SmartsCo featured in The Wall Street Journal!

We are delighted that the Wall Street Journal thinks SmartsCo is interesting enough to feature on page B1! The journalist interviewed Julie and focused on the Make Mine a Million $ Business Award from Count Me In and OPEN from American Express.

Wine and Dogs...the perfect pair

Wine and Dogs...the perfect pair Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you give your pooch some Pinot (in fact wine is supposed to be bad for dogs). But ever since we released DogSmarts , I’ve been noticing how dogs and wine seem to go so well together. Today I saw an article in Wine Enthusiast that describes a pilot program to have dogs sniff out vineyard pests. Some Napa and Sonoma wineries are training the dogs to sniff out the vine mealybug. The dogs can find the pests before the bugs are a huge problem in the vineyards, allowing wineries to catch the pest early and use less of those nasty pesticides. As for other dog and wine connections, here are jut a few: Wine & Noses. Canine Companions for Independence hosts this annual fund raiser in New Jersey. CCI trains dogs to assist people with disabilities and we donate 3% of proceeds from DogSmarts sales to CCI. Wine Dogs . If I owned a vineyard I would have a dog, or several, to walk through the vines with me. This beautiful book of photographs shows dogs at their winery homes. Chien Lunatique. Lucy the Jack Russell is the main attraction the label of Chien Lunatique, a Napa Syrah from Behrens & Hitchcock. The wine label features Lucy hen she was a tiny pup. If you want to see what she looks like now, Wine-People has a great interview of the winemaker and photos. More dog sniffing tricks. The owners of Napa’ Cliff Lede Vineyards have trained their dog Miss Louis Beale to sniff out TCA in corks. TCA is a chemical that can form on corks and make wines smell terrible...sort of like wet cardboard. There are dozens of wine labels featuring dogs, so invite some dog lovers over for a comparison tasting.
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Dog Fights Leg

A good laugh

While normally I'm not a huge fan of the America's Funniest Home Videos, genre, this one is a pretty funny dog scene.

Five Paris Discoveries

Five Paris Pleasures

I was recently in Paris and had so many delicious, relaxing, and enjoyable experiences, I thought I’d share them with anyone who’s planning an upcoming trip. Here are 5 of my favorites (good additions to all of the suggestions we’ve compiled in our ParisSmarts game).

1) Bicycles rule. Paris has embraced bicycles as a green way to lessen traffic congestion, and they've gone at it with gusto with Vélib, the new pay-as-you go bicycle share system. It seemed that on every block, people were riding the grey, slightly clunky, clean and new Vélib bikes. They’re available at several Vélib ‘stations’ and each bike has a basket for your stuff (a great place to place your fresh baguette), a lock, and lights in the front and back. The first half-hour is free, and then the charge is about $1.50 for each additional hour. To make things easier, Paris has created several new bike lanes too.

It’s a bit difficult for me to restrain my enthusiasm for Vélib. It’s sort of a ZipCar for bikes, with one great difference: you can return the bike to anywhere there’s Vélib parking...no need to go back to where you got it! Paris did this right (see what The New York Times has to say about it). Not that everyone loves them. We were in a cab that nearly ran over one Vélib -er.

One note: If you’re Canadian or American, bring your American Express (and we’re not just plugging Amex, which is a supporter of Count Me In). I tried using a Visa, but there’s a glitch in the system that they’re working on. So for now, the Vélib swipers accept European Visa/MC, but if you’re American or Canadian, they only accept American Express.

2) View from the top. Take the elevator or the escalators to the rooftop of the Georges Pompidou Museum to the Restaurant Georges. Here you can see all of Paris in an incredible panoramic view. It’s free to go up there, and then if you want you can get a very expensive drink. The restaurant looked totally cool: the décor was Jetsons meets James Bond, with huge windows to take in the view.

3) Falafel Heaven. For the tastiest falafel, go to L’As du Falafel, a busy falafel stand and restaurant on the rue des rosiers in the Marais. The falafel sandwiches are luscious: warm pita, falafel, fresh cabbage salad, fried eggplant, tomatoes, and tahini. As you approach from a block away, you’ll see people eating these big messy sandwiches with looks of extreme pleasure. The muffintop blog has a great descriptions and pictures that make me rather hungry. And David Liebowitz also loves it (he just wrote a book all about ice cream, so that’s a man I trust).

4) Tea for two. My friend Kimberly Charles is a Parisian Manqué and brought me some tea from Mariage Frères last year for my birthday. The fragrant black tea in muslin teabags felt like a little Parisian indulgence, so when I went to Paris I had to go to their store…which, it turns out, not only sells tea old school (they have hundreds of teas, which they scoop out from large, old tin canisters on wooden shelves), but also features a tea room, and a tea museum (!) that can be reached by ascending a curling rickety staircase.

5) Books and wine. Walk into La Belle Hortense, a little bookstore with a light blue sign, and you’ll discover books and wines by the glass in an unpretentious, neighborhood atmosphere. This bookstore-winebar has a little area in the front where you can order wine…without the pretensions of fancy glasses and long wine descriptions. There’s also a little sitting room in the back too. And, you’ve got to love a place that has a special section on their website to show off pictures of their aqua tiled bathroom. They are open until 1 or 2am and now that there is no smoking in Parisian restaurants (hallelujah) it’s a great place to sit, sip and read, which I did with my Henry James, Wings of the Dove…a book that reads at a pace that pairs well with this wine bar.

Champagne Naming

Is It Fair?

I was reading my beloved New Yorker this week and was struck by a one-page ad from the Champagne Region of France. In it they say "Masquerading as Champagne ... might be legal, but it isn't fair. There are many find sparkling wines, but only those originating in the chalky hills of Champagne, France can bear that region's name. A legal loophole allows some U.S. wines to masquerade as 'Champagne.'" Then they want you to demand accurate labeling.

Several wine regions have signed a "Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin , " which essentially is aiied to educate consumers about the importance of location to winemaking. These signatories include: Napa Valley, Oregon, Washington, Walla Wala Valley, Champagne, Porto, Jerez, and now Paso Robles, Sonoma, Chianti Classico, Tokaj, and Victoria and Western Australia.

So this brought up a discussion in the office regarding the "fairness" of people using the term "champagne" to describe sparkling wine. The folks at Xerox are thrilled that their name comes up everytime someone uses their name rather than "photo copy." Why do the folks of champagne spend so much time and money trying to prevent people from using the term champagne to for sparkling wine? I'd argue they would have better use of their time.

When we created our WinePassport: Bubbly , we took great pains to use the term Champagne correctly, however, the title often confuses people. I was at a party the other day and asked for some "bubbly". The waiter brought me sparking water. The fact is, "champagne" as a general term describing sparking wine is here to stay and it (as well as terms such as Port) help people know what they're going to taste.

The press release announcing this Joint Declaration say "Americans are more knowledgeable than ever before about wine and will not settle for anything less than authentic products." If you believe that, give them credit for knowing that a "California Champagne" is not from France. They should spend more time focusing on creating quality wines with strong marketing and branding, not fighting a naming battle they cannot win.

Thoughts?

Barking All the Way to the Bank

If DogSmarts Released After Mrs. Helmsey's Death

I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but it would have been nice had Leona Helmsey passed just a few months earlier - it would have been great fodder for a DogSmarts question. You gotta love the "Queen of Mean" - she causes juicy controversy all the way to the grave. Had she passed before we went to press, we would have had a question along the lines of:

How much money did Leona Helmsey leave to her beloved dog?

A ... $1 million
B ... $6 million
C ... $12 million
D ... $36 million

Answer: C ... $12 million

I'm not exactly sure what Mrs. Helmsey's Maltese named Trouble is going to do with the $12 million trust fund - I think even the most exclusive dog spas in the world are around $100 / day. Of course he could get some nice diamond collars and lots of kibble. And when Trouble goes to that great dog park in the sky, his remains will be buried next to Mrs. Helmsey in the family Mausoleum. Lucky pooch! Her human family did not fare as well: two of her grandchildren were cut out entirely and the other two received a mere $5 million with the stipulation that they visit their father's grave at least once a year.

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Get Your Pooch in Print
You can look for that question in the future printing of DogSmarts, but for now we have lots of other fun ones. Speaking of the next print run, we're already thinking of going back to press early next year and need more photos for the cards. In the first edition we held a Get Your Pooch in Print competition in which we were looking for several dogs who were representative of their breed to be featured on the back of the cards. We had lots of great submissions and added a few other photos.

This time we want a photo on the back of each card, so we need more submissions. If you have an especially cute pooch, please send us a photo and release form. There are still a few more breeds that we're looking which are outlined on the release form so they'll get first dibs, but we'll consider other especially attractive pups.

A few tips when taking photos of your dog:

• get down to their level - taking a picture from above won't work
• try to get a side shot of their full body
• don't dress them up in costumes
• don't have other people or animals in the picture
• ensure there's plenty of light and a good contrast background

Another option is to hire a professional. Lori Chung www.thepetphotographer.com takes some fantastic photos of dogs. Her very cute Chihuahua-Dachshund Mix (Chiweenie) "Flash" is featured in our DogSmarts Companion Guide.

DogSmarts Debuts at CCI Fundraiser

Our latest game gets conversation started

Last weekend I was able to combine two of my favorite pleasures – dogs and wine – at the debut of DogSmarts at the annual Celebrity Chef fundraiser for Canine Companions for Independence. We spent a delightful evening up in Sonoma County, enjoying tasty food and wine surrounded by very cute dogs while we raised money for a great cause.

We raffled off copies of DogSmarts, WineParty , and WineSmarts with a fun quiz and placed DogSmarts cards at each place setting, which was a great way to get the conversation started at the table. I had always though our games can be used as great ice breakers at big dinners such as this, and it was great to see my theory proved correct at this dinner with people sharing cards and showing off who knew more.

I first got connected with CCI through my friends Tara & Dane (at right), who have raised several puppies for CCI. They were always so cute, and when we decided to do a DogSmarts game and start our charitable giving branch of SmartsCo, CCI was the natural choice. It was especially nice to have them be a local organization with lots of wine lovers (and WineSmarts fans) in house.

My first visit to the CCI campus included a graduation ceremony which was so amazing. These dogs are specifically bred to be service dogs and have the most amazing demeanors. They also go through a ton of training, about a year or so with a volunteer puppy raiser and then intensive training with the CCI staff for about six months to nine months. Finally, the dogs are introduced to their potential partner, and the two go through two weeks of training together. At the graduation, the new partners get to meet the puppy raisers over lunch and then everyone goes to a graduation ceremony.

It’s amazing to watch how these dogs can change people’s lives, be they hearing dogs, service dogs for people with physical disabilities, skilled companion dogs for children with developmental or emotional disabilities, or facilities dogs for rehabilitation professionals, caregivers or educators and utilize a dog to improve the mental, physical or emotional health of those in their care. Pretty neat stuff.

Once you’ve experienced CCI, it becomes an addictive organization to support through volunteer activities or through financial support. My friend Tara and Dane were such successful puppy raisers, that they now have a breeder dog—Mondo—he’s such a stud (and so sweet—I would want one of his progeny).

Indian Wine Tasting

An expedition for our palates...wines of India

A group of us got together recently to taste an array of 8 wines from India. This unusual tasting included 6 wines that had been shipped directly to us from India, through a friend of my father. The tasting came about when my father, who grew up in India, visited our office a few months ago and talked with our office mate and friend Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications about India and the growing wine industry there. Kimberly was intrigued, and the next thing we knew, a mysterious, tightly shut crate arrived for her.

Kimberly, whose business develops marketing and public relations campaigns for wine and spirit companies, made the occasion of the arrival of the Indian wines into a fun event, inviting some impressive palates to taste them: Scott H. the restaurant reviewer of San Francisco Magazine, Alder Yarrow of Vinography and Olga KatzNelson, who works with Kimberly and is known, along with Kimberly, for impressive, funny one-liners. The wonderful Meredith Arthur and Eric from CHOW came to film our tasting for a web video for their site.

We got food from Chaat Café (the place has the wonderful aromas of India, and even has Kulfi, an Indian type of ice cream, in to-go bowls and in a popsicle form! I didn’t try them but can’t wait). We got saag paneer, lamb curry, chicken tikka masala, naan, and loads and loads of pakoras.

A quick background on Indian wines that we all just learned: The major wine producing areas are in the state of Maharashtra, in the central western part of the country, inland from Mumbai, and further south near Bangalore, which is also home to lots of tech companies. There are about 38 wineries throughout the country and 36 of these are in Maharashtra. In the 1980s, winemaking began in earnest, with wineries importing French grapes to cultivate.

On to the wines. We tasted all the wines without food first, in pairs. Here’s a quick overview of our notes. If you’re interested in creating a Indian winetasting, visit the winery websites (links below), and send an email to the distributors to see where you can find these wines. They tend to cost between $16-$35).

Alder offered a helpful perspective on pairing Indian foods with wine: he noted that spices tend to accentuate alcohol in wine, especially when the spices have heat, so you might want to look for lighter-bodied, sweeter and more aromatic wines.

WHITE WINES

Grover Vineyards , Sauvignon Blanc, 2005, Nandi Hills

The winery is located in southern India, on the outskirts of Bangalore. Michel Rolland collaborated on this wine, and it is exported to the US, UK and Japan. The winery is partnered with the French champagne house Veuve Clicqot Ponsardin.

Comments: This is a “competent” wine; “I like it as is”, The wine has lots of acid, so might be good with certain kinds of food, “The wine tastes tired; I’d like to try a younger vintage.” In general, this group was impressed with the winemaking of this wine.

Sula Vineyards, Chenin Blanc, 2006, Nashik

Sula may be the most easy-to-find of these Indian wines. This winery is located in northern Maharashtra, 2000 feet above sea level.

Comments: really well made; I enjoy this, but it doesn’t taste like a typical Chenin Blanc; musky, peachy aroma, and a nice balance of sweetness and acid. I like it! (me); aromas of apple and caramel. Alder prefers his chenin blancs to have aromas of parchment paper, almost like an old library, and this wine doesn’t have that.

Chateau Indage, Chardonnay, 2005, Sahyadri Valley This winery is partnered with Piper HeidseickMe: Musky aromas and a finish of honey and butter, balances by acid. I’m not a fan of buttery, CA chardonnays, so I enjoyed the restraint of this one. But I was very much alone! Others gave it a thumbs down, except one person had this mixed comment: Tastes like the winemaker poured in a few drops of flavoring for oak, butter, fruit, and then mixed it up. BUT, I’d also like to drink the whole bottle with Indian food.

Grover Vineyards Shiraz Rose, 2006, Nandi Hills

Light, raspberry juice color. Olga may have had the best description of the flavor: Bollywood movie in a glass! It was sweet and, as Kimberly described it, had a candy apple aroma and may suffer from too much skin contact. Alder added that there is an acetone flavor at the finish, and Scott, a Rose fan, did not like this at all.

RED WINES

Grover Vineyards, la Reserve Red Wine, 2004, Nandi Hills

Grover Vineyards, la Reserve Red Wine, 2003, Nandi Hills

Satori, Merlt NV, Nashik

Chateau Indage, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Sahyadri Valley

Generally, none of us loved these red wines, and to be honest, there were some much stronger negative feelings about these. Some of the descriptions included: acetone, artichoke, very simple, Band-Aid aroma (Kimbelry noted that it has an aroma of a horse covered in Band-Aids!), and with the final wine, we all seemed to find aromas of movie candy: mint chocolate, good and plenty, jelly beans, and more, but not in a good way (and I love candy!). Overall comments: stick with the Indian white wines, and explore those.