When I think of Extraordinary Wine Careers, I think of the affable Kerry Damskey
Kerry Damskey, of Terroirs, Inc. [PHOTO: property of Damskey, Inc. All rights reserved.] Indiana Jones of Wine… Making Gold from Dust! I personally love adventure. I love travel. I love being brave to the point of fearlessness; even sometimes in what I love writing. This is evidenced by my first wine-blog dare: Everyone Has a […]
Open Letter to the Wine Producers of the World
My musing again; and, this is mostly directed at USA’s wine industry leaders… I was just reminded, by my friend and colleague Dr. Michael Apstein (Boston Globe), about the weight of wine bottles these days. And this isn’t new news. It’s been going on for years and it’s an American thing. Competition makes companies think […]
Robert (Bob) Pepi: Series Devoted to Decades in Wine
SIGNIFICANT ROOTS Reshaping one’s life is very empowering. Travel does it to us. As you know, America is such a melting pot, and having that opportunity to visit one’s native DNA land is very special. [Native Americans were the first people to migrate here, crossing the Bering Strait as early as 30,000 years ago.] So, […]
As the World Turns, So Does Wine Importing as the Heartbeat of International Wine Dreams
Let me begin by writing about a past conversation I had with one of my contacts, who works in the Pentagon, whose identity I’m going to keep private. I will say, he knows enough to have called this one, and I’ve watched it all happen to be true. When the Democrats are in power, it’s […]
My Funniest Wine Industry Discrimination Story Ever ~ It’s a Classic
As if discrimination is ever funny; still this one is a classic and continues to make me chuckle. A few years ago, while minding my own business, the phone rang. “Hello, this is Diaz Communications.” Amiable man on the other end of the phone, “I’d like to speak with Jo Diaz, please.” “This is she.” […]
Napa Valley Beyond the Fires, Small Family Farms Are Bureaucratically Being Squeezed Out
In the event you’ve not heard about this grassroots effort, here it is again, as we wonder so much about Napa Valley these days… SAVE THE FAMILY FARMS “Save the Family Farms” is a group of owner-occupied grape growers, who make wine in Napa Valley and classify ourselves as “micro-producers.” We are small operations and […]
When you leave part of your heart in France ~ Château Sainte-Béatrice is partly responsible
What a charming little village Lorgues is, located in the Côtes de Provence region of France. This area bespoke France to me. It’s a region rich in viticultural history; and, is actually known to be the birth of Mediterranean wine grape growing. (From the Mediterranean Sea, the Romans entered France coming into this region.) Provence […]
Impulse buying, because you know…. Wine Marketing 101
I saw this bottle. I had no intention of buying any wine, I was just out to get some fruits and veggies, and a rotisserie chicken for my cat Buddy (in lieu of canned cat food). I was in Oliver’s Grocery Store in Windsor, California. As I turned from the rotisserie display, there it was… […]
“What Varietal is That,” A Beginners Guide to the Most Important Grape Varieties
What Varietal is That? A Beginners Guide to the Most Important Grape Varieties, written by Darby Higgs, is a great little reference book… something you take with you on trips into wine land places, to keep check of seeing the grape leaves, clusters, and vines, while reading about them and taking notes right then and […]
Kathleen Willcox – A Wine Writer’s Name to Remember, Read, and Enjoy
It’s been a while since I’ve shared information about other wine writers. There certainly has been a cadre of new people, I just haven’t been as aggressive as I was when I first started my blog, spending weekends and then scheduling for the week, as I did, starting in 2005. It was pre small and […]
