Mudgee Wine Region

One of the post-excursions offered after the 2019 Wine Media Conference was a trip to visit the wineries in the Mudgee Region in New South Wales. Our group was made up of 19 wine writers on “a wine summer camp bus trip” .

Fizzle, Fad, or Future

There is a saying attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who said, “The only thing that is constant is change”. I think if he lived in our current time, he would amend that statement to say, “The only thing that is constant is change, from one thing to another, and then back again”. Yes everything […]

Wine Traveler Necessities

I travel quite a bit, as a wine blogger and in my professional life as well. I have traveled all over the world. Wherever I travel, whether I’m driving or flying to get to my destination, when I get there, I’m having wine. Good wine, bad wine, red wine or white wine, with a goat […]

Biggest Concern, Climate Change or Bad Weather?

As a blogger about the wine industry, I pay attention to trends and stories in the news about the wine industry. One trend that is constantly in the news is climate change and how it will affect the wine growers and wineries. A quick Google search of climate change and wineries shows 47,200 results in […]

Science Fiction Meets Burgundy

I like science fiction movies and books. Many of the stories involve science ensuring man’s survival after technology ran amok and nearly killed off mankind due to some mad scientist. Spaceships sent to the far reaches of space with the last of mankind, to repopulate a new world, a futuristic Noah’s Ark. Often in these […]

Judgement of Paris, a Win, or a Loss?

That May day in 1976, a magical day for Americans and American wines. That day we had two wines, a California Chardonnays and a California Cabernet Sauvignon that were selected as winners in a blind taste test by French wine experts. That day we proved we could make a copy of a French wine good […]

Négociant Winery

When asked why he chose to open an Urban Winery, Zane Mumford, Co-owner and Co-winemaker of Négociant Winery, said, “Growing sucks. Farming is hard, and I wanted the ability to create wine that could express itself, without carrying the risk of growing the grapes myself.” “When I was doing research for my business plan [on […]

Vinavanti -Drink Adventurously

“Go ahead, count the number of truly unique new world wine flavor profiles, I bet you can do it on two hands.” Eric Van Drunen, President and winemaker of Vinavanti Winery challenged me. It wasn’t really a challenge, as we were in the middle of a deep discussion that I think defined the why. Why […]