You’ll Like This Wine If You…
Enjoy the earthiness of a fine Pinot Noir and the food friendliness of a great Chianti
Seek out lighter reds for food pairings, particularly dishes that incorporate mushrooms

Rioja is known as the greatest wine region of Spain. Located just 40 miles north of Madrid, the area is known for its reds and is the only region in the country with the Denominacion de Origen Calificada, (DOC) “qualified” status, not just DO status.  This means that it must meet the highest standards in its winemaking and viticultural practices according to Spanish wine laws.

Rioja is typically made with Spain’s signature grape, Tempranillo, which has been likened to France’s illustrious Pinot Noir or Italy’s Sangiovese in terms of its elegant and subtle character.  Earthy and delicate, here it is crafted into a red blend along with two other native Spanish grapes, Garnacha (called Grenache by the French) and Mazuelo.

The wine’s label suggests a playful English translation of “Desvia” as “diverts attention” or “alters the course of action” implying that the wine will entice you. This vino joven (pronounced “HO-vehn”) meaning “young wine” is made in the newer style of Spanish reds and has seen much less oak than a typical Rioja.

Vino joven is not required to age in oak casks and typically exhibits a more fruitforward style.  The other three types of Rioja – Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva  – require a minimum aging of one year in oak and additional aging in bottle.  Many Spanish wines are aged for up to 10 years in American oak which imparts a more pronounced vanilla flavor.  In comparison, most French wines are aged 2-3 years  in French oak which imparts subtler oak aromas and flavors.

Winemaking
Stainless steel fermentation 10 days; Aged 3 months in American oak barrels.

Region
The grapes for this wine were grown in estate vineyards of Rioja, Spain’s top wine region for her top red, Tempranillo.  Rioja is often referred to as Spain’s Bordeaux, but in fact the wines resemble more those of Burgundy (Pinot Noir).

Taste
Rich red color, pleasant fragrance of strawberries, raspberries and black cherries with vanilla and hints of toasty spices.

Food Pairings
The perfect house red.  Offer this wine with bread and semi-hard to firm cheeses like Fontina or Pecorino and other tapas appetizers.  Serve it with roasted baby lamb and white asparagus, traditional dishes of northern Spain.  Any dish incorporating wild mushrooms will accentuate the wine’s earthiness.

More information and reviews available of the Desvia on the full wine page

2010 Caballeria de Luna, Vino de la Tierra Castilla, Spain

You’ll Like This Wine If You…
Like to experiment with different white wines from an array of regions
Are looking for a wine to pair with ethnic foods

Spain is a country with deep-rooted, rich cultural traditions.  From bullfighting to flamenco dancing, the arts play a huge role in life there as does wine. Though you may envision red wine when you think of Spain, wines like this blend of white varietals are becoming much more popular.

An engaging wine from outside the major regions, it is derived from thre varietals – Moscato (popularized in Moscato d’Asti) brings citrus mandarin orange, guava, lychee aromas and flavors. Viura offers aromas of butter, roasted nuts, honey and cinnamon.  Its mild fruit flavors of ripe melon, pineapple and vanilla explode in the mouth with a bright core of acidity.  Hints of pineapple and banana come from a small amount of Verdejo.

Since 1998, our Spanish winery partners have gained a strong reputation for producing a modern, fruity and elegant style of wines.  Our collaboration is referred to as a “Vino de la Tierra Castilla”, a designation just below the mainstream DO (denominations of origin) according to the regulatory classifcation  system of Spain. This fairly new geographic/quality designation is encompassed  in the region called Castile La Mancha, the area of central Spain memorialized in Cervantes’ depiction of Don Quixote, located just 40 miles south of Madrid.   Pour it at your next fiesta!

Winemaking
The wine underwent “sur lie” aging for two months meaning that it rested on the “lees”, yeast cells remaining after fermentation. This gives the wine additional complexity.

Region
This wine carries the Vino de la Tierra Castilla designation.  Castile-La Mancha is an autonomous region created in 2000 to endorse native varieties.

Taste
Aromas reminiscent of citrus and tropical fruits along with floral blossoms begin your journey.  In the mouth, it boasts a palate of sweet tropical fruits dominated by lime with a pleasant acidity.

Food Pairings
Feel free to serve this wine on its own as a sipping wine, not a table wine.  However, it shines brighter with wide variety of light finger foods.  Its semi sweet character and delicate fruity nature will complement the unique flavors and moderate heat of ethnic foods like Asian, Mexican, Thai or traditional Spanish tapas.

More information and reviews of the Caballeria de Luna available on the full wine page

The Traveling Vineyard wouldn’t have more than 450 consultants operating their own home based business in 28 states today if we put forward cheap, poor quality wines for tasting events.

In fact, every month The Traveling Vineyard surveys everyone who hosted or attended one of our free home wine tasting events. Our guest satisfaction rate is consistently at 98 percent – and we want to keep it that way.

Our wines are exceptional – some are award winners – because we have a three-person team with hundreds of years of combined experience who are out and about searching for, sourcing, sniffing and tasting wines from around the world.

We work hard to find just the right components to produce, blend and bottle our own Traveling Vineyard exclusive brands. All the wines we present are reasonably priced and available for purchase from a licensed entity in the delivery state.

This is a home-tasting business. It would run into trouble pretty quickly is what folks tasted was poor quality.

Bottom line: No one buys Traveling Vineyard wines tongue unseen. Our guests and customers taste the product for themselves and decide.

Great wine is good for business, and our business is growing.

To Your Health. Tastes Great. Less Filling.

Whether you call yourself a “foodie” or a “wine geek”, you’ll definitely see the benefits of eating healthy with some of our “lighter” food pairing recipes that pair with our featured wines.

In case you’re counting calories and getting ready for bathing suit weather, here’s how the numbers work:

* for an average 13% alcohol wine

It’s not just about the food.  There can be health benefits to wine consumption too.  Choosing red wines that are high in resveratrol is also smart.  Resveratrol is a naturally occurring compound found in winegrape skins that is touted as responsible for slowing the progression of or inhibiting cancer, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, viral infections, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Studies of this link between red wine and health began back in the early 90’s with a segment of 60 Minutes called the French paradox in which the French were found to have lower rates of heart attack because of a diet high in wine and cheese.  This theory has also been substantiated with recent studies.  We need no further proof to toast to your health!

Our 2006 Paseo Prestige, Cabernet Sauvignon, Unfiltered, Maule Valley, Chile is one such Chilean red naturally high in this antioxidant compound.  To craft this wine, we worked with the del Pedgregals, a prominent Chilean family now in their seventh generation of managing the Carta Vieja estate.  From this long heritage comes the kind of experience wine lovers can rely on for consistent performance.

Go Green.

Natural wines are not just hype. Green wineries that practice sustainable agriculture and are dedicated to the land can make wines with a real difference. This is because green wine is more likely to reflect the terroir than the winemakers desire to create a certain type of wine.One of our partners who sources from this type of “green” vineyard is Stonehedge Winery.  They may not be certified “organic”, but they’re choosy about who they pair up with.  (Restrictions make it difficult for many wineries to achieve the term “organic” on their labels; often the guidelines are so strict that only the big producers can achieve it.) They work with vineyards that employ natural farming practices across California.  (See map below.)  These quality sites from Mendocino in the north to Santa Barbara in the south have helped them build a stellar reputation as a quality small-medium sized producer and a regular winner in wine competitions.Our winemaking team of Francis Sanders along with Shahin Shahabi and Jon Alexander-Hills of Stonehedge recently completed the 2009 Chesterton, Cabernet Sauvignon, California at Stonehedge’s Napa facility.  They combined their 50+ years of experience in the business on this wine using choice lots of fruit from across the Golden State.  Order our newest wine today and experience the individuality of this 90% Cabernet Sauvignon/10% Tempranillo for yourself!

Give back.

Lift your glass for a cause with the 2005 Uva Negra Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Mendoza, Argentina .  As one of our most popular Cabernets, its label dons the image of red wine spattered across a white table cloth, (something that all red wine lovers can unfortunately relate to!) Also notice the multi-colored ribbon icon on the bottle Supporting Autism Research.  Thanks to a collaborative effort with winemaker Bruce Hopkins, a percentage of the proceeds from the Traveling Vineyards bulk purchase of this wine goes towww.nationalautismassociation.org.  So, with this big, brooding selection, you’re not only getting a fabulous Cab, but you’re supporting autism research in the process!

A few weeks ago we announced our first Annual Harvest (as the new Traveling Vineyard) to be held at the Boston Marriott Peabody August 9-12, 2012.

Harvest 2012 gives our Traveling Vineyard Consultants the chance to network with other consultants, learn, taste great Traveling Vineyard wine and make new friends. Over the years our Independent Consultants have told us that this event is one of the pinnacle highlights of the year. We talk about the Five F’s in our great home based business – Fun, Friendships, Flexibility, Fulfillment and Financial Reward. The Annual Harvest ties all of those benefits together in one great, not to be missed weekend.

The tagline, “Let’s Grow Together”, encompasses the purpose of the event: to provide resources to consultants and to help them expand their business and “improve their yield”. Harvest 2012 will include talks by Belinda Ellsworth, direct sales industry expert, and Francis Sanders, Traveling Vineyard’s Wine Director. Attendees will also learn from TTV staff and other Consultants how to set and attain goals, improve booking rates, recruit team members, market their business, and much more.

As a pending member of the Direct Selling Association (DSA), our home based business model is attractive to anyone who wants the flexibility to work from home with an exciting product.

A new Consultant needs no wine knowledge to begin a career.  Our home-based business model provides a flexible earning opportunity with a low start-up cost ($99 for the consultant starter kit) making it accessible to men and women at any adult life stage or in any financial situation. We provide comprehensive support and training, and many of our wine enthusiasts find it easy to earn income on their events since data shows that 30% of the guests that attend a free home wine tasting party choose to host their own wine tasting event.

As the self-proclaimed Chief Grape Stomper and Head Cheerleader, I know that in today’s difficult economic environment, it is very satisfying to create meaningful, fulfilling and flexible opportunities for people to earn extra income. A full-time or part-time career as a self-employed Traveling Vineyard Wine Consultant, where you can work from home on your own schedule, is a great way to contribute financially to your household.

“In an economy where many are still wary of what the future will bring, direct sales offers an opportunity to create a supplemental or primary source of income,” says Joseph Mariano, President of the Direct Selling Association. “Employment statistics don’t account for the millions of Americans who work either fulltime or part-time in direct selling, but the numbers are significant. For many, adding just $200 to their monthly income can be the reason they are able to stay afloat.”

The Traveling Vineyard follows ethical guidelines set out by the DSA, allowing new Consultants to cancel within the first 90 days and receive a 100% refund of their $99 starter kit investment and 90% of the money for up to one year after joining. New Consultants can also earn a rebate on the $99 success kit cost by holding three qualifying events in their first 60 days.

I hope another 365 people will consider a part time, medium time, or full time career with us in 2012!

Choosing your wine based on the time of year is a very popular approach to food pairing.  Typically, your diet varies with the seasons.  And it makes sense to use fresh ingredients and keep your beverage compatible with your meal.  Sticking with regional affinities is another way to go.  As the saying goes, “If it grows together it goes together.”  Serve wine with foods from the same general geographic area and you are pretty safe.But selecting a wine based on its basic “style” equips you with the right vocabulary to make future wine selections intelligently and therefore affords you a great deal of flexibility.  When you know your palate, your understanding will take you through many different seasons and help you choose wines to accompany many different types of food no matter where they are from.

How To Begin

Wine taste is mainly a function of grape variety, but region and method of vinification also come into play. For our approach, we’ve slotted our three featured wines and a few others by way of comparison on a continuum that describes their taste profile.    It may seem overly simplistic and it certainly is subjective (everyone’s taste buds are different!), but it is mainly for instructional purposes. Using this “style” approach can help you break away from sticking with the same varietal all the time.  It will also inform you if you are serving many wines during a meal as these styles determine the sequence in which wine should be poured (whites before reds, from lighter to heavier).

At the Traveling Vineyard, we are all about taking the intimidation out of wine selection. This approach will hopefully simplify the home wine tasting for you.   Use this language as you communicate with your Traveling Vineyard wine consultant to make the perfect wine selections.

Picking the Right White

What To Wear With Red

Caveats

There are many shades of grey so to speak along this wine style spectrum. Every wine region typically creates wines along this spectrum in both reds and whites. However, they generally concentrate on a few.  Know that any one varietal, depending upon where it originates and how it is produced, can fall into more than one style.  Even the grape clone chosen by the winemaker can make a difference.

You may find that on both of these charts, although you’ve started to the left with more “accessible” varietals, as your palate matures, you’ll move to the right.  But as you’ve probably learned by now, there are no hard and fast rules to enjoying Traveling Vineyard wines.  It’s all about experimenting – tasting and learning! And, here at the Traveling Vineyard, that’s just part of our job!

That’s when I took every penny of my personal savings and made a plan to buy the company. Yes, in the middle of the Great Recession. My wife was skeptical, as you might imagine. “I’ve never seen destiny present itself so clearly in my life,” I told her. “I have to do this. I know I can make it work.”

I tested the idea with a dozen people and it took off.  By 2005, Traveling Vineyard had thousands of independent consultants, who work from home hosting more than 100,000 home tasting events a year in 26 states. After decades in various sales, marketing and management positions, I had finally fallen in love with a business.

Just when the Traveling Vineyard model had built momentum, a leadership change in the parent company triggered some strategic decisions with which I disagreed, particularly a decision to make changes to the programs we created that supported the self-employed Independent wine consultants. Our consultants form the heart and soul of the business model. How could I be expected to tell these wine enthusiasts about program impacts to them that I completely disagreed with?

That’s when I left Traveling Vineyard and spent five years doing other things – until I heard about the bankruptcy filing. I persuaded my wife, presented my case to dozens of friends and investors, emptied my savings accounts (yes, all of them) and made a run at it. I knew that if our independent wine consultants received the support they needed to be successful, the company would get back on its feet.

By November 2010, the Traveling Vineyard was back in business. Today, we’re proud to have more than 450 happy and satisfied Independent Consultants in 28 states who love their home based business.

So, that’s why the words “bankruptcy” and Traveling Vineyard will show up together in any online search.

I have no regrets. In fact, if I hadn’t seized this opportunity, it would have been a regret that haunted me for the rest of my life. The Traveling Vineyard has always been an entrepreneurial idea that relies on an entrepreneurial spirit to spread the love of wine tasting one tasting event at a time and a business that helps our Independent Consultants one important commission check three times a month.

It works. We’re happily proving that every day.

Ipswich, MA (PRWEB) April 04, 2012

The Traveling Vineyard (TTV), a direct selling company and pending member of the Direct Selling Association, which focuses on bringing quality wines to customers through in-home tasting events, has announced their Harvest 2012 event to support, reward and educate Traveling Vineyard Consultants will be held at the Boston Marriott Peabody August 9-12, 2012.

The tagline, “Let’s Grow Together”, encompasses the purpose of the event: to provide resources to consultants and to help them expand their business and “improve their yield”. Harvest 2012 will include talks by Belinda Ellsworth, direct sales industry expert, and Francis Sanders, Traveling Vineyard’s Wine Director. Attendees will also learn from TTV staff and other Consultants how to set and attain goals, improve booking rates, recruit team members, market their business, and much more.

Harvest 2012 will give TTV Consultants the chance to network with other consultants, learn, and make new friends. Rick Libby, CEO of TTV agrees, “Over the years our Independent Consultants have told us that this event is one of the pinnacle highlights of the year. We talk about the Five F’s in our business – Fun, Friendships, Flexibility, Fulfillment and Financial Reward. The Annual Harvest ties all of those benefits together in one great, not to be missed weekend.”

Early bird registration is now open, with a fee of $325. The registration fee includes training sessions, educational wine tasting events, Thursday evening “Grape Stomper” welcome reception, Saturday evening TTV “Let’s Grow Together” gala reception and dinner awards banquet, two breakfasts, two lunches, and morning and afternoon coffee breaks on Friday and Saturday.

For more information on this event, please visit http://www.travelingvineyard.com.

About The Traveling Vineyard:

The Traveling Vineyard brings the romance of the vineyard tasting room to the privacy of your home. Surrounded by family and friends, our Independent Wine Consultants will lead you and your guests through a fun and educational wine tasting event. Our team has been sourcing, blending and bottling worldwide boutique wines for over 25 years. Thousands of awards later, we bring the boutique vineyard wines to your living room. For more information, visit http://www.travelingvineyard.com.

“Our goal is to help TTV exceed their own projections by providing top notch creative expertise to project their image and to expand their exposure on the web through our SEO services.”

Wayne, NJ (PRWEB) March 30, 2012

The Traveling Vineyard (TTV), a direct selling company and pending member of the Direct Selling Association, has chosen The Ballantine Corporation, a direct and digital marketing company, to provide creative and SEO services for their growing business which brings quality wines to customers through in-home tasting events as well as providing a flexible home based business opportunity.

TTV underwent a “relaunch” with new management in 2010, and has experienced significant growth since that time, including adding over 300 new jobs in 2011. Ballantine is a key partner in TTV’s creative development and website marketing strategy. On the creative side, Ballantine develops wine labels, sell sheets, and brochures, and also produces a wine club newsletter for customers and an internal newsletter for consultants. In addition, Ballantine is providing TTV with search engine optimization (SEO) including content analysis, link building, and press releases all of which are designed to increase traffic to the TTV website.

It’s critical to have attractive and professionally developed creative products to catch the eye of potential customers and consultants. “Partnering with The Ballantine Corporation has been a great move for The Traveling Vineyard,” says Rick Libby, TTV CEO. “They’ve helped us to create content that brings attention to our products, and that has directly translated into increased sales and interest in our wine consultant program.”

However in today’s world, online creative is just as important as physical creative, and a strong web presence can also translate into increased sales. Ryan Cote, Marketing Director for The Ballantine Corporation agrees that the partnership is a great match for both Ballantine and TTV. “The Traveling Vineyard has a dynamic system in place for selling wine through its consultant network, and it has so much potential for growth. Our goal is to help TTV exceed their own projections by providing top notch creative expertise to project their image and to expand their exposure on the web through our SEO services.”

About The Ballantine Corporation:
The Ballantine Corporation is a family-owned direct and digital marketing company that has been in business for more than 45 years. Their services include: direct mail production; copy and design; promotional items; search engine optimization and social media marketing. For more information about Ballantine, visit: http://www.ballantine.com.

About The Traveling Vineyard:
The Traveling Vineyard brings the romance of the vineyard tasting room to the privacy of your home. Surrounded by family and friends, their Independent Wine Consultants will lead you and your guests through a fun and educational wine tasting event. Their team has been sourcing, blending and bottling worldwide boutique wines for over 25 years. Thousands of awards later, they bring the boutique vineyard wines to your living room. For more information, visit http://www.travelingvineyard.com.

“It’s exciting to have hit it out of the park on the first time up at bat,” says Jeremy Sherman modestly. “I really never saw myself in a sales capacity. I never thought I could do it.”

Jeremy’s story is not only confirmation that positive energy brings about positive results. It’s also testimony to the Traveling Vineyard statistic that for every event you conduct, two guests will want to book a future Traveling Vineyard event!

The Traveling Vineyard’s Home based business opportunity is the real deal, for a nominal upfront investment in owning your own direct sales business for $174 with the potential to earn a $99 rebate in your first 60 days attracted folks just like Jeremy. If you are a stay at home mom or a wine enthusiast of any type, do yourself a favor and check out what Jeremy checked out. We’d love to have you come and stomp some grapes with us!

The Traveling Vineyard: How did you hear about the Traveling Vineyard?

Jeremy: It was in a text from my sister that I first learned about the Traveling Vineyard. She went to a wine tasting event in late October and introduced me to the concept. She asked me if I’d like to host an event. I have a new apartment, I love to entertain, and I love wine. So, I booked a party for November.

Heather West, Two Star Leader and my sponsor, conducted the event. We had lots of food and a good crowd in my apartment. As I listened to Heather’s presentation, I knew that this was right up my alley. I was looking for part-time work. I work in higher education and I thought, “How do I get involved in this business?”

I signed on with Heather and she has been a great mentor! It was somewhat “baptism by fire” for my first event. At the beginning of December, a host who booked a wine tasting through another company called the TTV home office because the other company cancelled her event. She was looking for another company to conduct a wine tasting for her. Corporate contacted Heather who in turn contacted me because she couldn’t accommodate the host. I didn’t know a single person in the room, but the event was a huge success!

The Traveling Vineyard: What inspired you out of the gate?

Jeremy: In November, my goal was to have two qualified events in 60 days, to meet the $1,500 threshold to earn the supply credit, and to hit $3,000 to get the two tasting set bonuses. These were the guidelines of the consultant incentive program. I was up for the challenge.
Then, in January I ramped things up and worked hard to get events. I believe in the product and I’m eager. So it was a domino effect. I had two tastings in December and two guests booked off of the first one. Then, additional guests books off of those events. (Editor’s Note: This is proof that it truly works – just as Rick Libby explains in his video! (Check it out on the web site)

Jeremy "Blackjack" Sherman

By networking more with friends and family, I now have seven events coming up – if the weather holds out. I’m really anticipating more events with the outdoor entertaining that comes in warmer weather.

The Traveling Vineyard: Do you have any direct sales experience?

Jeremy: I have no direct sales experience. I’ve never been a fan of sales because I always envisioned a used car salesman. But I have more confidence in this product. Our Wine Director hits a home run with the wines every time. I’ve already bought a case of wine for myself. I used to shop at larger grocery/wine stores, but there’s no comparison. I haven’t gone to a wine store since joining TTV!

The Traveling Vineyard: What’s your approach when you conduct an event?

Jeremy: I like to experiment with wines. I think it’s exciting. I’m willing to try anything once – so I’ve sampled many different varietals. I enjoy comparing the flavors that come from different aging techniques and when wines are produced differently. I also like to understand what contributes to the flavors you’re getting in the wine – when it was harvested, the climate, the soil, etc. I don’t want guests to be intimidated. I’ve found that if I show enthusiasm for this when I pour the wines, people walk away feeling like they’ve learned something. I’m not a wine snob. I don’t need to know everything, but I like to share interesting factoids.
Wine has been a part of various cultures for centuries – in many different levels of society, in religious practices, at times of celebration and with various cuisines. I want to incorporate that attitude – that it’s part of life. I’m a foodie and wine is an affordable part of that lifestyle.
I look at wine like an art form. When you look at a painting you analyze it and appreciate the colors, patterns, brush strokes, etc. It’s no different with wine. There’s a lot that goes into each vintage.

The Traveling Vineyard: What are your favorite TTV wines at the moment?

Jeremy: That’s tough to say. Right now my favorite white is the 2009 Kuri, Limari Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Chile (CHI127) $14.99 and I have three favorite reds, the 2010 Bailando, Famatina Valley Bondarda, Argentina (ARG040) $14.99 the 2008 Bailando, Mendoza Malbec, Argentina (ARG036) $14.99 and the 2006 Tria, Pinot Noir, California (CAL908) $24.99.