This is the first in a series of reviews of wine publications RESTAURANT WINE http://www.restaurantwine.com Ronn Wiegand is no ordinary wine reviewer/writer. Consider the credentials: Wiegand is the first person on the planet to hold both the “Master of Wine” and “Master Sommelier” title. Plus, he passed both exams on his first attempt. So it should not a surprise that is bi-monthly newsletter, “Restaurant Wine” is also not ordinary. “Restaurant Wine” is written for the on-premise (restaurant) trade. It’s goal…

Ok..so you want to work in wine. First some admissions. Yes, it can be glamorous. For a number of reasons the industry attracts personalities, well-heeled types, iconoclasts, upper classes, accomplished types and not a few stars. The perks are good too. Good food, great wines, an amazing natural setting. Plus, the product you are producing or selling generally makes peoples’ lives better…or at least more enjoyable. The downside? Generally the pay isn’t great. Yet, like any industry if you excel…

In an earlier post I claimed that John Haeger’s “North American Pinot Noir” was the best wine book of 2004. That claim stands. However, another book needs to be mentioned in the same breath: “Matt Kramer’s New California Wine”. The title doesn’t say much about this book. You have to mine the subtitle to get an idea of what Kramer is going for: “Making sense of Napa Valley, Sonoma, Central Coast and Beyond”. Again, not a lot of info here,…

I had a conversation today with a winemaker who had a chance to sit with “Sideways” Director Alexander Payne, talk about wine, and discuss movies. We got to talking about that great scene when Virginia Madsen explains her love affair with wine and it got me thinking about my favorite Movie Wine Lines. Then, over at The Wine Cellar (A stellar wine blog) Rich has a post about favorite wine lines from any source. Well this inspired me to commit…

I’m a trend watcher. I watch for trends in marketing and politics and culture, but I do focus on wine. The idea in my business (PR) is to try to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to trends so that, basically, they can be exploited to help clients get publicity and positioning. There are a number of ways to watch for trends that apply to the wine industry: 1. Watch Pricing at the wholesale level 2. Keep an…