's 10 different blends to try.  Got to remember to spit!

Here are some of my tasting notes:

Appearance: Orangish, Salmon, Medium Salmon, Rougher, Orange,

Nose: Smarties, Sweeter - more aroma, nice-upbeat,

Taste: Dry - too dry, more flavor, flavor better than A but could be more, little sweeter, nice mouth feel, nice flavor, to sweet.

Paul's comments were a bit different: He didn't comment on the appearance.  Guess that is a girl thing. 

Nose: pear to melon, musty at first, fruity, dark fruit, candied, clean, fresh, strawberry, flat, clean

Taste: dry, citrus finish, not much fruit, tannic, slightly acidic, better balance, much 
heavier, flat, slightly , balance, sweet, no acidity, sweet.


Craig's notes were better nose, great mouth feel, floral


Keryl's tasting notes were are pulled from emotion: fun, fruity, happy and yummy!  Ok...she knows what she likes and wants to have fun with it!

Once we decided that 4A met our criteria we set up an appointment for tasting # 2.  At this tasting we will be deciding on the three blends to bring with us to the Hudson Valley Wine Fest.  It is at the festival that you yes YOU, will decide on the first blend.

Meeting the Winemaster

After our meeting I contacted the Winemaster and an evening appointment was set up  at a local restaurant.  I really wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I met Keryl at her house and we drove over  together.  This also gave us time to talk and get our adrenalin moving, which was no problem for the two of us.

After the initial getting to know you, we received some great insight from the Winemaster.  Not just on the development of the product but on the packaging and distribution as well.  We went in there with ideas for one product and a little thinking outside of the box, views of the Winemaster, our  first product  was agreed on.  I will tell you it's a Rosé but it might just surprise you - Casual but Elegant!

Contracts were drawn up and Happy Bitch Wines was formed and our first blend is on its way...............

Two Acquaintances, Three Tweets and a Brand-New Wine is Born

It all began as a tweet.  One tweet, lead to another tweet, that lead to a meeting. 

THEHAPPYBITCH Keryl Pesce 

Would you like to see a wine called Happy Bitch? Retweet if your answer is yes.

26 Apr

hvwinegoddess Debbie Gioquindo,CSW 

@THEHAPPYBITCH Would be great especially if you used #HudsonValley or NY sourced grapes

THEHAPPYBITCH Keryl Pesce 

@hvwinegoddess Would love to talk to you more about this Debbie. Send me email when you get a minute. Keryl@happybitchbook.com

28 Apr

Keryl and I aren't strangers.  We are both members of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, have both of our blogs hosted on the Poughkeepsie Journal's website and seven years ago I helped plan a surprise trip to Napa Valley for her husband's 30th birthday.   We'd run into each other occasionally at a chamber event, usually talking about a mutual passion.  You guessed it - wine.  But then Keryl sent out a Tweet, I responded and as a result, occasionally has now become daily, Keryl and I now talk multiple times a day.  Why? We're using our passion, our resources, our mutual desire to enjoy life and help others do the same, and creating the first ever Happy Bitch Wine. 

Our first meeting place - Bad Ass Coffee on Rt 9 in Wappingers Falls. Over a couple of frozen Koffee Koolers,  Keryl and I caught up.  She filled me in on her recently released self-help book for women "Happy Bitch." I filled her in on what I've been up to the past 10 years, then we got down to business, so to speak. Keryl showed me the mock up of what her vision was for Happy Bitch Wine.  The moment I saw it, I knew just who to call to bring this to fruition and guide us, the winemaster.


This is what just the beginning of what happens when you put together The Happy Bitch and Hudson Valley Wine Goddess together!  Happy Bitch Wines!

***Note:  I am dedicating Wednesdays to share with you the creation of Happy Bitch Wines.  This is a partnership between "The Happy Bitch" and the "Hudson Valley Wine Goddess."  Together we bring our palates and want you to share with us and be a part of this creation.***