Dr. Liz Thach, MW is a professor, wine writer, and consultant based in Napa and Sonoma, California.
She also holds the position of President of the Wine Market Council, a non-profit dedicated to providing forward-looking market research on U.S. wine consumer buying habits, attitudes and trends.
Liz is an award-winning author and educator, specializing in wine business strategy, marketing, leadership/executive development, and wine lifestyle. Liz’s passion is wine, and she has visited most of the major wine regions of the world and more than 70 countries.
Prior to her wine career, Liz worked for more than 10 years as an HR executive and manager in Fortune 500 companies, before transitioning to Sonoma State University(SSU) in 2000 to teach management and wine business classes in their Bachelors and MBA programs. While there, she taught thousands of students, conducted multiple international research projects, presented at more than 100 conferences, and published 9 books and over 200 articles, including consumer/trade journal and academic publications. She retired from SSU in May 2023, and now teaches online wine classes for Stanford Continuing Studies, in addition to her writing and consulting work.
Liz was the first woman in California and the 7th woman in the US to become a Master of Wine (MW), leading to the California Legislature honoring her with Resolution No. 422, and the California State University system granting her the title of Distinguished Professor of Wine for life. She also holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University, an M.A. in Organizational Communication and Management from Texas Tech University, and a B.A. in English from Notre Dame de Namur University in California.
I just wanted to thank you for your leadership. You have helped limit the scope to something manageable and therefore we have been able to accomplish more than we did when we were spread way too thin….
I recently read your Forbes piece on Tom Gearing’s Cult Wine Investment, along with your most recent interview with James Miles of Liv-Ex. I learned a lot about the fine wine market and technology so thank you!….
I loved your presentation in LOOKING AHEAD and hope that more wineries think about what they need to do to be successful and then act upon it.
Dr Liz Thach was awesome..super knowledgeable and a wonderful professor..She kept the classes moving and each class was easy to follow….
I wanted to reach out and tell you what an absolute honor it was to see you on the panel of our virtual tasting. By listening to you taste and talk about the wine that I now work with on a daily basis, it reassured me in more ways than one that I truly am on the right path for my career within the wine industry. Thank you for your time and for being a constant and positive influence in what I do.
Thank you for an amazing past two semesters Professor! I really enjoyed both of your classes from the Intro to Wine Business to Senior Strategy Seminar this Spring. You’re my favorite teacher that I’ve had at Sonoma State by far! You really do a great job at teaching and care about your students and it shows.
We are wine consulting company from Mendoza, Argentina and I found your American Wine Consumer Report. It was really nice to discover your set of reports. I believe it’s very useful for wine exporters. Thank you very much!
I am a sommelier from NY and based in Italy doing research on a new business ‘model’ to facilitate selling wine in foreign markets for smaller producers, focusing on US as initial ‘foreign market’. As I started this journey earlier this year, I’ve read your book on Wine Sales and Marketing and have come across numerous articles/surveys which you have authored and co-authored. Your research have been invaluable, especially to confirm data points/trends in the industry.
Your Mexican-American Winery article is wonderful and so timely….I thank you so much for giving voice to our shared immigrant experiences and for highlighting our contribution to the wine industry! I’m grateful for your interest and support and I invite you to visit us soon! Abrazos!
I want to say thanks again for your coaching. It has changed my life and my perspective on wine and our industry, deepening and enriching everything. Thanks again for your wonderful guidance!
Writing Services
Liz’s passion is writing about wine, food, travel and lifestyle pieces. She is an award-winning author with more than 300 publications, including over 200 magazine/journal articles, 9 books, multiple books chapters, and hundreds of blog posts, wine reviews, and press releases. She has also written many grants and technical research reports.
Consulting Services
Liz has over 20 years’ experience providing consulting services to multiple industries, including wine, computer, telecom, and energy companies. With her unique background in wine combined with a Ph.D.in management and 10 years’ experience as a manager and executive, she is well-qualified to offer a variety of consulting services.
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