@jeniport.bsky.social
Obsessed with words on wine: judge Halliday Wine Companion; Legend of the Vine (WCA); 2014 Wine Communicator of the Year; Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Legend. Western Bulldog.
Wine merchant, wine importer, author and CIA spy, Peter Sichel, has died, aged 102. He enjoyed an incredible life which he captured so evocatively in his 2016 autobiography, The Secrets of My Life. It needed clearance from the CIA before it could be published. RIP
March 6, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Wine merchant, wine importer, author and CIA spy, Peter Sichel, has died, aged 102. He enjoyed an incredible life which he captured so evocatively in his 2016 autobiography, The Secrets of My Life. It needed clearance from the CIA before it could be published. RIP
Wine nerds alert: you simply have to love the information on the back label of Parker Estate wines. This is how you do it! Love the labels and the wines reflect the same degree of detail.
March 4, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Wine nerds alert: you simply have to love the information on the back label of Parker Estate wines. This is how you do it! Love the labels and the wines reflect the same degree of detail.
Yeah, well, this is about standard for this time of year with just four days to go until the deadline for all tasting notes for the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion book. .. it’s not quite as chaotic as it looks, believe me.
Thanks to the talented winemakers in the regions I taste for sending in wines.
Thanks to the talented winemakers in the regions I taste for sending in wines.
February 20, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Yeah, well, this is about standard for this time of year with just four days to go until the deadline for all tasting notes for the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion book. .. it’s not quite as chaotic as it looks, believe me.
Thanks to the talented winemakers in the regions I taste for sending in wines.
Thanks to the talented winemakers in the regions I taste for sending in wines.
And here’s an excerpt from The Emperor of Wine . . .
January 30, 2025 at 2:14 AM
And here’s an excerpt from The Emperor of Wine . . .
Day 12: Women wine writers/ authors - The Emperor of Wine, The Rise of Robert M. Parker Jr by Elin McCoy ( Harper Perennial, 2005). Elin McCoy captured the talent, work ethic and ego of Parker in this excellent book through long-running, diligent research. It offers quite an insight into the man.
January 30, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Day 12: Women wine writers/ authors - The Emperor of Wine, The Rise of Robert M. Parker Jr by Elin McCoy ( Harper Perennial, 2005). Elin McCoy captured the talent, work ethic and ego of Parker in this excellent book through long-running, diligent research. It offers quite an insight into the man.
Here’s an excerpt from Tangled Vines . . .
January 29, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Here’s an excerpt from Tangled Vines . . .
Day 11: Tangled Vines, Greed, Murder, Obsession and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California by Frances Dinkelspiel ( St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, 2015). An investigation by a US journalist into a story that started in 2005 with a $250 fire at a Californian wine warehouse.It’s a gripping read.
January 29, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Day 11: Tangled Vines, Greed, Murder, Obsession and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California by Frances Dinkelspiel ( St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, 2015). An investigation by a US journalist into a story that started in 2005 with a $250 fire at a Californian wine warehouse.It’s a gripping read.
Day 10: Women wine writers/authors - Cork Dork, A Wine- Fuelled Journey Into The Art of Sommeliers And The Science Of Taste by Bianca Bosker (Allen & Unwin, 2017). What a writer! Bianca turns in a star writing - and wine - performance that is hugely entertaining. This is a must read.
January 28, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Day 10: Women wine writers/authors - Cork Dork, A Wine- Fuelled Journey Into The Art of Sommeliers And The Science Of Taste by Bianca Bosker (Allen & Unwin, 2017). What a writer! Bianca turns in a star writing - and wine - performance that is hugely entertaining. This is a must read.
And here’s an excerpt from The Fabulous Ladies’ Guide to Wine . . .
January 27, 2025 at 3:49 AM
And here’s an excerpt from The Fabulous Ladies’ Guide to Wine . . .
Day 9: women wine writers/authors - our second entry celebrates Australia Day with a fun Aussie wine voice, Jane Thomson, author of The Fabulous Ladies’ Guide to Wine. Jane is a dear friend and I love her attitude to wine - it’s a drink, just enjoy it and along the way have a bit of fun.
January 27, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Day 9: women wine writers/authors - our second entry celebrates Australia Day with a fun Aussie wine voice, Jane Thomson, author of The Fabulous Ladies’ Guide to Wine. Jane is a dear friend and I love her attitude to wine - it’s a drink, just enjoy it and along the way have a bit of fun.
And here’s an excerpt from The House of Mondavi.
January 26, 2025 at 10:33 PM
And here’s an excerpt from The House of Mondavi.
Day 9: Women wine writers/authors The House of Mondavi by Julia Flynn Siler (Gotham Books, 2007). Tells the story of the rise and fall of an American dynasty. Well researched & told. It is one of my favourite reads.
January 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Day 9: Women wine writers/authors The House of Mondavi by Julia Flynn Siler (Gotham Books, 2007). Tells the story of the rise and fall of an American dynasty. Well researched & told. It is one of my favourite reads.
An excerpt from The Botanist and the Vintner by Christy Campbell . . . .
January 26, 2025 at 1:04 AM
An excerpt from The Botanist and the Vintner by Christy Campbell . . . .
Day 8: Women wine writers/authors - The Botanist and the Vintner, How Wine Was Saves For The World by Christy Campbell (Algonquin Books, 2006). A great read, a thriller, about botanist, Jules-Émile Planchon, who set out to discover why vines were dying en masse in the mid 1800s across France.
January 26, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Day 8: Women wine writers/authors - The Botanist and the Vintner, How Wine Was Saves For The World by Christy Campbell (Algonquin Books, 2006). A great read, a thriller, about botanist, Jules-Émile Planchon, who set out to discover why vines were dying en masse in the mid 1800s across France.
Day 5: Women wine writers/books - The Vineyards of Central Otago: A Passion for Winemaking on the Edge by Viv Milsom with photos by Mike Wilkinson (Penguin Random House NZ, 2018). The title says it all. If that doesn’t attract the reader, the gorgeous photos do the rest.
January 23, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Day 5: Women wine writers/books - The Vineyards of Central Otago: A Passion for Winemaking on the Edge by Viv Milsom with photos by Mike Wilkinson (Penguin Random House NZ, 2018). The title says it all. If that doesn’t attract the reader, the gorgeous photos do the rest.
Here’s an excerpt from Talia’s book. . . love the first par and the killer response.
January 21, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Here’s an excerpt from Talia’s book. . . love the first par and the killer response.
Day 3: Women wine writers/books: A Modern Guide To Sherry by Talia Baiocchi (Jacqui Small, London, 2015). What I love about Talia’s writing is not just the quality of it, her knowledge and enthusiasm, but this little treasure is also a wonderful first-hand travelogue.
January 21, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Day 3: Women wine writers/books: A Modern Guide To Sherry by Talia Baiocchi (Jacqui Small, London, 2015). What I love about Talia’s writing is not just the quality of it, her knowledge and enthusiasm, but this little treasure is also a wonderful first-hand travelogue.
Suzanne Mustacich is a multi-talented author who wrote Thirsty Dragon at the height of the great love affair between the Chinese and Bordeaux wine. My fave paragraph is highlighted below. I love the sentence: “China was a rich country of poor people and a relatively small and emerging middle-class.”
January 20, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Suzanne Mustacich is a multi-talented author who wrote Thirsty Dragon at the height of the great love affair between the Chinese and Bordeaux wine. My fave paragraph is highlighted below. I love the sentence: “China was a rich country of poor people and a relatively small and emerging middle-class.”
Women wine writers No. 2 - Thirsty Dragon by Suzanne Mustacich (Henry Holt $ Co. New York 2015)
January 20, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Women wine writers No. 2 - Thirsty Dragon by Suzanne Mustacich (Henry Holt $ Co. New York 2015)
Someone recently raised a question about wine books written by women.
There are many.
Each day I’ll post one - some might still be available, some not - but all will be worthwhile additions to the important role of women in communicating about wine. Let’s start with the late, great Fiona MacDonald
There are many.
Each day I’ll post one - some might still be available, some not - but all will be worthwhile additions to the important role of women in communicating about wine. Let’s start with the late, great Fiona MacDonald
January 19, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Someone recently raised a question about wine books written by women.
There are many.
Each day I’ll post one - some might still be available, some not - but all will be worthwhile additions to the important role of women in communicating about wine. Let’s start with the late, great Fiona MacDonald
There are many.
Each day I’ll post one - some might still be available, some not - but all will be worthwhile additions to the important role of women in communicating about wine. Let’s start with the late, great Fiona MacDonald
HNY to all . . . the first day of 2025 was a big one. This is 4-5 months of wine packaging which had to be flattened before the skip arrives. Wine writing is such a romantic pursuit, eh!
January 1, 2025 at 6:35 AM
HNY to all . . . the first day of 2025 was a big one. This is 4-5 months of wine packaging which had to be flattened before the skip arrives. Wine writing is such a romantic pursuit, eh!
A gift that gives back from the one and only Jane Thomson, OAM, founder of Australian Women In Wine. Love the work of Two Good Co. - two good.com.au - which empowers and employs women living in crisis. More power to them!!
December 13, 2024 at 5:55 AM
A gift that gives back from the one and only Jane Thomson, OAM, founder of Australian Women In Wine. Love the work of Two Good Co. - two good.com.au - which empowers and employs women living in crisis. More power to them!!
Day 4: Bright to Harrietville & return 55kms. A feast for all the senses from the all pervasive, heavenly Aussie bush scent of wild herbals-sweet florals-menthol & alpine beauty to magnificent magnolia avenues to pristine clear country streams and, yes, a Prosecco back in Bright to finish the ride.
December 11, 2024 at 5:42 AM
Day 4: Bright to Harrietville & return 55kms. A feast for all the senses from the all pervasive, heavenly Aussie bush scent of wild herbals-sweet florals-menthol & alpine beauty to magnificent magnolia avenues to pristine clear country streams and, yes, a Prosecco back in Bright to finish the ride.
Day 3: From Myrtleford to Bright & return 65km. Tiger (snake) Alley to Cicada Central, past hops, vines, rusty old tobacco kilns, blueberry farms and organic produce outlets and some of the most beautiful alpine scenery in the state . . . has to be Victoria’s best, most scenic rail trail of all!!!
December 10, 2024 at 6:48 AM
Day 3: From Myrtleford to Bright & return 65km. Tiger (snake) Alley to Cicada Central, past hops, vines, rusty old tobacco kilns, blueberry farms and organic produce outlets and some of the most beautiful alpine scenery in the state . . . has to be Victoria’s best, most scenic rail trail of all!!!
How green is Beechworth & Alpine Valleys for this time of year! Perfect cycling weather. Day 1 - Beechworth- Yackandandah- Beechworth 50kms. Day 2 - Beechworth-Everton-Myrtleford-Gapsted Winery-Myrtleford 54kms. Day 3 - off to beautiful Bright!
December 9, 2024 at 9:43 PM
How green is Beechworth & Alpine Valleys for this time of year! Perfect cycling weather. Day 1 - Beechworth- Yackandandah- Beechworth 50kms. Day 2 - Beechworth-Everton-Myrtleford-Gapsted Winery-Myrtleford 54kms. Day 3 - off to beautiful Bright!