Rosenblum: It’s All About the People
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
Tuesday after work, we had a baby shower for Sean and his wife, Jolie. They are expecting their first baby May 23, though Jolie and the doctor think little Harper may come into the world a bit early. I attended, despite my unjust depiction as one who does not like children. We had wine (of course) and cheese while the two opened gifts, including preciously cute socks, onesie’s (not for their cat), and four months of diaper service from the tasting room staff. Way to go, being environmentally conscious you guys!
If you’re a club member or other Rosenblum customer reading this, be sure to wish Sean good luck when you see him next.
Other tasting room news. One of our most talkative hospitality representatives, Paul, is now a certified sommelier! He went back home to Texas (a fellow southerner— that warms my heart and thickens my drawl) to take the introductory level class test a little over a month ago. Then Sunday before last, he took the certification, which included a test, service, and blind tasting, and passed.
Congrats to both these guys. Cheers!

At Rosenblum Cellars we make about 25 different Zinfandels, from all over the state, each one different. One of my absolute favorites is the one from the
The Saturday crew has been trying to plan a dinner with the two of them for a while now, but schedules made it hard. Finally, this past Saturday, we all came together at
Rosenblum fans out there, dessert wine lovers, sweet tooth addicts, have I got a class for you. Our next wine seminar is coming up quickly, and there are still a few spots left.
Wineries in the East Bay, you ask? But of course! And more than you probably think. Of course, there’s Rosenblum Cellars, JC Cellars and Dashe Cellars. And maybe you’ve heard of Lost Canyon Winery as well. However, it doesn’t stop there. Throughout Alameda, Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville, there are over a dozen wineries scattered about. Some are quite small with no tasting room and some have limited hours that they are open.
Another success! Rosenblum Cellars Open House March Madness this weekend went amazingly well. We had around 1300 guests on Saturday and 1000 on Sunday. But the funny thing is that you don’t feel like it’s that many people. There is a line of tables wrapping around two walls, with three wines being poured at each. In the center of the cellar are tables of delicious food, with a carving station off to one side. Meanwhile, the registers are located on the far side of the area, where I and my co-horts sat waiting to help people take home wine. It really made me feel special when I had quite a few customers wait to see me specifically. Some came to see me because we’ve had good chats in the tasting room, some because they enjoy my tasting notes, and one lady even said “I have to get help from Buffy!” (due to my Halloween costume I wore to work).
There is a whole other area of wine and food outside under a tent. Balloons everywhere, a stage for live music, and a very long line for Tucker’s Zinfandel ice cream, as always. Psst, I heard a rumor the shop has it for sale, over on Park Street. Typically, the reserve wines and many of the new releases are located outside to help keep traffic moving. Plus, there is also the whole front area of the winery, where people sit at tables and along the deck, taking breaks from tasting or just enjoying the sun.
March Madness is upon us….at Rosenblum Cellars, anyway. It’s Open House this weekend: the best party on the island.
With tonight being Open That Bottle Night, I think it’s as good a time as any to say how our To Age or Not To Age wine seminar went. Smashingly, thank you for asking. I have to say, I was a little worried about this one going into it. What if people wanted definitive answers? What if the information was too dry?
Our third wine seminar is coming up in approximately two weeks. To Age or Not To Age will take place Wednesday, February 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 at the winery in Alameda. Sean and I will address ways to decide whether you should hold on to certain bottles or if they’re ready to drink now. We’ll do tastings of Rosenblum wines that tend to take more time to become accessible, including some wines from the library. (Always a treat to pull those out!) I will also discuss one of my favorite wine-related events: Open That Bottle Night, created by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, and will give attendees a chance to participate in the celebration which takes place the following Saturday, February 23.
Everyone seemed to have a grand time at last week’s wine seminar, the second in our series. Sean and I were joined this time by Kevin, our enologist who’s been at Rosenblum for ten years. He explained the specifics of Rosenblum’s vineyard management and winemaking techniques and how the two can affect the profile of wine specific to our style. Sean discussed components and the aspects of tasting wine, while I addressed the myth of the tongue map and issues of taste and smell and how the two are combined. I even conducted a fun experiment, courtesy of Jancis Robinson, to demonstrate how important the sense of smell is.
Sometime Wednesday afternoon, an RV pulled into Rosenblum’s parking lot with a trailer behind it. And on that trailer was a giant armadillo. Now, I’m from Mississippi, and I have never seen an armadillo that big. Turns out, it’s from Texas (hence, the lone star on its tail) and as you’ve probably heard, everything is bigger in Texas…. This one is actually a grill and smoker, made by Ray—who drives up and over every year about this time. He barbeques ribs for the Good Eats portion of the ZAP extravaganza, and he’s well known around these parts. (Perhaps due, in part, to the armadillo’s giant cojones.) Good BBQ—and this is really good BBQ–and fruity Zinfandel is an amazing combination, you have to try.
Kent allows him to park his RV at the winery while he’s in town, and Ray returns the favor by cooking up some good eats for us lucky employees. I got a sneak preview on Wednesday when I took these pictures, which was fortunate, since it was pouring buckets all day Friday when we had the real shindig. Over the past few days, Ray and I had some quality chats about potato salad (find my recipe
The first Rosenblum wine club member/shareholder I met and still one of the nicest–Mark Hardwick– is really excited to help bring the Slow Food movement to Alameda. I’m excited he is, as well. My 


