Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Thach, MW is a Wine Writer, Educator, and Consultant based in Napa and Sonoma, California, specializing in wine business strategy, marketing, leadership development, and wine lifestyle. She teaches wine classes part-time at Stanford Continuing Education and recently served as President of the Wine Market Council for 3 years. Before that, Liz was a full-time professor at Sonoma State University for 23 years, where she earned the title of Distinguished Professor of Wine & Management, following a decade as a Fortune 500 HR executive.

Liz was the first woman in California and the 7th in the U.S. to earn the prestigious Master of Wine (MW) credential. She holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, is an avid traveler who has visited 80 countries, and has authored 9 books and over 300 articles, contributing frequently to Forbes, Wine Business Monthly, Wine Spectator, and other publications.

Recipient of more than 30 awards—including a Fulbright Specialist Scholarship—Liz currently offers freelance writing, executive consulting, public speaking, and wine judging, and has served on multiple industry boards. A fifth-generation Californian, she resides in both Napa/Sonoma and Palm Springs, where she enjoys hiking, bird-watching, and hosting wine dinners.

Dr. Liz Thach, MW
Writing Services

Writing Services

Liz’s passion is writing about wine, food, travel and lifestyle pieces. She is an award-winning author with more than 300 published 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

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 experience as a manager and executive, she is well-qualified to offer a variety of consulting services.

As Seen In

7 Sophisticated Sauvignon Blancs From Napa And Sonoma. Forbes, August 2023
Thach, L. (2023) Auction of Washington Wines Raises More Than 4 Million for Charities. Wine Spectator Magazine, August 2023 online and Nov. 2023 in print
Thach, L. (2023). Napa Rise Offers the Wine Industry a Roadmap Towards Greater Diversity. Decanter Magazine, May 11, 2023
Thach, L. (2019). Palate Meets Pallete: Imagery Estate Winery Paints a Picture of Multigenerational Talent. The Tasting Panel Magazine. November/December Issue 2019, pages 70-71
The Somm Journal, August/September Issue 2022
Thach, L. (2018). Hidden Napa Valley Winery Steals the Show. Prime Women, Aug. 15, 2018.
Thach, L. (2020, June 30). Solutions and Words of Wisdom from Black Female Vineyard Manager, Brenae Royal. Wine Industry Network Advisor
Eight Opportunities to Connect with Future Wine Consumers. Winebusiness.com, August 2023
Thach, L. (2017). Mexican-Americans Move from Vineyard to Boardroom. Winesearcher.com. Sept. 6, 2017
Thach, L. & Olsen, J. (2015). Profiling the High Frequency Wine Consumer by Price Segmentation in the US Market. Wine Economics and Policy. Volume 4, Issue 1, June 2015, Pages 53–59
Thach, L., Reiwe, S. & Camillo, A. (2020, In Press). Generational Cohort Theory and Wine: Analyzing How Gen Z Differs from Other American Wine Consuming Generations. International Journal of Wine Business Research
Thach, L. (2018). A Brief History of American Winemaking. The Conversation. May 25, 2018