Magic All Around, Old and New
As I was considering what to write for this column, I started thinking about all the changes that have taken place at TWC during my time here. I’ve worked at TWC for seven years (and was a customer before that), so I’ve seen a lot of people, wines, events, merchandise, policies and procedures, furniture, art, seating arrangements, and equipment come and go. If I were to graph these changes, the graph would probably show a great increase in change over the past two years in particular.
This got me thinking about the balance of old and new, and I came across a quote by A.D. Posey that resonates: “There is magic in the old and magic in the new; the trick is to combine the two.”
At TWC, we have a solid history of serving great Texas wines and providing superior customer service. This is our foundation, and as I look at the changes we’ve undergone and the ones coming our way, I see this foundation holding strong. Indeed, we have a good many team members who’ve been at TWC for over five years, and we have several wines that have become part of our “repertoire.”
Club members and repeat guests expect to find Marie or Chuck or Jill or Carl or Martin (or me) pouring Buffalo Roam or Winemaker’s Choice or Three White Chicks or Holiday. This is the old (though don’t tell any of them I said so!). Also part of the old: Wine Club Sundays, cheese and wine pairings, SPCA events, Winemaker Dinner, Casino Night for case members, Cigars and Cab, and Mardi Gras (love digging for Baby Jesus in a King Cake every year!).
So there’s magic in the old. But is there growth and excitement in sticking with it? I’ve always hated the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In my experience, it’s usually being muttered by someone who hasn’t made an effort to understand why a change might be needed and is about to dig in his or her heels to avoid it (often with little success).
Even when we were locked down due to COVID, I would never have considered us to be broken, so I guess one could argue that we didn’t need to make changes…and that we still don’t. But again, where’s the fun in that? Where’s the growth?
So using GM Dave’s visionary thinking as a guide, we’re continuing to make some exciting changes at TWC. First, we’ve added some great new team members from within and outside of the wine industry (and from within and outside of Texas!). I’m planning to introduce you to them in an upcoming column.
Second, we’re busy adding LOTS of new events and educational opportunities to our calendar. From additional creative food and wine pairings and our new series of Texas versus international wines to hosting Texas Wine Ambassador Jason Hisaw for a wine and barbecue pairing and enhancing our outreach in our local community, our Event Manager and in-house chef, Amber (nickname Chamber…pronounced Shamber) is always busy coming up with new ways to engage members and guests…and keep TWC team members on their toes!
Third, because our primary focus is always Texas wine, it only makes sense that we spend energy upping our game there, too. So, let me introduce you to Jean. A very tall, charismatic wine enthusiast who was born in Switzerland and has worked in the wine industry in California, France, and South Africa, Jean is our new Consulting Winemaker. Our TWC team got to spend time with him last week after he visited both Brennan Vineyards and Lost Oak Winery and shared some winemaking ideas with the teams there. We all have a lot to learn from Jean who’s ready to help us take our wines to the next level while keeping them true to Texas.
“There is magic in the old and magic in the new; the trick is to combine the two.” So much magic, both old and new, happening at TWC…I hope you’ll find ways to join us for all of it!