Auction of Washington Wines: Winemaker Blues Contest

by Shona Milne on July 24, 2013

Did you always want to write a song? Now you can help out and finish the “Winemaker Blues” just in time for the Auction of Washington Wines next month. Just submit your verse by August 2nd to aww@washingtonwine.org.

The Auction of Washington Wines is little more than a month away! As we move into our final promotion time, it’s easy to get caught up in the “business” of ensuring great attendance that we risk forgetting the Auction is also simply great fun; a gathering of our wine community to celebrate what we do and why we do it.

So to inject a little humor and fun into promotional activities for Picnic, we came up a community contest starring the “Winemaker’s Blues” —  a happy lament that describes the less than glamorous side of being a winery owner/winemaker – as the basis of a friendly contest of lyrical proportions. Just for winemakers.

Below is the complete song – written by our own official photographer Richard Duval. The contest part is simple: submit one verse to be considered for the final song. You can write about how to keep from getting the Winemakers Blues or what happens after they arrive.

We’ll pick the best of the lot to augment some of the original song, and the final and complete Winemakers Blues will be performed by our own Rob Newsom, owner/winemaker of Boudreaux Cellars, and singer/guitarist extraordinaire at the Picnic & Barrel Auction. And if the winner is there, they can help out too.

To help get you started, here’s a bit of the Winemaker’s Blues starring Rob: http://youtu.be/nFn-zW-sMVY

Like Rob said, the rules are simple – make it funny; make it fit. And the criteria:

  • Submit your verse to us at aww@washingtonwine.org. We’ll post your submission on our Facebook page (AuctionWAWines) for all to read. Deadline for submission is August 2nd.
  • If you want to send a video performance of your verse, cool! We’ll post it as well.
  • A team of our esteemed judges will select the three best submissions.

We’ll uncork the final version of Winemaker’s Blues at the Picnic and Barrel Auction on Aug. 15 in a command performance by Rob and his select band of musical talent from our winemaking community. This will give the winning wineries some great marketing opps in front of our Picnic crowd of over 1,000!

Winners will receive an authentic copy of the complete and final Winemaker’s Blues, signed by Rob and Richard with your verse highlighted.

So put yourself in a bluesy state of wine and give us your best Winemakers Blues lyric! Then get ready for the debut performance of the final version of Winemaker’s Blues at the Picnic and Barrel Auction on Aug. 15!

Cheers!

The Auction Team

Winemakers Blues

(A Bluesy State of Wine)

Don’t want no Winemaker’s Blues

A’cloudin up my growing pride

Yes, I’ll dodge these Winemaker Blues

That bottles up my dreams inside

Well, this is the only chance I gets

To shine like Bob Betz

And get all you winers on my side.

Where’s that lifestyle baby?

Seen them photos in those magazines

Golden hues and open-toed shoes

Ain’t in the picture that I see.

Got no life and got no style baby,

Just a bluesy state of wine for me.

Cause it looks like winter in my vineyard

When the calendar says it’s May.

Seven months of winter

Making my vines look like hay.

Just cold, cold blues all around

Won’t be no buds breaking today.

Talk about your crush baby

I feel as if I’ve been laid low

You can talk about your crush baby

I do believe I’ve been laid so low

Cause those 300 bins in yonder corner

Be mighty useless if these vines don’t grow.

If it’s all about the whites and reds

Then how come I mostly got the blues?

Yes, I’m up to my head in whites and reds

But mostly I got the blues.

Cause the dream I thought I was a’growin

Just scored 3 points in Sullivan’s reviews.

Damn these Winemaker Blues

Grapes and stems got me beat

Oh these Winemaker’s Blues

Got me outside while you all eat.

Though my wine gave its all

for some good words from Paul,

the Winemaker Blues got me beat.

Yeah, it was the only chance I gets

To shine like Bob Betz

But the Winemaker Blues done got me beat.

Richard Duval

July 2013

© 2013 BMI Music

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