ASAP’s take on population growth in Albemarle – how many people is “too many”?

You want wine? We’ve got wine in Albemarle (and surrounding counties, too)
(pic courtesy of)

2 Billions dollars to increase UVA’s research stature?

A major report by the Washington Advisory Group consulting firm found that UVa will have to spend an estimated $1 billion over the next five to seven years to hire rising star faculty researchers in an effort to improve the overall quality of its research.

Might any of these star researchers want to buy houses in the Charlottesville area? The University’s impact on the Charlottesville region – economic, social, cultural and psychological – cannot be underestimated.

A very good (and unusual) use of Realtors’ lobbying efforts.

Technorati Tags: charlalbemarle, charlottesville, uva, wine

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It should be simple. I went to the Wine Warehouse yesterday and bought a case of wine.  The Wine Warehouse has an excellent selection and will track my wines internally; what I would really like is for them to put my purchases online and let us rate them as we make our way through. How hard would that be? If this was an option, there is a strong likelihood that that would become the only wine store I patronized.

I would be -

1) a loyal and devoted customer
2) talking about them to all of my friends and clients (an awful lot of my clients want recommendations to wine stores) on and offline.

Then, start a Wine Warehouse Facebook group that would allow member customers to share experiences to increase their integration into the social experience the store could offer. A little bit of viral and social marketing can go a long way.

This is undoubtedly not a new idea, but it’s one I’d like to see in Charlottesville.

Tying this idea into the Charlottesville region’s real estate market: our wine industry is a big tourist draw and a real boon to those of us who live here and enjoy the extraordinary wine in one of the Top 5 best up and coming wine regions in the World.

Technorati Tags: albemarle, Central Virginia, charlalbemarle, charlottesville, wine

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Why invest in student housing? I noted the other day how UVA’s population is growing …

Subprime pain starts to spread.

The Free Enterprise Forum’s March newsletter is out.

Go to the gym, create some energy (HT: slashdot)

Go Green, get rich

The Budget Wino

Worried about privacy? The Government will take care of that.

Technorati Tags: albemarle, charlalbemarle, charlottesville

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I have added a few links in the sidebar for three of the main wine shops in the CharlAlbemarle area.  There are more, but I have personally found these three to have excellent selections and knowledgeable, friendly and most importantly un-pretentious. Buying and drinking wine should be a fun experience – there is a lot to learn, and these have proven to be great resources. At least two of them have weekly newsletters as well.

Technorati Tags: wine

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I love wine. The Central Virginia region has an outstanding selection of vineyards to visit. This is an interesting blog – Virginia Wine Time – I’ll probably follow their pursuits and live somewhat vicariously. HT: wineona.

Technorati Tags: virginia, wine

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One of the great things about Central VA is that we are fortunate to have a number of outstanding vineyards. If there were a local tour company that would cater to folks who want to visit several in a day, I think that this would be a potentially profitable business, and would provide a good public service.  Based on this DP article by David Hendrick, we should look for some good wine from the local vineyards.

Indeed, they say, although weather is a factor in a wine’s final quality, the unpredictable climate will not be a ceiling on the industry’s growth.

Rausse pointed out that climate conditions in much of Europe’s grape-growing regions are similar to Virginia’s.

“Every year we get better and better,” McCarthy said. “The potential hasn’t even been tapped here.”

Outstanding. Even better, there is a link to the WineTalk Podcast that I sponsored recently (or WineCast)!

Technorati Tags: wine

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One of my favorite real estate blogs notes my sponsorship of and CVP’s and Tastings‘ foray into podcasting. They have another post I plan to write about later.

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Did you know that October is Virginia Wine Month?

To celebrate, Tastings of Charlottesville has partnered with Wordcast Productions to produce the first of a series of Charlottesville/Central Virginia wine podcasts. If you are interested in the region’s wine, this is an excellent listen.

On October 3, we will debut Virginia Wine Talk with Brian and Bill, a monthly look at the the fruit of the vine from two area experts. Brian Pusser is a professor of education at the University of Virgina, and Bill Curtis is the owner and chef of Tastings of Charlottesville in the heart of Virginia wine country. The first show takes a look at the state of Virginia wine in a global environment, a discussion on the cork versus the screwcap, the role of sulfites, and recommendations for the four seasons.

You can download or listen to the show at the Charlottesville Podcasting Network’s site.

Central Virginia has an extraordinary number of excellent vineyards that consistently produce excellent wines. 

NB: This is another evolution in my foray into forms of advertising other than print media. I believe that this in an excellent opportunity to accomplish a few things – first, to continue my love of wine, second, to be a part of a format that I believe will only grow and three, increase my business‘ and my blog’s profile in a segment of the real estate market I believe to be very desirable.

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From WCAV –
If you’re looking for a good place to drink wine, look no further. Life Magazine has named Charlottesville as The Best New Place to Drink Wine. Twenty-one wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail make this the perfect weekend get away for wine lovers.
1. Charlottesville, VA: Best New Place to Drink Wine; Twenty-one wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail combined with the lack of snooty angst makes this town the perfect weekend tour.
Not a bad category in which to place first, in my opinion.

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DailyProgress.com | Madison OKs farm wine sales:

Good to see that Madison is jumping on the bandwagon set by Patricia Kluge.

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From the WSJ – link good for 7 days.
The Supreme Court struck down state laws that restricted direct sales across state lines by wineries to consumers, setting the stage for a wider industry shakeup and giving a boost to small vineyards seeking to sell their product over the Internet.
…
“Wine is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to protectionist laws and regulations in this country,” said Robert Atkinson, director of the Technology and New Economy Project at the Progressive Policy Institute, a centrist Democratic think tank in Washington. He cited cars and real estate as areas in which e-commerce is tipped in favor of the industries.
This should be great news for local vineyards such as King Family Vineyards in Crozet, White Hall Vineyards, and perhaps even my personal favorite wine shop, Rio Hill Wine (Doug is knowledgeable and not at all pretentious). More information on Virginia wines can be found here.

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New York Post Online Edition: :

While it’s an unlikely culinary revolution, Slim Jims are making way for sushi as gas station convenience stores transform themselves with upscale eats and shed their image as junk food pit stops.

It’s an attempt by the industry to discourage the gas-up-and-go mentality and bolster the bottom line with artisanal cheeses, freshly baked breads and high-end meals that entice consumers to linger and eat — and to do it often.

“We’re trying to make these stores destinations rather than convenience stops,” said Stuart Lowry, marketing director for The Markets of Tiger Fuel, a Virginia convenience chain that offers fresh seafood, a fancy deli and professional chefs.

The Charlottesville area has had these for over a decade. Roast beef, fantastic sandwiches, wine, microbrews, coffee kiosks … My clients are usually blown away when we stop by a “gourmet gas station”!

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Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCentralVA.comwhere this was originally posted.

Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you like this post, please, visit RealCentralVA.comwhere this was originally posted.