More 2017 Rose Thoughts

Earlier this week I posted a 2017 Rose wines retrospective.  One of those I also enjoyed more than a few times is one of the more price approachable wines from Provence, the 2017 Estandon Cotes du Provence Rose. This is not a rose like say Chene Bleu or Aupilhac, or even the Rose's from Bandol … Read more

VoIP Innovations Builds a Channel Marketplace for CPaaS

With Enterprise Connect coming up next week, already the companies who are exhibiting there are sharing their news. One that sounds innovative, given the team behind the current iteration of VoIP Innovations, stands out as something worth checking out. The idea of a channel marketplace for CPaaS is not far off from what CEO Dave … Read more

2016 Shatter Grenache

As the USA Grenache Ambassador for the Grenache Association I take my Grenache very seriously. In 2014 I made a 100 percent Grenache wine from the 2013 vintage with Doug Margerum under the Comunicano Wine Company label dubbed the "Ambassadors Blend." It was a Californian's take on the Rhone Valley's best known region for Grenache, … Read more

A 2017 Rose Retrospective

As the 2017 Rose selection goes into the sunset, and as the 2018’s get ready to hit our shores in the USA, it’s time to reflect back on some of the best Roses of the year. This is never an easy task. There are so many to amazing Rose wines to choose from every year. … Read more

2017 Nigl Riesling ‘Dornleiten’ Is A Cool White

It was 2005 when I first visited Austria's Kremstal and Kamptal wine regions. With some help and advice from longtime Austrian wine importer Terry Theise, whom I first met at Jamey's in Philadelphia back in 1989 or 90, I visited a series of the Kamptal region's top producers, including Nigl, Brundlmayer, Heidler and Gobelsburg and … Read more

Of Course, It’s From Corsica

I remember the first time I popped a bottle of Corsican red. It was an Antoine Arena Patrimonio and came as part of a sampler case from wine hunter Kermit Lynch. In truth I have known Kermit since 1989 when he was on a book tour for his seminal tome, "Adventures Along the Wine Route" … Read more

2016 Clos La Coutale Cahors Red

Old loves they say, die hard. And when it comes to wine, there's no older love of the rare, obscure or esoteric wine in my past than the wines from Cahors in France.  Long before the Argentines were selling Malbec by the ton and making headway in the USA for well priced, well made and … Read more

Contact Centers Analytics and Wait Times

I just read a fascinating and very logical article about contact centers and wait times published by Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. If call centers or contact centers are core to your business, or if you've ever waited on hold to get help or support, it's a must-read. With algorithms and analytics at the core … Read more

HBO vs. Netflix – A Battle of Movies, Not Words

HBO's new chief Bob Greenblatt says Netflix doesn't have a brand. What a juvenile statement and one that is more fighting words than facts. Not only is Netflix a brand, its multi-generational, it's the brand that has replaced HBO as the "other place to watch."  For starters Netflix knows more about its' audience than HBO … Read more