As a wine writer, I'm occasionally queried about trying samples of new products that hit the marketplace. This is one of those stories. [Both the Kelvin K2 and and the delicious Barrel Road Red Blend are samples in this story.] It all began in early September: Hi Jo: I'm hoping that I can send you […]

I remember poodle skirts, bouffant hair, cotton candy, putrid pink, heavy perfume, and it all came under the word "boutique." That word – boutique – is now fingernails screeching down a blackboard, so when you call your winery a "boutique" winery… Artisan, it's so sophisticated… It lets the listener know that you take yourse...

This is worth sharing, because it's exemplary. It demonstrates that there are those within the wine business who care deeply for the people who are also caring for their businesses. This story celebratesLizz Castillo, a young woman who's worked very hard in the wine business to get where she is, and is going to be […]

I've had communications with Georges Dubuf's wine company. I've had a very insightful phone interview with Franck. For two years in a row, I received a bottle of their Celebration of Beaujolais Day — Beaujolais Nouveau — each year with a very festive, very fun tie to celebrate. They'reso cool. Quintessential is their exclusive US [̷...

PHOTO: Pamela Klein of her new novel 17 Dresses, which is referenced below in my lead-in part of Larry and Ann Walker's newly released book A Guide to the World's Best Ross. A Guide to the World's Best Ross ~ by Larry & Ann Walker is aGap-filling Ros book; it's timely, comprehensive, and fun. I'm […]

[PHOTO: from Eric Eide, Diaz Communications wine client] As a wine publicist, there are many times when writing technical data introductions are required. Winemakers, after all, have little time to be crafting their own messages. In some instances, however, someone who uses his or her right brain (creative side) is as natural as using her […]

LOGO: Permission of the Bluest Sky Group What is Bluest Sky Group? From Micheal Yurch's Website: The Bluest Sky Group (BSG) is a brand focused organization specializing in working with wineries worldwide that are trying to either enter or improve their position in the very complex American marketplace. Our basic program is a three year […]...

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 […]...

After having just visited with Fetzer Vineyards, to celebrate their Fiftieth Anniversary, the press release below does not surprise me in the least. I'll be writing in greater details about my visit and their programs, in the near future. I want to let the following information stand on its own merit, before I even begin […]

[PHOTO Purchased] Let me begin with a perfect example… This Says It All, Y'all Once upon a day Jo Diaz's phone rang. She: "Hello, Diaz Communications." He: "I'd like to speak with Joe Diaz. She: "This is she." Really pregnant pause……. (as we used to say in radio) I'm now thinking to myself, laughingly: He […]...

This has been written by Jeanne Sullivan. It's been years since I've had anyone write on my wine blog. It's my wine journal, which is why someone else really can't represent what's inside my mind. This morning, though, I decided to make an exception. This is so thoroughly research, formatted, and presented, it's a benefit […]...

Sample:Quintessential Wines~ Georges DubufPouilly-Fuisse 2015 (Flower Label) PREFACE – PART 1 ~ WHITE WINES World Regions ~ Mconnais, France HEART ~ THE WINERY: This information came from an interview I had with Franck Duboeuf SCIENCE ~ WINEMAKING ~ From the winery and from Jo SOUL ~Wine Blog's SAMPLE NOTES FORGeorges DubufPouilly-Fuisse 2015...

[PHOTO: Jo Diaz] Dear Friends, I'm going to let you know this right now, because there aren't very many copies left of the gorgeous "VINEYARD Sonoma County" book. If you've seen George Rose's latest publication, and have been procrastinating, please don't wait any longer. It's a fabulous gift. I know, because my copy was […]...

From COMIT 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 canonlybe called "Champagne," if it comes from the region ofChampagne,France. This appellation is just outside of Paris. (It is any wonder that Paris is also [...

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 […]...

[ALL PHOTOS were taken by Jo Diaz; with the exception of Barbara Lyons Stewart, who gave her photo for use.] Earlier I wrote a story titled Rutherford Dust Brought Karen MacNeil Squarely Into My Headlights, Now Into Yours. Itincluded Karen MacNeil as part of that story. So does this one, in a completely different […]

Sample wines provided Quintessential Wines~ Matetic EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc 2017 PREFACE – PART 1 ~ WHITE WINES Wine samples come to to me as a single bottle. Some arrive in a package of two or three. On other occasions, a case (or there about) arrives. This is one of those instances. I'll be breaking […]

[All images are from Winesong.] In its Thirty-Fourth year, Winesong Weekend, Mendocino Countys premier food and wine experience, will take place on Friday, September 7, and Saturday, September 8. The folks are Winesogn Weekend want you to know the details around this years event. They're going toalso have a live auction with Hot Lots. Some […...

Sample wines provided byQuintessential Wines ~ Count Karolyi Grner Veltliner 2016 PREFACE – PART 2 ~ WHITE WINES My structure: World Regions ~ FIRST HEART ~ THE WINERY: info is coming from the company's own statements I can't make up their history Nor am I to try SCIENCE ~ WINEMAKING I can't make up their […]

Influencers of Green Valley of Russian River Valley The Central Pomos, Yegor Chernykh, and Luther Burbank are legendary proof of Green Valley being the Green emerald in Russian River Valleys crown, and a preeminent wine grape growing AVA, most-worthy of boundless distinction. FIRST MIGRATION The Bering Strait Migration, for what would become Green...

HERE All of these wines tasted were delicious and puntando. Sample wines provided Quintessential Wines ~Luca Bosio Langhe Arneis D.O.C.G. 2016 PREFACE – PART 1 ~ WHITE WINES Wine samples come to to me as a single bottle. Some arrive in a package of two or three. On other occasions, a case (or there about) […]

When I attend one event, I'm invariably drawn into more fascinating things in the making. This story is one of them. I recently got to see Deborah Parker Wong at a Petaluma Gap Wine Growers Alliancetasting. This is her story. SIDEBAR: My blog also serves the public, besides delivering wine info. Having been in […]

Once upon a time, I was in Florida in a brand new 8,000 square foot home. Taken to the gorgeous new wine cellar, I thought, what a great place to expand one's horizons. Mr. Sarasota, this one's for you! A walk on the "special AVA side" always takes me to the Stags Leap District AVA. […]

BOTH SKY PHOTOS: ACVEDUC ~Top of page,from original source. Bottom one is original source. Titled: "Two couples of hawks in the summer cloudy sky" A whirling gust blew in, when I opened the screen door… The wings over Oregon had arrived. And beautiful they were. The riches they brought with them would set a standard, […]

Most of you know Karen MacNeil as the author of The Wine Bible. Please appreciate it took her 10 years to write this tome, and was without the luxury of the Internet for reading and research. She's a walking wine encyclopedia, and you have a chance to get to know her a little bit better.

From a press release, which I highly recommend. When I saw Joyce Goldstein's name, I knew that it's going to be a home run… COPIA The Bay Area was the epicenter of the first generation of influential female chefs in America. Join us for an evening as we celebrate the trailblazers in food, beverage, and […]

When I was at Wine Business' Vineyard Economic Symposium, one of my important take-aways was the following: The Paso Robles AVA is a possible place to consider, when wanting to invest. These investors, however, are always looking for Napa Valley Cabernet, first and foremost. They aren't ready for an all in, throwing caution to the […]...

[PHOTO: from Karen MacNeil's Website] I got my Wine Bible, long before I began reviewing wine books. The copyright on my copy of this book is from 2001. Once I started reviewing books, it didn't occur to me to go backwards in my amazingAs  and developing library for any books already collected. But, every time […]

PHOTO: Andrey Cherkasov This wine and food event is going to be really delicious; and in the process, you'll learn all about a Paulée Dinner. www.lapaulee.com/ ~As LaAs PauléeAs is a series of events celebrating the wines and winemakers of Burgundy, alternating yearly between New York and San Francisco. The event takes its name from the tradition...

[PHOTO:CARNEROS WINE ALLIANCE] The community is invited to join Carneros wineries, and enjoy a summer evening with a classic tasting of Carneros all-star wines, followed by a lively Cornhole Tournament. All proceeds will be donated to the Carneros and Schell-Vista Fire Departments. The Carneros Wine Alliance is Hosting Second Annual Carneros Wine T...

This is a wine blog, not a trade magazine, so my take of Wine Business Monthly'sAs ~As As Vineyard Economic SymposiumAs ~ is really that of being a fly on the wall, not to get the best investment strategy. The roomAs  wasAs full of economists, not my average American wine clients or audience. I had to really shift my thinking […]

Copyright : Kseniya Abramova As I was inviting our friends Carole and Rob Rinne to share a tasting of four Malbecs, I had this brain poof… "I wondered what vines in South America had any phylloxera problems?" I vaguely remembered that Chile hadn't, or was it Argentina? What if it's all vines in Chile and […]

From the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance Newsletter "Petaluma Gap Winegrowers celebrated the new AVA with Congressmen Thompson and Huffman on May 29, at Gap's Crown Vineyard." Why is an AVA so meaningful to me? Because, Jose and I have been helping Suisun Valley since 2005, in one capacity or another. It's been extremely rewarding to […]...

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, [&#...

Last week I shared information about the The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (RCD).As  Mostly connected to the Western portion of Sonoma County, I didn't realize how wide spread this resource conversation effort is…As  Like, ALL of California, for instance, with 102 districts available. Let's find out more Right after the story was ...

LA FIERA ~ Abruzzo La Fiera has a wonderful story… Especially if you're a merry-go-round groupie. In the early 70s, I took my two-year old daughter to a fair, and we rode the merry-go-round for so long Katie fell asleep on it. I don't even know how many revolutions are in 2-hours. Jim, the beloved […]

The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (RCD) is an opportunity of a lifetime, for those on their toes. As defined by the Gold Ridge RCD ~ "The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District in Sonoma County facilitates stewardship projects to address water quality, climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem health, and water quantity on private and ...

PREFACE: HEART OF THE DEAL ~ THE WINERY: info is coming from the company's own statements I can't make up their history Nor am I to try SCIENCE ~ WINEMAKING SOUL ~ SAMPLE Fun and festive bubbles, is how this Domaine Bousquet Brut Rosé was described… Is it any wonder that my Angel Card* for […]

For the past few years, I've really looked forward to attending the Stags Leap District ˜Vineyard to Vintner' annual event . It's really well planned, executed, and always rewarding for everyone in the process… a day really well spent in Napa Valley. This year of 2018 was no exception. BACKGROUND PRESS RELEASE: Each year, member […]...

[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 […]

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Crafted for Maison M. Chapoutier, the 2017 Les BilaHaut Rosè les Vignes de Pays D'OC safely arrived. So easy to enjoy, a consistent brand. This is a wine to bring to pétanque and be the hit of the party. Rosé is such a fun experience. It adds a rosy glow to any gathering. So much […]

Once upon a time, I was asked if I would review a wine book. I thought, "Why not? Lets see where it goes." Well, it went alright. This side image only reached the "i"s" on Wine-Blog's Books page. It's impossible to capture it all here, nor do I want or need to. This isn't about […]

Stuart Smith has gathered in depth background materials for "No On C and Napa County's environment" at www.stopmeasurec.com. The Webpage opens with what's most concerning for this measure: "Because Measure C was created in secret, the only public airing of the Measure has been mailings, street signs, ads and letters to our local newspapers.As  Even...

A Rose by Any Other Name ~ Rosé PREFACE: HEART OF THE DEAL ~ THE WINERY: info is coming from the company's own statements I can't make up their history Nor am I to try SCIENCE ~ WINEMAKING SOUL ~ SAMPLE My tasting notes Imported from Sera Wine Imports, New York, NY   2017 Côtes-du-Rhône […]

When parents bring their children to wine country, any parent worth his or her salt, will make sure to include something for the kids. This is just common sense. Expecting wine educators to also reduce their wine ed to a level of a day camp director, while also informing the staff in a captive way… […]

[Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash] The move to expand Ron Rubin Wienry's External Automated Defibrillator program from Sonoma into other localize appellations, really began to happen as soon as Ron Rubin launched his Trained for "Saving Lives" gift to Sonoma County. Requests came to him from all over, asking to participate. As a good […]...

Spring's here. Lighter fare is beginning to sound really delicious, as are lighter bodied wines. And this 2017 EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc from Casa Blanca Valley, Chile is a perfect fit for all of your plans. HEART ~ THE WINERY: info is coming from the company's own statements I can't make up their history Nor […]

The Book Wine Library Section About The Booklovers' Guide to Wine (An introduction to the History, Mysteries and Literary Pleasures of Drinking Wine), by Patrick Alexander… The entire time I was readying this book, all I could think of was: "if anyone is really into wine and contemplating becoming a sommelier, this book is a […]...