Dr. Liz Thach, MW

How Fine Wine Importer, Wilson Daniels, Manages Some Of World’s Most Expensive Wine Brands

Wilson Daniels Imports Wines made from the Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Vineyard in Burgundy. GETTY When Rocco Lombardo assumed president at Wilson Daniels, one of the top luxury wine importers and marketers in the U.S., no one knew that in less than 8 years, he grew the company five times its size in revenue and case sales. Even more impressive, the privately owned company was able to grow its business by 68% during the pandemic, and did not lay off any employees. Today, Wilson Daniels oversees a wine portfolio of some of the most illustrious wine brands in the world. Examples [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-04-02T12:15:28-07:00April 2, 2023|

The Lion, The Wine and The Belly-Dancers: DAOU Vineyards Release Party

Probably one of the most enchanting wine release parties in California is the annual “Soul of a Lion” event held at DAUO Vineyards in Paso Robles each Spring. The wine is a delicious Bordeaux blend, made primarily of cabernet sauvignon, and was named in honor of George and Daniel Dauo’s father, Joseph Daou. The story behind the name is that Joseph always exhibited “the soul of a lion,” in that whatever hardships knocked him down growing up in war-torn Lebanon, he always jumped back up and faced life with the courage and strength of the “king of the jungle.” Daniel [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-04-02T12:20:08-07:00April 2, 2023|

Dreaming of Working in Napa Valley? New Digital Resource Improves Accessibility

New Digital Resource called 'Dream.Work.Napa' Improves Accessibility. Photo Credit: NVV A new digital resource called, ‘Dream.Work.Napa.’ was released today that will help those looking to start their careers in Napa Valley. This was developed by members of the NVV Leadership Program cohort. The site is designed to connect people with a range of resources available on the webpage, including internships, housing opportunities, education and mentorship programs, scholarships, employment opportunities and healthcare. The mission of Dream.Work.Napa. is to improve the accessibility and social sustainability of Napa Valley through supported educational and resource programs to attract, retain and inspire the next generation, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-23T15:25:41-07:00March 23, 2023|

1795 and 1840 Rare Madeira Wine To Be Auctioned at Christie’s

Madeira Wine. Photo Credit: Creative Commons One of the great benefits of studying to become a Master of Wine is that I was introduced to fine Madeira wines, and fell in love with them. The taste is especially enchanting because it is a combination of dried orange peel, caramel, hazelnut, and brown sugar, as well as many other complex notes, depending on the age and varietal. I am also amazed by the fact that Madeira wines never go bad, even after the bottle has been opened for years! So I was intrigued when I learned that one of the largest [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-23T15:05:15-07:00March 23, 2023|

Why French Millennials Don’t Drink Wine

Why French Millennials Don't Drink Wine. Photo Credit: Pexels.com When I was traveling in France for a month in 2008, I did some research on why younger French consumers were not adopting wine as much as French people did in previous generations. The results were rather surprising so I published them in an article in WineBusiness.com, with my co-researcher, Dr. Francois d'Hauteville, who was teaching at the University of Montpellier in Southern France. Recently I was contacted by a French student who is studying the same topic, because -- alas -- the issue is still current. Young people in France [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-20T12:30:01-07:00March 20, 2023|

How ChatGPT Can Help Wineries Sell More Wine

A winery and vineyard landscape created by AI Art - Deep Dream Generator After asking ChatGPT (free open source artificial intelligence platform) to write a blog post on 'How ChatGPT Can Assist Customers in Buying Wine,' and being reasonably impressed with the results, I decided to flip the table and ask it 'how wineries could increase wine sales with ChatGPT'. The first blog post it wrote wasn't that accurate, because it said we were still in a pandemic, so I asked it to try a second time. This is what is came up with. Personally, I think it is relatively [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-19T12:30:33-07:00March 19, 2023|

How ChatGPT Can Assist Consumers in Buying Wine

Wine and Chat GPT. Photo Credit: Artbreeder As a wine business professor, I've become rather alarmed with reports that students are using ChatGPT (free open source artificial intelligence platform) to complete research papers with APA referencing. Therefore, I decided to test this out on ChatGPT and guess what? The platform did an excellent job of writing a 2 page research paper, complete with abstract and referencing, but it couldn't write the 10 page research paper I requested - even though I asked it multiple times. However, ChatGPT is actually supposed to be better at writing short articles and blog posts, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-18T14:37:36-07:00March 18, 2023|

A Conversation With Sommelier Tonya Pitts On Wine/Food Pairing

Tonya Pitts, Sommelier and Wine Director of One Market Restaurant, CA. HARDY WILSON Tonya Pitts grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and remembers her grandmother and great-grandmother enjoying a glass of red Manischewitz wine with dinner each evening. Fast-forward to today where Tonya Pitts manages a 600-bottle wine list at the acclaimed One Market Restaurant in San Francisco, and was recently named ‘Sommelier of the Year’ by Wine Enthusiast’s 2022 Wine Stars Awards. In a recent phone interview, Pitts shares some of her insights into the art of wine and food pairing. She also comments on the importance of Black [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T16:04:46-08:00March 7, 2023|

Olivier Krug Describes How Champagne Can Be Paired with Music

Experience a Champagne and Music Pairing GETTY I first visited Krug Champagne House in Reims, France with my wine business students in 2014 (post at this link). While there, we had the most amazing tasting in the garden, as well as a tour of the cellars. Towards the end of the tasting, we were all honored and impressed with Olivier Krug came to speak with us, and reminded us that champagne is all about the enjoyment of life. Now in 2023, I had the honor of interviewing Olivier for this Forbes article, and once again I was entranced with his message. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T15:57:51-08:00March 7, 2023|

6 Tempting Wine Cocktails For Valentine’s Day

Tempting Wine Cocktails for Valentines Day. Photo Credit: Getty While you can never go wrong serving champagne or sparkling wine for Valentine’s Day, sometimes it is better to get a little more creative and serve a tantalizing wine cocktail. After all, wine has been used as a base for cocktails as far back as the ancient Greeks and Romans, who used to add honey, spices, and different types of fruit to wine. With this in mind, we consulted six wine experts and sommeliers who provided six recipes for some of their favorite wine cocktails. These are ideal to serve as [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-02-12T09:14:33-08:00February 12, 2023|

How to Plan the Perfect Wine & Art Painting Party

A Wine & Painting Party Can Be Loads of Fun. Photo Credit: Porch.com Contributed by Maria Jose Meneses - You don’t have to be a great artist to enjoy painting. Painting is more active and engaging than streaming a movie and less competitive than board game night. But when you invite your friends and add some delicious wine and nibbles, it can be a blast. Even your least artsy friend will enjoy seeing what they created after an entertaining evening. Preparing for a paint and sip party is a little different than setting up a dinner party or game night. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-02-01T18:07:51-08:00February 1, 2023|

How Horses In The Vineyard Help Create World-Class Wines At Cayuse

Horse Plowing the Vineyard at Cayuse Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. ANDREA JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY In the Washington State wine industry many people refer to Christophe Baron as the ‘Crazy Frenchman.’ Who else would buy of field of stones that no one else wanted and plant a vineyard on it? Who else would employ massive-muscled work horses to till the soil in the vineyards? But…. who else would become so successful that his distinctive biodynamic world-class wines typically sell out in the first 3 weeks of release each year? Born in Champagne, France, to a winemaking family, Baron studied viticulture and enology [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2026-09-14T13:21:39-07:00December 29, 2022|

An Exciting 5 Course Champagne Dinner

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Designed to Pair with Food. PHOTO CREDIT: BILLECART-SALMON Some of the most innovative and satisfying meals of my life have been organized around one type of wine. For example, I had a 6-course all Riesling wine dinner in Germany once, and a 5-course Madeira wine lunch on the island of Madeira in Portugal. In interviewing Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the CEO of Billecart-Salmon Champagne House in France, for a Forbes article, he shared this enticing 5-course all Champagne dinner. Even more interesting, he said that it is quite common in the Champagne towns of Epernay and Reims to enjoy these [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T16:06:04-08:00December 29, 2022|

9 Surprising Dessert and Wine Combinations

Delicious Dessert and Wine Combinations. Photo Credit: Pixabay (Contributed by Marina Copeland) - Pairing wine and dessert can be tricky. Get it right, and you’ll create an experience of gastronomic bliss for yourself and your guests. Get it wrong, and they’ll remember the end of your meal for all the wrong reasons. Following is a list of 9 dessert and wine combinations that are sure to make you a hero. The main guideline to remember with dessert pairings is that the wine should always be a little sweeter than the food it is paired with (see more guidelines at the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T16:07:00-08:00December 5, 2022|

The Opus One Celebration Dinner for Collective Napa Valley Event

Collective Napa Valley 2022 November Auction Dinner at Opus One Winery. ALEXANDER RUBIN Multiple auction paddles were raised at an elegant Opus One Winery dinner as part of Collective Napa Valley’s November 2022 event. Tickets to the $2500 per person weekend sold out quickly, as supporters from around the nation, as well as some international visitors, rushed to secure the limited seats. The weekend event, along with online bidding and donations during November, easily achieved the $2 million goal set to fund wildfire mitigation and reforestation. This amount is in addition to the $4.6 million that Napa Valley Vintners has [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-12-03T17:52:13-08:00December 3, 2022|

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