We had a conversation about rock climbing the other day. A local gadfly came in all agog about watching someone climb a big rock face with no ropes - no nothing - just find the niches and up he went. We pondered this for a bit and rather liked the idea of persons doing such things; crazy things that we don't understand and would never do. We couldn't for an instant imagine a sheer rock face and finding those little niches and handholds and, well up you go...up or out as it were.
A lot of times businesses are in the same position and at the mercy of a lot of things they can't control. Our rock climber could well have taken a route that had no handholds, no niches for purchase, nada and eventually he would have found his way back but not in a good way. We are surrounded by vineyards and as a Wine and Spirits shop, we take interest in these businesses because 1.) they are pretty much our stock and trade and 2.) there is a certain "rock climber" aspect to what they do. First there is a long term investment before the first bottle is corked and after that it is weather, or just a freaky poor harvest, or a pre-harvest hurricane.
Then there are those who go a step further and put their eggs in a smaller basket. They climb rock walls blindfolded so to speak. Sparkling Pointe Vinyards comes to mind as their stock and trade is, well, sparkling and that is something of a daredevil thrill ride of current tastes to be sure. To be sure, the fine cabs and merlots produced around here have a huge following and the vineyards that produce these do a bang up job. People love the wines and rightfully so. Sparkling Pointe just climbed the rock a bit differently. It is pretty neat really. They took rock climbing up on the vineyard scale and generally bet the farm that they could produce a niche type product that would have a constant following.
They were right and we think they are great.
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