Patrick came on Twitter this evening to chat about his icewine, thereby making his fans on that social media network (like me) happy. Hosted by The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce’s #NiagaraWineTalk Chat host Dayton Davis, Patrick answered ten questions about his wine and what he liked about the Niagara region. The chat went over its allotted hour, but Patrick graciously stayed for the entire Q&A. Following are his responses and my comments.

Everyone, please note that Patrick has a brand! Therefore, his name it should be written this way, with a trademark or copyright symbol: PATRICK CHAN©. Just kidding… Somehow the word “brand” struck me a little funny when I read it. But I can see that he’s well on his way to becoming a savvy business man.

This was a good answer from Patrick, highlighting his approach to quality and his dedication to both his skating and his wine. Knowing how hard he works when he’s on the ice, his answer inspired trust in his product. His answer to Question 3 about why he teamed up with Flat Rock Cellars was also assuring in the same way.

Next up were two seemingly contradictory answers.

From this I gathered that Patrick sees his icewine business as a separate entity from his figure skating. On the other hand, he said there was a strong connection between the two.

At this point, the very knowledgeable CEO and President of the GNCC, Mishka Balsom, chimed in with the history of icewine and how it’s made. A number of us on the chat (and Patrick) liked her tweets. Look at these beautiful frozen grapes!

Patrick likes his wine label, and so do I. It reflects a hint of his skating career but with the main focus being on his wine – very elegant and professional. He said plans for future wines are yet to be determined (Question 7).

Patrick had a sincere answer to Question 8, citing the great taste and quality craftsmanship of his icewine as good reasons to enjoy it with friends and family. He also said:

When asked what he liked most about the Niagara region, not surprisingly Patrick cited the great outdoors, including the wineries and Niagara Falls. Yep, I agree. I also used to take trips to the falls when I was a child, and it was one of my favorite places to visit.

The Q&A concluded with Patrick announcing his two upcoming events for this Saturday.

Overall, I thought he did well in what may have been his first online Twitter chat. His answers did inspire trust and reinforce his brand as that of a high-quality, trustworthy brand. He did not answer any questions from fans or other chat participants, something I wish he did a little more. I asked two questions and was grateful that the host acknowledged them both. Perhaps, just like one of his figure skating performances, he tuned out his audience until the very end before acknowledging them. I’m sure he will be much more engaging in person. Good luck to those of you who meet him on Saturday!