If there's one thing I've learned as a wine publicist, it's knowing where to draw the line. And, I had regrettably to do just that recently with an offer made by Tom Pinkson, Ph.D. Just for background of who Dr. Tom Pinkson is, from Tom's Website: For over 45 years I have traveled the globe […]

I hear this wonderment all of the time about Petite Sirah… "Why is it still so obscure?" Well, one would think that it is. What it is, though, is a best kept secret, sort of like my grandfather's blueberry patch. As a kid, we'd go blueberry picking, high up a mountainside in Wales, Maine. Even […]

PS I Love You‘s mission has always been, since 2002… To promote, educate, and legitimize Petite Sirah as a heritage variety, with a special emphasis on its terroir uniqueness. The only change that's now happening is that we're taking it away from a food and wine event, and getting it back to the heart of […]

Napa Valley’s Robert Biale Vineyards is joining forces with renowned chef Chris Cosentino of San Francisco's Cockscomb, at the James Beard Foundation’s Beard House in New York City. Small aside: I've been watching Robert Biale Vineyards since September 2004. It's a great cult winery. The day they became members of PS I Love You, I […]...

An Extraordinary Man Is Recognized: The Republic of Tea's Ron Rubin has been named to Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame… As his wine publicist, I was part of the first line of learning, then part of the distribution, and also provided some insights for copy about his continued commitment of excellence through his Rubin […]

It's  now been 10 years of wine blogging for me. My anniversary date is December 29, 2005. So, I celebrated on that day by not writing anything, and continuing with my last week of the year's stay-cation. I can now let a weekday go by and not feel that I have to write a blog […]

Happy New Year, everyone, from me and from Segura Viudas presenting Auld Lang Syne… In a most delightful way… Be safe out there tonight, tomorrow, all of 2016, and beyond.

What's the Claw Factor? Sauvignon Blanc is a wine that has a fascinating range and it deserves its own rating system, in my humble opinion. On one end of the spectrum, there are the commodity Sauvignon Blancs. You know, the ones that have no character, no finesse, and something important is missing (like flavors). On […]

My wine blog is my wine journal as a wine publicist. I don't always write about the wine business, in the process. I'm a stream of consciousness kinda gal. As random as my blog appears to be, there's one constant thread… My love of writing. And since I write about wine all day, sometimes I […]

Angel on my tree, Miss Polly Klass, how I do miss thee. As the angles come out each Christmas to adorn our time of generosity, There you are. Someone finds you in a box marked fragile, mostly me, and hangs you on our holiday tree. I am reminded of you, Polly Klass, who returned to […]

I'm very familiar with American Ag Credit. They're exemplary when it comes to supporting the farming community (which includes viticulture). The agriculture credit company has an acute understanding of how important it is to not only enrich the present generation of farmers, but to also guarantee that future farmers are provided with enrichment opp...

I'm ever thankful that Ron Rubin of The Republic of Tea contacted me three years ago… My life (via Diaz Communications) took an upswing. Not only had Ron been in the tea business for a couple of decades at the time, but he had also spent his entire life in the beverage industry. Ron Rubin […]

Water feels so good on my face, when I haven't felt it for a long time. Oh, yeah… misty glasses, tiny drops upon my life. Huh…. (‘Huh' always reminds me of James Brown, but that's another story.) Life in wine country as a wine publicist, now taking a few precious moments for my soul… with […]

Simply Italian 2015 US Tour, continued… These are the people and brands that I found to be extremely engaging, soulful, and my pleasure to have met at the Simply Italian 2015 US Tour. Produced by the Italian Wine & Style Promotion company this past October, it was held in San Francisco's opulent Fairmont Hotel. All […]

Simply Italian 2015 US Tour, continued… These are the people and brands that I found to be extremely engaging, soulful, and my pleasure to have met at the Simply Italian 2015 US Tour. Produced by the Italian Wine & Style Promotion company this past October, it was held in San Francisco's opulent Fairmont Hotel. All […]

[This stunningly beautiful image, of the Fairmont in San Francisco, has been provided by the Fairmont Hotel. It's an important picture, because it sets the stage for this amazing Simply Italian Great Wines US tour. All of the stops were pulled out, as you can see.] Steve Heimoff once said to me, "If I accepted […]

Certainly, I could also add Official Wine of Millennial American Females to this title, but the title itself would just be too darn long… I know plenty of women who also love Petite Sirah. Petite loves that the Millennials are gravitating toward this "ain't your papa's Cabernet" wine. I've always felt the same way about […]...

Want to really impress your wine lover this holiday season? A membership to the original Wine of the Month Club might make that just so easy… This is an image of what I received. I was amazed, when this package arrived. I responded to Wine of the Month Club, when asked if I would consider […]

Image via Wikipedia For all of the words that are used in writing about a vineyard's climate terroir, there are significant differences with each. If you don't have the luxury of a viticulture class close by, or you're just too busy to attend a class, here's a good primer. Vit 101 brought some interesting concepts […]

Step 2 in the writing of a winemaker biography After the questions and answers from yesterday's story, along with all extra research that has been digested, the next three steps of the four-step process begins. Reminder of the four-step process: DONE: Thinking, planning, and researching your subject, in order to begin writing Writing Editing Rewrit...

How to write a winemaker biography ~ Step 1 Writing is a four-step process: Thinking, planning, and researching your subject, in order to begin writing Writing Editing Rewriting (as many times as it takes, to get it as perfect as possible) With as many winemakers as I've had the pleasure of meeting and with whom […]

Each year I enjoy putting a list together of the best wine and food books I read throughout the year. This year is no exception. Here are my 2015 Wine and Spirits Books. Angels, Thieves, and Winemakers ~ Second Edition, by Joseph Mills Every bit as good as his first edition; Joe Mills begins this […]

If I were writing my own autobiography, I might have come up with this title, The Charlemagne Connection. Direct descendant of Charlemagne, including his first born Pepin the Short Pepin born from Charlemagne's first wife, and heir to the throne This genealogy led to Kings of Scot Which lead to the Reverend William Blackstone, who […]

I'm really pleased that I was asked to consider giving publicity to a new travels series called Beyond Bordeaux. The LCBO Broadcast Production Group‘s series takes us beyond the obvious… the wines. When I had time to review the episodes, I was hooked. Culture, baby. If you want to know a wine region, learn the […]

There is a huge difference between Indigenous versus autochthonous, I've just learned. On Facebook I wrote. "Every now and then you meet someone w-a-y smarter than you. "And HE said that there are NO indigenous grape varieties in Italy." This was in reference to an experience I had just had in San Francisco, when I […]

I'm so thankful for a wonderful family, now all over the US (Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Colorado, Atlanta, Puerto Rico, Florida, and California). This all happened in my generation. (Incredible!) My friends are all over the globe, and that number has greatly expanded via social media. Where are you from? Places I've yet to ...

Viader is in the House of Scorpio… And, Welcome… November 25's full moon is going to be with the Sun in Scorpio (dig deeper detective), opposing the Moon in Taurus (strong builder on a solid foundations.) In my wine work, I've noticed that Delia Viader exemplifies these characteristics with her cult wine standing. Delia Viader, […...

Continued from yesterday… This collection has inspired the following story. Each wine is fitting of any Thanksgiving celebration, and also popped into my head as I looked at the world map on the treasure chest, that we're all one from around the globe. White 2014 Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, Produced by Concha y Toro ~ […]

You've heard the saying, "my cup runneth over," right? Well, this is my Thanksgiving, so I'm sharing the bounty in any way that I can. Life has delivered all of this over the last month or so. The basket and its wine has arrived from Wine of The Month Club. Its contents will be going […]

I HATE making mistakes. I'm really hard on myself, but not as hard as I used to be, or some others might even be… A Wine Writer, a White Feather, and a Wine Maker A mistake realization always brings me back to my Happy Daze, and how I learned to ease up on myself and […]

Sara Matthews is going to be in California shooting in both May and September. If you'd like to have her photograph your wine world, because you might benefit from her eye and perspective, let her know. She normally spends a day or two at a winery to create a whole portfolio of images, which you […] The post Sara Matthews ~ A photographer wit...

[All images are from Dr. Jeronimo Rodriques.] Cabernet labrusco is the successful creation of a brand new red grapevine variety, which has recently been achieved in South Africa, called ‘Cabernet labrusco.' This makes it an indigenous grape to South Africa. From his Cabernet labrusco Website: In 1994, Dr. Jerry Rodrigues crossed two Vitis vin...

Definition of indigenous: "…originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country; native (often followed by to): the plants indigenous to Canada; the indigenous peoples of southern Africa. 2. innate; inherent; natural (usually followed by to): feelings indigenous to human beings." From this definition, can we find many indigeno...

In a message from Ronald Rens, M. Sc., Wine Master, wine writer, and president of the Bordeaux Wine Experience: Cheers from Bordeaux, International solidarity after the callous attack on our Western Civilization… Bonjour Jo, It's not going to happen. I was shocked by the callous attacks in Paris last Friday and we mourn those that were [̷...

[Image of Bill and Gerry Brinton, with Laura Martinez, on the right.] A few years ago, I took a cheese class in the home of Bill and Gerry Brinton. Since the holidays are upon us, here's that primer by Laura Martinez of The Artisan Palate. Each cheese had a unique style, and offered something companionable […] The post Wine and Cheese Pairing...

Years ago, when we were both working for Concannon Vineyard, Adam Richardson was hired to be their winemaker, while I was already their PR consultant. I had the joy of writing Adam's bio for the winery. At the time, Adam had a strong background with Gallo. If you want to learn the wine business on […] The post Adam Richardson ~ Then and Now a...

[Image of the Douro was purchased.] When we think of wines, we think, "Port." And it's a beginning. These "Porto" wines are from the Douro Region of Portugal. That would be right, except there's so much more to the Douro. It begins with their terroir, the most unusual in the world. To think I was […] The post Wines from the Douro Region of Po...

Winesellers, Ltd. Named "Importer of The Year" by Wine Enthusiast Magazine Why I'm especially jazzed is because in the past year, I've been asked and responded to tasting their imported wines. It's enriched my life and palate, because I'm able to taste wines from all around the world… Wines I would otherwise have missed. To […] The post...

On November 14 and 15, 2015, Oak Knoll Winery is again getting its Gris on. Long standing proponent of Oregon Pinot Gris, Oak Knoll Winery has historically supported this variety. And, it has good reason to do so… Pinot Gris is the state's largest wine grape crop. Many would love to have Chardonnay catch up […] The post Get Your Gris On...

Once upon a time, in a tasting room, not so far away, I as telling some visitors about wine having health benefits. They thought that was pretty cool. They bought some wine (for their health), and left to visit more wineries. As soon as they left, my tasting room manger came flying around the corner […] The post Food does not grow in boxes ap...

FIRST THE ACCOMPANYING BOOK: The Carménère Wines of Chile, from the Cachapoal Valley, originally published in 1990. Class act: Along with these three wines pictured below, I also received "Red Grapes, Hidden Treasure: The Carmenere Wines of Chile, from the Cachapoal Valley." The book is gorgeous, and I'm about to get a major knowledge bump […...

I received the newly released Second Edition of Angels, Thieves, and Winemakers, by Joseph Mills. Every bit as good as his first edition, he begins this journey with his penchant  for humor, but then he leans into more thoughtfully provocative musings. "This second edition contains new poems, completely revised poems, and a re-arranged sequence." A...

Suisun Valley Grape Growers (Suisun Valley Vintners and Grape Growers Association) hired Paul Skinner of Terra Spase to create weather stations in their pastoral appellation; and, that's what "put them on the map." This is according to Roger King, the president of the Suisun Valley Vintners and Winegrape Growers Association. They hired Paul Skinner...

If you're not familiar, Portuguese historical adventures have created an abundant food and wine legacy, for which they are most proud… while being very humble about it as the same time. During the past 3,000 years, Portugal experienced an ebb and flow of different civilizations invading their country. From Iberian to Tartessian, Celtic, Phoen...

Happy Halloween and Boo! The post Happy Halloween! appeared first on Wine Blog.

Tangled Vines is one of the most fascinating wine history books I've read to date… I dove in, nearly drowned from the greed, murder, obsession, arson… Two decades in the wine business and this is nothing that I knew about, except for Mark Anderson's horrific deed… But, even that was limited. I almost vomited when […] The pos...

Wine bottle names and their capacity is always a fun question for those trivia moments. Split ~ 186 milliliters ~ 1/4 bottle Half bottle ~ 375 milliliters Bottle/Fifth ~ 1 bottle Magnum ~ 2 bottles Burgundy Jeroboam ~ 4 bottles Rehoboam ~ 6 bottles Methuselah ~ 8 bottles Salmanazar ~ 12 bottles Balthazar ~ 16 […] The post Wine Bottle Names an...

Winemaker Marty Johnson is a Facebook friend of mine. We've been friends for a long time, if now feels like, and the exchanges have always been good. I learn from him, and he helps me to teach others; especially during my Vit 101 series. Marty is Winemaker/Cellar Master at Eaton Hill Winery [If you click […] The post Winemaker Marty Johnson a...

Oct 27, 2015: Today, the Libra Sun is opposite the Aries Moon (Balance from Libra, and martial energy from Aries; it's a powerful one, people, and what's in your glass could give you great balance is a very energizing way. Are you ready for that kind of energy? (I am.) I stopped being an astrologer […] The post This Full Moon in Libra calls f...