This hasn't a respite hiatus, not by any stretch of the imagination. It's been moving from and then to a new home and new offices "time out." It's been 19 years since we've moved. I still can't believe how much stuff (nice word for it) that we accumulated in life. Just the garage was a […]

This is going to be a fun read. Anyone who's read my Road Warrior Survivor Guide, which debuted in the print copy of Wine Business Monthly (August of 2001), knows there's a sassy world out there. With Peter Stafford-Bow being a professional wine buyer, I'm betting that the story's characters are going to be classic!

This story originally ran on February 13, 2014. Neither of us saw what was coming soon thereafter. When Peter announced on Facebook that he was given the "cancer" diagnosis, we were all shocked. His life changed from being our "Funny Man," who was one of our wine pros, into a funny man laughing at cancer… […]

~ Wine of the Week ~ Casal Thaulero's 2015 Orsetto Oro Pecorino Last week, I told you about Casal Thaulero's 2015 Borgo Thaulero Pecorino Terre di Chieti. A week later, from his first communication, Chris ToscanoAs reconnected, "Hailing from Abruzzo, Italy, Casal Thaulero's Orsetto Oro Pecorino… is maintaining the high quality and low cost yo...

~ Wine of the Week ~ Casal Thaulero's 2015 Borgo Thaulero Pecorino Terre di Chieti I was asked by Chris Toscano, "Do you like Pinot Grigio? Do you also like new things? If you answered yes to both questions, I'm happy to report that your next obsession is just a sip away. Hailing from Abruzzo, […]

Interview about Cesari's Amarone, as a world leader, by Mario Menozzi Cesari Vineyards ~ 80 years (1936 to 2016) Cesari Vineyard of Verona, one of the finest Vineyards of the Valpolicella region, is celebrating 80 years of producing some of Italy's greatest wines this year. To mark this occasion, Cesari invited me to be part […]

A Perfect Score The Art, Soul, and Business of a 21st-Century Winery Craig and Katheryn Hall ~Hall Wines The world of wine is a fabulous world. It's down home, gutsy, and warm. As I pack up my wine library, getting ready to ship it to another world with us, I pick up magazines that I've […]

While reading Peter M. F. Sichel‘s book, The Secrets of My Life: Vintner, Prisoner, Soldier, Spy, I learned a lot about a lot… His Chapter 29, Becoming a Bordeaux Vintner was very important to me. I've been inspired by Millesima, a négociant company based in Bordeaux since 1983, to learn more about Bordeaux wines. Author […]...

I've found myself asking that question many times, and I'm not afraid to do it when I've ordered a wine and it's just lost that loving' feelin.' Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines had this info on Facebook a few years ago. I asked permission to reprint here, because he's raised such great points. On Facebook, […]...

Want to stand out above the madding crowd? Well, Astoria‘s 2014 Alìsia Pinot Grigio surely does. So much so that I see it as a great picnic decoration, after you've enjoyed the wine. Gather some asters, daisies, Queen Ann's Lace, whatever; put them into the bottle, after everyone's enjoyed the wine, and place it on […]...

Vineyard Chocolatiers ~ A tasting ~ My Notes Chardonnay Flavored White Chocolate ~ Creamy smooth with Chardonnay taking white chocolate to a new place, slightly floral and sweet, lingering cream. Merlot Flavored Dark Chocolate ~ Ripe plums with a very smooth finish… delicate, yet full bodied. Cabernet Flavored Dark Chocolate ~ Creamy ripe che...

80 Years of Glorious Wines ~ Cesari Vineyards In 1936, the Cesari family created a winery naming it Cesari Vineyards. Located in Veneto, Italy, the family went on to become very famous Amarone pioneers. That was 80 years ago, and they're now celebrating their worldwide success. They also created a great publicity program, inviting 80 […]...

Cusumano Cantina I recently received a sample of the 2015 Cusumano Shamaris Grillo, Sicilia DOC. There are a lot of things about this wine that are unique to me. I've only had two other Sicilian wines, and that was on March 27 of this year (2016). They, too, were a Wine of the Week. Both […]

This is how it works for me, today… Wine Century Club #167 SendaVerde 2015 Godello, Bierzo, (082016). La Senda Bodegas y Viñedos España Samples arrive from all over the world, and I'm thrilled. My scope of wine is expanding exponentially steeper daily about the world of wine, every time my door bell rings and a […]

What labor Day Means to Me… is not what you might expect. It's not a day to go boating for the last time of the season; or, heading off to the beach one more time, before I settle into apple picking. No BBQ's for me today. Nay… It's pretty sobering for me. It's time to […]

...as I watch Millennials struggling, because time isn't moving fast enough for them, I remind myself that life is like an LP. The quicker one gets to the center, the faster the revolutions.

A MUST READ The Secrets of My Life: Vintner, Prisoner, Soldier, Spy by Peter M. F. Sichel… One cannot take the life of a such a fascinating man as Peter Sichel, and condense it into 1,000 words or less in a complete book report, and so I've just begun writing about Peter Sichel. BOOK'S BACK […]

Bordeaux, as an old world location, is a new world for me. I began to pay attention in earnest last September, and now September is right around the corner, again. Life is like an LP. The closer you get to the center, the quicker the revolutions. — Jo Diaz (Been saying this since my days […]

Established in 1995, Ridgeview's wines are the fist wines to arrive from England that have been imported to the United States. Asked if I would interested in tasting them, how could I refuse? Curiosity is my middle name. Their PR person Erica Honni, wrote to me, "…Ridgeview Wines, the first English wines to arrive in […]

This is how it works for me, today… Wine Century Club #166 Treixadura (081716) – SendaVerde 2015 Ribeiro La Senda Bodegas y Viñedos Spain Samples arrive from all over the world, and I'm thrilled. My scope of wine is expanding exponentially steeper daily about the world of wine, every time my door bell rings and […]

Introducing Ernest Vineyards, a new artisan producer of cool-climate Chardonnays and Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast… Owners Erin Brooks and her husband Todd Gottula produce wines that have been created to express their clonal attributes and their terroir's sense of place. When they began Ernest, their mission became to "focus on love of fam...

Thanks, Radical Cartography, for this borrowed map image, in order to show how Europe and the US have regional differences, base on borders. As an employee of wine companies, I had the privilege of being a frequent flyer. There are only 10 of our 50 states I haven't visited. They're in the deep south and […]

Getting back in touch with a Washington State's Cabernet Sauvignon was pure Heaven… Horse Heaven Hills, to be exact. This wine was/is a CrowdsourcedAs„- project… Trademarked and saying so right on the label. Columbia Crest Winery, in Paterson, Washington, was founded in 1983. Overlooking the Columbia River, it's grown from its humble ro...

So many of my contacts are now wanting to gain wine industry knowledge, in order to grow their career in wine business. When I got into wine, I went to Santa Rosa Junior College, because they had a terrific wine sales and marketing degree program. I could have been running around with arrows for a […]

I just received this Email newsletter from my friend Cathy Huyghe of Enolytics.com. I asked permission to share, and Cathy said, "Yes." This week I'd like to bring your attention to a surprising pattern. We noticed it as we've been working toAs integrate fresh big data sources about wine consumers in the on-premise and mobile environments. […...

[This map of Italy, with the Vento region highlighted, is borrowed from the Italylogue.com Website.] The Veneto region is where Amarone wines originated. My journey has just begun with Amarone wines, and it's a love to last a lifetime. It began with Cesari Vineyards contacting me for a promotion they are having. This winery is […]

[Image from the Concha y Toro collection] From Concha y Toro's Fine Wine Collection; the top of this line ~ The Gran Reserva Serie Riberas. The winemaker for this series is Mario Miranda, who has a degree in Agricultural Engineering with a mention in Enology from the Universidad de Talca. A true global winemakers, Mario's […]

[This photo is of a weather station at The Rubin Family of Wines, in Green Valley of the Russian River Valley. Fog is hanging in the background. Terroir Green Valley of Russian River Valley is comprised of the following small towns, which are all bordered to the west by the California Coast Ranges. Sebastopol is […]

WINESONG is Mendocino Coast's premier food and wine event, and I highly recommend that if you love food and wine events, get yourself to Mendocino for September 9 and 10, 2016. Having put on wine events for years, I have a pretty good idea what it takes to be behind the scenes. The details for […]

Amarone della Valpolicella is the long of it; Amarone is the short version. It's an Italian, dry red wine that's typically rich in flavor. "Amarone," in Italian, translates to "the Great Bitter." This is to distinguish it from Recioto, which is produced in the same region. Passito ~ This is a generic term for wine […]...

2011 Domaine du Théron Cahors Malbec Cuvée Prestige I popped the cork and sweet cherries filled the air. The color that I poured into my glass was purpley black. I've never seen one this color before… Intriguing, really intriguing. Definitely Old World in nose. This one is making me smack my lips before I even […]

Keynote Speaker Paul Gregutt of Wine Enthusiast magazine said, "Stop with the Alsace and Italy comparisons. It's time to talk Oregon!"

Silver Linings 2015 Oregon Pinot Noir Rosé… I drool just thinking about this one, as I look at the empty bottle. So easy to enjoy and we certainly did. You might ask, "Why would anyone want to take Oregon Pinot Noir and convert it to a rosé?" I certainly did… Then I tasted Rainstorm and […]

If you've got the wine and you've got the woman, what are the songs that get it all in the mood? Well, this all began with Let It Wine (from Italy = IT) contacting me in newsletter form. Their tagline: Dedicated to anyone in love with or just curious about the vast universe of wine! […]

A crisp, clean, Pinot Grigio machine that's an instant winner. Need a little chill after working in the garden, like I just did? This will straighten out all of the kinks and give you extreme satisfaction as you look over your latest seasonal developments. Moments like this put the moments into memorable… 2015 Pinot Grigio […]

The statement below (on Facebook within a private group) inspired the following blog story… It's a secret that I've long held; and, it's "What NOT to do if you're a writer." This became the title, when I thought about how to position this memory. I've held it too long, I need to just let it […]

Some believe that winemakers have a sense of their wines and sommeliers have a sense of their place. Let's explore that through wines that I tasted side by side with a group of wine pros with Old World and New World comparatives. Old World ~ Primitivo 2008 Primitivo Rosso IGT Puglia ~ With the high […]

The following was a final project that I wrote for my Enology class at Santa Rosa Junior College, taught by Pat Henderson, winemaker for Valley of the Moon. It was regarding the Mission Grape's role in California Wine Viticultural history. After my presentation, which included a tasting of a light but flavorful Malvadino Mission wine, […]...

Who's on "The List" at any wine event? First, it's the primary influencers. They're invited and the hosts are happy to have them. They'll attend, and today's social media responses don't even have to wait for a paper to be printed (dinosaur), or a blog story to be written (so yesterday). Today, it's Instagram and […]...

The Wine ~ Laughinghouse Petite Why I'm writing about this one is that it's an "American Dream" wine. The dream was there to create a brand and now it's being actualized. I love wine negotiates. They get to dabble with what others have brought forth as they go on a buying trip to make that […]

That's what I've been saying all spring into summer, "It's Rosé, José," and this time it was an Estelado from Miguel Torres de Chilé! Olé! A list of what's been pouring in, in an unprecedented amount… 2015 Masi Rosa dei Masi Rosato Delle Venezie 2015 The Seeker Rosé Côtes de Provence 2015 Alta Vista Rosé […]...

[Image: As© CIVB, 2012. Design: Siksik – Cartography. Édition Benoít France] As I look at this map to the right, I realize how much father I have to go to understand Bordeaux. I've written about the Left and Right banks; as we look at this map, we have much more to learn. Left Bank North-West […]

The sage advice is the very last "Dear Jo:" at the end of this blog post. If you follow from the top, you'll see how I make decisions on what I have time for, when it comes to helping people with their brands on this blog. It's not so much the brands I enjoy, it's […]

[The map of Italy, with the Vento region highlighted, is borrowed from the Italylogue.com Website.] My husband said to me, "You don't know what Amarone wine is?" like I really should know. "No," I answered, "I don't have a clue." With the last 25 years of my life devoted to learning about and working with […]...

I love Carménère, especially when it comes from Chile.As  Chile has over 460 years of wine heritage. When the Spanish arrived in sixteenth century, there was no phylloxera Chilean vine rootstock (at the time) grew own-rooted, which turned out to be a valuable genetic material. This allowed Carménère to thrive hidden among Merlot vines for [R...

My hat's off to you, sir, as I join the legion of others who celebrate all of your contributions. You not only enriched the PS I Love You agenda, but you have enriched my life, too. I asked, you helped. What more could anyone ask of another and be so rewarded for years to follow?

Picture yourself on a sand beach with your colorful towel¦ Or in a favorite park, hiking a long and winding trail¦ You want a sip of something special. You crack open your Pam's Cutie, take a sip, and life is exactly as it should be¦

Einstein's brain, upon examination, revealed that he had an extra-ordinary network of connections. For each memory, his patterns were like looking at the grid of a busy railroad yard. To really begin to gain info about wines, reading their unique stories, where they're from, who made them and why, tasting them… These are the interconnections ...