Wine Blog
How to Get Your License Bond When Opening a Winery | Mark As Read |
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 […]
Wine Grape Varieties in Portugal | Mark As Read |
To say that this list is extensive is an understatement. All images are from my visits, while in Portugal at Bodega Borba and Bodega Redondo. I'm giving you some authenticity from the Evora region, to go along with the facts. It is said that there are possibly over 500 Portuguese wine grape varieties. So, I […]
Macroclimate, Microclimate, Mesoclimate, and Canopy Climates | Mark As Read |
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 to me, including […]
Volatilizing Your Esters is Worth Your Time and Energy | Mark As Read |
Your nose is the key to enjoying a glass of wine, long before the wine even hits your palate. The act of swirling your wine (volatilizing) releases the bouquet. The bouquet is a result of the wine making process. Aroma, on the other hand, is related to the scent of the grape. It cracks me […]
Becoming A French or Italian Wine Scholar Has Never Been Easier | Mark As Read |
The Wine Scholar Guide program providers in California are offering the Wine Scholar Guild's FrenchAs Wine Scholar and Italian Wine Scholar programs. Both session programs are beginning shortly. These wine courses are designed to provide committed students of wine with the most advanced and comprehensive specialization programs, on both French and ...
Wine of the Week ~ Taste the Winds of Change ~ 2014 Amado Sur Malbec | Mark As Read |
Taste the wine and taste the winds of change… A composition of 79 percent Malbec, 11 percent Bonarda, and 10 percent Syrah, the 2014 Amado Sur Malbec, is one alluring wine. From the Bodega Trivento estate in Mendoza's Andean Foothills, this Amado Sur wine proves that Malbec has indeed fallen in love with and found […]
Every Single Wine Grape Variety Has Its Own Unique Leaf | Mark As Read |
Wine Grape Varietal Leaves can all be found in resource books, but I wanted my own images. There are many wineries where I've worked, prior to becoming a consultant. At each one I learned a different segment of the wine business. While at Kendall-Jackson, I took advantage of Santa Rosa Junior College's Demonstration Vineyard; which […]...
Wine Country Casual ~ It’s Getting to Be That Time of Year, Again | Mark As Read |
I'm a Yankee, with really deep Yankee roots. My maiden name is "Clarke." Grandmother Gertrude Haines Clarke was the daughter of the late Governor William T. Haines of Waterville, Maine, my great grandfather. Great grandmother Patience Blackstone Clarke, who married Josiah Clarke, was the granddaughter of the Reverend William Blackstone. Blackstone ...
Sur Lie, on the Lees, and Sir Leigh | Mark As Read |
A very common mistake that I see, over and over again, is the statement of "Sur Lees Aging." This is incorrect usage of the process. One "lie" Sur lie is a process of aging. It allows for a wine, when it's finished fermenting, to sit on the lees while flavor is extract. When the wine […]
The History of Amphoras in Winemaking, As Seen in Alentejo, Portugal | Mark As Read |
As I've earlier written, To Understand Portuguese Wines, One Must First Understand the People. This continues to be my mantra, most especially after having spent 10 days in Portugal with Delfim Costa, when he was working with Enoforum Wines. In world history, Portugal was invaded by the Romans (like the rest of Europe). When they […]
Wine of the Week ~ Evolution Sparkling Wine | Mark As Read |
Sparkling wine from Oregon? A new one for me, I have to admit. So this was intriguing. How was it? Evolution Sparkling Wine was a delightful surprise. I really shouldn't have been surprised, though. I first met people from Sokol Blosser Winery, the parent company, when I was producing Pinot Gris symposiums for our client […]
Earth Day at Iron Horse 2017 ~ Remembering And Honoring Our Roots | Mark As Read |
I'm so pleased to be part of this important day, now more than ever. Our client The Rubin Family of Wines is going to be participating. I couldn't be more pleased. Jose and I will be attending again this year, as we have for the past many now. It's a very special day that's hosted […]
Wine Retailer Association Augments Member Benefits With Shipping Discounts | Mark As Read |
Longtime wine colleague Tom Wark has been carrying the banner for the National Association of Wine Retailers. It's been a great gig for him. I just got a press release, and I'm providing it in its entirety, because – well – it's well written and anything I'd write would only be anecdotal. I haven't kept […]...
Terroir ~ The Most Complex Segment of Wine | Mark As Read |
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. As 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. […]
An Egregious, Yet Successful, Marketing Plan with Bigly Results | Mark As Read |
I wrote this one so many months ago on a note pad. I wish I had dated it. It was prior to the elections, I can tell you that much.
Does size really matter? | Mark As Read |
Yes, it really does. Check out how happy my friend Denise Medrano (The Wine Sleuth) is, for instance. The size of the smile on Denise's face is directly proportional to the size of the bottle… As The bigger the bottle, for instance, the longer the wine will age well. There's less space (not oxygen, because […]
The 2016 California Winegrape Crush Is a Return to Normalcy | Mark As Read |
[Pictured is Alvaro Zamora, vineyard manager for The Rubin Family of Wines] The following is very interesting info from Ciatti, Global Wine & Grape Brokers, regarding the 2016 harvest. The Ciatti Company Ciatti is the world's largest and most comprehensive bulk wine and grape brokerage frim. Aside from its home base in San Rafael, California, [...
A Sweet Unlikely Food and Wine Pairing ~ 2012 Stemmari Cantodoro + Dana Confection Company | Mark As Read |
In December, I received samples from the Dana Confection Company. These hand-made confections, as much as I wanted to just jump right in, had to wait. I had too much holiday activity swirling all around. The unique confection samples sat on my desk, waiting for me to come back down to earth. Meanwhile, I had […]
Appellation St. Helena (ASH) hosting its premiere annual wine and food pairing event | Mark As Read |
bASH St. Helena With so many options, I remember reading once, "I can enjoy food and wine everyday, with all of the offers out there." I thought, "yup." I also don't usually advocate for events I haven't attended (yet). This one, however, given the who, what, when, and where, I don't have to attend to […]...
Calling All Marketing Departments, Life Just Got Really Easy | Mark As Read |
FOREWORD: I was contacted by Visme to share this info graphic. It hadn't been until I'd written this blog, however, that I fully understood how this company has incredible opportunities for wine companies. You can now personalize amazing presentations, create infographics, and enhance other engaging content for your staff, marketing materials, and ...
Wine of the Week ~ Kendall-Jackson 2014 Seco Highlands Pinot Noir | Mark As Read |
Getting out to visit a winery is always a rare treat. We moved to California from Maine, because of the opportunities. Once embroiled in work within those opportunities, however, visits are now mostly for appointments, in order to get more work accomplished. This past week, Jose and I segued back to my former place of […]
Earth Day at Iron Horse Vineyards | Mark As Read |
Earth Day has really important significance, now more than ever, most would agree. Joy Sterling at Iron Horse Vineyards, when a significant speaker presents him or herself, has a merry band of Green Valley growers and producers gather at Iron Horse for a day of a charming celebrations. This year of 2017 is just such […]
Wines of the Week ~ Georges Dubœuf Selections | Mark As Read |
Georges Dubœuf is now celebrating its 50th Anniversary. What successful tribute to dedication, passion, and excellence, with selecting the very best and then delivering that best to the world. Congratulations, Georges and Franck Dubœuf. I continue to remember with joy my phone conversation with Franck in 2014. From that story: While Franck's fath...
A Vineyard in Napa by Doug Shafer Fills in an Important Historical Napa Timeline | Mark As Read |
Working for the Robert Mondavi Winery, as Doug Shafer also has, gave me time to simultaneously study Napa history. The prior five years, I had been living and working in Sonoma County, and that history (and its characters) had become second nature. But, then being in the land of Napa, I needed to know more; […]
Cathy Huyghe Receives the 2016 Diaz Communications Innovator of the Year Award for Enolytics | Mark As Read |
Jose Diaz and I are pleased to announce that Cathy Huyghe of Enolytics is the recipient of 2016's Diaz Communications Innovator of the Year Award. With her expertise in analyzing consumerism and the wine industry's facts and figures, to better understand today's wine market, Cathy joins the ranks of those whom we've watched develop into […]...
Current Wine and Winegrape Research course offered by UC Davis Extension | Mark As Read |
This is Public Service Announcement for UC Davis. For the inquisitive, marketers, wine sales industry pros, wanting to understand more about wine grapes and current enology projects. You are invited to join U.C. Davis' Extension program for the Current Wine and Winegrape Research course, so that you can soar to new heights of understanding. Monday,...
Constructing a soil monolith with Vineyard Soil Technologies | Mark As Read |
[Photo Credit: Lori Knapp, Rubin Family Vineyards and Winery] I just recommended Vineyard Soil Technologies in my story entitled, "Soil Monolith ~ a perfect wine gift for the winery owner..." The Rubin Family Vineyards and Winery has taken advantage of their soil preserved in a Monolith, in order to educate others who visit the winery, […]...
New Year’s Day From Around the World ~ Let’s Celebrate With Wine! | Mark As Read |
The part of my blog that's currently intriguing me the most is having some important doors opened from import brands. As a result, I'm getting to taste the entire world in the comfort of my own home. In junior high, geography was an easy "A." It still is. Being a lover of life and culture, […]
Wine and Spirits Books of 2016 That Belong in Any Great Wine (book) Library | Mark As Read |
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 2016 Wine and Spirits Books. And, here's headed to your Black Friday shopping… A Zentrepreneur's Guide ~ by vintner Ron Rubin and Stuart Avery Gold We've got […]
Still With The “Y?” ~ Why? | Mark As Read |
PS I Love You began in October, 2002. Today this Petite Sirah advocacy is still actively educating. It's 14 years later. Early on, when I'd help wine writers to understand that Petite Sirah is not spelled with a "Y," I'd mostly get people thanking me for the education. I do remember correcting one person, however, […]...
Eleven Years… Eleven whole years of Wine Blogging | Mark As Read |
Sometimes I wonder, "Am I nuts?" I voiced it to Jennifer Chin, when she was querying me about helping with her client Ernest Vineyards, a new [artisan] producer of cool-climate Chards and Pinots from the Sonoma Coast. I wrote to her: Thanks for contacting me. Right now, between my day job and all of the […]
Red Mountain ~ A Novel ~ Boo Walker | Mark As Read |
Red Mountain by Boo Walker is a novel that will draw you in, hold your attention, and have you up in the middle of the night because it's nearly impossible to put down, wanting to know what happens next. I received a copy in the US mail from Boo. For Jo, Enjoy! Boo Well, I […]
Bordeaux 101 ~ The Stages of Learning about Bordeaux ~ partie | Mark As Read |
Bordeaux 101, my stages of discovery for the past year. Since this is a birthday for me, and my last year was devoted to learning more about Bordeaux, today I'm sharing my Bordeaux 101, for anyone else so inspired. Now I'm going into a new region: Verona, Italy, for 2017. Today is my cross over, […]
11 Most Expensive Wines Ever Sold ~ by Randi Glazer | Mark As Read |
I was asked, once again, to share my blog for a writer. Most of them are shills for free advertising. But this time I wanted to dig deeper. It sounded interesting. Wine that will never be enjoyed? Perhaps… The Pitch by Kim Bettasso for Randi Glazer Hey Jo, I'm Kim, Content Manager for Randi Glazer. […]
My Holidaze Wine List | Mark As Read |
2011 Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, Puente Alto Vineyard vldo-nvbrt.jpg First of all, this is still a young wine. I've gotten way past caring about young wines anymore being hard to enjoy. A friend recently told me that she gifted someone a young wine and there was paperwork that went along with the wine. The person […]
Feng Shui Architecture ~ A Living Tribute to Architect Designer Barbara Lyons Stewart | Mark As Read |
In Memoriam ~ Barbara Lyons Stewart When our client Ron Rubin, of The Rubin Family of Wines, told me that he wanted a story about his winery regarding the fact that it has a Feng Shui design, I thought that that was pretty cool. I had heard about it, had spent a short time reading […]
You want my help, but your $20 bottle of wine isn’t available as a sample? | Mark As Read |
No wine for you! Hi, PR Pro, My desk is now uncluttered. If you'd like to send information and a sample to me, I'm now open to it. Thanks for your patience. Hi Jo, I'm so sorry, but unfortunately we don't have samples to send at the moment, which I understand makes it tricky for […]
Rex Pickett and Boo Walker ~ A Journey Created | Mark As Read |
My review of Vertical, by Rex Pickett, happened in stages. It's a very different way to write a review, I have to admit. And it also makes a bit of sense to me, as Rex Pickett is a very non-traditional kinda guy. Once I published my review, Rex Pickett reached out to me. The version […]
For Those Who Are Interested In The Specifics of Becoming a French Wine Scholar | Mark As Read |
The Bordeaux Wine Campus (a registered wine school based in Bordeaux), provides the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification and the WSG (Wine Scholar Guild). This is accomplished through an educational program that might interest you, you… the wine pro.. The French Wine Scholar, created by Wine Scholar Guild, is focused on Fren...
December in Wine Country ~ Have a Look | Mark As Read |
[Paperwhite flowers are a typical December bloom. Photo by Jo Diaz.] The beginning of December – this season – has been beautiful weather wise and visually. I'm now in the Mayacamas Mountains, above the Alexander Valley floor. The views are spectacular… stunning, really. Perhaps this is why my devotion to blogging every day has wa...
Simply Charmed ~ That’s What I Was and What It Is | Mark As Read |
Being December born… Let's just call this a "musing," or "stream of consciousness…" Asked if I would consider looking at Simply Charmed magnetic wine glass charms, I thought, "Why not. Sounds like fun!" Anything December really strikes my fancy. I wondered, too, "What's new and clever, and there's a wine component attached to it? Someth...
Bordeaux ~ Les Hauts de Lagarde 2015 ~ The Red and The White of It | Mark As Read |
The Red and The White of It Last evening, with our friend Corinne, we had dinner tasting and enjoying these two very special Bordeaux wines: Les Hauts de Lagarde 2015 – Blanc and Rouge. We began our food and wine tasting with humus and endives as an appetizer. We were so involved with Corinne having […]
2016 Wine and Spirits Books for the Holidays | Mark As Read |
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 2016 Wine and Spirits Books. And, here's headed to your Black Friday shopping… A Zentrepreneur's Guide ~ by vintner Ron Rubin and Stuart Avery Gold We've got […]
Thanksgiving Wines ~ What Our Immigrant Forefather Would Have Brought, If Only… | Mark As Read |
If you're of Native American descent, your forefathers arrived first on the North American continent. Once the Bearing Straight had waters receding, people migrated from both Asia and Northeastern Europe. Who were the first ancient settlers to arrive and cultivate California, for instance?As The Central Pomo people, who immigrated to California mo...
A Sicilian Thanksgiving? You Betcha with MandraRossa Nero d’Avola | Mark As Read |
Do you know that wines from Sicily are elegant and really affordable? With most of them selling for under $20, they make perfect "house wines," too. During the holidays, especially if you're of Italian descent, these wines will happily grace your table and heritage. Guests will be able to savor your past, while enjoying your […]...
Corkscrew, by Peter Stafford-Bow, a wine buyer, through his lens | Mark As Read |
You can't anticipate any of it, your eyes will bug out of your head as you read it. You'll wonder, how will he get himself out of this one? You've just got to read it to understand that I'm not joshing you. This book is hysterical, as he nails his characters with great depth of understanding and humor.
Wine Country Time ~ Hurry up and wait | Mark As Read |
EXCUSE #3: Fiber optics were cut. It has thousands of lines within the tubing, so we're trying to find that just right one line, and do have a blessed day.
Tasting Sicily with Allesandro | Mark As Read |
Image borrowed from the Wines of Sicily Website. I highly recommend that you visit this site for more information and beautiful images of the island. Sicily writes about having a mosaic of flavors. In a booklet that the Wines of Sicilia DOC has distributed. It begins: If to travel through Sicily means to dive into […]
Buzet you say? Sans Sulfites Ajoutés Buzet, okay… | Mark As Read |
SANS ~ The Wine that "respects both Man and Nature" 2015 Sans Sulfites Ajoutés Buzet This wine is a beautifully soft and delicious wine. It's completely food friendly, a ballet on your pallet. As I read about their wine, this indicates why I found the wine to be so alluring: The grapes were harvested at […]
I missed Bourbon Month, Again | Mark As Read |
How could I miss it? We'll I was moving a home of 19 years, two offices, and a second business… Maybe next year will be "Third Time's a Bourbon Charm!" I've just done a revisit and know that Bourbon lovers want to think aobut this one for the holidays coming up, now that we're headed […]
- Welcome!
- DeepWine aggregates blogs for the Wine industry.
- Custom Feeds
- Add any RSS feed to the information you read daily.
- Blocked Feeds
- Block feeds to remove blogs you’re not interested in.
- Account Settings
- Customize the site by adding or removing feeds.
Don’t have an account yet?
- Customize your settings
- Edit how your blog displays
- Add or remove blogs you read. Sign Up.
About Us
DeepWine is your source for all your Wine news.
Become a Featured Contributor
Become a featured contributor on DeepWine.com Get featured, it’s free
Know of a Wine blog that we're missing? Let us know! |