Feb 4, 2009
Today is the day I look forward to with great anticipation every time it arrives: I get to be on WineBiz Radio with Kaz & Randy. You can listen in. It happens at 6pm PST. Lots of interesting people show up and tonight I'm bringing with me my own surprise guest. For those of you hooked into the world of Wine & Tech and Wine & Marketing, you really should be making a point of listening to this broadcast. Randy…
Feb 4, 2009
—————————————————————————————————————– Every now and then I like to look and see what's coming down the pike where wine-related books are concerned. There are always lots of How-To's and "What-to-Drink" books. Every year we get new books on touring wine country and big shiny atlases of various regions. Below is a list of the more interesting and intriguing wine-related books that will be published this year. Sex and Spirits: Alcohol, Gender, and Technology in the Colonial Chesapeake By Sarah Hand Meacham…
Jan 21, 2009
Watching and listening to the ceremonies surrounding the 44th President of the United States take the oath of office, I was struck by many things. But chief among them was the power of words. President's Obama's address to the nation was powerful, compelling and infused with imagery with the ability to galvanize an active mind around ideas: "we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united." The poet…
Jan 6, 2009
I count it as my first great discovery of 2009: "Culture". The first magazine devoted entirely to cheese. Well, maybe it's not the first ever, but it's the first I've ever seen. "Culture" is glossy, well designed, staffed with some great writers, and strikes what I think is a wonderful balance between educating its readers and feeding the obsession of cheese enthusiasts. It is also a sign of the times. I started noticing the increased interest in cheese in…
Dec 15, 2008
What is "Influence" and what makes an individual "Influential". Let's not over think this. Isn't "Influence" the power to make other people act and think differently…or at least to act and think? And isn't one MORE influential if they can provoke MORE people to act and think? So, if we ask the question, "who are the most influential people affecting the Online Wine World", we are looking for people who, through their actions (online or otherwise), cause larger numbers of…