Carneros Wine Alliance Annual Spring Barrel Tasting ~ 2019
Who can define a regional American Viticultural Area (AVA) better: The collective marketing decisions from a gaggle of people, and a Webmaster who simply needs content? Or, the historian who did the research and development? I always begin my searches with the organizations. In this case, it’s the Carneros Wine Alliance and the Sonoma […]
LuxeSF has announced it’s Rising Wine Star Award recipients
LuxeSF, formerly the Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco, has announced its Rising Wine Stars Award recipients for 2019. The ceremony was held during their Seventh Annual Wineries Boot Camp, at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville. This was in the presence of over 300 wine industry marketing, sales and hospitality influentials, representing more than 100 […]
When It’s Traditional and It’s in Tuscany ~ Day 2
I was the guest of Castello di Meleto in Gaiole ~ In the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. Hosted by Antonia Caserta (sales manager), their winemaker Matteo Menicacci, and their agronomist Giovanni Maria Farina. Antonia translated, and I was also in the company of Michael Yurch (Bluest Sky Group) and Michael Apstein from Apstein On […]
Petaluma Gap Wines ~ Wildly Flavorful
[PHOTO: Dr. Mark Greenspan, borrowed from his Advanced Viticulture Website] From the famed viticulture expert Dr. Mark Greenspan in a Petaluma Gap Newsletter: According to viticulturist Mark Greenspan in this Wine Business Monthly article, “Wind is a significant factor in many regions [including] the Petaluma Gap of Sonoma County… We see thicker skins and more intense color in […]
When Opportunity Knocked ~ Siena Italy Was at the Door
[ALL PHOTO: Jo Diaz, unless noted otherwise. Shop in Sienna, Italy] PART 1 ~ CULTURE LEADS TO WINE AND FOOD In October of 2018, a door was opened for me by Bluest Sky Group, when I was invited to join a group of wine professionals traveling in Italy. We would be exploring the central wine regions of […]
How to Import Wine, An Insider’s Guide ~ Second Edition
How to Import Wine, An Insider’s Guide ~ Second Edition by Deborah M. Gray, is an important wine book for anyone importing wine; most especially for a novice in the aspects of our wine business. I once tried to get a novice to read this book, as I was working with the neophyte. That person […]
Top Wine and Spirits Books of 2018 ~ Belonging in Any Great Wine (Book) Library
Each year I enjoy putting a list together of the best wine books I read through the year. This year is no exception, and these books are each fabulous. Here are my 2018 Wine and Spirits Books, in alphabetical order. Happy shopping for your wine lovers. Regardless of the level of knowledge and interest, if you […]
Romancing the Grape ~ Relationship Selling for Hospitality Professionals
SAMPLE COPY from Lynda R. Paulson ~ PHOTO: Jo Diaz Romancing the Grape ~ Relationship Selling for Hospitality Professionals by Lynda R. Paulson should be mandatory reading for all winery tasting room personnel. This is always how I sold wine, while working in a tasting room, because my studies and background are in PR. That said, […]
Castello di Meleto: Gaiole in Chianti – Tuscany, The Adventure Begins with a View From the Bluest Sky
[PHOTO: Antonia Caserta of Castello di Meleto. All other images in this story were taken by Jo Diaz.] Day 1 – Flew into Rome as a guest of both Castello di Meleto in Gaiole ~ In the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany and Colonnara Viticultori in Cupramontana ~ In the Castelli di Jesi region of Le Marche […]
Château Pétrus Drives Record Breaking $1.5 Million Fine Wine Auction at Heritage
PHOTO: Heritage Auctions Today, I’m wearing my publisher hat, not my writer’s one. The following is a press release from Heritage Auctions. Having not attended, but having a keen interest in what’s happening in the world of wine, I see two distinct categories of who’s buying wine for what purposes. The first one is people who […]
