Dr. Liz Thach, MW conducting a training session on Pinot Noir wine.
Dr. Elizabeth “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 organization 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. She has published numerous articles in Forbes, Wine Spectator, Decanter, Wine Business Monthly, Somm Journal and many other publications. Liz’s passion is wine, and she has visited most of the major wine regions of the world and more than 70 countries.
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.
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 offers multiple writing services, such as consumer/trade journal articles, technical reports, wine reviews, blog posts, press releases, and newsletter articles. Her consulting services include training/education, strategy development, coaching, research/survey development, public speaking/moderating, and wine judging.
Over the years, Liz has received more than 30 awards and honors, including a Fulbright Specialist Scholarship to teach wine business in Argentina, the Korbel Professorship for wine research, the Andre Crispin Commanderie de Bordeaux Scholarship to travel to France, and was the winner of the Reh Kendermann Bursary that involved a trip to German wine regions. She has also received three teaching awards, several leadership awards, and multiple writing honors including the Hall of Fame Best Book Award from Gourmand World Book Awards, three OIV book awards, and Outstanding Paper in the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence.
In her free time, Liz serves on other non-profit boards, such as the Shone Farm Board to support students pursuing wine careers, the Petaluma Gap WineGrowers Alliance, and Women of the Vine & Spirits. She has also served on the editorial boards for International Journal of Wine Business Researchand Wine Economics & Policy, and held the position of Deputy-President for the Academy of Wine Business Research. She has also been a wine judge for more than 30 different national and international wine competitions.
Liz is married with one daughter. She lives on Sonoma Mountain where she spends her free time hiking, reading, bird-watching, and tending a hobby vineyard from which she makes pinot noir wine. She and her husband also enjoy golfing, travel, and cooking together, as well as having friends over for wine-tastings and barbeques. She especially enjoys taking long walks with her dog, Merlin.