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 […]
2018 Champagne Harvest Update ~ The Report is Exceptional
From COMITÉ Champagne, France: Progress for the 2018 Champagne harvest: it appears to be an exceptional year for their sparkling wine. SIDEBAR for anyone new to sparkling wine: sparkling wine can only be called “Champagne,” if it comes from the region of Champagne, France. This appellation is just outside of Paris. (It is any wonder that Paris is also […]
Dr. Petite Rosenblum, My Mentor and Friend, and Memories by PSILY Members
Jose walked into my office, saying, “Oh, boy, as his voice went down on the “boy.” Then all went silent. “What!” I demanded to know. “Why say that and then say nothing?” I wondered. “Kent Rosenblum is gone.” Gone? Stunned. Just stunned. I couldn’t even say anything. So much raced through my head, including […]
2018 Vineyard Economics Seminar program on Monday, June 18, 2018
The 2018 Vineyard Economics Seminar: Register here… An expert panel will be kicking off the first major discussion of the day, which is a focus on wine country agriculture, the latest in land acquisitions, and what that means for the future. In this panel, five industry experts will journey through a discussion about availability, demand, […]
Business is Not a One-Way Street ~ PR 101
[Photo by Mahdis Mousavi on Unsplash] Here’s how to think about the bigger picture: So, you get someone onto the task of giving you a list of wine bloggers. The time is taken to build the list. Someone in your company writes glorious stories about how fabulous you are. It gets formatted into an email […]
