Throughout my journalism career, I've held various editorial roles in media outlets across the globe.
My current focus is covering the wine and spirits industry for M. Shanken Communications' trade publications.
Following a model similar to that of a craft brewer, The Austin Winery has been breathing new life into the Texas wine industry from its full-production urban winery in the heart of the Lone Star State's vibrant capital.
Long known for its country music scene, Nashville has recently built a reputation as a food and beverage destination. And after a 2009 law reintroduced distilling for the first time since statewide Prohibition in 1910, a crop of craft distillers has sprung up, making all sorts of whiskey.
With more than 40 New Zealand entries on its wine list, Aroha Restaurant in West Lake Village, California, has been at the forefront of educating its customers on the diversity of New Zealand wines.
California's Central Coast is emerging from the shadow of Napa and Sonoma as a go-to wine region. "There are plenty of wines from the Central Coast to match the different styles of cuisine in our restaurants," says Kat Wojcik, director of bar programming and systems at San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.
Since opening its doors in Louisville, Kentucky, nine years ago, Westport Whiskey & Wine has built a reputation on providing customers with one-of-a-kind products and experiences. Co-owners Chris Zaborowski and Richard Splan like to say they're in the hospitality business, but run a retail store.
It all started 10 years ago-an unlikely distillery housed in a former welding shop under a bridge in a once-sleepy Texas town. It produced the state's first whiskey to hit the market since Prohibition. Since then, Balcones Distilling has made a name for itself with a range of bold whiskies and other spirits with outsized Texas character.
For decades, the brandy category has consisted of two distinct parts-value-driven brands on the domestic side, and Cognacs and other high-end spirits on the import side. But with the rise of craft spirits and heightened interest in classic cocktails, a growing number of American producers are creating new opportunities for brandy and redefining what premium American brandy can mean.
Michael Cimini has noticed something unique about wines from Argentina. Cimini, owner of the 4-location Austin Liquors in Massachusetts, says Argentina doesn't stand out in the minds of customers. Instead, its leading grape variety steers the conversations.
When Florence Butt opened the C.C. Butt Grocery store in the small Central Texas town of Kerrville in 1905, it would've been hard to imagine the shop eventually ranking as one of the largest retailers in the United States. More than a century later, however, the family-owned H-E-B Grocery Co.
With an import-heavy wine list rotating on a weekly basis, MJ's Wine Bar in Portland, Maine is consistently seeking new wine experiences for its clientele. "We strike a balance of Old World and New World wines-at about a 50/50 split-because the two categories have such distinct characteristics with a lot of variation," says Mark Ohlson, owner and sommelier at MJ's.