Apr 30, 2012
I am always excited when I see an article or blog post on-line that was written in response to something on this blog. At the very least it means someone is reading me. Even better, it could mean that what I've written inspires someone. More Better: It could mean they took my thoughts seriously. So, I was pleased to see that Janice Cable over at "Inside IWM" (IWM = Italian Wine Merchant—a GREAT wine merchant) had a long and thoughtful…
Apr 26, 2012
You could spend your entire trip to Napa Valley doing nothing but eating and drinking. It's a good plan. The food is tasty here and the wine delicious and copious. And we make it easy for you to do nothing but eat and drink. So have at it. However, there really is more here than food and wine. You could go golfing between sips and bites. For those inclined to spoil a good walk, the Napa area provides some pretty…
Apr 18, 2012
Writer and author James Conaway helped me get my first job in the wine industry. It was his 1990 expose of the Napa wine industry, "Napa", that I wrote a review of and put in my portfolio to show potential employers that I could write decently. I don't owe James a percentage of my wages earned since 1990, but I do owe him my gratitude for writing a fascinating and illuminating book that I could sink my teeth into as…
Apr 17, 2012
Is the wine industry as open to women advancing up the ranks as it is to men? This was the question that eventually occurred to myself and my beautiful wife, Kathy, a bit over a week ago when I was bugging her with tales of The Masters golf championship, its history and the news surrounding it. She's terribly sweet to indulge me when I talk to her about Golf. Yet the story that got both our attentions during the Masters…
Apr 16, 2012
I experienced "pot wine" some years ago and as Crane Carter, Napa's pot evangelist tells the Daily Beast, it does produce "an interesting little buzz.” However, as trends go and as stories about trends go, the recent story about pot-laced wine growing in popularity comes without a sniff or whiff of confirmation. Who knows if more folks are making pot wine, let alone drinking it. The author of this story and its sources don't know, despite the headline claim. This…