Clos du Val Winery, Silverado Trail, CA

American wine sales are becoming increasingly competitive.

Customer loyalty is achieved when vineyard visitors dine in a restaurant located in the winery.

A vineyard chef is in the happy position of combining wine and culinary knowledge.

I went to Amazon before writing to you today. There, I discovered that there are 45,770 books available on the topic of networking. I explored the subject of networking because I went to a Sustainability Conference at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) yesterday – an event I almost didn’t attend. All too often, I think to myself that “NO, I won’t go. I’m too busy.” Or, “I can’t afford to go to an out-of-town meeting.” Yet when I do go, I am bowled over as I was yesterday. Not only was I dazzled by all the exciting and often challenging new information I gained, but also by the realization that much of the knowledge I gained only emerges during talks given by experts with an extraordinary range of data. Yesterday, for instance, I learned that there are regulations preventing wineries in California from reusing water sources for irrigation — even though these same water sources have been purified using the same processes as water for drinking.  Surely, this fact has nothing to do with that miracle about turning water into wine?

Distance from Napa, CA to Bismark, ND

I was shocked to hear from my brilliant friend and colleague, noted Wine Professor Steven Kolpan, (see his blog!), that a profound consequence of global warning “may shift the American center of wine from Mendocino or Napa, California to North Dakota (possibly over 1,500 miles!) in order to maintain the desired balance of acidity in the grapes.” Further, that “Warming temperatures will encourage infestations of pests as is already occurring in Germany. And nobody knows what to do about it.” (Will sustainable farmers be forced to spray or have to rethink the idea of releasing millions of ladybugs to gobble the newly emerging noxious pests?) By the end of this gathering, my little grey cells were electrified with new ideas and my emotions were further stimulated by meeting old friends and making new ones. I mention these things to remind myself that there is simply nothing to compare with maintaining what I once heard was described as a ‘mind alive’. I’m already on the look out for the next food conference. I hope to meet you there wherever it will be.

Martha Stewart described Master Bartender Dale DeGroff as “the Billy Graham of the holy spirits.” She is right, as always.

Dale DeGroff is to cocktails as a hand is to a glove. They fit. For twelve years, Dale ruled the luminous Promenade Bar at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan. He says, “I fell in love with bars because of the uninhibited, disordered, and surprising way life unfolds at the bar. The only logical progression in my life has been the wealth of characters that have crossed my path. I don’t know how Muhammad Ali felt the first time he climbed into a ring, or how Louis Armstrong felt the first time he picked up a trumpet, but for me, I knew I was standing in a very familiar and cozy place when I was standing behind a bar for the first time. I knew I was home.”

If you like talking to people (and showing off your extraordinary dexterity,) how about becoming a bartender.  You will need to do some studying, apprenticing and tasting but imagine this:There are 882,476 restaurants and bars in the U.S.

There are too many to list. Surely you could find a job in one of them and in a place where you would like to live.

I came across this (anonymous) advertisement that describes the qualifications you need:

Independently owned and operated, “My Blue Heaven” is currently recruiting for a Bartender, an excellent employment opportunity for the truly exceptional candidate who possesses a natural flair for hospitality, a strong commitment to excellence, and an entrepreneurial bent. The position of Bartender is responsible for preparing and serving an extensive selection of wines and various cocktails adhering to the high quality standards of the “All Saints” Bar. The Bartender must be familiar with a wide range of drink recipes, be able to mix drinks accurately, quickly, and without waste, maintain the required bar supplies and ensure the bar and lounge area remains clean and inviting for customers.

Does this sound like you?