Welcome to my professional page. Here you’ll find a portfolio of my editorial work. Most recent and relevant are featured at the top; scroll down to travel in the way-back machine. For more information about my professional career, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Download my Resumé.
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Wine Enthusiast—freelance writer
What Does ‘Cuvée’ Mean in Wine?
What Does ‘Microclimate’ Mean?
Randall Grahm’s Quest for ‘Wines of Place’ Creates a New Frontier for California
The Sustainable Wine Roundtable Wants to Define and Uphold Global Sustainability Standards
Spring Mountain’s Wineries Re-Open, But Struggles Continue
What Does ‘Midpalate’ Mean in Wine?
Wine Twins Can Confuse Even the Most Expert Tasters
The Differences Between Mountain and Valley Wines, Explained
What Does ‘Minerality’ Mean in Wine?
Northern California Winemakers Shift Practices Amid Drought Emergency
California Crushes Lowest Total Tonnage in a Decade, Grape Prices also Down
DTC Wine Shipping at All-Time High, Average Bottle Price at Historic Low
‘Know Your Worth’: Nine Women Winemakers on Mentorship and More
Old Vines Cultivate Pride and Profits at New World Wineries
As the Wine Industry Grapples with Change, Its Educational Institutions Evolve
Heidi Scheid, Person of the Year | Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 Wine Star Awards
Battling Wildfires and the Pandemic, Some U.S. Winemakers Forgo the 2020 Vintage
A Scientific Case for ‘Fingerprinting’ Terroir in a California AVA
Direct-to-Consumer Wine Sales Up $222 Million
Crushed by Covid: The Pandemic Challenges Custom Crush Facilities
No Tasting Room, No Problem: Wineries Train Hospitality Staffs to Work the Vineyards
Social Distancing and Fire Prevention: California Prepares for Wildfire Season
Digital Wine Sales are Booming, And Some Wonder if They’ll Last
Wine Industry Advisor—managing editor
Wine’s Most Inspiring People: Ali Smith Story—Owner, Smith Story Wine Cellars
Turning the Tables on Stacy Louise Briscoe
Executive Order on Promoting Competition … In the Wine Industry
Vintage Wine Estate President, Terry Wheatley, Keynote Speaker for Wine & Weed Symposium 2021
Growing Forward – Regenerative Farming: The Future for Grapegrowers? (video)
WIN Insiders with Enoforum USA: Gianni Trioli (video)
Post Pandemic: Virtual Trade Tastings Will Continue; Virtual Consumer Tastings Will Not (video)
Virtually Engaging the Wine Trade (video)
Sonoma’s Historic Old Vine Vineyards
SevenFifty Daily—freelance writer
The Complex Science of Assessing California’s Fire-Damaged Vines
Regenerative Viticulture: Trendy Buzz Word or Revolutionary Farming Philosophy?
Napa Valley Wine Academy—contributing writer
Exam Success: Good, Better, Best—Never Stops to Rest
What Does the Term ‘Rutherford Dust’ Mean?
California Zinfandel: Past, Present, and Future
What Makes Pinot Noir Burgundian or ‘Orgundian’
Biodynamic Viticulture in the Heart of Napa Valley
TimAtkin.com—contributing writer
The Somm Journal—freelance writer
June/July 2020
Surrounded by Sustainability: How Thinking Green Builds Better Business
Soul-Tied: Wine Industry Pros Rally Together to Help Restaurant Workers
Wine Business Monthly—assistant editor
I am the former assistant editor of Wine Business Monthly. During that time, my responsibilities included copyediting and fact-checking all articles for the monthly magazine, ensuring detailed accuracy before going to print. I also poured the articles into InDesign and helped compile photography, assisting the layout and design team. Additionally, I wrote feature-length articles each month. Regular columns included: Technical Spotlight, Winemaker Trials, and Winemaker of the Month. Outside of those regular columns, I also wrote additional articles as needed and defined by our editorial calendar.
My work on the magazine included both behind-the-scenes work and written work with a byline. Below each month’s magazine are specific links to my individual work featured in that issue.
Wine Business Monthly October 2020
Winemaker Trial Oxygen Trials Reveal Effects of Processing Regimes on Chardonnay Style
Wine Business Monthly September 2020
Winemaker(s) of the Month Earl and Carrie Sullivan, Telaya Wine Co., Garden City, Idaho
Wine Business Monthly August 2020
Winemaker Trial: Use of PVI/PVP to Remove Copper and Aluminum to Avoid Sulfide Formation
Wine Business Monthly July 2020
Winemaker Trial: Using Engineered Yeast to Create Stylistically Different Chardonnay
Jeff Pisoni, winemaker, Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery, Sonoma, CA
Wine Business Monthly June 2020
Winemaker Trial: Macerating Piquette at 24, 48 and 72 Hours
Wine Business Monthly May 2020
Tanks for All the Grapes: Managing tank space through the grape glut
Winemaker Trial: The Effects of Non-Saccharomyces Yeast in Winemaking
Winemaker of the Month: Dan Martin—owner and winemaker, Martin Ranch Winery, Gilroy, CA
Wine Business Monthly April 2020
Winemaker Trials: Cap Management Options for Red Wine Development
Winemaker of the Month: Bill Cooper—vintner of Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, Saratoga, California
Wine Business Monthly March 2020
Featured articles
Winemaker Trials: Scheid Family Wines Experiments with In-Vineyard Fermentation of Pinot Noir
Wine Business Monthly February 2020
Winemaker Trials: The Year in Review
A Forum for Winemaking Discovery Winemakers find value in talking about trials
Wine Business Monthly January 2020
Winemaker Trials: Investigating Sur Lie Aging Treatments
Wine Business Monthly December 2019
Technical Spotlight: Eden Estate Wines—From Silicon Valley Back to the Valley of the Heart’s Delight
Winemaker Trials Finding the Right Oak for Each Pinot Noir Clone
Wine Business Monthly November 2019
Winemaker Trials: Comparison of Phenolic Extraction in a GOfermentor Versus a Tank
Wine Business Monthly October 2019
Technical Spotlight: Eden Rift—California History Meets Viticultural Perspective
Winemaker Trials: Impact of Varying Intervals of Extended Maceration on Texas Mourvèdre
Wine Industry Recruiting Techniques: Enticing Talent to the Trade
Wine Business Monthly September 2019
Closure Trends for Sauvignon Blanc
Wine Business Monthly August 2019
Wine Business Monthly July 2019
Winemaker Trials: Using Leaf Pull to Increase Thiols in Sauvignon Blanc
Is Your Winery’s Website ADA Compliant?
Wine Business Monthly June 2019
Technical Review: The Donum Estate—Embracing “The Gift of the Land” in Carneros
Cork Quality Council Reveals Results of Annual Natural Cork Audit
Wine Business Monthly May 2019
Wineries Create Custom Glass Bottles to Build Brand Recognition
Wine Business Monthly April 2020
Two Studies Measure Consumer Preferences for Wine Closures
Wine Business Monthly March 2019
Wine Business Monthly Feb 2019
Technical Spotlight: ZD Wines—Fifty years of innovative family winemaking
Wines & Vines Magazine—staff writer
Wines & Vines Magazine was owned and operated by the same company, as Wine Business Monthly, Wine Communication Group. Prior to my promotion to assistant editor of WBM, I began my career at the company as the staff writer for W&V. In that role I researched and wrote informative articles revolving around the U.S. wine industry for both the monthly print publication and the online news forum winesandvines.com (now winesvinesanalytics.com). I regularly reported on wine industry news and breaking news, as well as attended and covered industry events, including trade shows, seminars, and tastings.
Regular columns included: Technical Spotlight, Product Focus, Tasting Room Focus, and Unpack Packaging
Behind the scenes action: I also curated the questions and gathered the quotes for our “Question of the Month” series; compiled news items for our “Top Stories,” “People,” “News,” and “Faces & Forums” columns; and, of course, helped the rest of the editorial team with final proofreads before going to print.
Latest Research on Smoke Taint
Tasting Room Tech: How wineries use existing software and a look toward the future for solutions
Glasswashers for Tasting Rooms: Choosing the proper stemware washing system
Tasting Room Focus: Panther Creek Cellars
Unpack Packaging: Cuvaison Estate Wines and Big Cork Vineyards
2018 Top 10 US Wine Distributors
Forklifts—How wineries make do with older machines, and the latest models unveiled by vendors
As 2018 Harvest Begins, Growers Remain Optimistic for Good Yields and Quality
Randall Grahm—Reflecting on a Career of Wine Packaging
Rodney Strong Wins Best of Show in Packaging Design Contest
Tasting Room Focus: Burgess Cellars
New glass bottles Vendors unveil new bottle molds catering to today’s upscale wine market
Connecting to Consumers Through Packaging
A Midwestern Wine Hawk Soars— How Cooper’s Hawk found success through DtC and on-premise sales
Tasting Room Focus: Long Meadow Ranch
Tasting Room Focus: Hitching Post Wines
Unpack Packaging: Rune Wines and Alara Cellars
Wines & Vines December 2018/January 2019 Collectors Edition
Mastering Misinterpreted Merlot
Inspiration from Innovation—trends, tech and packaging to help build better brands
Tasting Room Focus: Sbragia Family Vineyards
Unpack Packaging: emBRAZEN (Treasury Wine Estates) and Matchbook Wine Company
Wines Vines Analytics—staff writer
During my time at Wines & Vines, the publication shifted production to a wholly online/digital format, focusing on wine industry data. Wines Vines Analytics is the leading source for wine industry data and the Wines Vines Analytics team maintains the industry’s most accurate databases, providing data-driven analysis, data, insights and reports to help its clients grow and manage their businesses. WVA also publishes a monthly analytics report covering the most recent and applicable data trends. As the staff writer, I researched and wrote about those data trends for the monthly report, detailing the effects of the data trends on the nation’s wine grapegrowers, winemakers and the wine consuming marketplace.
San Francisco Chronicle—content producer/editor & staff writer
I was hired to the SF Chronicle as the content producer and editor of the newly created wine-centric website, The Press. In that role, I was responsible for editing and inputing Napa and Sonoma winery reviews, tasting notes, and available Wine Country experiences onto the new platform. I assisted with website layout, design, and development, ensuring content-ready material and a user-friendly interface. This role evolved into including writing assignments alongside these duties. I became a regular contributor to both The Press and the SF Chronicle’s Travel section, focusing on wine-related travel, winery reviews, and wine tasting notes.
Amador County: Vintners cultivate taste for the unusual
Yolo County: Little grape-growing region that could
Lake County: Allure of new vintners’ mecca
Suite Spot: Featherbed Railroad Bed and Breakfast
Marin County: Vintners revive dormant tradition
The Press: The Chronicle uncorks wine guide
Destinations: SF Chronicle’s California Travel Guide
Online Link: Rochioli is the Russian River Valley’s Pinot Noir pioneer
Online Link: Paul Hobbs: This exclusive winery brings the drama
Online Link: La Crema: buttery Chardonnays in a rustic winery
Online Link: At Lauterbach, a mom-and-pop winery operates from a garage
PDF: page 1 Lauterbach page 2
Edible Silicon Valley—freelance writer
It Takes a Village Harvest: Backyard Bounty Serves the Valley of Heart
Roadside Eateries By Land And Sea: Alice’s Restaurant and Dad’s Luncheonette
Napa Sonoma Magazine—freelance writer
Sonoma Cider: Sip Wine Country’s other favorite drink
New Sips: Latest releases and tasting rooms in Wine Country
BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page where you can contact me directly. Cheers!