They Get It. Williamson Wine Company

You think you have competition? Think about being in an entire region, and an entire town that is known for one thing- wine. Now imagine you are a small winery going up against the biggest and some may argue the best in the business. Oh, and add into the mix that nearly all of your competition is known nationally through distribution at your local liquor store. Did I mention that the only way to get your message out was through word of mouth and walking in the front door?

By the end of day three, we where about wined out. Things began to taste the same, the experiences were almost clinical and we were loosing our ambition to take on another tasting room. Until we got to Healdsburg.

It was there that we began hearing about the Williamson Wine Company and often asked, "have you been there yet?" We never heard of them before, and as I said- we were about wined out. At the next tasting room we visited, others were talking about the WWC and saying to us openly.. "you have to go there." By now it is after 6 PM, and most rooms close at or before 7 PM.

At twenty after 6, we walk into a packed house at the Williamson Wine Company, one of a dozen tasting rooms within walking distance of each other. We were met by Dawn Williamson who quickly found a place for us, not in chaos out front, but at our own table in the back. Within minutes Dawn was back and helping us through their tasting menu. She talked briefly about their winery and that they serve a bit of food with each wine to help us understand "the job" the was wine is supposed to do. This was new. Food? The wine had a job? Different.

Bill Williamson delivered the first course of wine along with a bit of food and described for us what we were about to "experience." The wine hit the nose as described, subtle flavors were identified and the finish was delightful. Then, as with each additional course, we were invited to take the food in our mouths and enjoy the wine again. Light bulbs went off in our heads! We finally understood- this on our last day, in our last tasting room. At the WWC, we were having an experience where the winemaker, wine and food were delivering a total package of authenticity and passion for what savoring wine was all about... emotional connections to the food, the wine and each other. Gone were the memories of countless tasting rooms of the last three days. We were being enveloped in the passion of this family, their legacy and the joy they want the rest of us to feel.

The crowds began to dwindle and soon gone. In the end, at twenty after 8, long after the day was over, it was the four of us. Two folks seeking an experience and the winemaker and his wife sitting, talking and building what I hope is a life long friendship.

Please, treat yourself the next time you are in wine country. Go to the Williamson Wine Company in Healdsburg. Say "hello" to Bill and Dawn and prepare yourself for a new understanding of what winemaking and enjoying, is all about. Thank you very much Bill and Dawn, we will be back... shortly we hope!

Are you an Energy Vampire?

I just came off the road from a whirl-wind tour speaking to the great folks in New Jersey about Fish!

Fish! as many of y0u know, is a great program based on the Pike Street Fish Market in Seattle, WA. It is a great program- fun, fast and foundational in changing your life and those around you. The program is based in just four key principles; play, make their day, choose your attitude and be there- for your self and others.

These four simple principles literally will change the way you look at the world and how the world looks back at you. Over 50% of our lives are doing some kind of work related activity. You can choose to take that significant investment in LIFE and either make it work with you and for you, or make it a sentence and adopt the attitude of 30 years of hard labor.

For those of you who have read my pervious blogs- sans the cigar blog which was just fun to share- you know that I am disciple of the "experience." Often it is a discussion around creating customer or patient experiences, but what about ME? What about MY experience; at work, at home, my family, my friends? I know that if your life is filled and enriched you will impact those around you as well with riches and good energy. While in NJ, I had the opportunity to talk about "energy vampires"- those that when they walk into the room suck the light right out of it. We all know someone like this. The first question to be addressed in our own life experience is "Do we have energy vampires in our midst?" If so, take a good long look at what they are contributing to your life- other than perhaps drama and trauma. The first step in choosing a positive experience for ourselves in this life to rid ourselves of those who want to prevent us from achieving it. Once we have the shackles off, moving towards our goals becomes significantly easier.

Thanks New Jersey... for reminding me of energy zappers and how dangerous they can be in our lives.