Ahhh, Dallas, where the rain is big, the convention center is even bigger, and the wine competitions are downright huuuuuuge. I had such a splendid time judging alongside the consummate professionals at the 2016 TexSom International Wine Awards that I didn’t even mind that Dallas is totally dirty with Cowboys fans (Go Steelers!). Hell, I…
Category: wine industry events
And Then, Apparently Everyone Went Insane (Wine Competitions 2016)
“As the world fell, each of us in our own way was broken. It was hard to know who was more crazy… me… or everyone else.” – Max Rockatansky, Mad Max: Fury Road I think the wine judging world has officially gone batsh*t crazy. More on that in a minute. As many of you might…
I Left My Heart-Shaped-Double-Gold Medal… In San Francisco… (2015 San Francisco International Wine Competition)
Later this year, I will have the pleasure of judging at the 2015 edition of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. This will mark my second year as a judge at SFIWC, and is part of my gettin’ busy Summer, during which I’ve somehow amassed a series of competitions, tours, and speaking gigs with little…
No One “Needs” Your Wine (30 Lessons in Wine Communication)
Recently, at the wine industry über-event VinItaly, a group of PR-savvy wine folk gave a presentation titled “30 Lessons in Wine Communication for Italian Brands.” One of the slides in that presentation was modeled (with my permission) on a tuff-luv style wine PR post I wrote back in June of 2014. With some modifications, primarily…