Make sure you have a glass of wine for this. Today, I'm not able to blog, so this blog post was created ahead of time, when I DID have time to blog. So, today, I'm going to leave you in the hands of Henri, le Chat Noir. Henri 9 – "Blight of Spring" Henri le […] The post *Meet Henri – Henri le Chat Noir appeared first on Wine Blog....

PR 101: Don't make promises that you can't keep. A broken promise is not good PR. I love queries; they're very insightful, and this is one of the most fascinating, yet. Her QUERY on July 21 Hi Jo, Hope you are well! As you may know, July 27 marks National Scotch Day – a great […] The post A funny broken promise ~ PR 101 appeared first o...

Having started the Petite Sirah wine advocacy group called PS I Love You, I know that I've read at least 95 percent of all the stories on Petite Sirah, since 2002. They've even been listed on the PSILY site in the Reviews section, dates all included with the authors and their views. Oh, the spellings, […] The post Petite sirah isn't petite, a...

If you ask anyone in France, "What's terroir all about?" not only will that person tell you in words, but his hands… and even his entire body… will go into action. ?A word created by French vignerons, you can bet your bippy that it means something, and it's worth writing about it for the uninitiated. […] The post Terroir, what's t...

WARNING: If you?re in the wine business, this is only VIT 101. This blog story has been created for people just learning about vineyards. Please judge accordingly. VIT 101 ~ Sour Grapes It all began with updating the cluster photograph for the VIT 101 story. This one right here. When I looked at it the […] The post VIT 101 ~ 10 ~ Sour Grapes ...

Outstanding people and wines… and those behind them are equally vibrant and true. Kick Ranch Vineyards… Dick Keenan invited all of the wine brands that purchase his grapes, to make their own wines. And, they gathered last Thursday…. Yesterday I wrote: I just attended a wine tasting at Kick Ranch Vineyard. Owner Richard (Dick) Keen...

Randy Arnold of Barefoot Cellars… He's one of those people who you work with for a few months, and then he impacts your life forever. [This image of Randy Arnold is borrowed from the Website of Barefoot Wines.] Randy Celebrating 25 Years With Barefoot Cellars With Barefoot, Randy Arnold's been there since the beginning. In […] The post ...

It's really difficult to promote oneself, which is why PR and marketing companies are chosen to do that task for others. No one can say, "Aren't I great?" without losing credibility. Find a cheerleader, and your story will reach new heights; brag about yourself and you're cooked. My greatest experience in self promotion In the […] The post Ar...

WARNING: If you?re in the wine business, this is only VIT 101. This blog story has been created for people just learning about vineyards. Please judge accordingly. Vit 101 ~ 9 ~ Veraison VIT 101: On June 20, our cluster had absolutely no red pigment coming? into the grapes. Slowly, but surely, the color is […] The post Vit 101 ~ 9 ~ Veraison ...

Being on the team who worked toward a press release for one of my own clients (The Rubin Family of Wines), with Sonoma State University's Wine Spectator Learning Center, I was made very aware of who are the philanthropic leaders in the wine business. It came with a few, surprises. Nice ones, to be sure… […] The post Who Are The Philanth...

I've been big on posting the latest pitches from those wanting to get inside wine bloggers sites with their own plants. Let this one go down historically as the "best yet" for a social media marketing requests… Perhaps "the best ever," even. They are noticeably evolving in a more sophisticated pitch. Am I tempted? No… […] The post...

One of my clients asked Jose and me, "What are your thoughts about this article." It was called, "Understanding the Paradigm Shift in Wine Writing." It's on the Sober Advice From Two Wine Publicists Website. The lead paragraph: It seems like the traditional, legacy media is dropping its coverage of wine at a pretty swift […] The post The Para...

This has been a wine bloggers question since wine blogging began. It's a topic of conversation both in seminars and outside of them at the annual Wine Blogger Conferences. No one has yet to figure it out, but I now have, after much thought. I have no such fantasies, by the way, because my wine […] The post How to monetize your wine blog ̵...

No offense, Andy. More Brewhaha and More Bluehaha rhyme. You know how story titles go, to capture people into a story. You have my utmost respect. The Tasting Panel Magazine with Meridith May (publisher, editor) has been a true champion of Petite Sirah in the past. Today (yesterday as you read this), it was brought […] The post More brewhaha ...

Trauma Drama – "PS I Love You has done nothing to educate consumers," he wrote, when asked to provide content for a Petite Sirah story about to be written. I was aghast. This is someone who's closely watched PS I Love You for the last 14 years, and someone who has make some promises, but […] The post Trauma Drama and Obama appeared firs...

Around the Wine World in Eight Days – New Zealand continued   Turkey – Tuesday Chile – Wednesday Argentina – Thursday France – Friday And we're taking off the weekend, sightseeing in France Spain – Monday Germany – Tuesday Australia – Wednesday New Zealand – Thursday — and today's con...

Today is the eighth day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days, so today is New Zealand. It's also a lovely ending to a massive project that I decided to undertake. I've come to think of it as a self-inflicted education, due to the massiveness of it all. The most significant part of this […] The post Around the Wine World in Eight Days –...

Today is the seventh day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days, so today is Australia! Turkey – Tuesday Chile – Wednesday Argentina – Thursday France – Friday And we took off the weekend, sightseeing in France Spain – Monday Germany – Tuesday Australia – Wednesday New Zealand – Thursday   Top 10...

Today is the sixth day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days, so today is Germany! Turkey – Tuesday Chile – Wednesday Argentina – Thursday France – Friday And we took off the weekend, sightseeing in France Spain – Monday Germany – Tuesday Australia – Wednesday New Zealand – Thursday Top 10 Things abo...

Today is the fifth day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days.? ?Ole, Jose, it's Spanish wine day! Turkey – Tuesday Chile – Wednesday Argentina – Thursday France – Friday And we took off the weekend, sightseeing in France Spain – Monday Germany – Tuesday Australia – Wednesday New Zealand – Thursday To...

Today is the fourth day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days, so today is France! Turkey – Tuesday Chile – Wednesday Argentina – Thursday France – Friday And we're taking off the weekend, sightseeing in France Spain – Monday Germany – Tuesday Australia – Wednesday New Zealand – Thursday   Top 1...

Today is the third day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days, so today is Argentina day. I'm a huge fan of Argentinean wines. They're done to perfect. What I've got listed here are all highly recommended wines, just late me state that and then you into South America! Turkey – Tuesday Chile – […] The post Around the Wine World in ...

Today is the second day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days, so today is Chile! Turkey – Tuesday Chile – Wednesday Argentina – Thursday France – Friday And we're taking off the weekend, sightseeing in France Spain – Monday Germany – Tuesday Australia – Wednesday New Zealand – Thursday   Top 10...

Today is the first day of Around the Wine World in Eight Days. It seems fitting that we start where wine grape growing and winemaking all began, in the cradle of humanity ~ Turkey. It's intriguing that where it began has very little exposure in the world. The focus for winemaking seems to have deep […] The post Around the Wine World in Eight ...

For those of you wine writers, who are looking for an interesting assignment, this may be right up your alley. Richard Keenan of Kick Ranch and Overland Wines is hosting a special wine media event on Thursday, July 23, in his vineyards in Rincon Valley, Santa Rosa, California. This assignment is NOT open to the […] The post Interesting Assign...

Around the Wine World in Seven Days is going to be a celebration of my appreciation for the wine import brands that have discovered and appreciate Wine Blog as a resource. I've always had winged feet. If it's from somewhere else, I want to exploring it all. While my immediate neighborhood has always been import-ant […] The post Around the Win...

Bring on the hard ciders from France The post Hard Ciders from France… Wait, let me put on my Fleur de Lys hat! appeared first on Wine Blog.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. The post Protected: Bob Ecker – Petite Sirah appeared first on Wine Blog.

This is a Public Service Announcement: I just got another one of those E-Mails. Dear Friends, It would be greatly appreciated if you could help us spread the word about our new Pinot Noir Rose?s. It's our third Pinot Noir release, but it's the first time we've made it as a?Rose?, and we're pretty excited […] The post How can I promote a wine ...

Wine pros, if you also see yourself, enjoy what you're seeing… It's all great fun. This was first published in Wine Business Monthly. Under the name of Road Warrior Survival Guide. It's one of my rants, and it was born from being on the road a bit too much (I think) at the time. While […] The post Wine Pros are the best resource for hum...

This one is r-e-a-l-l-y close to the Bay Area, is one of those "far from the madding crowd" type of events. Come and Taste the Wines of Suisun Valley This Saturday June 20th, 2015 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company Purchase tickets now online LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE Join the Suisun […] The post Uncorked! in Suisun ...

Much needed. Back to blogging on June 17, 2015. Be well! — jo The post V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N appeared first on Wine Blog.

Wine writer Dick Rosano has finished writing and has published another wine book. Author of other these previously released wine books: Tuscan Blood: A mystery set at a winery in Tuscany Hunting Truffles:A mystery involving the grant theft of truffles in Alba, Italy Wine Heritage: The Story of Italian-American Vintners And now, Wine Trivia: In [...

The 2015 Russian River Valley Passport Weekend (formerly called Passport to Pinot) will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28, 2015.? More than 30 acclaimed wineries in the premier AVA for world-class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other cool-climate-loving varieties will share current, early, and limited release wines. The images on t...

The biggest shock early on was visiting an artisan winery, asking for the "trade discount," and being asked a question in return… "Are you a winery principle?" I was stopped dead in my tracks. I was new to the wine business and the tasting room I was working in was filled with people constantly throwing […] The post Consider the trade d...

Who has the most indigenous grapes? I once wrote that Portugal has more indigenous grape varieties than any other country in the world. At the time (June 17, 2010) I was entrenched in Portugal, it's culture, it's people, its wines. I then glimpsed that Italy also declared that it had more indigenous grape varieties, but […] The post Italy is ...

Scenario: I get an Email, asking if I would want a story by Vic Lance, founder and president of Lance Surety Bond Associates. A surety bond expert who helps small businesses get licensed and bonded. Vic graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Business Administration and holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from […] Th...

Headed to Theopolis Vineyards, Jose and I were so excited to get out of our "seven days a week" home office. We weren't the frame of mind to be paying strict attention to all of our details. It was a gorgeous Saturday, and we were headed for an adventure. We entered the Yorkville Highlands on […] The post Theopolis Vineyards to The Rescue ...

Sean Piper, of Napa Vintage Wines, just posted the following on his Facebook page: "Dear Wine Consumers: You don't have to pay top dollar for wine, but there are reasons you might want to." Of course – it got creative juice flowing about what would be number 7. Doesn't something provocative do this to you, […] The post Number 7 reason w...

Those who accepted the trip were told that there was no room reserved for Monday night, so after a long day tasting, they were told to make their our way home. The post PR gone awry, horribly so appeared first on Wine Blog.

As a public service, just in case some of you might have missed this important one… 2015 Wine Industry Technology Symposium WITS 2015 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN… Join 400+ Fellow Wine Industry Executives and Managers at the 11th Annual Wine Industry Technology Symposium Our 11th Annual Wine Industry Technology Symposium promises to be our...

Dick Keenan's Kick Ranch Get Together As I was talking with Rick Baum, Dick Keenan's designated consumer, I was thinking to myself, "I'm continually amazed at how easily I get along with lawyers." That's because, it's in my DNA… So many forefathers, if only my parents had guided me, seen in me that my questioning […] The post Eight Easy...

VIT 101: With a cooling trend after a warm spell (like we're having right now in Russian River Valley), vineyard activity slows. So, if the season came early (as it did), and grape farmers might have thought that perhaps they'd have an early harvest, things just slowed back down a bit. This is how each […] The post VIT 101 ~ 8 ~ COOLING TREND...

Hello [Jo], Celebrate National Wine Day on Monday May 25th with ZIOBAFFA! ZIOBAFFA takes pride in authenticity with an attention to detail and quality. It will create an genuine Italian experience, making you feel like a true connoisseur while raising a glass to National Wine Day! ZIOBAFFA is an organically grown, Italian wine that is […] The...

Is there anyone in wine more dramatic and loved than Jean Charles Boisset? The post Chance to win the dramatic and perhaps you'll meet Jean-Charles Boisset appeared first on Wine Blog.

One of my greatest gifts in the wine business was to have the Suisun Valley Vintners and Grape Growers Association come to my doorstep, in September of 2003. We were told that the group had some government funds for the next seven years, and they wanted help to get Suisun onto the wine maps. Finding […] The post Seeing a value come to fruitio...

A new Lecture Series has been introduced by Women for WineSense. This is a new addition to the Napa | Sonoma WWS suite of member benefits. Are you an expert in the wine industry? Do you have unique knowledge? Would you like to teach others something they need to know? If so, please do the […] The post Women for WineSense needs you as a l...

My friend Bob Ecker has found his groove, and it has to do with Ros?. Bob is a wine writer, an aerial photographer, a wine judge, and now a wine event organizer. If you're a lover of Ros?, and you're going to be in the Sonoma County area, this event of delicate ros? wines is […] The post Looking for a little romance ~ Try Ros? Rendezvous at S...

WARNING: If you?re in the wine business, this is only VIT 101. This blog story has been created for people just learning about vineyards. Please judge accordingly. VIT 101: Cover Crops in a Vineyard Cover crops benefit a vineyard in a few ways. They begin by repelling harmful pests. By having a cover crop of […] The post VIT 101 ~ 7 appeared ...