WineLovers Discussion Group

For some reason, Andrea has changed her name on her website and at the French Culinary Institute to "Andrea Robinson", one presumes her married name.

This strikes me as a very unusual move -- "Immer" has great brand recognition, and "Robinson" creates a bit of confusion with "Jancis Robinson".

Does it make sense to anyone else? [I've sent her a note and expressed my feelings directly.]

Not that it matters to me personally, but I just don't understand the thinking.

Regards, Bob

http://www.andreaimmer.com/

http://www.frenchculinary.com/aboutus_faculty.htm

Bob Ross wrote:For some reason, Andrea has changed her name on her website and at the French Culinary Institute to "Andrea Robinson", one presumes her married name.

This strikes me as a very unusual move -- "Immer" has great brand recognition, and "Robinson" creates a bit of confusion with "Jancis Robinson".

Does it make sense to anyone else?

As you say, Bob, it's entirely her business, but it does seem very odd to abruptly re-name an established "brand."

Maybe she's either very much in love or has a very possessive husband?

If its her business, which I think it is, should we be speculating about her relationship with her husband?

I think it's vanishingly unlikely that anyone would confuse 'Jancis' with 'Andrea.'

Oliver McCrum wrote:If its her business, which I think it is, should we be speculating about her relationship with her husband?

If you choose to make your name a public brand, Oliver, you open it up to public discussion. And while speculation it is, either of the <i>two</i> possibilities I mentioned seem to me to be reasonable hypotheses for an abrupt "brand-name" change.

Not speculating at all, Oliver. She is very open about the fact she is married, has just purchased a winery with him and has a child.

What I don't understand is that she has an excellent reputation and a strong following with her tasting books and her TV program. That brand has real value, and her books will ensure that the brand has continuing value.

Very odd -- but I'm sure she has a good reason that based on how open she is generally, one that she'll share with her public.

Regards, Bob

So if you change your name to 'Robin Broadbent' we can start speculating about your domestic situation? It seems cheesy to me.

Oliver McCrum wrote:So if you change your name to 'Robin Broadbent' we can start speculating about your domestic situation? It seems cheesy to me.

Yikes!!! This leads to all sorts of impure speculation which may actually ruin my lunch....





Mike

Bob, I don't think the Robinson thing is an issue at all. There will be the inevitable twits who ask, "Oh, are you sisters?", but that's merely an annoyance. The only thing that's odd is why anyone whose reputation IS her product would change her name. Being Ms. Immer in public doesn't make her any less Mrs. WhoeverSheWantsToBe in her private life. But oh well, good for her for doing what she feels is right for herself, consequences be damned. I admire that.

Which winery have they bought?

No one would give a rats what my name is, Oliver. My name has absolutely no commercial value.

Authors sometimes change their names -- and their public have great fun trying to figure out the reasons that they have for doing so. I can think a a dozen examples over the past 200 hundred years, and I'm sure there are many more.

I probably shouldn't have speculated that "Robinson" is her husband's name and I suppose that's cheesy and for that I apologize.

It may be that she would like to avoid confusing her child with different last names for the child's father and mother.

I'm sure she's making a financial sacrifice, though, and I do find that interesting. Let's see if she's as offended as you are at my speculation.

Regards, Bob

Oliver McCrum wrote:So if you change your name to 'Robin Broadbent' we can start speculating about your domestic situation? It seems cheesy to me.

No, but if I change my name to Robin M. Parker Jr., somebody might want to put out a tracer and see if I've moved to Monkton.

Hi Jenise,

I can't agree more that it's her choice, and she should be free to make it. People have an absolute right to call themselves anything they want to. I remember having tremendous battles over this issue years ago when Ali changed his name. Even a little fisticuffs, if memory serves.

And of course it's been a fighting issue in the Women's Rights movement from time to time in the past, although that battle seems to have been settled.

As a reader and a fan, though, I like knowing why authors choose to do things. I've done a little research since Oliver took me to task for speculating, and found that she's used a number of variations in her name over the past several years, most often "Andrea Immer", but also "Andrea Immer Robinson", "Andrea Robinson" and on her website until just today just plain "Andrea".

I noticed the change primarily because I just signed up for one of her intensive courses on wine at the French Culinary Institute; yesterday her bio was "Andrea Immer", today it's "Andrea Robinson". That made me look more closely at her website; I'm pretty sure it was changed from "Andrea" to "Andrea Robinson" within the past two days.

I'll be very interested in seeing how she signs her next book and the one after that.

I don't know much about the winery she and her husband have purchased. Her July newsletter gave us this much info:

"Just call me Farmer Andrea. It won't happen to us, I remember saying many times to friends and neighbors here in wine country. And they'd always laugh. The [???? -- broken characters in the newsletter] was yielding to the yen to make our own wine, or even to own a vineyard. We always said ohhh there's lots of great wine out there and we don't need any new challenges or headache -- yadda yadda. Well, guess what? We are now the proud owners of a lovely Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in the heart of Napa Valley. It makes absolutely delicious wine and I am looking forward to bottling a small amount as a vineyard-designate for friends and family. So I am adding crop reports and fermentation science journals to my stack of nightly reading. But I'm stopping here: no bed & breakfast business for us! And I'll keep you posted on how the grapes are doing."

Isn't it nice how her personality shines through in even such a simple little announcement. She's a very classy person.

Regards, Bob

Jenise wrote:But oh well, good for her for doing what she feels is right for herself, consequences be damned. I admire that.

I have no opinion on this name change and all, but Jenise, I could take your sentiment word for word when it comes to quality winemakers doing things so as to not cut corners. Of course I'm also thinking of maverick/renegade winemakers who do things unconventionally, are able to put out amazing wines of distinction, all the while receiving scorn and disapproval from their conventionalist colleagues. I say more power to such winemakers too!

Have to put this my "who cares". I don't even know who she is. I guess everyone else does.
Walt

I got interested in Immer's book on learning to taste wine several years ago through a discussion on WLDG. Jason Brandt Lewis was particularly enthusiastic, and I think it is an essential book for the beginning wine lover.

I kinda lost track of her, although I've given her book to several people and have done the tasting exercise from time to time.

Folks on various boards like to make fun of her. But, Brad Kane, a really good guy, published a sterling defense last June [during some chitchat about perceived errors in her TV performances], which led me to re-read her introductory book, get copies of her newer books and read them, and sign up for her wine club. Brad, as usual, is absolutely right:

You know, I don't know why Andrea gets so much guff on the various wine boards. She knows her shit, she's been successful in a field that's dominated by men and she's as nice as can be in person.

I don't know why the geeks fail to understand that people talking about wine on tv aren't talking to them because in the overall scheme of things, we really don't mean that much to but a handful of equally crazy producers.

Harrrrumpf.

She's worth knowing more about, Walt. Brad is right on.

Regards, Bob

Well Bob,

I was contemplating changing my surname to Aquinas, but now I think I had better not. Don't want speculation floating online over some recent visions I experienced...

Gee, Thomas, I thought that was already your name -- it gets equal billing on your web page. :-)

That Thomas had a very useful thought, I must say.

Regards, Bob

PS: I finished your book last night, and have a review ready to post soon. Just have to add a couple of quotes from my collection. Nice job on your part. B.

Actually, my last name is Thomas--my first name is Doubting...

Thanks for the book comemnt.

Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?

Gee - I always wanted to say that. Now, more than ever.

John Tomasso wrote:Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?

Gee - I always wanted to say that. Now, more than ever.

"Plastics" - I always wanted to say that.