Happy weekend-ing. Hope you got a tall glass of wine on hand, because we’ve got a hefty news reel for you this week. Rock on my wine friends…

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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.

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. ✌️🍷💚

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Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

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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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Hello everybody! This week has been so crazy I didn’t think there was any way I’d be able to keep up with the news. I did, though! Like last week’s post I’ll be highlighting a few projects at the top. Most importantly—this weekend is your last chance to submit nominees for Wine Industry Advisor’s Most Inspiring People awards. So if there’s someone in the wine industry that’s been particularly inspiring to you, please submit his/her/thier name here.

Below that, there’s loads of interesting wine-related news. And of course don’t forget to check out independent media (aka the Blogs), and even a few interesting Press Releases.

NOTE: I will not be posting again until following the Thanksgiving holiday. That being said, you can reach me at any time—and don’t hesitate to do so. I love hearing from you all, even if it’s just a quick hello.

Cheers and have a fab weekend and excellent Thanksgiving. Be kind to one another.

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