Wine Business

Andrea Robinson one of the country’s leading wine educators, and is one of only 16 women in the world who have been appointed Master Sommelier by the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers. She was the first woman ever chosen Best Sommelier in the United States by the Sommelier Society of America. In 2007 she was appointed Master Sommelier for Delta Air Lines, for whom she selects all of their in-flight wines as well as develops flight attendant wine training. Her production company JGR Productions produces informative food, wine and travel video content for Delta Air Lines, Borders Books, and broadcast media and she has worked with the Food Channel and PBS. She is the author of eight wine and food books including Andrea Robinson’s Wine Buying Guide for Everyone , and her articles have appeared in publications such as Health , Eating Well , Esquire , Real Simple , Money , and Bon Appétit . She has received a James Beard Award for Broadcast Journalism. Formerly this busy mother of three was the Wine Director at Windows on the World, and was Corporate Director of Beverage Programs for Starwood Hotels.

Adam Strum is the Founder and Chairman of Wine Enthusiast Companies and Editor and Publisher of Wine Enthusiast Magazine and heads up the largest group of wine commerce and media companies in the world. With more than 800,000 readers Wine Enthusiast Magazine and its Web site Winemag.com provide editorial content and authoritative reviews and ratings of tens of thousands of wines every year. The Wine Enthusiast Catalog/Web business is the world’s leading inventor and seller of wine accessories and wine storage. Strum, a second-generation, 35-year veteran of the wine business, is a pioneer whose multi-faceted wine-related businesses have had a major impact on increasing wine consumption and wine culture in America. Since 1979 Wine Enthusiast Companies has mailed and distributed more than 300 million wine-related publications in the United States and around the world. Not bad for a husband and wife team who started a mail-order business in their attic.

As part of video wine review series, Cult Wines of Crushpad, IntoWine had the delightful opportunity to catch up with Twin Oaks winemaker Mark Weiner to hear his thoughts on the Twin Oaks wines and wine topics in general. Thanks to Mark for chatting. What inspired the name Twin Oaks Cellars? Named after my twin daughters, as well as the twin oak trees in our neighborhood...

IntoWine recently caught up with WineStraws founder, Jenny LaFever, to discuss what WineStraws can do for you and to get the latest on this wine drinking trend. What inspired the idea for wine straws? The idea was born one night in December, 2007. I had a few girlfriends over for wine and appetizers before we headed to a holiday party. Two of the girls had recently had their teeth professionally whitened and (dentist’s orders) had to use a straw for their wine. The rest of the girls and I decided we didn’t want wine staining our teeth either so we all decided to used a straw. I had seen firsthand many times what a night of drinking red wine can look like! Right away, aside from having fun trying something new, I noticed that the wine taste and experience was not minimized whatsoever, I had no staining, and my lipgloss stayed on lips—not the glass. The only downfall to that first experience was the straw itself… it wasn’t perfect. After many delicious trial runs and tests, what started out as a whim of an idea amongst a few wine loving friends has now turned into the conceptualization and launch of my company: WineStraws.

How many food & wine apps do you know of that focus solely on gourmet food & wine pairings? How about budget-conscious pairings? What about food & wine education? If you answered none, you’re about to learn all about food & wine apps like these (and a few others) by reading the following top 5 food & wine apps for iPad.

Every other year, sommeliers and hospitality industry professionals from around the United States gather in New York City to compete for the coveted title of "Best Sommelier in America" in a competition organized by the American Sommelier Association. Andrew Bell, Co-founder and President of the American Sommelier Association, took some time out of his busy pre-competition schedule to discuss wine, the sommelier profession and, of course, the Best Sommelier in America 2011 competition with IntoWine.com. Tell me about the Best Sommelier in America 2011 competition. What happens during this two-day competition? The Best Sommelier in America competition is a biannual event, somewhat of a "muscle exercise" that began in 1998. On Day One, the competitors are tested at an absurd level of knowledge about current affairs, wine laws and historical questions. They are tested on the proper technique for presenting, offering, preparing and serving wines. Then the competition moves on to "What's in the glass?" with blind tasting of wines. Next, they are served a spirit in a black glass and have one minute to identify it by aroma only.

California has been home to many cult wines over the past few decades. Typically a small production label makes a series of great wines, a few -usually connected- wine enthusiasts discover them, word then spreads through the wine community as the financially well endowed lay claim to the membership lists and clamor for the next release, driving up prices in the process. Meanwhile, the producer breathes a sigh of relief knowing that, not only will their next release sell out, but that it will sell for a premium. Napa Valley's Cult Vines , as its name not-at-all-subtly implies, has focused its efforts directly on this sub-sector of the wine market; and there is nothing modest about their strategy. They are choosing the best grapes from the most respected vineyards and endeavoring to make the finest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Roussane/Marsanne possible to sell to cult wine fans with deep pockets. And to their credit, their strategy appears to be working as planned. IntoWine caught up with Cult Vines co-founder Michael Cochran to learn more about his foray into cult winemaking.

It's not often you get to witness the beginnings of greatness. In the wine world, most consumers don't discover the best small production wines until they are either priced out of reach or available at the end of a very long waiting list. Wine lovers: here is your chance. Greg La Follette, one of California's (and perhaps the world's) finest makers of pinot noir and chardonnay has launched his own label, the eponymous La Follette Wines , and for perhaps the first time in his career is able to focus purely on making great wine for his own label, without distraction. Buy now or forever hold your peace.