Year of being Unique! - Hello 2018!

Happy New Year to all my LI connections and friends!

Just to say that the year 2017 was a fab year for WTTS with many exciting new wine & spirit discoveries along with many music & entertainment highlights to recall and enjoy.

The list of artists taken care of and re acquainted with were many and varied, and its proof in what I do, that there is one simple rule in life that also applies to business life... take care of people as you would yourself and they will become lifelong friends and supporters of what you do.

Life for me is particularly exciting when taking care of our fine wine & spirit loving friends, and although its a bit like living a Gypsy style life, it makes it most interesting when I have to take careful consideration of all different types of peoples preferences of wines and spirits, as well as the unique adventures people like to do when touring. As Tom Hanks said in the movie Forrest Gump; "Life is like a box of chocolates" and if I substitute "box of chocolates" with "box of wine", it makes more sense to what I do!

The year 2017 was infused with variety, with some of the most amazing wine loving artists and bands touring Australia and New Zealand. These included in no particular order:

Drake, Alison Moyet, Alice Cooper, Sigur Ros, Madness, Queens of the Stoneage, Twenty One Pilots, Sir Paul McCartney, Vintage Trouble, The Tea Party, Pete Tong, MIGOS, LCD Sound System, Culture Club, Thompson Twins, LIVE, Lifehouse, Paul Kelly, Americana, Sebastian Bach, Carlos Santana, The Doobie Brothers, The Human League, Simple Minds, Placebo, Sir Elton John, Deaf Havana, SIA, Jack Johnson and others..

One thing that stands out from taking care of these artists on there tours, is that everyone has a unique interpretation of what wine is to them, each person has a taste (palate) that is unique to themselves, and each are amazed and in wonder with the new information and discoveries of varietals and styles they were yet to know about we showcased backstage. This leads to and confirms the realization that when dealing with the varied wine taste of people we serve, that wine is 100% subjective. There is no right or wrong with someones taste. A wine or spirit is many things; it can be about the artistic imagery of a label or memories (a time capsule in someone life of a taste or smell that brings back a good or bad memory). What one person smells and tastes may be completely different to the person standing right next to them, and it is my role as a trusted and passionate wine & spirit student and enthusiast, to encapsulate and explain in realistic terms what they are drinking and to promote the good stories which will hopefully create new memories of enjoyment that make a long lasting and enjoyable mark.

To enjoy a wine or spirit properly you have to understand the context of that wine/spirit, taste of the region, know why the maker produces the wines/spirits in that style. Therefore before you chose a wine/spirit, I feel, it is important to know more about the varietal, its regional style, its history and the people behind the bottle you are opening. This is why you are enjoying this particular drink and it is all part of the celebration!

Uniqueness is what 2018 should be about, and with the combination of the last year being creative, it should blend very well. The word 'Unique' has many meanings; different, rare, uncommon, individual, exclusive or alone. I look for, and like a wine or spirit to be any one of these and not part or the same as the common pack you see plenty of at your liquor super market.

Creativity and Uniqueness has a great sound, and I have seen from some of the so called "wine scribes" of the modern era a trend to not be unique, more like sheep that follow the pack, and highly score wines that really blind Freddy could rate just by the label and history. One particular self acclaimed wine expert I took to task this year, only because he was high scoring wines that were based on the brand and also what others had already said.. his commentary was parrot fashioned and totally unoriginal, with the big dollar prestige brands being given the highest possible scores. There were only a very few smaller boutique producers that rated a mention in his on-line publications which really annoyed me. Be very careful who you take recommendations from of so called wine critics and commentators, many who are in the pocket of the big beverage conglomerates, and big retailers, it wont take you long to spot them if you scratch the surface. These guys are paid, whether by money or wine, to say the right thing about a wine just to get you to buy it. Lesson is: use google more to do your own research and you will find the right wines for your unique palate.

WTTS is constantly on a voyage of wine & spirit discovery and we are always on the search for beverage partners who fit our criteria of uniqueness. The ports we stop at are many and yes we do have a favorite wine or spirit we love from each of them! The unique story of the producer is what makes the wine or spirit interesting, and we are 100% un-biased - never in the pocket of any producer when we chose a product for our WTTS Backstage Cellar Door. We chose a product for many reasons; its unique packaging design, the interpretation of the region and vintage as well as its taste quality. A highly regarded WTTS wine/spirit reflects the overall picture of the producer, not just a comment about the liquid inside.

I have said this before; there are so many similarities between the music & entertainment industries and wine & spirit industries. Each are artists in their own right and each has their own interpretation of what they do, therefore being unique is what sets one apart from the others.

One particular story that stands out for me in 2017 is meeting the great rock singer Alice Cooper and his lovely life partner Sheryl Goddard, who absolutely loved my Backstage Cellardoor and although Alice has not consumed alcohol in 30+ years, he was fascinated by a particular Australian wine I showcased for them aftershow. The wine was from one of our finest Pinot Noir producers (William Downie), who created a simple label and wine and called it PAB. Alice said that although he would not drink it, he wanted it for his study at home, as it was ingenious and reminded him of the drink called TAB from years ago. Sheryl loved the Pinot Gris from another small producer in Canberra Region called Ravensworth.

I also had great times looking after the tour for Culture Club, and again the face of the band (Boy George) does not drink any alcoholic drink at all, but his band most certainly do! They loved the wines from Lakes Folly (Hunter Valley), Tellurian Estate (Heathcote) and their old fave port from the fine cellars of Seppeltsfield (Barossa Valley) as they toured.

These are some of the amazing insights I benefit from when meeting artists and showing off our great wines as they tour.

I could talk more in detail about each of the tours we have taken care of in 2017, but this would require a load of time and far too much reading for you I'm sure!

Take this year in your grasp, and move forward with being creative as well as being unique to yourself, dont be a sheep, and treat every day as a special day! Much love to you all!

Andrew Roper - Wines to the Stars