FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reality star Jesse Kovacs Authors New Book For Young Wine Lovers
Winemaker, “Bachelor Pad” personality pens
“The Young And The Thirsty: 25 Wines For New School Drinkers”
CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. — Aug. 9, 2010 — California winemaker Jesse Kovacs, a co-star on the new ABC reality series “Bachelor Pad,” makes his debut as an author today with the release of “The Young And The Thirsty: 25 California Wines For New School Drinkers.” The book is co-written with Kovacs’ brother and winemaking partner, Jacob, and is available on their website, www.KovacsBrothers.com.
Kovacs is a seventh-generation winemaker and proprietor of the Carmel Valley-based label Kovacs Brothers. The idea behind the book, Kovacs said, is to provide a map to people who are just beginning to cultivate a love for wine, selecting 25 vintages that are not too harsh on the palate or the pocketbook.
“Because of the Internet, curiosity about wine among people our age is exploding,” said Kovacs, 28. “Traveling around the country, we’ve gotten the sense that there’s tremendous enthusiasm for the subject. This book is an effort to just channel that excitement and give people a place to start.”
“Jacob and I grew up around wine, day in and day out. We think we’re in a unique position to be credible with a young audience, without coming off as aristocratic or snobby. I mean, we made our first blend with wine from an empty beer keg, and we sold it out of the back of our cars. So I’d say we’re pretty grounded. Hopefully readers find this to be much more than a guide, but also something that’s really funny and daring.”
Today, Kovacs Brothers bottles and sells approximately 1,000 cases each year. The brothers share a vineyard with their parents, Jozsef and Bette, in the Santa Lucia Mountains, a world-renowned grape-growing region thanks to the marine layer in which the fruit bathes each night. The winery is several miles inland from the Big Sur coast.
For the book, the brothers selected 25 wines they felt would match nicely with wine lovers who are both young and young at heart. “We took into account value first and foremost — the quality of the wine along with the retail price,” Jacob Kovacs said. “We also accounted for their appropriateness for the warm summer and fall months, their versatility with situations New Schoolers find themselves in where wine is appropriate, and their availability either in stores or online.
“We also wanted the wines to have a little bit of soul. There’s nothing wrong with eye-level-in-the-grocery-store brands, but we wanted to choose wines with stories behind them. That’s part of the fun. All in all, we wanted to encourage a sense of discovery and discourage a belief that you can do something wrong as you come to learn about wine. Our parents always taught us there are no wrong answers when it comes to wine, and we hope we passed that on.”
The book breaks down the wines based on fragrance, taste, the foods with which they should be served, and occasions for which they’re appropriate, like dinner at the boss’s house, a baby shower or a backyard Sunday barbeque. The prices of the wines range from $10 to $30. The brothers also tell readers other wines to explore if they like the ones on the list, and also offer suggestions on “next steps up” if the reader is ready to spend a bit more money.
The book is the first of several to be released by the Kovacs brothers in the next calendar year. A similar book on Holiday wines will be released in November.
“We think Jesse can be the face of an entire winemaking and wine-drinking generation,” said Dusty Schmidt, founder of Imagine Media, LLC, which published “The Young And The Thirsty.” “All of our research supports that the 22-35 wine-drinking demographic is expanding with abandon. Jesse isn’t just a pretty face — he was raised around the winemaking craft, feels it in his body and soul, and is incredibly articulate on the subject.
“This is not a reality star capitalizing on his 15 minutes of fame. Jesse — and his brother, for that matter — are the real deal. They make brilliant wine, and that’s no accident. The vision for this book is their own, and it’s a great one.”
Kovacs also appeared on “The Bachelorette: Season 5,” where he took Jillian Harris for a rendezvous atop a glacier and scored a coveted “hometown date” back in Carmel Valley, though he ultimately did not get the girl. “The Young And The Thirsty” is 10 inches by 7 inches with a vibrant cover, and is meant for display in the home as much as for its value as a guide.
Schmidt said he’s excited to work with Kovacs on helping Kovacs Brothers expand using all of the multimedia tools at their disposal. “These days, regardless of the business you’re in, you are what you publish,” Schmidt said. “Kovacs Brothers is about great wine, and we intend to support that notion via these books, a robust website, heavy social media interaction, and a new video podcast series that is mostly done just for laughs. The brothers are hilarious and spontaneous, and we want to convey all of that joy to those who might potentially enjoy their wines.”
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Press contact:
Imagine Media, LLC
info@imagine-books.net
