The BBC recently did a series of stories quoting Ernie Loosen on the worldwide protest to stop construction of a bridge that will threaten the world’s most valuable Riesling vineyards and ruin the entire character of the lovely Mosel Valley.
Please view these stories and add your voice to the protest.
Anger Over Riesling Road Scheme Plans. (video)
Rescuing the Riesling. (article)
Work is proceeding apace on our joint venture with Jay Somers: J. Christopher Winery & Appassionata Vineyards in Newberg, Oregon. Ernie flew in last week to see the progress. Check out these pix. Lots more to come!
Ernst Loosen, Jay Somers and vineyard consultant, Stirling Fox, at the newly planted Appassionata Vineyard.
New Vine: The recent heavy rains have been beneficial for the newly planted vines, which are covered by grow-tubes to protect them from nibbling varmints.
The Beehive: A few oak trees were removed from prime vineyard areas. One of them had a very large beehive in it, which could be as old as 50 years. Our very resourceful excavation company (Matt Pihl Excavating) found a way to move the entire trunk of the tree to another location on the property. The hive is still thriving!
Winery Foundation: Ernie, builder Andy Scott, Jay Somers and Stirling Fox view the foundation of the new J. Christopher winery building. On June 14 the first of the pre-cast barrel caves were set in place.
Inspiring a whole spate of Twitter posts from enthusiastic audience members, Ernie gave a presentation on “The Art and Science of Selling Fine Wine” last week at FINE WINE 2010 in Aranda del Duero, Spain.
A few tidbits from his talk:
* There’s no magic powder we can sprinkle on a brand to make it instantly successful. There’s only the hard work of getting out there and selling it – showing the wine and telling the story every day, as often as possible.
* The story is the key to it all. Successful fine wines are those that have built a powerful brand image because they have a compelling story behind them.
* I’m a big believer in the importance of authenticity and the power of tradition. We all know that fashions come and go, but a wine estate has to stick to its fundamental philosophy of tradition and quality.
* You must be out there every day telling your story and selling the wine, one customer at a time. Small estates have to rely on a real person – an evangelist – some outspoken character who gets out there and spreads the word to the world.
* And then we have to consistently produce compelling wines that are true to their roots.
* There’s artistry in winemaking, of course, but also in the story telling, which requires a true passion for the magic of wine. It’s one of the great pleasures of this business that we get to share fine wine and food with people who have a similar passion. It’s what I call “marketing through the liver,” and we rely on it to make real, personal connections with our customers.
Ernst Loosen and Javier Ausas, winemaker for Vega Sicilia
For more photos of FINE WINE 2010, see the event’s stream on Flickr.
Are you passionate about Pinot Noir? This bottle is for you.
Be the first to try the first release of the first Oregon Pinot Noir produced collaboratively by Ernie Loosen and Jay Somers of J. Christopher Wines. Now available.
Appassionata is the direct result of the friendship between Ernie Loosen and Jay Somers (J. Christopher Wines, Oregon), two dedicated winemakers who share a lifelong passion for Pinot Noir.
The long-awaited wine offers an elegant balance of powerful Oregon fruit and fine Old World structure. Only 100 cases were bottled, so if you want to get some, act fast!
When the auctioneer’s hammer fell at the 26th annual Classic Wines Auction on March 6 in Portland, Oregon, Loosen raised some serious loot for charity.
At the table with CWA board member Chris Hermann, Ernst Loosen, and Mark Freund from Silicon Valley Bank.
A trip to visit Dr. Loosen in Germany (four days hosted by Ernie!) was one of the top-selling lots at the auction. The trip, donated by Loosen Bros USA with airfare contributed by American Airlines, sold for $18,000 at the auction, which raised more than $2.3 million for five charities.
l to r): Chef David Machado, Matt Elsen and Bob Liner from Galaxy Wine Co., Co-Chair Michelle Fitzhenry, Washington Wine Ambassador David O'Reilly, International Wine Ambassador Ernst Loosen, California Wine Ambassador Cleo Pahlmeyer, Co-Chair Tim Phillips, Oregon Wine Ambassadors Cathy and Bill Stoller, Chef Jesus Cibrian and Chef Cory Schreiber.
The Classic Wines Auction is one of the top five charity wine auctions in the United States, according to Wine Spectator magazine. This year’s honorary international ambassador for the event was none other than our own Ernie Loosen.
Another Loosen Bros. USA donation of a weekend in Seattle and tickets to the Riesling Rendezvous, an event co-sponsored by Dr. Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle, raised an additional $4,000 at the auction. Read more.
Will you be at the Montreal Wine & Spirits Show next week? (March 25-28)
Be there! It’s the de rigueur event for wine lovers!
Loosen Bros. USA Vice President Kirk Wille will be pouring at the main tastings Thursday (Mar 25), Friday (Mar 26) and Saturday Mar 27) from noon to 9 pm. Stop by, say hi and have a taste or two!
FREE RIESLING SEMINARS AT THE SHOW
Also, please join Kirk for these cool Riesling seminars.
The Doctor Is In!
The Rieslings of Dr. Loosen
When: Friday, March 26
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: “The Scene” (stage on the main show floor)
Admission: FREE!
Riesling From Washington Terroir
with a Touch of German Skill
A vertical tasting of Eroica Riesling for Ernst Loosen’s joint venture with Chateau Ste. Michelle.
When: Saturday, March 27
Time: 5:15 pm
Where: Hall 2
Admission: FREE!
A few random pix from our recent “Friends of Ernie” tour, featuring winemakers from our new “Friends of Ernie” portfolio.
King Ernie in San Francisco: (left to right) Jay Somers, Daniel Gantenbein and Jochen Becker-Köhn putting Ernie on a pedestal in Union Square
Wilhelm Weil (left) and Wine Spectator's Bruce Sanderson (right) at the New York tasting.
Loosen Bros. USA Producers in San Francisco. Front: Martha Gantenbein, Sandra Knoll. Back: Jay Somers, Daniel Gantenbein, Ernie Loosen, Jochen Becker-Köhn (sales director for Robert Weil), Wilhelm Weil, Thomas Chaffin (export manager for Weil).
Here’s a fun article on three Mosel wineries (yes, including us!) by Subhash Arora of the Indian Wine Academy, India’s First Wine & Food Consultants, Facilitators of Wine Education and Wine Event Promoters.
Wine Feature: Top Guns of Mosel
If one were to select the five First Growths of Mosel, like the ones in Medoc, Bordeaux, the names of Fritz Haag, Dr. Loosen, Egon Müller, J. J. Prüm would certainly share the honours, writes Subhash Arora who visited three of them recently.
read the rest
Invoke the Hoo!* Wine Enthusiast Magazine has Nominated our very own Ernie Loosen for its Wine Star Awards Winemaker of the Year award.
Ernie’s fellow award nominees are João Nicolau de Almeida, Ramos Pinto (Portugal), Roberto de la Mota (Argentina), Ben Glaetzer, Glaetzer Wines (Australia) and Scott McLeod, Rubicon (California).
Brief descriptions of the nominees will appear in the magazine’s November issue. Winners will be announced and presented in-depth in the December 15 issue, published in early November. Award recipients will be honored at the annual Wine Star Awards gala dinner on Monday, January 25, 2010 at the New York Public Library in New York City.
*”Invoke the Hoo” is what a digital translator came up with when we asked it to translate “woohoo” into German. It’s now a catch phrase among the Loosen team.
May 30, 2009 - Ernst Loosen recounts the history of his great grandfather, a major wine grower in the middle Mosel area.
