Hello my people and happy weekend—happy long weekend for those who may have the three-day due to President’s Day on Monday. What is up with me, you ask? Well this weekend, I’ll be moderating the Rhone Rangers Experience in Paso Robles. Looking forward to seeing folks I haven’t seen in awhile, making some new friends, and of course tasting some fabulous wines.
What else? Oh yes, I’ve started teaching WSET classes, most recently at the newly created Odyssey Wine Academy. It’s so wonderful to share the knowledge and passion I’ve acquired over the years through my studies with fellow wine enthusiasts.
Alright, that’s all of my selfish news. You can find the real news below. Enjoy!
Hello and happy weekend my people. Crazy busy week here and just as an FYI there will be no posts next week, as I will be taking my last WSET Diploma exam (fortification), so you can understand where my focus will be, I hope. This week I want to call attention to an article I wrote for Wine Enthusiast, “The Wine Industry Pledged to Improve Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity. Has Anything Changed?” This piece was a labor of love. I spoke to a lot of people in preparation for this article, some of whom aren’t even mentioned but whose insight and advice were much appreciated whilst researching and writing. I have to say one of the reasons that this piece means so much to me is that I, myself, had to confront this issue—believe it or not—while writing this article. I won’t go into detail about the who, what, where, when, why, but I will say that experiencing first-hand the ignorance within our industry, again, while writing an article on equity in the wine industry, was very telling to me just how much more work has to be done.
With that spirit in mind, I want to call out that Julia Coney—writer, educator, speaker and founder of Black Wine Professionals (who also allowed me to speak with her for the above mentioned article)—has been named one of Wine Industry’s Most Inspiring People by Wine Industry Advisor. Well deserved, indeed. She’s not only an excellent business woman, an extremely intelligent wine educator, and just a down-right nice person—she’s also on the frontlines of confronting the industry’s need for more diversity, equity, and inclusivity. But, as Julia says in this article, she cannot do it alone. We cannot rely on certain individuals to make the noise, raise the alarms, call the industry to action. This as to be a group effort.
We cannot be what we want to become by remaining who we are.
As always, there’s plenty more to read. So I hope you have a good glass of wine on hand as you scroll through. Wishing all the best in the week ahead. ✌️🍷💚
You guys, things have been so crazy busy lately. You may (or may not) have noticed I missed last week. I almost didn’t make this week either. But here I am with two-weeks worth of booze-news round up. Although, for some of you I’m sure a few of these are more ‘olds’ than news.
I want to, of course, call out a few projects I’ve been working on that finally got released. I’m particularly proud of this profile on dual winemaker-ICU nurse, Jane Khoury who splits her time caring for the critically ill and taking lead in her family’s wine production. As, hopefully, you all know, I’m continuing through my WSET Diploma course. I most recently completed my D3 Wines of the World exam (both theory and tasting portions) and am moving onto my D4 Sparkling Wines of the World section. It can be overwhelming, sometimes devastating. Here’s a little diddy I put together for the Napa Valley Wine Academy (where I study) about what success in wine really looks like. And here’s a brief interview I did for Wine Industry Advisor—it’s not fancy, but you can learn a bit more about me. You know, if interested.
There’s loads more, including some interesting press releases. So scroll all the way through, whist sipping some wine of course. Read, learn, have fun. Cheers.
It’s been another week already. Hope yours went well. And I hope you enjoy this weeks booze-news round up. I’ll start with my oh-so-famous shameless self-promotion and point you this profile piece I wrote for Wine Enthusiast on Randall Grahm. Personal anecdote: way back when, Randall was the first winemaker I ever interviewed. I was such a newbie, asking basic winemaking questions as we tasted through 20+ of his wines. He’s a teacher at heart, and though my questions may be more complicated than they were back then, he’s still the kind, patient, and excited winemaker I know and love. He continues to be one of my favorite people in the industry to interview. So cheers to that.
Speaking of leadership in the industry, Kathleen Willcox has a great piece about wineries not just hiring more females for vineyard work, but creating a nurturing environment where these women can thrive and advance in their viticultural careers. Cheers to that. Oh and no big deal, but there may just be a cure to Pierce’s Disease…
When it comes to the next new thing in wine you may want to take a look at Kansas. (I guess there’s no place like home…). But, it looks like canned wine is a brushed up old has-been. Or is it?
What else? So much more. Take some time, scroll, read, learn, enjoy, leave a comment if you so desire. Have a great weekend.
