When being nice pays off

Now, those of you who have met me before know that I love a good glass of wine. Heck, I even love a mediocre glass of wine, but a truly delicious wine is a rare and delightful treat.

I shop my neighborhood wine stores as they have a varied selection, and when they do carry the same wines, there's one that I know will always beat the other 2 on price. Sometimes, however, I like to use Fresh Direct's grocery and wine delivery service to re-stock my 9-bottle Cuisinart Wine Cooler, i.e. my mini booze fridge.

Now, recently I had 2 roommates, one of whom had a taste for a delightful Malborough Sauvignon Blanc from a wine maker in New Zealand called Crossroads Winery. I took a liking to that particular breed of NZ Sauvignon Blanc, my current favorite variety, even though its winter and I'm supposed to prefer reds. One night recently, after being out with some friends and having a few beverages, I returned home and poured myself a glass of the Crossroads white.

Sitting in my apartment watching The Daily Show, I decided I'd look up the vineyard and they had a "contact us" button. So I sent them an email telling them that their wine was perhaps the best, at least my favorite, of its kind so far.

Now, there's a budding wine writer named Eric Hazard who keeps a blog of wines he's tasted from Fresh Direct, and he seems to have a lesser opinion of this wine, objecting in part to its $15 price tag. Having tasted around, I think it's a good wine at a good price. I've also discovered Kim Crawford and WhiteHaven Sauvignon Blancs, which have more subtle crispness and slightly different high notes, which make them equally delightful.

I almost forgot I'd done it. A quick little email dashed off in an altered state, telling someone I liked what they did for a living.

Then, a few days later, they wrote back! How lovely is that?

Even nicer, a day or two later I then receive this:

Hi Jennifer

Thanks for your kind e-mail which the winery has passed on to me as we are the US importers and distributors of the Crossroads wines here in NY. It’s always so nice to get positive feedback about the wine! I’m assuming that you order the sauvignon blanc through Fresh Direct and wanted to send you a bottle of Crossroads Pinot Noir to try (which Fresh Direct is also now selling). Please let me know the best address to send it to.

Best wishes
M** F***

--
Regards
Me** F***
South Pacific Wines

How fantastic is that! So, I sent her back my work address lest my gift wine be taken by thirsty vagrants prowling my neighborhood. I'll let you know how it is.