Dear Undercover Boss Rick Tigner, why was I chosen to be involved?
[Image borrowed from The Press Democrat’s site: KENT PORTER/The Press Democrat] FROM THE PD: In an upcoming episode of CBS’s hit series, Undercover Boss, Rick Tigner, president of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, gets choked up during the hour-long reality show. Production of the show started last spring, around the time that Tigner’s boss and mentor, wine […]
The Diminishing of Writing: This is What It’s Reduced To, Boys and Girls
On the back end of wine website Roulé Rogue, a blog for which I’m now writing , this was what the spam said as it laid there waiting for my approval. Now, understand how ridiculous this is; because, being an author on a blog is a backstage pass, perhaps even having the duty of approving […]
Everything on the Internet is Free, Including Customer Service
Everything on the Internet is free, including customer service for something you haven’t paid for… It’s become a funny world. I enjoy sharing the requests I get, because they always hit me with a “What?” moment, and getting them out of me is great stress release. This is a new one… Dear Jo: Hello, I […]
Is This a Diamond in the Rough Story?
I remember reading a story by Cyril Penn in August, on WineBusiness.com, and I was flying by my seat of my pants at the time, but it hadn’t left my frontal lobe. The story was called, Coppola’s Attorneys Lay Claim to the Word Diamond and or Diamond Shapes, and I thought, “What?” It’s a great […]
Finding that paradigm shift in PR, when things aren’t going well
Sometimes humor can work to diffuse what’s sure to become a PR nightmare; but it’s got to be handled really well, or it could easily backfire. I have to admit that I’m relentless, when it comes to advocating for any underdog. I have a mission, and I’m like a pit bull that’s latched onto someone’s […]
Everybody’s got a Petite Sirah, and why not?
When I began keeping records on Petite Sirah, there were slightly over 60 growers and producers of Petite Sirah in California – combined. That was in 2002. Today, only eight years later, there are now 126 growers + 723 producers. That’s 849 companies, 90 percent of them in California with a Petite Sirah. I see […]
Lisboa ~ I Was Visiting a Monastery and a Play Broke Out
The culture of wine transcends what’s in the vineyard, in the wine cellar, and what’s in the glass. It takes all of that into account, and it also the people, the customs (including foods) and the arts. When I study wine, I immerse myself in every single aspect of it, most especially if I’m traveling. […]
Oscars 2010: Pre Oscar Party in Hollywood With Client Tequila Semental
And, I interviewed Alex Trebek of Jeopardy, former proprietor of Creston Vineyards. [See below for more details and image.] Talk about glamour… Fashion and elegance… Hollywood event producer Anita Talbert (Hollywood Award Suites) has again just executed on what was one of the most amazing events I’ve ever seen in the posh Beverly Hills Hotel […]
From Rock n’Roll to Rock n’Wine
[Above is one of favorite rocker images that I shot of Mark Andes from Heart, while he performed in Portland, Maine in the 80’s.] I’ve been keeping a file/blog postings of those who are/were in the rock n’roll world, who have now also segued into the wine world. Why? Because that’s what I lived in […]
From Randall Grahm, Steve Heimoff, and Charlie Palmer to Sean Thackrey, Steve Heimoff, and Hardy Wallace
Yesterday’s blog entry was about a Healdsburg soiree into the night life with Randall Grahm (Bonny Doon Vineyards), Steve Heimoff, and Hardy Wallace of Dirty South Wine and a Very Goode Job at Murphy Goode, and Jose Diaz. Today’s blog is about another fantastic adventure. Off we all went into the hills of Marin, to […]
