Hello my friends and happy weekend. I can’t believe it’s already the end of April. Time is flying by. Perhaps because I’ve been having so much fun. (Read: wine.) Newsy roundup this week, no surprise, includes a lot about sustainability in the wine industry, what with Friday having been Earth Day. Cool cool. Also got some interesting wine news coming out of Norway, Switzerland, Greece and South Africa—expand that global perspective. I also want to call out a blog post from earlier this week by yours truly:RAM Cellars—A Taste of Trans-Pride Winemaking.

I think that’s all I got for now. You may not hear from me next week, as I’m embarking on some work-related travel and have a few projects that need to get up and running. But never hesitate to reach out at any time. Always love hearing from ya’ll.

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Happy Easter to all who celebrate. Happy Passover to all who celebrate. Happy weekend to all who celebrate. No matter what you’re celebrating, even if it’s just life in general, I hope you’re having a good time of it and have a lovely glass in hand. We have modest plans at my place, and that has not stopped me from putting together my weekly shortlist of wine-newsy items. Some good stuff on the list, but one in particular I want to highlight, written by yours truly, is a feature interview with Vivianne Kennedy—the only openly Transgender winemaker in the US. If you’ve not yet read this piece, check it out. And then when you’re done, travel on over to the RAM Cellars website and pick up a few bottles of amazingness. (Or better yet, join the wine club—that’s what I did!)

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Happy New Year—I hope everyone is off to a safe and healthy start to 2022. The early part of the year certainly is jam-packed with newsy items to report—so hope you poured yourself a large glass to enjoy as you scroll through.

A few items I’d like to call out—Wine Industry Advisor has announced its top 10 “Most Inspiring People in Wine” awards. I’m super impressed by the diverse group of people included on this list. I, myself, am responsible for the write-up on the beautiful Ali Smith Story. But be sure to check out the features on Marty Clubb, Cathy Huyghe, Ron Rosenbrand, and Alex Ryan as well. The publication will release articles on the last five awardees next week.

Also, a huge congratulations to a personal role model of mine, Elaine Chukan Brown, for becoming a full-time member of the Jancis Robinson editorial staff. She’s now the executive editor of the website’s US coverage. Full press release is below.

And in the entertainment sector—I am super curious: What do you all think about this new TV series Grand Cru? Is it a good representation of the wine scene? Are you upset that all the actors hold the stemware incorrectly and that one of them seems to be drinking water while the others sip on cranberry juice? Or, is it just a comedy plain and simple—enjoy the laughs and, like, why so serious? If you’ve watched it, let me know your thoughts.

Tis all for now. Happy weekend-ing!

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Hello everybody. Did you miss me? I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything. Thanksgiving was a fun and relaxing week for me. Then the next week was a bit crazy-go-nuts prepping for and then presenting my panel on regenerative agriculture for the WINExpo. What a great event—it was so nice to finally see my fellow wine industry folks in person for the first time in like 2 years. Kind of makes me excited for Unified in January, where I’m sure I’ll see even more of you.

This week has been jam-packed with wine news—local, national, and international. Wow, there’s so much here, I don’t think I can sum it up in brevity. A few pieces I’d like to call out, though, as I found them particularly interesting, insightful, and/or helpful:

• Wine and NHL mogul Bill Foley buys Sonoma’s Chateau St. Jean with plans to restore its former glory

• Robin and Andrea McBride—Committed to Innovation and Accessibility

• Old & Obscure Is New & Cool in Wine Country

• Taking responsibility for artistry in the vineyard

• Inside story: from student to educator, Richard Lane DipWSET

And there’s loads, loads more. So, sit back, relax, have a sip of this, that, and the other (because, heck, it’s the holidays and the list really is that long), and enjoy. Hope everyone out there is having a great start to their Holiday Season. Cheers my friends!

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Take a look at this week’s wine-centric news round up. A few call outs: Love this piece by Jeff Siegel about how the wine industry just needs to ‘calm down’ about all this DTC shipping legal craziness. Looks like the glassy winged sharpshooter has been found in Northern California wine country—that could be horrible if it turns out to be an infestation. Take a look at this piece I wrote for the Napa Valley Wine Academy answering the question—What is Rutherford Dust really?

Don’t forget to sign up for this year’s WINExpo, where I’ll be moderating a session on regenerative agriculture. And if you haven’t yet—please submit your nominee for who you think Wine’s Most Inspiring Person for 2021 should be.

That’s all from me for now. I will not be here next week as I prep for my next WSET Diploma Exam and then take a bit of time off to recover. Until the next time—drink good wine…cheers.

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