Vote for Chewie
VOTE FOR CHEWIE
Maybe you’ve visited me at Grand Cru and experienced his silky coat, sympathetic eyes, and fancy/floofy tail firsthand. Or maybe you recognize him from a Chewie sticker enclosed with your thank you note. He makes frequent appearances on Instagram. And he once enjoyed his own Instagram handle, until the twinnies abandoned maintenance. Now Chewie has an opportunity to catapult to next level fame. Here’s how:
MY ANGEL IS A CENTERFOLD
Wine industry titan G3 is sponsoring a “Dogs in the Vineyard” calendar contest, where 12 lucky pups will earn featured months, and the goodest boy (or bestest girl) wins calendar cover. Obviously, this is a tightly orchestrated and highly serious competition. Final date for submission has been extended, twice, and the original rules bent to include both dogs + owners as well as dogs posing solo. My hunch is that all pups submitted advanced to the semi’s.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Beyond the pride of owning a model dog, the prize itself is priceless. Each winning dog owner receives “complimentary copies” of the G3 vineyard dogs calendar. (Exact number remains unspecified. Is this because hard driving dog moms like me might demand, say, 100 printed copies?). Upside potential, however, extends far beyond my gifting both nuclear and extended family a freebie calendar this holiday season. In fact, should Chewie win centerfold, exposure is limitless. Sure, June is technically the center fold of a 12-month calendar; but July has 31 days. Furthermore, G3 promises “the calendar will also be distributed at select industry conferences and G3 events.” Now envision Chewie adored not only by vintners but also the almond and walnut farmers who use G3 products. Imagine that.
THE CF(n)O IS NOT AMUSED
“Why not award a year’s worth of corks or glass,” he asks? “The prize ought to be valuable.” Full disclosure: G3 supplies my corks and sometimes, also, my glass. Naturally, such craven patronage will not sway results. Their disclosure: “The winery or vineyard represented in the submission does not need to have an existing relationship with G3 Enterprises. This contest is intended to celebrate the broader vineyard community and the dogs that are an important part of it.” Perhaps this is why the winning prize is a paper calendar rather than $5K worth of Bruliam branded corks.
TOP DOG
Winners will be determined by popular vote. Annoyingly, I was unaware that (1) Chewie advanced to the finals (2) voting even opened, until I saw a headline in a Wine Industry News blast. Alas, now I am hundreds of votes behind “Rye” (like the bread?) & “Nugget” (as if that’s an original dog name). No, I’m not bitter; I play to win.
YET I NEVER PAY TO PLAY
Obviously, the holy grail for celebrity wine dog supermodels is a full feature and origin story in the Wine Dogs coffee table book. But that costs money (please reference CF(n)O).
IT’S NOT A SPRINT; IT’S A MARATHON
Not to be whiny, but why must the voting window extend for 20 days? Who has time to retrieve a link, click aforesaid link, and remember to repeat for 20 consecutive days? The answer is nobody. Fingers crossed that voter enthusiasm peters out after the first week of August. Until then, I will helpfully post and re-post the voting link to my Instagram stories. Naturally, I will post additional, non-Chewie winery news to Instragram, since August will be busy indeed.
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
We are galloping to an early harvest. “Earliest in forty years,” claim the old timers. Perched on the eve of my 18th harvest, I am but a “mid-timer.” And yet, 2026 marks my earliest harvest to date. Back in 2015, I picked pinot on August 15th. In both 2022 & 2024, I picked pinot the third week of August. This year, I’ll be lucky to reach August 12. There I said it. My prediction is I’ll schedule my first pick for August 10th or 11th.
WHAT ELSE IS NEWS?
Our fall allocation opens Labor Day weekend. Heck, I may be done with harvest by then. New releases include the 2024 Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay, 2024 Torrey Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2024 Soberanes Pinot Noir, and the 2024 Rockpile Zinfandel. These wines are yummy, juicy, generous, and well-scored. Plus, Chewbacca’s sib Princess Leia makes her label debut. As always, if you’re craving wines from previous allocations, just ask. We aim to fulfill wishes. Now please go fulfill mine, and VOTE FOR CHEWIE.