Hello my friends and happy Valentine’s Day weekend—and/or President’s Day weekend for those of you who may be celebrating with a day off. I’ve got loads of news for you below, so much so I had to categorize it between local (California), international, pandemic-related stuff, and a section I like to call ‘just for fun.’ Of course, keep scrolling to get to the Blogs, lots of great independent inside and fun educational posts this week as well.

For those keeping an eye out for my WSET posts, I assure you they’re coming. It’s a fine line between writing about my studies and, well, actually studying. A quick sneak peek to where we’ll be headed next: Italy, Greece, and Portugal. So get your palates ready.

Stay safe and healthy out there and don’t hesitate to connect with me directly, or of course on any of my social channels. Cheers.

(more…)

Happy weekend everyone. Hope you’re all staying safe and healthy out there. I’ve got your weekly round-up of wine related news. A few highlights—the alcohol ban has been lifted in South Africa (woohoo); the WSET had to halt all educational programs in China (uhoh); Eric Asimov discusses the current state of the industry; and a recent post on Tim Atkin’s blog informed my most recent (wine-related) Amazon impulse buy.

I also had an article published on Wine Enthusiast. If you haven’t had a chance to see this piece in which I interview nine very different influential females in the wine industry, it’s the first link below.

Other than that, I’m studying hard. And, yes, I’ll have more DipWSET-related posts in the near future.

Cheers.

(more…)

Happy Weekend—here’s your weekly dose of wine related news. A couple of highlights—California lifted its stay-at-home order which means that restaurants, bars, and wineries can now serve patrons outdoors. Mixed feelings on that one myself—just stay safe if you decide to partake. And did you hear about Bordeaux? Whoever says that the French are entrenched in tradition, well, they’re right, but that hasn’t stopped them from (finally) allowing a few new grape varieties into the Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Superior AOC appellations. We’ve got a good breakdown from Decanter about what those grapes are and why they’re so important to the region at this point in time.

If I have to recommend on Blog Post, it’ll be Donald Edward’s expose on Tim Atkin’s blog looking into the Aboriginal origins of some of Australia’s best-known wine regions.

And, selfishly, I have to add that if you haven’t read my piece for SevenFifty Daily on regenerative agriculture—what it means and how it can (and does) shape wine growing agriculture—make sure to check that one out. I’ll actually be leading a seminar on the topic in March so stay tuned.

Thanks as always for hanging out with me. Cheers.

(more…)