11Jul
Calling all tequila lovers and tequila industry professionals! You won’t want to miss this year’s World International Tequila Conference (WITC), being held in Guadalajara, Mexico April 4th -7th.
The conference, which is held entirely in English, will feature sessions on the history and future of tequila production, brand building, marketing, tasting and how to build a successful tequila bar.
(Attendees of the 2009 World International Tequila Conference were treated to a rare tour of the CRT (the governing body of all that is tequila) including a presentation in the executive board room (pictured.) The 2010 conference will feature a return to the CRT, with a tour of the facilities, and a tasting on the roof of the building.)
Grover went last year and said that it was an amazing (and ridiculously fun) opportunity to network, learn and make connections. Attendees will be able to rub elbows with tequila legends, brand owners and other aficionados.
Other than the informational sessions, the agenda includes distillery tours in Tequila, multiple formal and informal tastings, and an opening party on the rooftop of the Tequila Regulatory Commission (CRT).
Grover and I will be there, of course, along with all of our tequila connections. You’d be loath to miss this opportunity to taste amazing tequilas, explore the Tequila region and make new friends.
Early bird registration is now open. Reserve your spot so we can all hang out in tequila heaven.
-Scarlet
13May
El Gran Jubileo recently asked us to shoot some hi-def video for their new website. It was a great opportunity to be out in the agave fields and to get to know their distillery and the kind, thoughtful people who work there.
The distillery, called La Alborada, or “the dawn,” is a family business run by Ing. Juan Antonio Alvarez Rodriguez, who is not just a master distiller, but also a man fascinated with soil, agave plants, and the best way to grow and care for them. We learned an incredible amount from him, and hopefully you will too when you see the video.
Continue reading…
11Apr
The other day we had Clayton Szczech from Experience Tequila over for drinks on our patio. Clayton gives tours of the tequila region to foreigners and he’s packed with knowledge on the area. He also has a pretty good sense of humor and a realistic view of the country so we thought that he would be a great person to ask this question: What are the top 10 things that gringos should know before they come to Mexico?
After all, there are a lot of misconceptions about Mexico. Westerners tend to be overly concerned about things like drug violence (which rarely affects law abiding civilians) and not as mindful of the more realistic dangers, such as water and traffic.
Continue reading, and see the video…
08Apr
Scarlet and I have been running around Mexico getting things in order, and although most things are very different here (compared to our lives in San Francisco), one thing remains with us at all times – our iPhones. Everything is new and interesting, so we’ve been using our iPhone cameras like crazy, attempting to capture it all.
The other day, when we were trying to solve our Internet woes, our friend David took us to a shopping mall in Guadalajara. It was just like a shopping mall you’d see in the United States – multiple levels, stores of all kinds, air conditioning, and lots of people. Very familiar and comforting. However…
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07Apr
We packed and stored everything we owned, sold one car and lent the other one to some friends, and let go of our beautiful apartment in San Francisco. We even figured out a fun way to get rid of our 85-bottle tequila collection. (There’s much more on that story to come.)
Finally, almost a week later, we’re starting to settle down here in Mexico. The weeks leading up to our move were hectic. Until recently, neither of us ever would have imagined that we’d be living full-time in the land of tequila.
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