I have been fortunate enough to have the company of winery owner and winemaker, Jerry Sass, from Sass Winery in Oregon.  He was visiting the state of South Carolina for an annual visit, and spent two days with me in the Upstate.  A ride-along or work-with is the industry term for having a winery or supplier representative working with you in your market or territory for the day.  The basic scenario consists of picking someone up at the airport or their hotel who you have never met before, at best talked to on the phone or texted, and having them in your car for the entire day, then usually attending a wine tasting or dinner with this person at night.  As you may imagine, this experience can range from amazing to, well, being trapped in a car for 12 hours with someone who: a. doesn’t talk at all, even in front of customers, b. doesn’t stop talking and does lots of venting and complaining, c. talks or texts on their cell phone incessantly, d. is a pleasant and entertaining travel companion, e.  all of the above at different times, depending on mood, or, f. a helpful companion who carries your wine bag, takes orders for you and buys your meals.

Well, I have to say that the last two days with Jerry Sass were ……  (Jerry, I hope you are reading and holding your breath!), a combination of d and f, and we actually sold wine at every account!  In other words, a home run!  The typical day of a wine rep can range from boring to anything but, but having an intelligent and pleasant person to talk with, who is also helpful and polite, and actually helps you sell more wine – that is the perfect combination!  When Jerry mentioned that he wore many hats as the owner, winemaker, order filler, truck driver, vineyard manager etc., I did not hesitate in putting him right to work!  He not only carried my wine bag, he also helped make two deliveries, carried samples to my car, and paid for lunch! (Although we only ate lunch one day, so he still owes me!). 

The moral to this story is that every day in the wine business is unique, and many friendships are made after sharing a day or two together on the road.  Thank you , thank you,  Jerry Sass, for making great wine, for letting us have so much of it to sell in South Carolina, and for being a genuinely nice, intelligent person to hang around with for a day or two.   I will send an update later this week with all the new places where you can find his wonderful wines!

 Jerry – don’t forget about the great idea for a new wine blend and the book we need to write!!