Well, apparently it’s been a slow week for wine news, because it turns out that Eric Degerman, president and CEO of Great Northwest Wine (for which he also writes extensively), is also an avid fan of The Tony Kornheiser Show podcast. Eric published “Oregon wineries woo sports broadcaster” earlier this week, recounting the backstory behind Dave’s original email to Tony Kornheiser, as well as our reactions upon discovering the name check in the Monday, May 11, 2020 podcast episode, (we’ve since been called out a second time, on the Wednesday, May 13, 2020 podcast episode) writing:
Kornheiser’s reaction Monday morning at the prospect of receiving samples of Oregon Pinot Noir from a pair of award-winning Willamette Valley producers was, “We’re good! We’re good! We’re really, really good!”
Specter’s wife, Sara, a marketing consultant by trade, points out that it was an unforgettable way for Dave to begin another week at the winery operating under Oregon’s shelter-in-place guidelines.
“He’s positively giddy right now,” she noted. “It’s pretty dang exciting stuff. He didn’t tell me he did this – just made me listen this morning. LOL.”
Dave, one of the state’s smallest producers at 500 cases, added, “I’ve been telling her I’m never going to let her live down that I got a marketing coup on my own.”
All true. My favorite part of this entire “interview” with Eric via email was when he us a note saying, “Nice going, Dave! I was in the shower after a spell on the treadmill and just about dropped my bar of Harry’s soap when I heard the plug for Bells Up. Cool stuff! You need to get Sara a jacket as the Senior Winery Ambassador of Bells Up Winery ;).”
THANK YOU MR. ERIC (and, of course, MR. TONY)!!!
About Eric Degerman: Eric Degerman is the President and CEO of Great Northwest Wine. He is a journalist with more than 30 years of daily newspaper experience and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Andy Perdue and served as its managing editor for a decade. He is a frequent wine judge at international wine competitions throughout North America and orchestrates 10 Northwest competitions each year. (NOTE: Logo property of Great Northwest Wine; photo of Dave and Sara by Ellen Landis of Ellen on Wine)
About The Tony Kornheiser Show: A topical, daily talk show that starts with sports and quickly moves into politics, current events, entertainment and, really, whatever happens to be on Tony’s mind that day. The format of the show—regular sit-in guests with familiar interviews and segments—highlights not only the unique perspective of Tony Kornheiser but also the expertise of his network of friends. Join one of the most recognizable and outspoken commentators of sports and entertainment (longtime radio host in Washington, DC and current co-host of ESPN’s PTI). (NOTE: Photo and description property of The Tony Kornheiser Show)
