Oct 20, 2010
I like neatly ordered lists. I'm not a control freak, but I find a certain amount of order in all things to be comforting. Bringing order to the emerged world of wine blogs has been a topic of conversation with many of my PR colleagues. We only want to know what a blogger's audience size is, what they write about and, if possible, a little bit about the demographics of their audience. Is that too much to ask? In the…
Sep 13, 2010
Over at Wark Communications, the fancy name I've given to the public relations and communications consultancy that has been the the source of my income for the past 15 years, I've taken up with HAIDU.NET. I've agreed to be HAIDU.NET's communications agency of record. I've agreed to associate myself with HAIDU.NET. It's a big decision. For anyone who works as a consultant, whether inside or outside the wine industry, the very first things that must be understood is this: While…
Sep 9, 2010
Charlie Olken has a blog. Big deal. New wine blog on the block. But wait. Consider the context: If I'm not mistaken, Charlie Olken's foray into freely accessed, on-line publishing in a diary-like format marks him as perhaps the most wine-experienced blogger in America. Charlie has for more than 35 years been publishing the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, a newsletter that is and has been highly respected by winemakers, the wine trade and the wine obsessed. Thirty-Five years! There…
Aug 19, 2010
The embarrassment I feel when I come across a long running editorial outlet that is both extremely well done and relatively unknown to me is palpable. I also get a bit angry with myself because I know now that had I been reading this editorial outlet I'd be a smarter person today. This is exactly how I feel about Jacob Grier's "Liquidity Preference", a blog that delves into "Cocktails, Coffee and Commentary". I've been reading through Jacob's work on this…
Aug 18, 2010
Despite his claims, Matt Kramer is not a Journalist. This should be clear within the first few moments of cracking his new book, a retrospective of his columns from various venues entitled: "Matt Kramer on Wine: A Matchless Collection of Columns, Essays, and Observations by America's most original and lucid Wine Writer." Matt Kramer, best known for his long-running column in the Wine Spectator and his classic "Making Sense" series of books, is an essayist. And he's the best one…