Podcasts about Meritage

Send us a textEver wondered if you could find a legitimate Napa Valley wine for $20? The Trader Joe's Diamond Reserve Rutherford Meritage 2022 might just be that unicorn. This isn't your typical grocery store wine – it's a serious Bordeaux-style blend from one of Napa's most prestigious growing regions.The Rutherford AVA sits in the widest part of Napa Valley, benefiting from abundant sunshine and dramatic temperature shifts (90°F days to 50°F nights) that create perfect conditions for developing complex flavors. This particular Meritage combines all five classic Bordeaux varieties – predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (68%), supported by Merlot, Petit Verdot, the rarely-seen Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. What makes this especially intriguing is that it's crafted by a company owned by a Master Sommelier, bringing expert blending skills to an accessible price point.Don't let the modest price tag fool you – this wine received premium treatment with 20 months aging in French oak (30% new barrels), a regimen typically reserved for much more expensive bottles. The result is a fruit-forward yet balanced wine offering layers of blackberry, blueberry, pomegranate and plum, complemented by savory notes and subtle spices. At 15.3% alcohol, it delivers impressive structure without veering into sweetness. Current challenges in California's wine industry likely explain how such quality has found its way to Trader Joe's shelves at this price.Whether you're a curious wine explorer or a seasoned Napa enthusiast looking for a weeknight bargain, this Diamond Reserve deserves a spot in your glass. Try it alongside your next special meal and see if you agree it drinks like a wine at twice the price. Then let us know what you think – have you found other hidden gems in Trader Joe's wine section?Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.comor email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Wagner Vineyards Meritage In this episode, Rob and Scott review an excellent red wine from the Finger Lakes known as Wagner Vineyards Meritage. So come join us, on The Wine Vault.

I just read an article in Wine Enthusiast that Riesling is one of the fastest-growing wine varieties on the market. According to the article, people are looking for crisp-bright wines; of course, Riesling fits that bill. Our first wine says it pairs well with chicken, fish, and spicy cuisines. Nero D'Avola is known for its dark fruit-driven flavors, full-bodied, and medium to medium-high tannins. In addition to the dark fruit, may get flavors of licorice, tobacco, and pepper.Meritage is a wine blended with the Bordeaux grape varieties, typically from outside of Bordeaux. The five Bordeaux grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petite Verdot. Pronounced like “heritage”. Tonight, we try these three wines from Trader Joe's.2023 Emma Reichart Dry Riesling, purchased for $5.99. Aromas of apricot, honeysuckle, citrus, minerality, and green apple. This wine comes from Germany with 11.5% alcohol.2022 Epicuro Nero D'Avola is from Sicilia DOP. Trader Joe's had this wine for $5.99. Fermented and aged in stainless steel. It has 13.7 g/L of residual sugar making this an off-dry wine. Reverse Wine Snob says aromas of red berry and cherry cough drop fruit, with touches of licorice and spice. Less complex but still a very affordable example of Nero d'Avola. It has 12.5% alcohol.2022 Roustabout Meritage from Paso Robles, California. Purchased for $7.99. Aromas of dark fruit with cola, tobacco, and pepper. Many reviews mention a jammy or over ripe fruit taste. 13.6% alcohol. This wine has 44% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. Next week we are learning more about blind tasting. We are also going to reminisce about the 70's.

I had never done a ten-year vertical wine-tasting and didn't know what to expect. A vertical tasting is done with the same wine variety from the same winery and maybe even from the same vineyards, but for different years.However, if you get the chance, take it. I was very impressed. You can taste how the wine changes over time, and with information regarding the growing conditions for each year, you can also taste how the weather affects the wine.Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri, is one of the best in the state. Norton is the Missouri State Grape. Norton is also called Cynthiana which is the State Grape in Arkansas.Because of its acid and tannins, Norton wine can age well. It is known for its flavors of plum, tart cherries, blackberries, and earthiness and spice.Tonight, we talk about the Ten-Year Norton Vertical Wine Tasting that we did at Stone Hill Winery. Next week we are hunting for a great Trader Joe's wine. We will try to describe the three wines we taste and help you decide which wine you need to try next. We will be tasting: 2023 Emma Reichart Dry Riesling, purchased for $5.99. Aromas of apricot and grapefruit. It is crisp and dry with notes of mineral, almonds, and herbs. This wine comes from Germany. 11.5% alcohol. 2022 Roustabout Meritage from Paso Robles. Trader Joe's had this wine for $7.99. Meritage is a Bordeaux Red Blend made up of 44% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc. The bottle says silky tannins. Notes of black cherries, blueberries, and cigar box. Some hints of dark chocolate and expresso. 13.6% alcohol.2022 Epicuro Nero D'Avola from Sicilia DOC. Purchased for $5.99. Aromas of blackberry, black currant, forest floor, and pepper. RWS gives it a 7.0 rating and recommends BUY.

In this episode of the M&A Guy podcast, BrianFranco interviews Stephen Maassen from Brody Allen, who shares his entrepreneurial journey of building a roofing company and navigating the complexities of a recent private equity transaction. The conversation delves into the importance of defining goals, the strategy behind selling a business, and the significance of building a legacy. Stephen discusses the surprises he encountered during the deal process and emphasizes the value of choosing the right partners and maintaining strong team dynamics. The episode concludes with a look ahead at future plans and the impact of their work on the lives of employees and their families.Continue the conversation with Jacob Franco:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob's Calendar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Brian Franco by visiting:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This is the weekly columnWine labels and wine reviews may include various references to wine blending. Some are specific and informative. Others are distinctions without a difference. Let's explore the most common blending terms.• Blend. Broadest term. It includes combining various fruits or vinifications to create, develop, or enhance a wine using more than one grape variety and/or vintage. It includes growing and fermenting different varieties together, blending grapes immediately after or years after harvest, combining various vintages, combining wines fermented using different yeast clones, fermenting techniques, and aging regimens.• Field blend. Mixture of varieties that are grown, harvested, and fermented together.• Non-vintage. Involves blending grapes from different years. This is designed to reduce vagaries of different vintages to produce wine true to a distinct house style, ensuring consumers they will enjoy a consistent experience. Non-vintage is very common in Champagnes, Porto, and sherry. It can include blending of different varieties, but also a single variety from different vintages.• Assemblage. Blending of vinified wines before bottling. This term often is used in Bordeaux and Champagne. Term may have been coined by 17th-century monk-winemaker Dom Pérignon.• Marriage. Synonym for assemblage. A combination of wines blended before bottling.• Meritage. Portmanteau created to designate high-quality American wines that pay homage to Bordeaux blends. It combines “merit” and “heritage” and rhymes with “heritage.” It is not a French word with the pronunciation of the last syllable sounding like “garage.” Red meritage must be a blend of at least two varieties—cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot, St. Macaire, gros verdot, or carmenère. White meritage must be a blend of at least two varieties—sauvignon blanc, sémillon, or muscadelle du Bordelais. American winemakers must follow strict guidelines to use the term.• Cuvée. All-purpose term with no regulated definition. A cuvée is wine made from a blend of different grapes, vineyards, or vintages. Basically, another word for blend.• Coupage. Another synonym for assemblage, except can have a negative connotation when it describes a wine were other wines were added just to increase the quantity of the wine.Tasting notes• M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côts-du-Rhône Blanc 2022: Vibrant, fresh blend led by grenache blanc, also roussanne, viognier, clairette, bourboulenc. $14-18 Link to my review• Carpineto Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2019: Field blend of at least 80% sangiovese; some canailo and other red grape varieties. $25-29 Link to my review• Flat Creek Estate Buttero Red Wine Blend 2018: Blend of sangiovese, primitivo, montepulciano from Texas winery. $35-48 Link to my review• Syncline Wine Cuvée Elena, Columbia Valley 2021: Classic Rhône blend of syrah, grenache, and mourvèdre. Sophisticated and approachable. $65 Link to my reviewLast roundWine flies when you're having fun.Email: wine@cwadv.comNewsletter: gusclemens.substack.comWebsite: Gus Clemens on Wine websiteFacebook: facebook.com/GusClemensOnWine/posts/Twitter (X): @gusclemensLong form wine stories on Vocal: Gus Clemens on VocalLinks worth exploringDiary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gusclemens.substack.com/subscribe

In This Episode: Ryan Taft engages with industry veterans Cliff Stahl from Meritage Homes and Nick Boniakowski from Opendoor. They discuss the evolving landscape of home building and real estate, focusing on the strategic shift at Meritage to enhance relationships with realtors and compete with resale homes. The conversation highlights the importance of collaboration, fair compensation for agents, and the role of technology in facilitating these partnerships.  Timestamps: 00:00 Why would you not want to work with us? 05:29 Home Buyer Trivia 06:20 Interview with Cliff Stahl and Nick Boniakowski 09:05 Meritage Homes' Strategic Shift 14:42 Sales Operations and Realtor Relationships 17:28 Attracting and Compensating Agents 20:19 Opendoor's Role in the Market 25:54 Navigating the NAR Settlement 30:57 Personal Reflections and Concert Memories   About Cliff: Cliff Stahl brings over 14 years of experience in the homebuilding industry, where he has played a pivotal role in shaping sales strategies that have driven Meritage Homes to become one of the top five builders in the U.S.   About Nick: Nick Boniakowski, head of agent partnerships, has been instrumental in driving Opendoor's innovation and growth over the past year. Boniakowski oversees Opendoor's collaborations with agents and the company's partnerships with online real estate platforms, expanding Opendoor's reach to thousands of new customers, partners and industry stakeholders across 50 markets.   Acknowledgement: Builder365 is powered by Opendoor for Builders. For easy sales and smooth moves, visit www.opendoor.com/builder365   

Send us a textTrader Joe's Platinum Reserve Napa Meritage 2022- $17.99 But Real GoodWho made this wine?Where in Napa were the grapes grown?We don't know.Is it worth $17.99?Well, Yes. It drinks very well!For all of the information you need check out  https://cheapwinefinder.com/ and listen to the PODCAST!!!Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.comor email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Imagine going from the stress of corporate life to the tranquillity of owning a winery.  Well not quite.  Marzia and Bob Murdoch, left their corporate careers in Toronto to pursue their dream of owning a winery in Niagara's scenic wine country. Their path was far from smooth. Just as they started, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, bringing unexpected challenges. From battling tough weather conditions to learning how to run a winery, Marzia and Bob faced it all. But their passion for winemaking and hospitality transformed both their lives and their business. Tune in to hear how they turned adversity into a thriving winery, producing award-winning wines and creating a vibrant community. This episode is full of inspiration, resilience, and plenty of reasons to raise a glass! In this episode you will be able to:  Discover the inspiring journey of Marzia and Bob Murdoch, who made a bold 180-degree life change by purchasing a winery in Niagara during the challenges of COVID-19. Learn about the unique challenges they faced, including losing their first crop to winter kill and navigating the complexities of running a winery without prior experience in farming or hospitality. Understand the three distinct businesses involved in winery operations: farming, winemaking, and sales, and how Marzia and Bob tackled each aspect. Hear about their innovative strategies for marketing and sales, especially during the pandemic, including building a new website and implementing e-commerce solutions. Explore the importance of community and networking within the wine industry, and how collaboration with other wineries has been beneficial for their growth. Gain valuable advice for anyone considering entering the winery business, emphasizing the need for hard work, dedication, and a realistic understanding of the industry. Marzia and Bob Murdoch are the dynamic duo behind 180 Wines, a boutique winery located in the picturesque Jordan Station of Niagara, Ontario.  After spending over 30 years in corporate careers in Toronto, they made a bold decision to pivot their lives and embrace the world of winemaking just as the COVID-19 pandemic began.  With no prior experience in farming or hospitality, they faced numerous challenges, including losing their first crop to winter kill. However, their determination and passion for their new venture have transformed their lives for the better. At 180 Wines, Marzia and Bob focus on quality over quantity, producing approximately 2,500 cases of wine each year. Their commitment to craftsmanship is evident in their award-winning wines, including their 2020 Meritage and 2020 Gamay Noirs, which received accolades at the prestigious Decanter Awards in the UK. The couple has also integrated their family into the business, with their two daughters contributing to various aspects of winery operations, from marketing to staffing. Marzia and Bob are not just winemakers; they are also dedicated community members who actively engage with other local wineries and participate in events that promote the Niagara region.  Their winery features a charming bistro and event space, offering a unique culinary experience that complements their wines. With a love for entertaining and a commitment to creating memorable experiences for their guests, Marzia and Bob invite you to join them at 180 Wines for a taste of their passion and dedication to the art of winemaking. Contact Marzia and Bob Murdoch here: Website: www.180wines.ca Email: info@180wines.ca  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/180wines/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/180wines/

The Power of Music in LeadershipIn a recent podcast episode, the host had an enlightening conversation with Susan Drumm, CEO of Meritage Leadership Development and author of the USA Today bestselling book, "The Leader's Playlist: Unleash the Power of Music and Neuroscience to Transform Your Leadership and Your Life". This episode delves into the fascinating intersection of music, neuroscience, and leadership, exploring how music can serve as a transformative tool for personal and professional growth. Susan, with over 20 years of experience in leadership development, has a remarkable ability to recognize and disrupt unproductive patterns in leaders, helping them build high-performance teams.Susan's book, "The Leader's Playlist", emphasizes the power of music in leadership. Leaders often face the challenge of achieving exceptional results in an environment characterized by rapid change and complexity. Many find themselves stuck in unproductive patterns that hinder their effectiveness. Susan introduces the idea that music can be a secret weapon in recognizing and disrupting these patterns. For example, she shares a compelling story about a chief marketing officer who struggled with feelings of exclusion. Through coaching, Susan helped her identify the root of this pattern, create a playlist that represented her feelings, and develop a new playlist that embodied her desired emotional state, ultimately improving her relationships with colleagues.Susan explains that music's ability to change emotional states is well-known, but its potential to help identify and transform limiting patterns is less recognized. Music activates all four regions of the brain, making it a powerful tool for personal development. By pairing behavioral changes with music, individuals can accelerate their transformation and achieve their goals more effectively. Susan encourages leaders to be intentional about their music choices, using it as a tool for state change and personal growth. The episode concludes with Susan inviting listeners to visit her website, [susandrumm.com](https://www.susandrumm.com), where they can take a quiz to discover their path to enlightened leadership and receive a downloadable playlist to help them create their own music-based transformation.About Susan Drumm:Susan Drumm is a CEO Advisor, speaker, USA Today bestselling author, and leadership coach dedicated to empowering leaders and their teams to thrive in today's disruptive landscape. With extensive experience coaching billionaire CEOs, high-profile political figures, and Fortune 100 executives, she leverages her diverse academic background—including graduate degrees from Harvard Law School and Carnegie Mellon University—to inform her unique coaching approach.As a Master Certified Coach (MCC) through the International Coaching Federation, Susan holds multiple certifications, including HeartMath™ and the Integrative Enneagram. She is the two-time bestselling author of *The Leader's Playlist*, where she explores how music and childhood experiences impact leadership.Her podcast, "The Enlightened Executive", ranks in the top 2% globally, featuring groundbreaking strategies for personal and leadership effectiveness. Susan's clientele spans various industries, including tech, healthcare, and finance, with notable organizations such as KPMG and Oracle.Before founding Meritage Leadership Development, Susan held senior consulting roles at The Boston Consulting Group and NBC/GE. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, she is an active member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization and enjoys travel, hiking, and spending time with her toy Australian Shepherd, Jasmine.About Meritage Leadership Development:Meritage is a leadership consulting firm built on the principle that people are the most important asset of any business. We know that without high-performance leadership and aligned teams, no company can reach its full...

Susan Drumm a Leadership Coach and CEO of Meritage Leadership on a mission to help leaders and their teams to develop the capacity and mindsets to lead in today's disruptive environment. She has personally coached billionaire CEOs, prominent Fortune 50 executive teams and incredible entrepreneurs that set out to disrupt the marketplace. Her firm, Meritage Leadership, uses a cadre of 15 seasoned coaches and consultants who work with senior leaders and executive teams. She is also the host of the podcast and YouTube channel The Enlightened Executive, where she interviews founders and CEOs on the most cutting-edge programs, assessments, apps and techniques in personal and leadership effectiveness. Meritage works with private equity firms and their emerging portfolio companies, as well as large corporations such as Oracle, Viacom, KPMG, A&E Networks, Genentech and others. Susan has graduate degrees from Harvard Law School, Carnegie Mellon University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

A common question we get is just how good are in-house wine brands like Trader Joe's or Costco Kirkland Signature wines. This week, we tackle the 3rd highest tier of Trader Joe's in-house wines, the Grand Reserve level, which is usually priced at $12.99 - which is a killer price IF they are any good. This week we also went out on a limb to try wines that we would not normally choose but that we know are very popular for the majority of wine drinkers, so we give our review of the Chardonnay, GSM, and Meritage. If you don't know what GSM or Meritage wines are, don't worry, we give a quick run-down of what they are, and these are blends you really need to know because they are two of the class red wine blends, and are the basis for most red wine blends. We found two of the wines to be quite good, but one was a clunker that may have burned a hole in our stomachs. We also give a quick review of our recent trip to Barcelona, Spain and some things we learned there about traveling to wine areas in Catalonia. As an extra bonus, Joe's eyes were dilated during this episode. Just thought we'd share that with you. Wines reviewed in this episode:  Trader Joe's 2022 Grand Reserve Russian River Chardonnay, Trader Joe's 2022 Grand Reserve GSM, Trader Joe's 2021 Grand Reserve Meritage.Send us a Text Message and we'll respond in our next episode!Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we'd love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: https://thewinepairpodcast.com/Follow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

Jhon Camargo, director (E) de la Agencia de Defensa Jurídica del Estado, habló sobre las implicaciones de este fallo para el país.  

Un centro de arbitraje internacional le dio la razón a Colombia en el caso del proyecto conocido como Meritage, alegando que no tenía que una millonaria suma y avalando la decisión judicial de extinguir el dominio del predio, que en esos casos queda a manos de la Nación.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unser Partner Scalable Capital ist der einzige Broker, den du brauchst. Inklusive Trading-Flatrate, Zinsen und Portfolio-Analysen. Alle weiteren Infos gibt's hier: scalable.capital/oaws. Aktien + Whatsapp = Hier anmelden. Lieber als Newsletter? Geht auch.  Das Buch zum Podcast? Jetzt lesen.  VW kann keine Software. Das bringt Rivian Milliarden. Bosch hat kleines US-Geschäft. Das bringt Whirlpool Milliarden. FedEx hat bald vielleicht keine Freight-Sparte mehr. Das bringt FedEx Milliarden. Amazon knackt die 2.000 Milliarden. Der Bitcoin fällt und fällt. Why? Wegen Magic: The Gathering und Mining-Firmen, die ihre Reserven aufbrauchen. Die KI von IBM findet geile Aktien. Ihre neueste Wahl: Der nachhaltige Häuslebauer Meritage Homes (WKN: 876864). Diesen Podcast vom 27.06.2024, 3:00 Uhr stellt dir die Podstars GmbH (Noah Leidinger) zur Verfügung.

In today's episode of the Private Capital Mastery podcast, Brian Franco, the CEO of Meritage Partners, announced the successful merger of GM's with their client, Howard and Sons. He emphasized that the merger's primary focus was to preserve the Howard family's legacy and secure the future for the company's long-standing employees. Brian expressed gratitude to the teams from both companies, especially AJ, William, and Theresa, for their invaluable contributions to the merger's success.  Brian also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to continue the Howard legacy within the GM's family. He hinted at future updates and exciting developments from Meritage Partners, leaving listeners eager for more information. "Today we celebrate the continuity of the legacy of the Howard family, and that legacy may live on underneath the GM's family of companies." What you will learn: Private Capital Mastery Announcement of Merger Completion Gratitude and Celebration Continue the conversation with Jacob Franco: Jacob's Calendar Learn more about Brian Franco by visiting: Facebook Email Me

In today's episode of the Private Capital Mastery podcast, Brian Franco hosted Tim Schultz from Pacific Cornerstone Architects to discuss the successful merger of their firm with Head Design, facilitated by Meritage Partners. Tim shared insights into his retirement and the tailored merger process, emphasizing the importance of relationships and the company's future. Tim reflected on the firm's rapid growth after the merger, his satisfaction with the negotiation process, and the operational relief they experienced. They also touched on family involvement in the business and recommended Meritage Partners to others. "The merger was not just a transaction between partners; it was a strategic move that would shape the future of the company and everyone involved." - Tim Schultz What you will learn: Retirement and Reflection Partnership and Merger Employee Retention and Opportunities Merger Timeline and Due Diligence Learn more about Tim Schulze by visiting: LinkedIn Continue the conversation with Jacob Franco: Jacob's Calendar Learn more about Brian Franco by visiting: Facebook Email Me

Outlander Paso Robles Meritage 2022-Aldi-$8 Of Juicy GoodnessIf you like your California Bordeaux ripe and juicy this is your wine.It is a Blend Of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot, the only Bordeaux-approved grape missing is Cabernet Franc.Meritage is a California organization dedicated to the research and education of Bordeaux grapes, they collect a fee for using the Meritage name.This is an Aldi wine that has been available for several vintages.For more information check out  https://cheapwinefinder.com/ and listen to the BEST VALUE-PRICED PODCASTEVERr!Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.comor email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Se trata del caso Meritage, un lujoso desarrollo inmobiliario en inmediaciones de Medellín sometido a extinción de dominio.

Se trata del caso Meritage, un lujoso desarrollo inmobiliario en inmediaciones de Medellín sometido a extinción de dominio.

If you want to learn more about wine culture, Wine Download offers a guide to cabernet sauvignon, designed to help you understand the history and popularity of this famous wine. Visit https://winedownload.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cabernet-sauvignon for more details. Wine Download City: New York Address: 60 W 23rd St Website https://winedownload.com/ Phone +1 877 675 4340 Email scott.hall@betteronlineinfo.com

recently Don Wallace and I enjoyed four courses at the Matheson in Healdsburg. It's always a great time when Don Wallace and I get together. We have 4 wines and 4 courses to share with you today. First let's look at the tasting notes and the great websites of Dry Creek Vineyard and The Matheson. Open Tuesday through Sunday at 5:00 PM. Bar Open at 4pm. A Love Letter to Sonoma County Our menu is a modern ode to Healdsburg's micro-seasonal ingredients, exploring the possibilities of a locally foraged fungi from a secret stand on the slopes of rolling forest, or the range of a Purple Heart tomato cultivated from a farm within walking distance to the restaurant. For Chef Nate Davis and team, finding the limitlessness in the specific moment is a play of craft and passion. The downstairs bar menu is a culmination of both classic cocktails and their modern twists. The back bar is made of suspended cold steel and is stocked with sought-after brown spirits and other rarities. The Matheson's sake cellar, includes a range of the major styles of sake, listed on our digital wine list. The Wine Wall features 88 wines on tap, allowing curious drinkers splashes of multiple selections without over-commitment, or those who know what they like a half or full glass. “We are able to share pours of the most extraordinary wines, often hard to find and when found, only by the bottle,” said Beverage Director Jon McCarthy. Design your own flight of fancy, exploring a region, a varietal, a vintage, or a hunch. No reservations necessary, stop by before or after your dining experience - or on your exploration of the Healdsburg Square. We have opened four great wines from Dry Creek Vineyard . Winemaker Notes: For over 50 years, Dry Creek Vineyard has been a leader in Sauvignon Blanc in California. Winery founder David S. Stare was the first person to plant the Sauvignon Blanc varietal in the Dry Creek Valley in our DCV3 Vineyard, against the advice of many viticultural experts. Many years later, Sauvignon Blanc is now the most widely planted white variety in the Dry Creek Valley! With 16 acres under vine, our DCV3 Vineyard is the backbone of our Sauvignon Blanc program. Our 2022 vintage of DCV3 Sauvignon Blanc displays intense aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit and passion fruit. After a few more minutes of airing, softer herbal nuances of jasmine, thyme and chamomile come forward. The palate is bursting with vibrant flavors of Meyer lemon and nectarine with striking hints of cucumber, jalapeño and white pepper. The bright acidity of this crisp and refreshing wine is preserved by stainless steel fermentation. Enjoy this lively wine now in its youth, or age for a few years if desired. 2020 Farmhouse Vineyard Zinfandel Russian River Valley Winemaker Notes: This delicious bottling is the sixth vintage of Zinfandel produced from our Farmhouse Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The vines in our Farmhouse Vineyard were among the first to be planted using the Heritage budwood concept to preserve the heritage of iconic old vine Zinfandel vineyards! Cuttings from a pre-Prohibition era vineyard were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock to create a “young vine” wine with “old vine” Zinfandel characteristics. Initially, the aromas show fruit-forward tones of black and red cherries, cranberry and blackberry. Subtle notes of mocha, rose and earthy nuances come forward after several minutes of airing. On the palate, flavors of plum and strawberry mix with soft undertones of coriander, toffee, toasty cedar and roasted almonds. The wine is supple with tremendous complexity and silky tannins. The finish is pure with a slight spiciness and refined elegance. 2019 Merlot Dry Creek Valley 90 Points – Wine & Spirits 92 Points – Wine & Spirits Winemaker Notes: We have crafted this classic Bordeaux varietal since 1974. Our first vintage of Merlot was released in 1974, and we have produced this classic Bordeaux varietal ever since. In fact, the Dry Creek Vineyard 1991 Reserve Merlot won the prestigious “Grand Prix d'Honneur” at the 1995 Challenge International Du Vin in Bordeaux, France — much to the surprise of the French! This delicious varietal adds bright aromatics and a velvety mouthfeel as a blending component for our Bordeaux program, but it is outstanding as the dominant varietal as well. In our 2019 vintage, aromas of black cherry, plum and black currant immediately fill the senses. A few more moments reveal notes of nutmeg, cocoa and black and white pepper. The palate is full of wonderful complexity, combining flavors of blackberry and boysenberry. This wine features deep undertones of coriander, bay leaf and mocha with a bright finish and silky tannins. This beautiful wine has excellent structure and balance with a lush, round quality that lingers. 2018 Meritage "Alluvial Gap" Dry Creek Valley Winemaker Notes: This exquisite Meritage was inspired by almost five decades of working with Bordeaux varietals planted in the different districts and vineyards of Dry Creek Valley. This experience provided us with knowledge of which properties grow the best fruit our region can offer. This delicious blend features fruit from specific vineyard sites within the Lytton Springs district of Dry Creek Valley, including our iconic Endeavour Vineyard. The blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon, with three additional Bordeaux varietals for complexity and depth. At first swirl, the wine displays powerful aromas of black currant, plum sauce and cranberry. Several more minutes reveal hints of clove, sage and chai. The palate is full and rich with flavors of black cherry, black currant and blueberry pie, with notes of fine leather, dried herbs de Provence and toasty oak. The tannins are firm yet supple, with a round, plush texture and a rich, lingering finish. We have four features to share. Please click on the links below and joinus as we play the audio for these great features. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . Now onto our second feature. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . please click on the next link and join us. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . We are still hungry,join us! cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

Is it absolutely crazy to bring your kids to the wine capital of the United States? On this week's episode we discuss John's stay at the family friendly, The Grand Reserve at Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley, CA. From the concierge rooms, bowling alley, expansive grounds, to the beautiful family pool, there is so much for every member of the family.  If would like more information about The Meritage or would like to connect with anyone at our show you can email us at escape.atp@gmail.com. We also invite your to connect with our podcast community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/escapepodcast

When Meritage Homes CEO Phillippe Lord took over the helm of one of the biggest home builders in America, he was almost immediately faced with an existential crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic was unlike anything in living memory. After ensuring everyone in the Meritage family was safe and stayed that way, Phillippe realized they would have to change to navigate this new world. Not only would they need to change due to the current crisis, but they would need to embrace permanent change and ingrained flexibility as the surest way to manage long-term success. Phillippe joins New Home Insights podcast host Dean Wehrli on the latest episode.

This week we are bringing something a little different to your Top of Mind feed, a crossover with our new show: House of Data. This brand new Altos Research x HW Media show explores how data is influencing decisions at the most ambitious companies in housing. Enjoy! Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on HousingWire My first guest on House of Data is Zach Ronstadt. Zach is the VP of Strategic Operations at Meritage Homes and has spent the last 15 years creating a data and research team called Strategic Operations that supports their regional leaders with insights and data to make better decisions. Zach and I talk about building trust as a data team with decision makers and what that process looks like over time, developing the ability to influence decisions without being the decision maker, how to be effective in a data role, and what data has told Zach about evolving consumer preferences in new homes. Related to this episode: Zach's LinkedIn Meritage Homes House of Data explores how data is influencing decisions at the most ambitious companies in housing. Each episode dives into how housing market participants are ingesting, organizing, and making decisions using data, and the competitive advantages that follow.

Market Proof Marketing · Ep 296: Be Curious, Be AttentiveIn this episode, Kevin Oakly, Andrew Peek and Jen Barkan discuss the reasons why it is so vital to be passionate, ready to learn, curious and attentive about the world around you. They go over an article on personal brand rules for employees, pointing out what they would add and emphasizing rules they agree are effective. Together, they discuss their thoughts and fears on the looming mass inventory of used homes that will inevitably affect home builders who are raising their specs.Story Time (05:54)Jen's son is interning as a summer sales intern and loves it which made Jen realize how refreshing it is to have someone who might not have a lot of experience but is passionate, ready to learn and excited.Andrew has been getting up and working early in the morning and loves the extra time with no distractions.Kevin went to Nepal and loved people watching and taking in a whole different culture. He urges us to be insanely curious and attentive.News (29:42)An Employee's Guide to Building a Personal Brand (https://sparktoro.com/blog/an-employees-guide-to-building-a-personal-brand/) New-Home Sales Dip 2.5% In June (https://www.builderonline.com/data-analysis/new-home-sales-dip-2-5-in-june_o?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=Article&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BP_080123&&oly_enc_id=9807D1461978C8T)Spec Strategy Drive Record Q2 Homes Closings and Revenue for Meritage Homes (https://www.builderonline.com/money/spec-strategy-drives-record-q2-home-closings-and-revenue-for-meritage-homes_o?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=Article&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BP_080123&&oly_enc_id=9807D1461978C8T)‘The everything app': why Elon Musk wants X to be a WeChat for the west (https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jul/29/elon-musk-wechat-twitter-rebranding-everything-app-for-west)Zillow and Redfin announce partnership to help buyers and home builders connect (https://zillow.mediaroom.com/2023-08-01-Zillow-and-Redfin-announce-partnership-to-help-buyers-and-home-builders-connect#assets_28775_137891-135)Favorites (51:54)Jen's favorite are her new Hoka walking shoesAndrew still loves his espresso machine Kevin is really loving his Kuhl and Howitzer athletic shirts.Questions? Comments? Email show@doyouconvert.com or call 404-369-2595 and we'll address them on the next episode. More insights, discussions, and opportunities can be found at Do You Convert All Access or on the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.Subscribe on iTunesFollow on SpotifyListen On StitcherA weekly new home marketing podcast for home builders and developers. Each week Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, Jackie Lipinski, Julie Jarnagin, and other team members from Do You Convert will break down the headlines, share best practices and stories from the front line, and perform a deep dive on a relevant marketing topic. We're here to help you – not to sell you!Transcript: JenI was going to tell you about my permanent eyebrow.AndrewMotorcycle gang. There's so much going on here. What is happening? Let me get my cup of coffee and some popcorn.KevinAnd I'm highly uncomfortable. I have COVID. I don't know how long I can hang in on this episode, so continue.AndrewBut you have a special strain of COVID.JenLet's get this going. Don't talk too much. Done.AndrewSome good news to go over.JenYeah. So update on Andrew and I, we climbed to the top of the motorcycle gang ladder again.KevinYou're amongst people already? Yeah. Your husband, Andrew.JenOh, yes, yes, yes. Sorry. Andrew.AndrewThe other team who just released her book, her husband is Kevin, so it's really confusing.JenOh, okay. Let me let me clarify. My husband, Andrew and I.AndrewMr. Barkan?JenYes. Mr. Barkan climbed to the top of the motorcycle club rankings.KevinHave to whack someone.JenWith that happen? How do you. I can't. I can't. Well, I guess I could discuss it now that I'm no longer in the club.AndrewYou're in finance for the FBI?KevinYeah, sure.JenWe both ended up becoming presidents of our respective clubs.AndrewIt sounds like you said yes to everything.JenAnd like,  it was a whole election. We were voted in. Was like that was a whole thing.AndrewNo fraud.JenYou know, But both being super competitive, you know, once you reach the top, it's like, all right, you know, what's next? And, you know, it was just becoming, was just becoming a lot. And there was contrary to what a lot of people might think, there was some drama and some stuff that, you know, we just like to relax. There's too much drama.JenYeah, We were just like, you know, we'd rather go, like, play golf and do a bowling league on Wednesday night. So that's what we have decided to do. So we have left.AndrewI support that.JenWe did not get what's it called, You know, we weren't kicked out. We weren't we weren't stomach punch. Clearly not your stomach punch.KevinYeah.JenSenator Punched. Senator punched is you know, if you if you're put out bad.KevinBut it's called.AndrewSo.JenWe were not put out that we, we gracefully left and yeah we're just having a good time now I'll have to worry about.KevinIt. Cut.AndrewCut. Any. Not saying it was the negative thing but yeah I'm all for like if that's not bringing you anything positive.JenIt wasn't bringing too much joy, right? It was because even people that sounds.AndrewYeah, but like.JenYeah it was.AndrewUp I have come time.JenSo now I'm I'm doing a golf league.AndrewThat might sound bowling's more frustrating to me golfing.JenWell, you know, I definitely have to talk to myself like, you know, this is just practice. Although I am on a team and we do have a leaderboard and, you know, I'm challenging myself to get better every week.AndrewPrediction in 2024 is that might be gone. Golfing is just frustrating. So hard Sport is hard.KevinIs the international show in Vegas again next year? I think it is.AndrewIt to make us All.KevinRight we'll um whatever day is the lightest we'll just go on the wind course.JenBut still.KevinHave a.AndrewSister Three holes. That's plenty.KevinNow, you got to do it. At least.JenNot well.AndrewWe could do.JenKevin. Are you good? Do you golf?KevinOf course I do. I, I, I used to be good ish. I mean, if you get under 100 and you don't play very often, that's.JenYeah, that's.AndrewGood. 100 for the first four. The first nine.KevinYeah. No I, me. Yeah. My old, my old boss was really big on golfing and my rule was, I mean, golf is both expensive and time consuming. So when you're in your early thirties and you have four kids, so like, I'm only golfing when I can do it for work during work hours. So now that no one that I work with basically is like, Hey, Kevin, let's go golfing.KevinI don't golf. I do top golf now.AndrewTopgolf sounds.JenBetter. I love Topgolf Yeah.AndrewI just never got into golfing, but it might have been that. Like, I just very quickly realized to be good at this, I need X amount of swings per week at like each, you know, whatever. But they putting mid range whatever the heck the thing is short game.JenKevin I'm gonna hold you to this or they're doing.KevinGolf. Yeah no, we should get them. Get yes. I don't know what eight.AndrewI'll click on the.KevinSix eight foursomes and we'll, we'll just do a little thing. Yeah.AndrewThursday. What is his speaking schedule. But Yeah. Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon.KevinHour. Yeah.AndrewOkay. As long as it doesn't, it's.KevinA, it's a, it's a nice little course. There they have.JenOh yeah. I'm sure I seen.AndrewFrom like the window, you know, bunch of players up like oh it looks nice out.JenThere. It'll do, it'll do.AndrewThey'll do it Will do.KevinYeah. All right.AndrewWhat a life.JenWe have too. We were talking about new home stuff now.KevinYeah, Yeah, I want to, I want to talk a little bit about Nepal, but that's what that's what story time is for, I guess. All right, let's go. Welcome to episode 296. I'm Kevin Oakley. And with me today is Andrew Peek and Jen Barkin. Yeah, Jen finally stopped standing us up. It's been, what, three months since you've been?KevinNo, sir. I was getting hate mail. Like, what's going on? Where's Jen?JenIt hasn't been that long ago.AndrewTwo months.KevinI think. Jessie on my list. Yeah. Someone. Fact check. Jen has not been back.JenI was traveling some.KevinYou've been busy, Michael Austin. And, you know, traveling and speaking.JenAnd I think I was visiting a client.KevinYeah, we don't have those.JenSo that's a part. Your partner. You're working? Oh, I was visiting a partner. You're working?KevinOh, I love it. All right, story time. Let's go. And Jen.JenOh, I get to go first.KevinYes.JenOh, I love this story time because So my son, Sam, you guys, I.KevinSaw this before.JenYes. So he came to me in the spring, actually, and was like, I think I'm interested in real estate. So really, he'll like, yeah, you know, I really am interested in this. And I said, okay like easy.KevinMoney industry I everyone.JenOh, he's like, you know.AndrewHe's like, real.JenYeah, he's like I said, like selling like, like what are million dollar listing? Like what's, what part of it is in.AndrewNews on Netflix. Yeah.JenYeah. He's like, I don't know, just all of it. And I said, Okay. So a couple months went by. He came home from college and he was like, came to me again and said, You know, I am really interested in. And I said, okay, well, let's see if there's any builders in our area that are doing any sort of summer internship.JenI don't know. Let's just check and see. Called some friends said, Hey, what's going on? And I said, Yeah. And so I said, okay, Sam, I'm stepping out this is all on you. I'm making the introduction. Now don't embarrass me. Yeah, you know. Yeah. And I even said that to our partner, You know, I was like, Hey, you know, this this is, this is on you and him, and you figure it out.JenAnyway, fast forward. He's been doing this now for a couple of months. He loves it. He comes home and is like talking about he's like, Oh man, this is awesome. Like, I could totally do this. He's like, memorize the stuff on the website. He's memorized the plans. He's talking about pricing. He's like, Hey, these this one couple came and they were just lovely and they wanted this home and I, I got them to get the larger home because why not go for the larger home?JenAnd he's like talking all this stuff and I'm just like, man, that is so refreshing. I mean, he is like, he came in my office the other day and sat down is like, Let's talk about lasso CRM. Like, what.AndrewDid I create happened here?JenI'm like, okay, tell me. And then he's like, you know, let's call the online sales appointments and, you know, and it's just it just reminded me one, like, I'll take any day, I'll take somebody who is an experience but is passionate, is excited, is hungry to learn. You know that energy is I mean, that's that's just that's what it's all about.JenThat's what it's all about. And so, you know, they're paying them whatever this internship pay is, Right? Is nothing. But he is just he's just so excited. He's just there to learn. And, you know, as we see saying about us, because we're doing we're helping a lot of our partners hire right now. And the question is always like, do I look for this experienced person that's out there that's been in real estate or and I'm like, No, like, you don't need that.JenWe can teach them how to be an online sales specialist and teach them how to be a salesperson. You can teach them all those things, but you can't teach that, you know, that excitement and hunger and drive and that you have when you're brand new. So, you know, I've always, you know, Kevin and I have talked about this.JenI've always been a big advocate of, hey, look at college, you know, college and intern, you know, get a college intern, right? Bring them up, mold them, you know, get them in and teach them and bring them.KevinYou don't have to be like the nice internship company like you. You can you can pay them and you can just pay them, you know? You know, they're I'm sorry. And they come out right again. I do have covered folks, so bear with me. I'm also way more excited to be here than my voice sounds. But there are folks who craft internships and like my my niece has been in some where you hear what she's done and she didn't really do anything.KevinLike they almost crafted like an internship experience, like a Disney made an internship and you're like, okay, but there is no skill learned or like work done. It was just like, Yeah, us. We have an intern. Yay! Intern. They like our company. Yeah, you don't you don't have to have that pressure again. I always go back to one internship.KevinI had for the summer. All I my job was to scan in slides of pictures that have been taken all over the world and categorize them. That's all I did.AndrewThat's science.KevinAnd technology back then sucked so badly that you'd hit the button and it would not scan in five slides at a time. And it took almost an hour. And so I would hit the button once an hour and then read a John Grisham book and then plug in, you know, everything that was in in each picture so they could have a searchable archive of all these images.KevinIt was not like that experience isn't going on TikTok or Instagram reels. Mm hmm. But it's it's a job that needed to be done. So I just think a lot of people don't create an internship position because you're like, I don't think I have something cool enough from the work on or some special big project like just tell them to go sweep out the houses under construction if you want to.JenRight?AndrewRight. I had the right my internship was opposite. It was for the American Red Cross in Tallahassee where I'm with the school. And they were setting up their I forgot their command center for when hurricanes came. They had this massive grant from something like 100 something computers. And I worked alongside the guy who actually knew what he was doing.AndrewI didn't know. So we set up a hundred stations we like, I don't know the word is, but deployed each desktop from like a server, like all this cool stuff. And then it taught me I hated that type of job. So I was like, This is done with cool. It looks good on a resume, but on my own, right?JenBut it's yeah, it's a good way for you to figure out what you like and what you don't like, right?AndrewSam had sales experience before That didn't work at Footlocker, right?JenOh, Footlocker.AndrewMan, did you lean on that? I'm sure. Especially now that and during his because it's really.JenThe course needed.AndrewSales and sales or just selling something different.JenYes it is.KevinYou should sell the coolest thing possible, which is a house like I think that's probably like you can you can geek out about details of a shoe, I'm sure. But I mean, the average individual you're trying to sell to probably only wants to hear about three of the 72 things you think are cool. Whereas if like if he likes differential demonstration and like the like if he like, sells, I don't know, like, why would you not want to sell a house?AndrewWould be better.JenHey, he told me.AndrewThat are drugs.JenHe told me last week that.KevinYou don't have to sell drugs.AndrewJust pharmaceutical.JenLast week, that this feels very natural to him and he's.KevinCool.JenHe's just super excited. So, yeah, mean, I'm really happy for him.KevinThat's great. Mm hmm.AndrewAndrew Yeah, mine's a quick one, so summer's almost over, actually, when you listen to this. Yeah. Be around the first day of school for our kiddos. We have a middle schooler this year. Why in the world, like, I feel like.JenHold on to your mom.AndrewLike, Oh, I'm so old now. I got, like, you'll see me at the summit. Like, you're like me. And what's this gray stuff coming into Andrew's beard.JenLooking like what happened to Mike.AndrewLove? Yeah, Looking like mini Mike over there.KevinWhere has he been? Doing his hair for a long time then, or what? What's that.JenAbout? No.KevinSuddenly stopped dying.JenTeenagers, teenagers. And then it just style goes gray. Okay, so just crazy.KevinThere's this one Thanksgiving. I remember my my mom to stop diner hair and she went from like, I didn't know she was dying, her hair. And then all these.JenYou were like.KevinWow. It's like, Whoa.AndrewMom, my mom's not listening. That would be her. My mother did.JenShe pointed out like mom with the help.KevinYeah. I mean, I'm her son, so I can say whatever I want, right? I'm just like, Mom.JenOh, my gosh.KevinI did. It wasn't a bad look. It was just shocking. It was like, Mom, what happened? And she's like, so silly.JenMom, that was me. During COVID, are you going to do.KevinWith.00:14:08:16 - 00:14:11:04AndrewWhat's happening here? Here's the employee handbook.KevinIt looks distinguished. I've always wondered why people dye their hair like that, but I mean, yeah.JenOh, man, I don't think I could go through the growing out stage. That would be.KevinYes. Okay. Anytime we start talking about anything related to fashion, I become highly uncomfortable. So let's move on.AndrewSo back to this. So kids start school next week. So summer's been, you know, summer is is a blessing. Get to see the kids face more often. But it's also like, oh, my goodness, can you working from home like, can you, like, be consistent with your schedule me talking to the kids because like, hey, it's it's breakfast time.AndrewCan you help me out my kiddos it's 1;30. Like, what are you talking about? Like, what day is almost over? It's happening then. So I'm like, okay. CUOMO Adjustment schedules. So this week I've flopped around my schedule. Usually get up in the morning. There's a point to the story and like I go straight to the gym since my birthday was April.AndrewSo I'm like, I'm just not feeling that like getting up and going there and like, oh my goodness, like not fun. But I do like just wake up at that time naturally, like without alarm, like 435. I'm just, I'm awake. So this week I'm like, I'm a try. Just working for a couple of hours until like what would be seven or seven when I would have to next week get the kids ready.AndrewIt's been nice. My I forget how nice those times are where like, no one can talk to me even though I can at times ignore or like delay a response, an email or slack if it's not emergency or if it's something that isn't bottlenecking someone else. Like, okay, I could get to that at like 430 or 440.KevinFive.JenMinutes from June.AndrewSix from Jen when she's asking weird questions, how to help spot and other stuff like that.KevinYou got to get around. To fact.AndrewI could all get that, get that later. But it's been so I'm kind of like gaining 2 hours of work time, which is amazing. And then, you know, kids leave earlier because my oldest is in middle school, so they're out of the house by 740. I'm like, This is great. So it's like 40 minutes to get them ready.AndrewSo I'm like, I'm gaining almost like two and a half hours of time with this new schedule that have It's nice, it's beautiful. I love it. So I don't again, working from.KevinHome or I there's a couple of things. They're like. Andrew One is.AndrewLike, I think be more productive.KevinShifting your schedules, even if it's the same amount of time. In this case, you're gaining some time, but even if it's the same amount of time, a shift is helpful in lots of ways. It just gets you out of a rut.AndrewOh, for sure.KevinYou know, it can potentially change or create the opportunity for change of many things just by making that change in any schedule. The second thing I love is the chaos that it creates for everyone else in your life. Trying to figure out what your new schedule is. It's like a fun little extra game within the game. Like my old when I was actually working for real companies.KevinOh, that's a joke. It's a joke. We always are. Like, I was like, I guess we're a real company now.AndrewAt 20 so.KevinMuch I would always tell different people, different days that I was getting back from vacation, like my boss knew the real day, but I would always tell three different dates. No one really knew when I was coming back and it was just awesome because you're back for like a full 24 hours before the whole company would realize you're back and you could catch up.KevinBut just changing your schedule means that other people have to become aware that your schedule has changed and that gives you it's the same advantage of people who live on the West Coast have like they send us, who live on the East Coast, things to do, and we're always behind. Like they leave the office and are like and 5:00 their time, they're like, there you go.KevinAnd we wake up and we've got this thing to do, you know? So it's it's kind of just there is an advantage to getting up earlier. So because you are always ahead.AndrewYeah, yeah. Agreed. And what I needed it for is like one not not of right but just as far as like when you work from home I see the same. There's my window, there's like if I don't leave the house like that. So to get is that like it's. I feel like I'm going crazy. So you need a change of environment.AndrewSo this changes that up for me. Like, oh, it's dark outside. Cool. This feels this feels different enough for me. And now I could shift like, all right, here's these must do's are in the morning now versus later. Prior to this, I'm like, okay, we'll get to that. Next thing you know, it's 4:00. I have to do these other things that are build a partner.AndrewWork has to get done. So this is like, okay, cool, those things will have to get done anyways. Like I'm not stop a monday until they're done. But here's this other set of things that really have to be done but can kind of be kicked out. Is this.KevinYou mean you're going to become no longer a night person or wait, there's worse because I remember some.JenOf morning never been a night.KevinThat's right. Yeah, that's right. I just.AndrewRemember just like adjusting my morning until your.KevinPhrase. Yeah, well, you're one of the first people I ever worked with who said something like. Like I just go to bed. When I go to bed, like, I can't stay up and keep working, but I'll wear I'll wake up as early as I need to, and it's no big deal.AndrewI get up at three.KevinTo.AndrewDo it, whereas.JenI'm like, I'll work till like.KevinI'll just not sleep.JenYeah, Yeah.AndrewBecause in my mind, like, ardern's be done it. Let's say there's something crazy as far as schedule. Like either stay up late until one to do it and it's due the next day at 8 a.m. or just get up at three and you have from 3 to 8. Like it's kind of the same thing.JenWhat's your natural wake up time given.KevinNatural probably is 6:45. Okay.JenSee? Yeah. So like weekend, like if you don't have to get up, you're so waking up and getting up.KevinIt's like still waking up around then. And then I usually unsuccessfully try to tell myself to go back to sleep on the weekend. Yeah. Yeah.JenBut you don't.KevinYeah.AndrewWe are. We were on our vacation like a couple weeks ago. We had a couple of crazy nights. We're out to like two or three in the morning because, like, why not? Even then, I'd wake up at, like, 7:30.JenHow did you do that?AndrewWell, of course, that day I, like, took a nap later. They. But I'm like, I'm awake. Like when the world like, let's get some breakfast, Let's go. That's crazy. What do you got?KevinMy story time. So I went to Nepal last week and that's a nine hour and 45 minute time change. Well, you can. Wow. I have to look up on Wikipedia. Why? It's 45 minutes and not a full hour. Something about the the meridian of every country determines which time zone is supposed to be in. The meridian is the exact center of the country.KevinAnd then that put too many of the population in a like, you know, I have two time zones in a country as small as Nepal. Anyway so the exact other half of the world. And yeah, what I really wanted to talk about today is just the absolute fun. It is as a curious individual who loves how human psychology works to be dropped in a new culture that you have no exposure to a language you have no hope of understanding.KevinLike when we when we go to Guatemala and I don't speak Spanish, great. But, you know, I know how to say good morning. I know how to say where it's bathroom, like 50 common phrases and I kind of authenticator.JenYeah, yeah.KevinYou're like your mouth moves in, like similar motions.JenYeah.KevinAnd so I'm like, I'm going to I want to like, in Nepali, I want to learn how to say like, Hi, how are you doing? And it's like, so da da da. I can't. I give up. I can't. I just tried to use Google Translate. We had translators with us, but like people watching is always a fun thing.KevinPeople watching in that culture you have no connection to at all is wild and in it like just sensory overload. It was so much fun to try to orient yourself to that, and I think it was just a really good exercise of what marketers should always be doing in relationship to our customers of you can't just make assumptions, you can't not be curious, not be interested, you can't ever think, you know, But in this case, it was all like whether you wanted to pretend that you were comfortable and understood, you didn't.KevinYou were. You were starting out at zero. But I was with a couple other folks all week, and they never they never call it like they were there for a whole week. And they're still like, What did he say? Like our translator who's speaking English, They're still just like, What? I can't understand what he's saying or what is happening.KevinAnd I found myself, I think just because that natural curiosity and body language and and context of for whatever reason, by like Wednesday, I'm like, I know what's going on. I don't I don't really know what's going on. But like, like this one, this one.JenLady comfortable with the uncomfortable like you were, you started to get like okay with the.KevinWell, you're just you're I think it's also just learning which is my favorite thing in the world to do is to learn. So I'm I'm just constantly absorbing and and trying to translate that and how does it all, how do all the pieces fit together. And so this one example is we were in a remote village and this woman, there's a gentleman there and this wasn't what we did all the time, but find out that the guy is depressed and the wife and all the families there and the wife just starts going off like like my wife would, which helps.KevinSo, so she just talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. And she's making hand motions and I'm like, she's really mad at her husband because she wants to talk and be expressive. And he holds everything in and she doesn't understand why he can't just talk and be like and connect with her. I understood nothing of what she was saying, but I was like, I recognize that.KevinAnd so what I'm the things I tell people is going to Nepal taught me to look at someone's eyes. His eyes are the same everywhere. And I think that's the other thing anyway. Anyway, I don't even know what the context of all this is, other than the insanely serious.JenYeah.KevinAnd attentive. I think that's the other thing. Like in art school, when I would take studio classes, the first thing they teach you to do in drawing class is your connecting your eye with your hand. Most people don't look to see the actual thing we're abstracting. We're like, Oh, that's a bird. And you don't actually look at all the intricate details of the bird.KevinYou're just like, this is a bird. My brain says that birds are shaped like this, so let's draw this thing like no, just as your eye moves, move your hand. It's that same kind of connection that it's just especially refreshing when you do not get in a rut, but you start to over assume or you think you've got something down.KevinYou start paying attention and that's when you miss the market shifts or the consumer shifts for each. And we have the advantage of what we do. It is an advantage. We don't try to hide it working with so many different companies in so many different places, we're kind of always in this mode of like we're having to take what the builder is bringing to the call or what the data says, and we're abstracted away from it because we don't live in Iowa or California or wherever.KevinSo we can pick up those same cues. And it was just a really cool experience and maybe made me realize that like we have to keep being curious and attentive all the time.JenOh my gosh.KevinExcel.JenI love what you're saying. I love what you're saying because, you know, I take that and I think about it for online sales and I talk to them all the time about like, how do you active listen, you have to be curious and ask questions like if you're doing all the talking, you're not learning anything about them. Like if you were there in Nepal, like.KevinYeah.JenYou were observing, you were active listening, you were not.KevinIn a rush. I didn't have a choice. I couldn't talk. So that's all I could do was but like, take it in, right?JenYou know, you know, in online channels. I tell them all the time, like, ask questions, repeat back to people when they tell you something that helps you learn and connect with them more. Right. Don't interrupt. I love that And that.KevinAnd then the the really like final connection piece of was interesting is how they use Tik tok there. Tik Tok in Nepal is not a performance art or even a storytelling art the way it is here. It's so prevalent and used by everyone for everything that everyone would want selfies or group pictures with us because we look strange to them, right?KevinAnd so they're like, Hey, let's get a picture. It's get a picture. And someone would take a couple of pictures and then someone would be holding up the phone like this. John And they would they would just turn this and we're like, Hi, my girl. She's she's an every day. Every day is are you going to take the picture?KevinThey're just recording a Tik tok with no sound, no nothing. It's just going to get posted as here is this group of people standing, which I mean, maybe that stuff gets made and it just doesn't hit the algorithm in the U.S.. Tik Tok. But it was just like saying, yeah, it was. It was different. And so it was a blast.KevinI would always get out of your comfort zone.JenI loved your pictures.KevinI mean.JenYour pictures, you know, like just came into life. You know, as I was looking at images, they're just awesome.AndrewDid you did you bring for pictures?KevinWhat equipment? Yeah. Are we talking nerd talk? Okay, So just like.AndrewOkay. Oh, no. All right.JenI got to go now.KevinOkay.AndrewNot this kind of work. I got to.JenGo. Oh, I got to guess.KevinNo, no, this is it. Because we are an auto show.AndrewLike, I knew it had to be simple as far as insta go.KevinThree. Okay, so it looks like a GoPro. It does here. And there. But the thing is, the camera pops out and so you can use a screen still see what you're recording, but I could inconspicuously it comes with a magnetic chest mount. So like Iron Man, that is so I could just record up to 45 minutes with it just stuck right here.KevinNo one even really looked at it. It it's.AndrewCompletely it doesn't look like a camera.KevinAnd it's and it's magnetic. So you can also just stick it on any metal object you find. So you're riding a tutu. Can you want to get a cool camera angle you just put in? It sucks on the side of the vehicle and you're driving down the Nepali highway at 40 kilometers an hour with bikes. And you know, it's just well, it's a.JenIt's the most interesting thing. You ate.KevinOh, wow. So. TOLLEY Well, yeah, by yoga, they really love their yogurt. So they like fermented yogurt with they grow mangoes there. That was interesting.AndrewMangoes. So they're like almost tropical weather. But then there was a.KevinHot.AndrewNepal is wherever it is, right? That's right.KevinYes. I so I'm going to add to my LinkedIn profile that, you know, climbed on it. I climbed Mount Everest because we were in the foothills of Mount Everest. I never saw it when I was on the ground. I didn't see it from the air that was really cool. But wow, even though I was right in front of it, it's so tall and there's other tall mountains in front of it.KevinYou can't see it. Yeah. So there is lots of cameras, lots of gear. Maybe that's a separate blog post.JenBut very cool.KevinYeah. All right, on to the news first up from Spark, TerraCom. This one's called An Employee's Guide to building a personal brand. And an article, of course, is great. That's why we pick it. But I'm just going to skip down to the personal brand rules for employees. Yeah, that's Prince's. This is really interesting. So if you're feeling stuck, consider these guardrails.KevinEveryone, please. Like the number of times that these guardrails have been avoided by people in this industry, or just people generally that that we all know. Like, please don't do that.AndrewI can I can name those. I'm not naming names.KevinDon't name names, but be mindful of your role within your company. You might not be the company spokesperson. You're your own spokesperson. Don't say or do anything. You wouldn't do it. Work. Give yourself topic guardrails. That's interesting in that yes, similar to what I think we mentioned before, Mark Davidson had to say and will say at the summit is, you know, you can't have a brand unless you are restrictive like this concept.KevinI'm going to be my full self. Your full self is too complex to be a brand. And that's why personal branding is tough in that if you if you decide you're going to talk a little bit of everything, fewer people will connect with that with your personal brand because you're just all over the place. And those are people who know you and just like you.KevinFor you, that's fine by giving yourself topic, guardrails will improve your audience growth and and your sanity. And then when in doubt, stick with what you know. Hmm.AndrewGreat. I like it. I wish I could add another one because someone on our team. I don't want to. I'd want to. I won't say the full story, but, like, she's like, look at this garbage. And it was a salesperson posting. They made their own graphic using the brand's logo, the company's logo now. And it was just terrible.AndrewIt was just awful. The fans were wrong, like, but they put it look like the brand made it. And so then that should be another one. And they're like proper use of branding guidelines, which is of course nerdier. But like, I mean, the person there, I think they're not being incentivized, but they're being encouraged to like use their own social media to like get referrals and sales and whatnot.AndrewBut like, oh my goodness, like it'd be better if they just took an iPhone photo, honestly, without any branding because then they throw the logo on there. It's like, Oh, what is this garbage? Then it looks like the brand is like kind of messy. Oh, that's an idea.JenThat's really a great article.KevinIt is.AndrewThere's so much and it's written by an employee at Spark. Toro I believe 90% sure. So I'm like, This is even better.KevinYes. Well, I really like this is a good piece lifted from the article. Don't don't say I want to focus on my personal brand because that's crunchy and icky. Just saying it out loud. Instead, try saying I want to create leverage for myself. I want to make it easier to network with other people, and I want my ideas to serve as a magnet for the people and opportunities I want to attract.KevinAnd I think that's what, you know, people are naturally connectors for and and go proactively networking. Or if you want to have a good network, you have to find reasons to draw people to you. And I like that definition a lot better of a great, you know, the algorithms do the work for you and that's why the topics do really matter what you decide you want to talk about.KevinIf you're going to talk about gardening one day and sales the next, unless gardening was an analogy for sales, it's confusing even to the algorithms to know who should see this content. And and once all the gardeners start interacting with your content, you might get de-emphasize to people who are interested in sales related content. So that's another way to I don't think it's covered in the article, but just also think that you're trying to make sure that the algorithms understand what your personal brand is as well.KevinAnd air quotes. Great.JenThat makes sense.AndrewYeah, I think set in other ways they hyperfocus.JenYeah you're yeah.AndrewYeah I think that was I forgot his name on Instagram. He is like here's how the algorithm works and it's all what we assume. If people engage with your content, they'll see it more often. If they don't engage with your content by engage, it isn't just like a comment. If they're watching it and their screen time, they'll see your stories more often.AndrewIf it's a story. So if you're all over the place, then the outdoor algorithm would be like, I don't know who to show this to. Now, the 50 people that really liked it don't like you anymore. Maybe the next batch of people will. Who knows?KevinYeah, well, everyone famously. You know, you're not supposed to put. If you want better reach on LinkedIn. Do not put the link in. Your post has to be a link in the comments. Why? Because like all social networks, LinkedIn doesn't want people leaving. They want people staying. And so this is again, some where friction should exist between sales and marketing.KevinWhen salespeople come up with bad ideas or have bad habits, you know, it's no different than when social media first came around. Everyone was like, Well, you got to put their phone number and our hours on the post. Like, I don't know if you remember that, like early Facebook, like.JenYeah.KevinHow are people going to know what to do if you don't give them your phone number, give them more hours and put the physical address of the location and say, come see us today when no one wants to interact with that garbage content again we're having. You have to negotiate with the algorithms. And the algorithms have their own motives and their own things are trying to achieve.KevinThey don't want people leaving. And so how weird does it feel to post a piece of content or a clip of a piece of content and not say, Click here to go see the whole thing, or click here to learn more. Every sales person in the world would be like these Marketers don't know what they're doing. The marketers are like, If you want the biggest reach possible, we can't do that thing that you really want to do.KevinYou've got to be patient. Yeah, well, that's that's hard. Kevin It is. It's hard for marketers to.JenWho in the organization responsible for like if you see sales doing something that is against this person's operating guidelines.KevinTheir online sales coach, and that's that's who's in charge. Jen That's how much a conversation.AndrewAs Jen.KevinThat's good. That's a that's a that's really mean.AndrewWho should be in charge of that.JenSerious like.KevinWell.AndrewBecause it needs to be someone you can't say no to in my opinion. Like you cannot go against that person.JenThat marketing leadership. Is it sales leadership?KevinListen to me. This is one of the rules. I mean, if you're we're going to big companies then and this isn't a hard question because let's be honest, the larger your company gets, people generally are more okay with being jerks to each other when necessary. Right? You're just like, hey, you're you're doing this wrong. Stop it. I've seen 40 other people on this email, right?KevinThat that's what you do in a big company in a in a medium or small size company. It shouldn't matter who the person is or the title. Right. And I think the bigger thing is the technique of saying, what are you trying to accomplish? And that's that's that's how you always get people to be great teammates, is you don't say, stop doing that.KevinI can't believe you used our logo inappropriately, you know, Don't you understand? We have brand standards. Look at this demerits for you. You just say, what do you what are you trying to do? How can we help?JenYeah, let me help you. I was going to say, that's.00:37:20:23 - 00:37:31:00KevinThat's. Can we help you? Yeah. Agreed. Oh, you want people to engage with your content over time? Okay, then.JenNot like to.KevinComment. We're not going to say, well.AndrewToday I want them to call today.KevinOkay. That that's actually a great role play. So you want them to call you John, right? Let's do this. Yeah. Yeah, I'll call you. Okay. So no one wants to call someone they don't know and aren't sure yet if they even are interested in what you have to offer. And the little slice we're giving them doesn't have enough context.KevinSo what we have to do is go a couple steps before the call. What would be the thing that in the consumer's mind you think would happen before they choose to call you? What else would you like them to do if they're not going to call you today? What's the thing that would lead them to calling you that you'd like them to do?JenI'd like them to look at my website and get some information.KevinThere we go. So, yeah, you're just you're helping them understand that we can get to where you want to go.JenI just wanna recall me.KevinWe can't skip those steps.JenNo, it seems to be. I say that, you know, I'm not trying to be, but. But this is. This is what happens, right? Is just put my number on there. Just, you know, I want to talk to, you know, and.KevinAnd and honestly, I think a lot of this goes back on marketers not looking far enough into the future. Again, we all can time travel just pull out a calendar and you can transport yourself into the end of next month. Right. Like so if the salesperson is is crying on the phone saying, I just want him to call me because they only have one cell in on a sales goal of three and they've only had four appointments the entire month.KevinThat's shame on shame on everyone. Managers, marketers, operations folks who's been monitoring the data, knowing this person has no chance in hell of hitting their sales goal. And why do we let them just, you know, like like look around like a a lost a lost fish in a fishbowl until the day before. And in a moment of panic, say, I just need people to call me buy a house today.KevinToday. All right. Next up from Zillow's media room, Zillow and Redfin announce a partnership to help buyers and homebuilders connect. This is a this is a big win win win all around for everyone. I think So. Basically, the the content for new construction will come from Zillow's content library. They'll be syndicating the content through to Redfin and in particular because Redfin's had new construction content on it for a while, it's going to be adding the community pages and some of the additional product features that Zillow has created for the new construction product over the last several years.KevinSo Redfin gets better content to display to all of Redfin's users that they don't have to worry about building and maintaining. That comes through through Zillow. Zillow gets additional exposure for new construction listings on Redfin, which short story short, when another syndication site kind of similarly imploded a while ago. I'm going to get hate mail just for mentioning that.KevinBut, you know, something happened out there in the world and several builders that we work with just said choosing not to work with a syndication partner anymore. But they were feeding data to Redfin and they were they were not concerned about kind of the core product. They were concerned about my homes won't show up on Redfin the way I want.KevinSo Redfin has always been surprising. It's a great website, it's a great user experience. But even folks who aren't in typical Redfin markets really covet the Redfin audience. And so that so it's a win for Zillow and for Redfin and a win for marketers who use Zillow to to promote those listings. So there's not it's not very often where you see an announcement.KevinYou're like kind of like who won? Who lost in this announcement? I don't think anyone lost anything on Wednesday.AndrewNo, no one losing on this call.KevinNext up from builder online dot com came okay new do they not own builder magazine dot com is there a different URL? Am I the only one who wonders this? Come on builder. Anyway, new home sales dipped 2.5% in June. Sales slid slightly month over month, but are up 23.8% year over year according to the census. So down new home sales volume down 2.5% June compared to May, but year over year up 23%.KevinIsn't that.AndrewInteresting? If they were to say new home sales up 23.8% would be like one. The world's happening as far as like the buyer perception on that versus demand. They're like, oh, the sky is falling, Prices will be super low soon, but you said opposite people like, oh my goodness, I better get some urgency, like it's getting more expensive out there or whatever, maybe.JenBut while even just like looking at.AndrewThe story, you want.JenNumbers, you know, like it's in line with that. Like our our builder partners, like I'm just looking at averages and what we saw an increase in appointment to the sale and the been Q2 and looking at 2022 sales averages and 2023 sales averages it's up.KevinYeah. And July for most people, you know the first week with the holiday and lots of people traveling slower but the me in the back half of July who it's cranking the number of people who are just like we hit half of our sales goal in the last four days of the month and really continuing into August and rates taking higher.KevinAre higher rates starting to become like a a good thing for new construction? You could argue like they have been, but I wonder if it's even more so making it better because builders have these I mean, there's more value like 5% as a bought down interest rate is kind of like like I'm I'm desensitized to it. I mean the average consumer isn't.JenIt seems that.KevinStuff up but.AndrewI thought I saw someone with a 3.9 the other day.KevinYeah. These are 30 year fixed mortgage.AndrewSo I was thinking.JenWell, we'll pay for your refinancing, too.KevinMm hmm.JenSo, like, so know, this.KevinIs from Ali Wolf, the chief economist is on to both. Supply and demand are down for housing. Given higher interest rates, today's housing market is all about finding the right buyer for the right home at the right price. And that's a challenge compared to the resale market, though new home builders are doing a better job working with consumers and are gaining market share.AndrewYeah, we had that Kevin article. He sent a few of us.KevinMm hmm.AndrewBuilders have to build, Builders build. That's what they do. So they have to sell compared to resale. It's. It's realtors. Realtors gonna sell now. Realtors will sell when they have the opportunity with a listing to sell. But, you know, builders are making the market. I don't if that makes any sense. What I just said the realtors there between the transaction but no one's forcing a seller a homeowner me to list the home.AndrewBut builders are like, we have to sell. We have a company we have revenue to. Great. And so we'll make it work. And that's where that's where I take the higher interest rates are pushing more people to builders.KevinWhat's the.JenI mean, the home buyers that are out there have to move and.KevinMove.JenNew home builders are getting this getting those buyers because there's nothing else on the market. So.KevinYeah, is it is it Kesha who sings the song that has the lyrics like Don't Stop.AndrewThat's for sure. Kesha Yeah.JenYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Very good.KevinKevin Good job. Here's the only thing that makes me nervous. This is our next article is also from Builder Online Spec Strategy Drives Record due to Home closings and revenue for Meritage Homes. Listen, there's Really only two options for builders right now. If you want to maintain velocity, the number of units that you are selling in a year, you are building more specs and that strategy works until it doesn't.KevinBut I feel like the whole industry is singing this song of of just please don't stop market because if you get caught and whenever this happens and it always does happen, it's going to be a double whammy because at the same time, all of these specs will need to be urgently sold by builders. The the used market will return at that exact same moment.KevinAnd I someone I don't have it for this this show but we'll try to get it for next week. Someone just did a survey that found that like one out of every four or five homeowners plans to sell their home they live in in the next like three years.JenSo that makes total sense to me because.KevinTerrifying.JenI know, but.KevinI wouldn't live through. Okay.JenI know. But I just think that maybe I misunderstood what you're saying, but I just think that there was a lot of people who bought during the pandemic, like as a, you know, and didn't really buy what they wanted. Just bought some.KevinSell.AndrewBecause of lack of supply. Like, I need a home.JenLike, yeah, like I don't care or you know, there was just limited and whatever and I think there's going to be a lot of people that are like, I want to move now like I don't this isn't my forever home. I just needed something. I bought it and.KevinI think it was a zonder data report that I saw. Zonda owns Builder magazine as well that showed that I think it was Indianapolis Market and they showed the the START data for spec spec of the inventory in Indianapolis and it had come way down from the peak in January, February of this year, I think. And the question was like, are builders going to replace that?KevinAnd the top ten builders who are building inventory, pedal the metal like Meritage on our as famously said, we're just going to keep building. D.R. Horton, of course, is going to keep building. And so they are going to gain market share as long as as long as they have that strategy, because a lot of the smaller private builders are like, I mean, we'll keep doing some inventory, but we're not going to go as extreme as we have been because we're concerned about the fourth quarter or where things might go.KevinSo don't stop, let it rock. What's the D.J. play that song tonight? What? I don't know. The lyrics, that song.JenWell, let's just forget it.AndrewOh, I have an interruption. Maybe this won't replace Thanks article, but it's random. There's a community that built a spec so this is they built spec townhomes. They did not presale.KevinAnd that's what I'm saying. It's very common now. Everyone's like, we don't need to be.AndrewLocation.KevinTo build specs.AndrewLike I'm like, why would they not pre-sell like am I brand? I'm like, they would have the whole thing would been sold because.KevinThey want to maximize their costs and profit margin. I want to know to the penny what so they can maximize and.JenThey're creating certainty.KevinThey are creating certainty. They're truly building certainty and in profit margin and their theory, which is currently correct, is that every month they don't sell it, it will become worth more. Yeah, right. Right now, values are going up again. Interesting. But that's my point.AndrewAnother marketing. That's terrible. So like there's there's maybe that seems much more intelligent but the market I'm like, oh my gosh.KevinLike no, I mean, it all makes sense. There's reasons why, but I'm just telling you that, that some projects like that are financed with debt, that it's on a razor's edge like they have to get those units sold within like 45 days of them being done or the whole thing will go under the bank, will repossess it, turn it around, sell off the parts.KevinAnd most likely that won't happen. But at some point it will for.JenSounds very scary.KevinI'm not trying to be scary. I mean, looks like we're probably in on it. Like we're going to be selling more or less. I think just.JenMore like to create certainty for the builder, but it also creates certainty for the buyer because you know sometimes the pre sell, right? Then it's like, well it's hard to envision what that will be, what will be going on.KevinRight.AndrewTo you know we went for Kesha we'll go to Billy Joel. Honesty is such a lonely word. So that's all Kevin's doing. He's been the most honest. Here we go. But his name.KevinSometimes it's things you don't want to know, by the way, here, Like, you know, like sometimes owners are like, You don't need to tell us all that. Like, just let us live in our.AndrewLive our life.KevinAll right, Last article for the week from The Guardian, the Everything app, Why Elon Musk wants X to be a WeChat for the West. So we chat is not WhatsApp. First of all, I've had several conversations. People like I use WeChat all the time and I'm like, What do you do on WeChat thinking they're going to talk about these other things that the Super app can do and they're like, I text people from other countries.KevinI'm like, That's WhatsApp. That's a different.AndrewFacebook.KevinThey're an app also green color. But this idea of a super app and Zillow wants to be a super app for real estate, what does that mean that that means they want multiple use cases for the Zillow operate. Now what do you do? You Zillow on the Zillow app, you make a connection and then a lot of that stuff after that connection goes offline or on other websites that they own, like dot loop, they want to bring everything within one app.KevinSo imagine if like and I don't think this is what they've said and probably is a terrible idea, but imagine you're in the process of buying or selling a home and at some point you're using the Zillow up so much that just says like, hey, for $50 during the entire course of you buying or selling, you could do everything here.KevinIt would keep track of everything for you, all the paperwork here, all the pictures, all the comments, all the discussions, everything is contained in this one app and this archived experience for 50 bucks. Like I would do that and sign me up. Yeah, just.AndrewI mean, it's only 30 bucks.KevinBut I'm evens try and so Twitter is dead or we're moving on to x but he wants x to be like WeChat meaning get ready for I mean people were immediately asking like, okay, if Twitter is not Twitter, is it still called a tweet? You still retweet? Do you X? What do you what is what's all the lingo?KevinAnd he's basically saying, look, Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech. That's a question mark. I feel like I have to say that even though I think generally he is trying to do that as an accelerator for X, the Everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing.KevinTwitter made sense when was this hundred 40 characters going back and forth? But he wants you to be able to buy, sell, play games, do whatever you want to do is basically well, WeChat, for those of you who are familiar with WeChat and other countries like it is, it is the Internet. It's like 80, 85% of all Web traffic in some Southeast Asian countries goes through WeChat.AndrewWouldn't that be.KevinIt's Facebook combined with Spotify.AndrewKind of like government policy, really influences that.JenI don't know their use.AndrewI mean, this is like now we're outside of scope of what I know like, like China, right?KevinLike, yeah, but WeChat is also used, I believe in like Brazil and I mean, so it's it's not a communist plot is like, like we want to see.AndrewWe're going there that we're going to have to talk about next week. Let's do that.JenOh, can I come back?KevinMaybe there's a comment. I don't know.AndrewI don't know. I'm just thinking like is it's popular and what seems to be more restricted or I've never been to other countries culturally, but like people like, oh, this country is amazing. Like, their culture is so much different than our culture. Like, we are.KevinLike, well, I think like the underdog there is still like to try to keep to try to keep Jen from falling asleep on us.JenNow I am I'm thinking about this. I don't.KevinKnow. Do you use Snapchat at all with your kids? So I.JenI have, but I'm not on there regularly. No, I'm not in the habit.KevinI used to be. If you use Snapchat I think is has one of the worst UI like user interfaces. Intentionally so. Intentionally so to make it hard for old people to catch on rap crappy.JenReally.KevinSo if you know you know think about how again matter rolled out threads you want to get on threads you got to know how to type and you click this weird ticket thing and the thing spins around. You get access right. It was a this is intentionally like strange or difficult to get to. You can use Snapchat for years like I did and not know that there is some core functionality that every all the kids are using.KevinYeah, once you know it's there and you're like, Oh, of course you just click this over here and now you can see where all your friends are and you can do this thing and that thing. I think WeChat, it just, it's like this never ending spiral of like catching. All my friends are here, I'm all connected. If I want to play a game or order food or watch a movie or like, it's just all in all in one one spot and it's to my bank account and my credit card.JenAnd and I guess the the old lady in me does have like I would be hesitant to add everything connected I guess is what I'm saying.KevinLike what? Yeah, well.JenI don't know if I would.KevinWant. That's why I think you want. So what does the island have going for him? Yes. Tesla. If X becomes the way to gain access to or control your Tesla and he's like, forget the Tesla app, it's now part of X. You want to get access to your car, you're going to X. Oh, and by the way, you can also communicate with people and follow Ashton Kutcher and, you know, do this and do that.KevinAll in the same place. Yeah, but the history of the US has generally been that things don't. What's the word I'm looking for? Converge? Things generally don't converge the way we expect them to where like like you could back in the eighties or the early nineties you could get a really nice boom box I android you know what a boom boxes.KevinYeah Have you seen that movie say anything?AndrewOh I don't if I'd seen a movie but I definitely had a.JenOh my gosh.AndrewSo anything that was probably Gen might have graduated high school when I came out I was 49.KevinYou know you've got you've got the Boombox, which has a tape player, has the radio, it has.AndrewLike standing with it.KevinA lot of things on one. Yeah. But rack systems were the deal. Like if you were really into audio you had a rack system because each component was exponentially better or higher quality or whatever. And so the idea is you're going to converge. And we do have convergence in the phone for a lot of things in our life, but almost everything else that we tend to go towards specialized tasks for an object, even though it could like go in your kitchen.KevinAlton Brown I got I got this thing from when I saw him in person autograph. I mean, I love it, but one of his rules is like nothing in my kitchen can only do one thing. Everything. My kitchen has to have three purposes. I mean, for I don't like you could you could have a bazillion gadgets that all do one thing.KevinTrue.JenBecause then you have less and it's more efficient is what you're saying.KevinYeah, but that's not generally where, like, our stuff obsessed culture goes. We're like.AndrewWe were like premium.KevinThe we'll get the doodad that does the one thing like super amazing I use it twice and then throw it away.AndrewI feel like this only will work if there's either acquisition of like Venmo or Cash app or they partnered together. Somehow we're then it's like enough people that fit the right of.JenFive didn't say Spotify.KevinSo yeah, I don't know if anyone cares that we're still talking about this really, But like, where did he on come from? PayPal.JenWe lost everybody, everybody on space.KevinEllen Ellen came from PayPal, so it's not it would not be weird to be like, Hey, PayPal's struggling excuse me, PayPal is struggling as a corporation. Let's just acquire them. Let's roll them into X. Hey, let's grab a Spotify now. I've got music I made. You know, Spotify has as much video content on it. Now. There's no no.KevinLike, if you if you want to try to control your you want to try to control your eight year old screen time when you're thinking, well, but he likes listening to his kids music on Spotify now. Now there's like entire playlists that are just YouTube videos on Spotify for you to watch.AndrewYeah, sounds sounds like someone got their iPad taken away after that.KevinYeah, they did. Yeah.AndrewI'm sure that's like a sounds like our house.KevinOh, goodness. All right, let's go to favorites and get the heck out of here. Do we have favorites? I can go first if you're if you need a second.JenYou my favorite thing right now is are my new Hoka walking shoes.KevinOh, interesting.JenDo you guys have. Yes, it is. Yeah, It's okay. They're super kind of like clumsy looking.AndrewI mean, I ask Olivia on her team if they're okay to wear or not.JenShe's hot. I think Olivia would have.AndrewThis.JenDetector. I think Olivia would approve.KevinWe did ask everyone on the marketing team today who owns Crocs. There are only two people who raise their hand, so they own crocs for themselves. They're back, And I think they're also good style.AndrewPeople ask us out, Does Sam have crocs?JenAbsolutely.AndrewAnd I see where socks with them.JenAbsolutely.KevinAbsolutely is. It's Dr. Seuss socks with Crocs.AndrewHe prefers Nike socks with.KevinLocks.AndrewNike other like that, like there.KevinAre. All right, cool. So you got shoes, Andrew what about you?AndrewMeaning favorites. I've had a because my new schedule so I wake up, I drink coffee in the morning which coffee would be hit or miss? But most of the we get our coffee. I still love my Nespresso machine. Oh, but here's the thing. I'm like, What is this on the counter? I thought I was making a mess on the counter.AndrewI think it's broken like something's leaking out of the bottom. It's just like, Oh, I'm like, I.JenAnd then it's like a little thin thing, like.AndrewKevin Well, the spin thing called different, different budget category, but I think they might be a longer I'm.JenOver here in the kitchen.KevinMy PR Oh, when you have to buy those pod things for you.AndrewThat's what I made this. This was like a dollar 20. I think

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello are divorcing after 7 years. I have the Juicy Scoop on who or what may have been the reason. Kim and Kroy face yet another credit card lawsuit. Tori keeps getting photographed by the paparazzi. Gigi was arrested. My prediction of Vulva fashion has come true. I'm officially a Miranda Lambert stan. Jill and Bethenny hashed it out. I have receipts from Lala that could destroy her. Britney is working with will.i.am. Then, Chris Franjola and I discuss Kylie and Jordyn dining together and my run-in with Chelsea Handler. Cruise ships, toddlers alone at sea, and shark attacks are all rising. Jessica Simpson dodged a bullet. Lisa Marie's reason for death is shocking. Collin Gosselin tells all...and his mother Kate won't like it. Book Your Premiere Room at The Meritage: https://bit.ly/44IYs1Y Vote For Juicy Scoop: realitytelevisionawards.com/vote Get extra juice on Patreon: patreon.com/juicyscoop Subscribe on Youtube: youtube.com/@JuicyScoop Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/heathermcdonald Follow me on TikTok: tiktok.com/@heathermcdonald Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/HeatherMcDonald Follow Chris @chrisfranjola Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As two women in the wine industry, what better topic for us to tackle than “Women in Wine”?!  Special guests include Lindsey Koch and Benedicte Rhyne who share their passion for wine and how they embraced their natural female skills and talents to make their way in the traditionally male oriented world of wine.  Meet Lindsey:  Lindsey started her career in Fort Worth, TX as a medical staffing agency before launching her own staffing company, Embracing her interest in wine she studied to become a certified Sommelier, she took the big leap of faith to start her own wine bar, WineHaus from the ground up.  After  8 years, she sold the business to a previous customer as she made the move out to Sonoma County, California to further her career in wine. Living in California Wine Country, Lindsey is currently the Estate Director for Small Vines Wines in Sebastopol, managing everything from marketing and customer outreach, to curating bespoke tasting experiences at the winery. Additionally, Lindsey and her husband always dreamed about starting their own winery and made the dream a reality, starting Curves & Edges Wines during the 2020 vintage. She focuses her efforts at Curves & Edges on two varieties that have always brought her great joy, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. Meet Bénédicte: Bénédicte (Bennie) Rhyne is a native of Aix en Provence, France. She received her master in oenology (the study of wine) from the Université de Bourgogne (Dijon), had a successful experience at Chateau Pétrus, in Pomerol, Bordeaux, before global adventures to New Zealand and England landed her at Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma, California, as a member of the winemaking-team. Here she developed a”Meritage“program increasing the winery's production ten-fold between 1991-2001. Additionally she created a sophisticated wine laboratory with well -trained staff and quality control procedures. In 2002, Bénédicte and her family moved to Fredericksburg, TX and created a Wine Laboratory to compliment her Wine Country Consulting business.  Bénédicte served sixteen years as the winemaker of Mesa Vineyards, St. Genevieve Wine in Fort Stockton, Texas. She the spent 10 years as the winemaker of Kuhlman Cellars, a quickly growing winery whose door's opened in October of 2014 in Hye, Texas to produce fine quality and “Terroir” driven wines from Texas in the style of her native Provence.  Bennie is now focused full time on her wine consulting and launching her own wine label - stay tuned!Show Sponsors:> The Magnolia in Fort Worth> The Texas Wine ClubDon't forget to FOLLOW, LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE and let us know any topics you'd like us to cover!Cheers! Charisse and KristiA special theme song shout out to our musician, the late, great, Paul Gray with his Swinging Shepard! Cheers! Charisse and KristiCheck out Kristi's blog for further wine adventures!  KristiWineNerd.com and make sure to follow on insta at @charissehenryftw and @krThanks for joining Somm Women Talk Wine! Check out our socials for more fun filled wine exploration!Instagram:@somm_women_talk_wine@kristiwinenerd@charissehenryfw@kmayfield109All episodes are also on our website:SommWomenTalkWineCharisse and Kristi

Meritage is a unique American expression of traditional French blends. We explore the history and make-up of Meritage wines. Resources from this episode: Books: Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) Study Guide (Society of Wine Educators), Nickles, J. (2017) Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition, Robinson, J. and Harding, J. (2015) Websites: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Agreement Between the United States of America and the European Community on Trade in Wine (10 March 2006) https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/us-eu-wine-agreement.pdf Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Part 12 - Foreign nongeneric names of geographic significance used in the designation of wines https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-12 Los Angeles Times: Wine and the Law - A brief history of U.S. label regulations, Brown, C. (9 April 2008) https://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-wineside9apr09-story.html Meritage Alliance: https://www.meritagealliance.com/what-is-meritage/ Meritage Alliance: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Meritage (2013) https://www.meritagealliance.com/media/8177/EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MERITAGE.pdf Wine Enthusiast: Meritage [Wine and Ratings] (n.d.) https://www.wineenthusiast.com/varietals/meritage/ Wine Enthusiast: What Do ‘Noble Grapes' Mean in Wine? Barth, J. (15 February 2022) https://www.winemag.com/2022/02/15/noble-grapes-wine-definition/ Wine Lover Magazine: Bordeaux's American Cousin - What is Meritage Wine? Hoss, O. (N.d.) https://winelovermagazine.com/blog/bordeaux-american-cousin-what-is-meritage-wine/ Glass in Session® Episodes Related to this Session: S13E1: American Sparkling Wine https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-sparkling-wine-s13e1 S13E2: American Rosé: The Story of our Red White and Blush https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/website/american-ros-the-story-of-our-red-white-and-blush Glass in Session® swag mentioned in this show: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session Music: “Write Your Story” by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.) Additional music this week: ”Fife and Drum”by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC.    

In this episode, Barry Westrum - CMO at Taco John's, discussed the brand's current position and strategies for growth in the restaurant industry. With a focus on providing higher quality options in the quick-serve restaurant (QSR) sector, Taco John's aims to capture a niche between fast casual and traditional QSR chains. This write-up delves into the key points discussed during the interview, highlighting Taco John's efforts to bring back a nostalgic brand while catering to changing customer preferences.The Taco John's Strategy:Taco John's has historically been viewed as a fast casual concept, blurring the lines between QSR and fast casual. However, the brand now firmly identifies itself as a QSR with a commitment to delivering higher quality offerings. While lower-end QSR chains compromise on product quality and fast casual chains focus on higher-end options, Taco John's aims to fill the gap by providing a higher quality, faster alternative with the convenience of a drive-thru. This positioning is expected to drive long-term success for the brand.Embracing the Drive-Thru:The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a shift in consumer preferences, with a greater emphasis on takeout, drive-thru, and quick service. Taco John's recognized this opportunity and embraced the drive-thru aspect of its business. By enhancing their drive-thru operations, Taco John's has achieved parity with other competitors, with approximately 75% of their business now coming through the drive-thru. The brand has invested in innovative technologies to improve speed, consistency, and order accuracy, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for customers.Balancing Quality and Value:Taco John's strategy revolves around positioning itself as a quality/value brand in the QSR market. They have gained recognition for their higher quality ingredients and are now focusing on communicating their value proposition to consumers. By offering higher quality menu items at affordable price points, Taco John's aims to cater to customers seeking quality food at a reasonable price. Their value menu, featuring hand-cut sirloin steak, crispy fried chicken, and handmade pico de gallo, has been instrumental in changing consumer perceptions of the brand's affordability and attracting repeat customers.Expansion Strategies:With over 400 locations across 23 states, Taco John's has established a strong presence in the Mexican QSR segment. To continue their growth trajectory, the brand has forged a partnership with Meritage, Wendy's largest franchisee, to open up to 50 new units over the next five years. This expansion is focused on tapping into untapped markets outside their core regions. Taco John's has found that their brand resonates with consumers beyond their traditional markets, and they aim to position itself as a compelling middle ground between Taco Bell and Chipotle, catering to consumers seeking higher quality options.Breakfast and Digital Innovation:Taco John's has recognized the potential of the breakfast daypart and has invested in offering portable, high-quality breakfast items such as their meat and potato breakfast burritos. These breakfast options have gained popularity, especially for catering and delivery, contributing to the brand's growth. In addition, Taco John's acknowledges the importance of digital platforms in today's market. Their app has become a tool for increasing customer engagement, loyalty, and frequency of visits, and they foresee the application of digital technology in enhancing the breakfast experience and driving further growth.Recommendations on how to bring back a nostalgic brand like Taco John's:1. Embrace the quick-serve restaurant (QSR) positioning: Taco John's should firmly establish itself as a higher quality, quick-serve option within the Mexican quick-serve marketplace. This will help differentiate the brand from lower-end QSRs and fast-casual competitors.2. Focus on drive-thru efficiency and convenience: Given the shift in customer preferences towards takeout and drive-thru during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taco John's should continue to prioritize and invest in drive-thru operations. Implement technologies and strategies to improve speed, consistency, and customer experience in the drive-thru, such as advanced ordering systems, suggestive selling, and streamlined preparation processes.3. Offer a value menu with higher quality ingredients: Taco John's value menu has been successful in improving consumer perceptions of value and affordability. Continue to innovate and offer higher quality ingredients at attractive price points, catering to consumers who seek both quality and value in their dining choices. This approach can help Taco John's appeal to Gen Z and alpha demographics who may be price-sensitive.4. Expand into untapped markets: Taco John's should consider expanding into second-tier and exterior markets where the brand has been less present. Utilize partnerships with experienced franchisees, like the one with Meritage (Wendy's largest franchisee), to open new units in strategic locations. Leverage the brand's nostalgic appeal to attract consumers who have a connection to the Midwest or who are looking for a quality and affordable Mexican fast-food option.5. Capitalize on breakfast offerings: Breakfast presents a growth opportunity for Taco John's. Enhance and promote breakfast menu items, particularly portable and flavorful options like breakfast burritos. Highlight their convenience, quality, and suitability for catering and delivery. Leverage digital platforms and the brand's app to drive breakfast sales by offering incentives and personalized offers to customers.6. Prioritize digital presence and app development: In line with industry trends, continue investing in online ordering, pickup, delivery, and third-party integration. Enhance the digital experience for customers through a user-friendly app, loyalty programs, and targeted promotions. Leverage the app to increase customer frequency, average spending, and overall engagement with the brand.These recommendations aim to position Taco John's as a nostalgic brand that combines quality, value, convenience, and digital innovation to cater to evolving consumer preferences and stand out in the competitive Mexican fast-food market.The Future of Taco John'sTaco John's is repositioning itself as a higher quality, value-driven QSR brand, leveraging its strengths in the drive-thru market and emphasizing their commitment to providing affordable, quality menu options. With strategic partnerships, expansion plans, a focus on breakfast, and innovative digital initiatives, Taco John's aims to attract customers seeking a nostalgic brand experience with a modern twist. By combining convenience, flavor, and a touch of nostalgia, Taco John's strives to capture the hearts and taste buds of both loyal fans and new customers in the competitive Mexican fast-food market.

Trader Joe's Reserve Paso Robles Meritage 2021-A Quality 10 Buck Red BlendA Meritage Blend uses the grapes approved for Bordeaux Red Wines.Meritage is a California Organization that promotes Bordeaux grapes, funds studies for vineyard advances, and educates wine drinkers.Wineries must pay a fee to use Meritage on the label.So this $9.99 Trader Joe's Bordeaux Blend (Bordeaux by California) is serious about its intended result.Check out https://cheapwinefinder.com/ for the details and listen to the best wine Podcast for everything you need to know.Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.comor email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Outlander Meritage Paso Robles 2021- Meritage = Bordeaux BlendThis is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive wine.They recently changed producers and it still rocks.The grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and  Malbec all grown in Paso Robles instead of along a river in Bordeaux.For 8 bucks this Red blend is a bargain!For more information read https://cheapwinefinder.com/ and listen to THE BEST WINE PODCAST!!Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.comor email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Dry Creek Valley has been one of my favorite grape growing regions since my arrival in California. The wines are world class,and Dry Creek Vineyard has led the way over the course of many decades.Our feature today is the 2019 Benchland Meritage from Dry Creek Vineyard. We will look at the winemaker's tasting notes,and other great information on their website. drycreekvineyard.com Winemaker Notes: This exquisite Meritage was inspired by our decades of working with Bordeaux varietals planted in the different districts and vineyards within Dry Creek Valley. This delicious blend features fruit from specific vineyard sites in Dry Creek Valley that highlight the unique soils, microclimate and terroir of our home appellation. This 2019 vintage is a full and complex wine that's an absolute pleasure to drink. Aromas of black currant, black cherry and plum waft from the glass. As the wine opens up, it reveals aromas of toasty cedar, fennel and nutmeg. On the palate, the wine is plush with fine tannins and full of luxuriant flavors of blueberry, mocha, fine leather and thyme. The finish is seamless and well-integrated. This wine will age beautifully and develop in the bottle for years to come. BLEND: 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec FERMENTATION: 10–17 days in fermenters at 82–88˚F; pumped over twice daily BARREL AGING: 20 months in Hungarian and French oak; 35% new oak HARVEST DATE: October 9–22, 2019 SOIL: Sandy and clay loam VINE AGE: 1–2 tons per acre Explore Our Vineyards Our family has been growing grapes in Dry Creek Valley for nearly five decades, driven by the desire to produce appellation-focused, terroir-driven, varietal-defining wines. We believe in crafting our wines in the vineyard, with healthy soil and flourishing vines, so there is minimal intervention when the fruit is brought to the winery. Primarily known for Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc, our home appellation has become an undiscovered gem for Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varietals. We are proud that our 185 acres of estate vineyards are 100% certified sustainable. We walk the land, replenish the soil naturally, and make multiple pruning passes throughout the growing season to ensure that our grapes are balanced and delicious when they reach their peak ripeness. Using the sun as our guide and Mother Nature as our partner, we carefully manage our vineyards to ensure the highest standards of quality for each vintage. We have a great audio feature with Don Wallace! Please click on the link at the bottom of this page and join us. Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

This is a very interesting feature with Don Wallace. We have covered many of the incredible wines from Dry Creek vineyard,and now movew into The Mariner 2019 from Dry Creek Valley. As we always do we will check out the tasting notes and idems of interst from the website of this world class winery. drycreekvineyard.com. Winemaker Notes: The Mariner is a powerful, yet elegant Meritage made in the tradition of some of the world's greatest Bordeaux blends. We call this proprietary blend “The Mariner” because just as a mariner navigates his ship, so too must our winemaker navigate his way through a vintage. The grapes for this delicious Bordeaux-inspired blend come from several of our most prized estate and hillside vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley. At first swirl, the wine displays aromas of black currant, black cherry and blackberry. Several more minutes reveal hints of cardamom, white pepper, cumin and dried herbs. The palate has dark berry flavors along with earthy complexity and savory tones. It finishes with notes of mocha, marzipan, fine leather and black tea. Good acidity will help this wine to age beautifully for years to come. BLEND: 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 11% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc FERMENTATION: 12–17 days in fermenters at 82–88˚F; pumped over twice daily BARREL AGING: 20 months in French and Hungarian oak; 46% new oak HARVEST DATE: September 27–October 24, 2019 SOIL: Hillside vineyard with gravelly soil, iron-rich VINE AGE: 20+ years Each and every grape is grown on one of our estate vineyards or by one of our longtime growing partners. In our 100% certified-sustainable estate vineyards, we walk the land, replenish the soil naturally, and make multiple pruning passes throughout the growing season to ensure that our grapes are balanced and delicious when they reach their peak ripeness. We have cultivated relationships over the past five decades with small, local family farms and worked with them extensively for the best results possible. It is not an exaggeration to say that we know every hand that touches the grapes. Please visit their website,and also make plans to visit the great town of Healdsburg in the very near future,and plan to spend some time at this amazing winery in the heart of the Dry Creek Vineyard! please click on the link below,and you can listen to this great audio feature with Don Wallace and myself. Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

Today's episode is brought to you by The Meritage Resort and Spa and Grand Reserve at the Meritage, a memorable escape at the gateway to wine country. Marked by two distinct stay experiences, this expansive and luxurious property in the heart of Napa offers 322 guest rooms and over 50,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. Among sprawling vineyards and rolling golden hills, experience unparalleled luxury and iconic views at this Four Diamond resort that perfectly embodies everything Napa. Today, we are joined by Jim Sonefeld, an award-winning drummer and songwriter best known for his time with 90's rock band Hootie and the Blowfish. In his recent memoir, “Swimming with the Blowfish”, Jim recounts the band's exciting rise to fame, his own struggles with addiction, and his current passion for philanthropy. Mike and Jim discuss the role of spirituality in their lives, how to laugh through difficult times, and the importance of timing in navigating the changes of life. To connect with Jim Sonefeld or learn more about his memoir, visit jimsonefeld.com or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.  

Don Wallace and I recently got together and tasted these two great wines from Dry Creek Vineyard. In this feature we will tell you about these two wines,and explore the tasting notes from Drycreekvineyard.com. 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Dry Creek ValleyWinemaker Notes: This delicious Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc reflects the vision of the second generation. Crafted from several distinct vineyard sites, this new blend incorporates Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Gris clones for added complexity. The Sauvignon Musqué provides a vibrant and juicy weight to the palate. Just as some of the finest chateaux in Bordeaux use Sauvignon Gris, we also love the texture this varietal provides to the final blend. In expressing the Dry Creek Valley's unique terroir, this beautiful wine displays bright, fruit-forward aromas and a full-bodied mouthfeel. At first swirl, this Sauvignon Blanc presents tropical aromas of passionfruit, guava, pineapple, ginger and white pepper. On the palate, flavors of Meyer lemon, lime, nectarine and cucumber come through with a slightly creamy, but lively finish. Stainless steel fermentation was supplemented with small amounts of acacia, French oak and chestnut barrels, adding additional character and nuance to this delicious wine. We will also feature another amazing wine! 2021 The MarinessDry Creek Valley Winemaker Notes: The Mariness represents our vision to produce the finest Meritage wine from the Dry Creek Valley using the traditional, noble white Bordeaux varietals. Founder David S. Stare advocated artful blending of the Bordeaux varietals and introduced the practice to the California wine industry in the 1970s. ​The 2021 vintage of The Mariness displays aromas of passionfruit, guava and cucumber. After a few minutes, softer nuances of lemongrass come forward, mixed with hints of pineapple, key lime and geranium for added complexity. The palate is fresh and sophisticated with vibrant flavors of mango, peach and melon with notes of fresh herbs. The bright acidity of this refreshing wine is balanced by the creamy mouthfeel contributed by aging in acacia, French oak and chestnut barrels. With Don Wallace Agriculture is a natural way of life for Don Wallace, the product of four generations of a hard-working California farming family. Don's interest in machinery took him away from the farm for fifteen years while he pursued a career in international construction. While he was on a project in Sonoma County in 1980, Don met Dry Creek Vineyard founder David Stare's daughter, Kim Stare, whom he married in 1982. Don Wallace and I will be pairing these wines with dishes from local chefs ,in the very near future. When Don wasn't frequenting the airways promoting Dry Creek Vineyard and regional sales programs around the country, he was an active industry advocate. Don was at the forefront of the sustainable farming movement in California. His work on sustainable issues has led him to take up a variety of important causes including salmon habitat restoration along the Dry Creek as well as water conservation issues in Sonoma County. He is a fellow of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy. Please click on the link below and enjoy a great audio feature with Don Wallace and myself.Dry creek Vineyard at it's best! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .

Ever walked into a wine shop or the wine section of a grocery store and been totally overwhelmed and confused by the vast sea of wines that are simply labeled red blend? Us too! So to remove this confusion, in this minisode we do a quick overview - a primer if you will - on the two major types of red blends that most (but not all) red wine blends are based - Bordeaux and GSM. Both come from France, and both are known by other names that you may also be familiar with, like Meritage and Claret. This quick, fun minisode will help you feel more comfortable and confident the next time you are looking to buy or order a wine (and you can show off your knowledge to your friends who will be so impressed!).Contact The Wine Pair Podcast - we'd love to hear from you!Visit our website, leave a review, and reach out to us: www.thewinepairpodcast.comFollow and DM us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewinepairpodcast/Send us an email: joe@thewinepairpodcast.com

The Nasdaq led the major indexes higher for the week, but there were big highs and lows. The Russell 2000 hit 2023 lows as bank stocks kept tumbling, though they steadied somewhat Friday. PagerDuty, MercadoLibre and Meritage Homes are setting up. But this is still a divided, volatile market rally attempt. Bec cautious.

Steph and Steph share their Top 2 in Hour 2 which includes Peepsi and Cossetta's Italian Market . ALSO: Interview with chef  Russell Klein of Meritage! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steph and Steph share their Top 2 in Hour 2 which includes Peepsi and Cossetta's Italian Market . ALSO: Interview with chef  Russell Klein of Meritage!

Want to learn the secrets to business success from company owners who are not only surviving but thriving in this difficult economy? Then join award-winning entrepreneur Mike Bosma and his guests as they provide you with the insight and expertise you need to start a new business or to take your company to a whole new level. In between jobs? Why work for the boss when you can be the boss? With Bosma On Business you can be in conversation with the area's top corporate executives, community leaders and movers and shakers. The show is the ultimate business networking event and entrepreneurial incubator wrapped up in one and it's brought to you live weekly over the airwaves and through the Internet. You'll tap into a wealth of wisdom from top experts in the fields of accounting, marketing, sales, information technology, business law, human resources, corporate real estate, banking and so much more. If you're doing business in Northern Nevada or have the entrepreneurial itch, then plan on joining us on News Talk 780 KOH every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. With Mike Bosma, the Pied Piper of entrepreneurial excellence leading the way, we're Getting Northern Nevada…Back to Business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta Division President Jonathan White with Meritage Homes joins the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast to discuss reasons to buy new construction now. White joins host Carol Morgan to chat about can't-miss incentives as well as current and upcoming communities on the All About Real Estate segment. With close to 20 years of experience in the homebuilding industry, White has worked in land acquisition and development, roadway design and as division president for multiple companies. White has held the title of division president at Meritage Homes for five years and currently resides in Atlanta with his beautiful wife and their three children. White said, “It's been a long run, but the last 20 years have been awesome! I really enjoy home building.” Founded in 1985, Meritage Homes began in Scottsdale, Arizona - where the company headquarters is still based. As the seventh largest public homebuilder in the United States, Meritage Homes oversees 21 divisions across ten states. In 38 years, the homebuilding company has delivered 155 thousand homes and built a reputation centered around its impressive energy efficiency. In 2022, Meritage Homes was awarded the Energy Star™ Partner of the Year for sustained excellence and superior building practice for the ninth consecutive year. Since 2013, every Meritage Homes project has been energy certified and each home is approximately 40% more efficient than other new homes on the market. As one of the only builders to use spray foam insulation for the entire envelope of the house, homes have a protective barrier that helps with noise reduction, pest management, sealing in the interior's climate and promoting healthy air quality. Other energy-efficient appointments within every Meritage home include high-performance air filters, low-flush toilets, Energy Star™ appliances, LED lighting and much more! White said, “It is really impressive what we do in our homes – it's not just the energy saving, it's also the resale value that it gives you on the backend.” Meritage Homes focuses on three main segments of the buyer profile – first-time buyers (millennials), first-time move-up buyers and move-down buyers. The homebuilding company offers various-sized townhomes and single-family homes in communities across the Greater Atlanta area. SweetWater Green – Club Series by Meritage Homes is a master-planned type community with over 400 lots, four product lines and various price points. The Club Series offers a mixture of 21 and 24-foot townhomes, priced in the low $300,000s, boasting three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and one- to two-car garages across 1,600 to 1,800 square feet. Located in Lawrenceville, the community is just southeast of I-85 and Pleasant Hill Drive off Club Drive. White said, “SweetWater is a very exciting community!” Tune into the full episode above to learn more about Meritage Homes, or visit www.MeritageHomes.com. Never miss an episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio! Subscribe to the podcast here. You can also get a recap of any past episode on the Radio page. Listen to the full interview above! A special thank you to Denim Marketing for sponsoring Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. A comfortable fit for companies of all shapes and sizes, Denim Marketing understands marketing strategies are not one-size-fits-all. The agency works with your company to create a perfectly tailored marketing strategy that will adhere to your specific needs and niche. Try Denim Marketing on for size by calling 770-383-3360 or by visiting www.DenimMarketing.com. The Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio “All About Real Estate" segment, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out...

Rodney Strong Symmetry In this episode, Rob and Scott drink an Alexander Valley classic Meritage in the Rodney Strong Symmetry.  Further, they provide their thoughts on the Wine Spectator Top 10.  So come join us, on The Wine Vault.

Susan's powerful new book "The Leader's Playlist - Unleash the Power of Music and Neuroscience to Transform Your Leadership and Your Life! Susan unveils a groundbreaking process that outlines how our childhood wounds show up in our ability to lead others and how music can heal those wounds. Maybe you're having a hard time retaining or engaging your people. Or perhaps you're feeling burnout or that you can't delegate or trust your team to deliver. These problems and other leadership challenges can be addressed by shifting how you show up as a leader, and music is the catalyst.Drawing on neuroscience and leadership research, Drumm's process uses the power of music to, first, help you recognize when an old, detrimental neural pathway (the old playlist, established by childhood wounds) is activated and, second, guide you to strengthen a new neural pathway (a new playlist). The book will help you:• Make better decisions by widening your lens of perception in the moment rather than filtering data according to old neural pathways• Attract others who are as committed as you are to a mission• Scale your business more efficiently because you're more effective at influencing and inspiring others rather than defending and controlling• Develop deeper and more meaningful personal and work relationshipsWith newfound freedom from the weight of the old playlist, you will unleash energy to focus on a meaningful mission, find more joy, and lead in a way that brings out the best in others.Susan Drumm is a CEO Advisor and Leadership Coach focused on helping leaders and their teams to develop the capacity and mindsets to lead in today's disruptive environment. She has personally coached billionaire CEOs, high-ranking political figures, prominent Fortune 50 executive teams as well as incredible entrepreneurs that set out to disrupt the marketplace.Her firm, Meritage Leadership, uses a cadre of seasoned coaches and consultants who work with senior leaders and executive teams. She is also the host of the podcast and YouTube channel  @Enlightened Executive with Susan Drumm where she interviews founders and CEOs on the most cutting-edge programs, assessments, apps and techniques in personal and leadership effectiveness. While working with fast-moving organizations and industries, Susan discovered that there are three levels of leadership: individual, team, and system-wide — all of which need to be developed to meet the complexity of today's environment. Meritage developed a blended, whole-systems approach that enables organizations to transform more rapidly than the simple “1:1 coaching plan” most other firms offer.Susan is a member of EO (Entrepreneur's Organization) and volunteers her time with several boards and organizations including Selfless Givers. Susan serves clients globally and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is passionate about travel, hiking, Pilates, meditation retreats and her “fur baby,” Jasmine, a toy Australian Shepherd.Find all Susan's work here!https://theleadersplaylistbook.com/https://meritageleadership.com/https://susandrumm.com/Find all Laban's work herehttps://linktr.ee/LabanDitchburnSupport the showYour host is Laban Ditchburn aka "World's Best Courage Coach". Have you read Laban's book? Bet on You - (it's awesome!). Bet on You - Paperback, Kindle and Audiobook (in my voice!). I love to connect in person, but until then you'll find your favourite social media via the link below! https://linktr.ee/LabanDitchburn

Trader Joe's Reserve North Coast Meritage 2020- A Wine Well Worth Drinking!!A Meritage wine is a Bordeaux-style blend produced in California.A Bordeaux-style blend is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec grapes.This wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.The North Coast AVA is Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake County, Along with a couple of other tiny AVAs.For all the information check out www. cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the podcast for all the details!!!

Outlander Meritage Red 2019- A $9.99 Aldi Bargain From Paso RoblesI don't think this wine has anything to do with the time travel Scottish series on Starz.It is a Bordeaux blend from Paso Robles made for Aldi by Coppola and sold for $7.99.Is it good?Oh Yeah!The website and the podcast explain everything.So, check out www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the PODCAST for all the details!!!

We look into the politics, parapolitics, and esoteric vibes emanating in concentric circles and overlapping intersecting and interfering and the nodal focus of Lou Malnati's buttery flaky crust deep dish pizza. We talk Jim Simons (think rennaissance investment that supposedly split with simons before going all in on propagandizing for Trump and funding Breitbart); his son's investment bank meritage group bought Lou Malnati after BDT capital "merchant bank to the closely held" began the corporatization. We shout out our comrades Minion Death Cult when explaining the how the family "closely holding" hobby lobby paid ISIS to loot ancient artifacts.

This final episode of this series is a wrap-up on the 4 wines we tasted, plus a review of how well the wines held up after two days (you'll hear a little musical interlude to delineate the segments.) Yes, we both had LEFTOVER WINE!! When does that ever happen? Well, I can't always drink an entire bottle of wine myself in one evening, so I have to have a way of keeping it for 2-3 days. In the moment, neither Hilary nor I could come up with the name of the little pump thingy to suck the air out of the bottle, but I've now remembered that it's called "Vacu-Vin." It's inexpensive, and a great way to help make your wine last a little bit longer. We also talk about a few other options, from cheap to expensive, to save your wine for later. We also ramble on about BC vs. Ontario wines, a favourite blend of ours called "Meritage" (rhymes with "heritage") and how we are both going to try drinking some wines in the $9-12 range to see if we can find some new "cheap and cheerful" bottles. Cheers, everyone!