Past Speakers
Brett AndersonSenior Vice President of Editorial Development for Curtco Media. WWS Speaker 2008
Brett Anderson is currently Senior Vice President of Editorial Development for Curtco Media and has been with the management team since 1989. He has more than 15 years of experience developing and launching publications in a wide range of industries. Brett is in charge of establishing the creative direction of editorial product consistent with organizational objectives. He develops strategies for capturing audience through editorial product based on market demographics. He also develops editorial policies to improve workflow and increase quality.
John AshWine and food educator. WWS Speaker 2010
John first came to national prominence when he was selected by Food & Wine magazine as one of America's "Hot New Chefs." He founded his restaurant, John Ash & Company, in Northern California's wine country, in 1980 and it continues to be critically acclaimed more than 28 years later. Nationally renowned as a wine and food educator, John served for many years as the Culinary Director for Fetzer and Bonterra Vineyards. He is on the faculty of the Professional Wine Studies Program at the CIA Greystone. He is also the chair of a new program there for home cooks called The Sophisticated Palate. He travels widely teaching to both home and professional cooks. John has a new winery venture called Sauvignon Republic specializing in sauvignon blanc only, produced around the world. Currently there are four including Russian River Valley appellation in Sonoma County, Marlborough from New Zealand, Stellenbosch in South Africa and the latest, a wine made from certified organic grapes from Potter Valley in Mendocino county to be released summer of 2008. Sancerre in France, Friuli in Italy and Styria in Austria are targeted for future releases. John has written three books. His latest, John Ash Cooking One-on-One: Private Lessons in Simple Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher, was published spring 2004 by Clarkson Potter. It won a 2005 James Beard award. He has authored two other books: From the Earth to the Table: John Ash's Wine Country Cuisine and American Game Cooking. The former was awarded the IACP awards for Best American Cookbook and the Julia Child Cookbook of the Year. Chronicle Books released a completely revised and updated version of From the Earth to the Table in 2007. John writes periodically for the Los Angeles Times/Tribune Syndicate and is an occasional contributor to publications such as EatingWell and Fine Cooking magazines. He was featured for two years on the Food Network and has co-hosted a live food and wine radio talk show on KSRO in Northern California for the past 21 years. John is also a passionate voice on sustainable food issues and has served on the Board of Overseers for the Chef's Collaborative, a national organization of chefs who support ethical agriculture. He also is on the Board of Advisors of Seafood Watch, an educational initiative for sustainable seafood by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In April of 2008 John was voted "Cooking School Teacher of the Year" by the International Association of Culinary Professionals at their annual gathering in New Orleans.
Gerald AsherContributor to Decanter and The World of Fine Wine. WWS Speaker 2011
Long-time writer of the "Wine Journal" for Gourmet magazine, Gerald Asher is a contributor to Decanter and The World of Fine Wine, author of several wine books, member of the California Vintners' Hall of Fame, and formerly a wine merchant in the U.K. and U.S. for more than 30 years. Born in London in 1932, Asher took a job with Blumenthal & Co, importers, in 1952. Sponsored by the company, he attended the lectures and tastings organized by The Vintners' Company (founded as a medieval trade guild in the Middle Ages). Scholarships took him for work-study periods in Jerez (Spain) in 1953, Burgundy (France) in 1954, and the Rheingau (Germany) in 1955. 1955-1970 Founder and Managing Director of Asher, Storey & Co, London. Specialists in lesser-known French wines. Wholesale and mail-order retail. 1971-1974 Vice-president, Austin, Nichols & Co, New York. National Wine Sales Manager. 1974-1976 President, Monterey Wine Company, San Francisco - Marketing and Sales joint venture between the McKesson Corp. and the McFarlane family to market the wines produced by The Monterey Vineyard. 1976-1978, Vice President of "21" Brands, an operating company of the McKesson Corp. 1978 – 1987 President, The Mosswood Wine Company, an operating company of the McKesson Corp, importing and distributing wine nationally. Asher took early retirement from McKesson in 1987 when the company (a Fortune 500 corporation) decided to sell off its wine and spirits interests and concentrate on its drug and medical distribution business – one of the largest in the U.S. From the time of his arrival in New York, and parallel to his work in the wine trade, he wrote a monthly column for Wines and Spirits in London for about three years. In 1972 he was invited by Jane Montant of Gourmet magazine to contribute occasional essays. By the 1980s they had become established as the bi-monthly "Wine Journal," which became monthly after his retirement from McKesson in 1987. In 1994 Asher was asked to write a regular column for the San Francisco Chronicle, which continued for two years. He wrote, and still writes, occasional essays for Decanter and The World of Fine Wine, both published in London, and have made occasional contributions to Portland magazine, the quarterly of the University of Portland. During all this time he continued to write monthly essays for Gourmet. Many of them have been republished in collections under the titles, On Wine, Random House 1986; Vineyard Tales, Chronicle Books, 1996; The Pleasures of Wine, Chronicle Books, 2002. Many of the essays had been published in translation in the Japanese edition of Playboy, and in 1996 a selection of them was published in translation by Shueisha in Tokyo. A further collection of essays is scheduled for publication by the University of California Press in 2011. Wine Journal, published by Harper Collins in 1996, as a cellar book, has a text written especially for the purpose. From February 2002 he discontinued to contribute essays to Gourmet, but from then until the magazine closed in November 2009, he continued the connection with it by selecting wines for the monthly menus and writing a few hundred words about them. He has received many awards both for his writing and for his work in the international wine trade, a few of which include the Wine Writer of the Year award from Wines & Vines in 1984, a 1990 achievement award for Literature from the American Institute of Wine and Food, the San Francisco Wine Appreciation Guild's Literary Award of 2000, and honors from the James Beard Foundation, the 2005 Journalism Award from the European Wine Council, and, in 1974, the star and ribbon of the Mérite Agricole from the French Government in recognition of his services to French agriculture. Asher was inducted into the California Vintners' Hall of Fame at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley in 2009.
Eric AsimovChief wine critic of The New York Times. WWS Speaker 2012, 2007
ERIC ASIMOV is the chief wine critic of The New York Times, a position he assumed in June 2004 after having covered wine with The Times's tasting panel and in his "Tastings" column for the Dining section. Eric created the "$25 and Under" restaurant reviews in 1992 and wrote them through 2004. He is a co-author of The New York Times Guide to Restaurants 2004, the fifth edition of the guide. He has also reviewed takeout food for The Times in his "To Go" column and has offered commentary on food and wine on WQXR since 1999. His freelance work previously appeared in Food and Wine, Details and Martha Stewart Living. His first book, $25 and Under: A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York, was published annually by HarperCollins from 1995 to 1998. At The Times, Eric was editor of the Living section from 1991 to 1994 and editor of Styles of The Times from 1994 to 1995. Asimov is a graduate of Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn., and did graduate work in American studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is married to Deborah Hofmann, has two children, Jack and Peter, and lives in Manhattan.
Michael BauerExecutive food and wine editor and restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. WWS Speaker 2010
Michael Bauer is the executive food and wine editor and restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. He has been in charge of the food and wine coverage for more than 23 years. In 2002 he was responsible for starting the Wine section, the only freestanding weekly newspaper section of its kind in the country; however in January 2009 it was merged back into the Food section. In May of 2003 the Food and Wine staff moved into a separate building behind The Chronicle outfitted with a 20,000 bottle wine cellar, test kitchen and roof top herb garden. He is a past president of the Association of Food Journalists, a current member of the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Awards Committee and a 2004 inductee in the Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. His Between Meals blog on SF Gate was named this year as the best food blog by the Association of Food Journalists.
Neil BeckettEditor of Finest Wines regional guides, published in association with UC Press. WWS Speaker 2011
Neil Beckett ascended what he hoped might be an ivory tower via a first class honors degree in English and medieval history (St. Andrews), a doctorate in medieval history (Magdalen College, Oxford) and a prize fellowship of the Royal Historical Society (University of London). Always equally interested in wine, he soon wanted to spend more time down in the cellar than up in the tower, and between the two did an MBA, managing to wangle a dissertation on white Burgundy. During a year at Lay & Wheeler wine merchants he graduated with distinction in the WSET Diploma and took the top prizes, before going on to Harpers Wine & Spirit Weekly, of which he was for several years contributing editor and for which he wrote a regular column on fine wine. In 2004 he became the first editor of The World of Fine Wine, an award-winning quarterly review on which he works with Hugh Johnson and Andrew Jefford. Since 2009 he has also been the general editor of the Finest Wines series of regional guides, published in association with University of California Press. He has judged around the world, won prizes for his writing on wine, and is one of the two UK tasters on the Grand Jury Européen.
Dan BergerDistinguished writer, wine columnist and reporter and speaker on wine. WWS Speaker 2007
DAN BERGER began writing about wine in 1976 and today his column is syndicated nationally by Creators Syndicate to newspapers around the world. He and his wife, Juliann Savage, also publish a weekly wine newsletter, Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences, available only by subscription. He contributes articles to Gourmet magazine, Wine Press Northwest, Decanter Magazine in London; the California Grapevine and writes for many trade journals and websites including Cheers, AppellationAmerica.com, and Beverage Dynamics. Mr. Berger also is a speaker on wine at numerous international major events. He speaks at trade convocations, such as Terroir 2000, 2001, and 2002 and at the UC-Davis School of Enology and Viticulture. He also teaches wine courses at Sonoma State University and at Santa Rosa Junior College. Dan's first wine articles were for Associated Press, where he worked as a reporter and sports writer. His first regular wine column appeared in 1977 in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. In 1979, he joined the staff of the San Diego Union, where his wine columns ran twice weekly and were syndicated nationally by Copley News Service. He also reviewed restaurants for San Diego Home/Garden magazine for six years. In 1986, Dan moved to Sonoma County where he became Business Editor and wine columnist for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat; The New York Times Syndicate carried his wine column nationally. In 1988, he joined the staff of the Los Angeles Times as full time wine columnist and reporter. The Los Angeles Times Washington Post wire carried his column nationally. He left the Times in 1996 to publish Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences, a weekly newsletter on wine and food. Between 1997 and 2001, Dan also wrote a weekly restaurant review column for the Marin Independent Journal. He has also been a judge at wine competitions around the world including the Los Angeles County Fair, the San Francisco Fair, Dallas Morning News, California State Fair, Indiana State Fair, New York State Wine Competition, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, the International Wine Competition at Lubljiana, Yugoslavia; the Concours Mondial in Brussels, and seven wine shows in Australia. In addition, he coordinates the Riverside International Wine Competition and the Grand Cru Wine Competition of Long Beach. His articles have appeared in The Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine and Spirits, Wine News, Robb Report, Diablo, and numerous others. Among the honors Dan has received are the Wines and Vines Magazine award of excellence as Wine Writer of the Year; the Father Junipero Serra Award for contributions to the wine industry, presented by the California Wine Patrons of Los Angeles; the Wine Literary Award, presented by the Wine Appreciation Guild. His books include Beyond the Grapes: An Inside Look at Napa Valley and Beyond the Grapes: An Inside Look at Sonoma County.
Corie BrownFounder of ZesterDaily.com, a digital magazine with original content on food and wine. WWS Speaker 2011
Corie Brown is the founder of ZesterDaily.com, a digital magazine with original content on food and wine. She is the former Los Angeles Times food section's wine writer, where she found her stories at the nexus of agriculture, money, consumer interest, evolving culture mores, personality, glamour and hard news. A serious journalist who had been a staff reporter with Newsweek, Business Week, and Premiere Magazine before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2000, Brown has often been the first to document significant trends in the field of wine.
Dominique BrowningMagazine/newspaper writer, editor. Author of 4 books under the House & Garden brand. WWS Speaker 2011
Dominique Browning is a writer, editor and consultant in the newspaper and magazine fields. She has worked with and written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, O, the Oprah magazine, Departures, Food &Wine, Travel & Leisure, Body + Soul, Wired and On Topic, among others. She writes a monthly column about environmental issues for the Environmental Defense Fund website. She blogs at SlowLoveLife.com. Until November 2007, Browning was the editor-in-chief of House & Garden, a magazine of 950,000 readers. Browning began her career in 1977 working at Savvy and American Photographer magazines. In 1979 she became an associate literary editor at Esquire magazine. She then became the executive editor of Texas Monthly based in Austin, Texas. She went on to break the glass ceiling at Newsweek, becoming the first woman at any news magazine to be appointed an assistant managing editor. Browning left journalism for several years to be a founding partner of Edison Schools, a company set up to privately manage public schools. She went to Mirabella magazine as editor-in-chief before joining Conde Nast. Browning is the author of three books: Around the House and In the Garden: a Memoir of Heartbreak, Healing, and Home Improvement; Paths of Desire: the Passion of a Suburban Gardener; and Slow Love: How I Lost my Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness. Browning also produced four books under the House & Garden brand: The House & Garden Book of Style; The Well-Lived Life; Gardens of Paradise; House of Worship. Browning graduated from Wesleyan University in 1977 with a major in Philosophy, Literature and History. She is a classically trained pianist, and also performed with Wesleyan's Javanese Gamelan orchestra. Browning is the mother of two sons; she lives in New York and Rhode Island.
Tyler ColmanTalks, teaches and writes about wine in articles, books and on his blog, DrVino.com. WWS Speaker 2009
Tyler Colman talks, teaches and writes about wine in articles, books, appearances and on his popular blog, DrVino.com. In the past year, his wine writing has also appeared in print in Food & Wine, Wine & Spirits, the New York Times, and Trump magazine. Colman teaches wine classes at NYU and the University of Chicago. He has two wine books published, "Wine Politics," published by University of California Press and "A Year of Wine," published by Simon & Schuster.
Patrick ComiskeySenior contributor for Wine & Spirits magazine. WWS Speaker 2010
Patrick Comiskey is a senior contributor for Wine & Spirits magazine, where he serves as chief critic for all domestic wines not from California, and regularly contributes articles devoted to California, Oregon and Washington wine, wine growing and wine culture. He has traveled extensively throught the U.S. wine regions as well as France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia, and tastes more than 4,000 wines a year. Comiskey has been a columnist with Wine Review Online, and is also a regular contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle's wine section, and appears regularly in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and the Robb Report. He lives in Los Angeles.
Doug CookFounder of Able Grape, the world's largest wine information search engine. WWS Speaker 2011, 2010
Doug Cook is the founder of Able Grape, the world's largest wine information search engine. Prior to founding Able Grape in 2005, Doug was the VP of Web Search Engineering at Yahoo! and Inktomi, where he helped build one of the internet's first search engines.Most recently, he was the Director of Search at Twitter, Inc. A long-time passionate wine geek, Doug holds the Diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, occasionally writes for Wine Business magazine, and squeaked by his first year of study in the Master of Wine program, which he hopes to continue soon when he has time to fail with dignity.
Katherine CowlesFormer publisher / vice president Simon & Schuster. Literary agent CowlesRyan. WWS Speaker 2011
Katherine Cowles has been involved in publishing her entire career. Her industry connections and relationships are wide and deep. For more than a decade she was at the center of New York publishing at Simon and Schuster and Doubleday. Her experience began with contracts and moved through fiction and non-fiction acquisitions, then marketing and advertising departments eventually leading her to a position as associate publisher and vice president at Simon and Schuster where she was involved with numerous major titles and brands. As an agent at CowlesRyan, she is most interested in serious nonfiction - history and science in particular as well as practical nonfiction including food and wine
Bill DaleyFood and wine critic with The Chicago Tribune. WWS Speaker 2008
Bill Daley is a food and wine critic with The Chicago Tribune. He writes a weekly wine column, "Uncorked," for "Good Eating," the Tribune's food section. His column in Sunday's Q section, "Daley Drink," answers questions from readers on wine, beer and spirits. In tackling the food and wine beat, Daley also covers chefs and food personalities, cooking techniques and trends. He tapes a weekly video segment on food and wine that is displayed on the web sites of The Chicago Tribune and other Tribune-owned newspapers. His weekly spot on food and wine airs on WBBM-AM, the CBS all-news radio station. Daley arrived at the Tribune in 2004. Previously, he was a food writer and restaurant reviewer with the San Francisco Chronicle and spent 11 years at the Hartford Courant, where he ultimately became the Sunday magazine's restaurant reviewer. He has been recognized twice for restaurant criticism by the Association of Food Journalists and has served as that organization's president from 2002-2004. A graduate of Manhattanville College, Daley also holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Anthony Dias BlueRecognized world-wide as a leading food, wine and travel expert. WWS Speaker 2007
ANTHONY DIAS BLUE is recognized world-wide as a leading food, wine and travel expert. Mr. Blue is a published author, columnist, TV and radio personality. His award-winning work is circulated to more than 50,000,000 consumers each month. Mr. Blue's consumer-oriented food and wine critiques, The Lifestyle Minute, are broadcast several times daily on WCBS radio in New York. In 2001, the first year it was entered, he won a James Beard award for his radio show. For 23 years, Mr. Blue was Wine & Spirits Editor of Bon Appétit, the largest circulation food publication in the United States. Mr. Blue has written ten books. The Complete Book of Spirits was published in October 2004 by HarperCollins. Anthony Dias Blue's Pocket Book of Wine will be published in 2005 by Simon & Schuster.
Christie DufaultSan Francisco based sommelier and wine educator. WWS Speaker 2011
Christie Dufault is a San Francisco based sommelier and wine educator. After five years as wine director at Restaurant Gary Danko and two years as wine director at Quince, she is currently a part-time sommelier at RN74 Restaurant in San Francisco. Christie remains a member of the wine faculty at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in the Napa Valley, where she has taught for eight years. Christie is a graduate of Simmons College and is a candidate for the Master Sommelier Diploma. She holds the Advanced Certified Wine Professional Certificate from The Culinary Institute of America.
Blake EdgarAward winning writer, and Senior sponsoring editor University of California Press. WWS Speaker 2011
Blake Edgar studied science journalism and had a career as a magazine editor and writer before joining the University of California Press in 2000. As senior sponsoring editor, Blake acquires and publishes general interest and scholarly books about biology, archaeology, and wine. He has revived and expanded the wine publishing program at UC Press to critical acclaim and awards from the James Beard Foundation, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and other organizations. Among the wine writers he has published are Stephen Brook, Clive Coates, Tyler Colman, Evan Goldstein, Jamie Goode, Randall Grahm, Paul Gregutt, James Halliday, Steve Heimoff and Hugh Johnson.
Jonathan EllimanFounder of Cephrus.com, award-winning design and video production, Napa, CA. WWS Speaker 2010
Jonathan Elliman is the founder of Cephrus.com, which is an award-winning video production and design firm located in Napa, CA. Trained as an architect, Jonathan got addicted to photography early on which led to traveling the far reaches of the globe shooting documentaries for the national networks such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Fine Living and Food Network. Known for being a "jack of all trades", Jonathan has been a producer and editor for three Olympics (Nagano, Sydney and Salt Lake City) and was an embedded photo journalist in Iraq. His photos from the war graced the cover of many magazines and newspapers while his web videos were viewed online. Today, Jonathan continues to share his passion for film and web design with many of the leading wineries on the West Coast while pursuing the next opportunity of working on a documentary in some distant land.
Barbara FairchildTastemaker, television and radio personality, event speaker, and food, wine, authority. WWS Speaker 2009
Barbara Fairchild is a prominent tastemaker and television and radio personality, event speaker, and food, wine, and travel authority, Barbara Fairchild has been editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit since 2000. Her career with the magazine spans 30 years, beginning as an editorial assistant, and working her way up to the top of the masthead. Barbara is the author of the highly successful Bon Appétit Cookbook and also the Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook.
Paige Porter FischerWest Coast Editor of Better Homes & Gardens since 2004. WWS Speaker 2012
Paige Porter Fischer has been West Coast Editor of Better Homes & Gardens since 2004. She oversees almost every West Coast story that makes its way into the pages of Better Homes & Gardens, which boasts some 7.9 million subscribers and 39 million readers. Paige covers food, wine, home and garden for the magazine—from the story pitch to the photo shoot and writing/editing. Previously, Paige was features writer for Coastal Living magazine, where she wrote travel, food, and wine pieces and roamed North America's coast in search of great stories. While at Coastal Living, she had a syndicated travel column with Knight-Ridder News Service. Her first magazine job was in the foods department at Southern Living Magazine in Birmingham, Alabama, where she learned the art of a good story—and a great pound cake.
Janet FletcherAuthor of more than 20 books on food and wine, with three James Beard Awards. WWS Speaker 2012
Janet Fletcher is the author or co-author of more than 20 books on food and wine, including Cheese & Wine; The Cheese Course; and Fresh from the Farmers' Market (all from Chronicle Books). She writes a weekly cheese column for the San Francisco Chronicle and is a former staff food writer whose journalism earned three James Beard Awards and the IACP Bert Greene Award. Her writing on wine and food has appeared in numerous national magazines, including Saveur, Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking and Food & Wine. Janet trained at the Culinary Institute of America and at Berkeley's celebrated Chez Panisse restaurant. She teaches cooking and cheese-appreciation classes around the country. Her most recent books include Eating Local and My Calabria, a collaboration with Rosetta Costantino, which was nominated for an IACP Award. Her next projects are a memoir with Margrit Biever Mondavi and a book about beer and cheese.
Don FryIndependent writing coach. WWS Speaker 2007
DON FRY, an independent writing coach, helps writers write better, editors edit better, and managers organize better. Don has had two careers, first as an English professor and then in journalism. He headed the writing and ethics faculties at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and edited the Institute's series Best Newspaper Writing. In 1994, Don became an independent writing coach, working with newspapers and magazines, radio and television stations, and non-profit organizations. He has spread the idea of coaching throughout the world, especially in Singapore, Scandinavia, and South Africa. He likes to coach food and wine writers, because they tend to have fascinating problems. Don also serves as a judge in the James Beard foodwriting contests.
Michael J. GelbPioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership WWS Speaker 2012
Michael J. Gelb is the world's leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development, and the author of 12 books. He is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership. Gelb leads seminars for organizations such as DuPont, Merck, Microsoft, Nike, Raytheon and YPO. He brings more than 30 years of experience as a professional speaker, seminar leader and organizational consultant to his diverse, international clientele. Michael has written many books on creativity and innovation including the international best seller How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, which has been translated into 25 languages and has appeared on the Washington Post, Amazon.com, and The New York Times best seller lists. His most recent book, Wine Drinking For Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices, offers a unique, original and very enjoyable approach to team building. His next book, available January 2012 by New World Library, is Brain Power: Improve Your Mind As You Age.
Jamie GillinDeputy Editor at Dwell magazine. WWS Speaker 2012
Jaime Gross Gillin is Deputy Editor at Dwell, where she writes and edits the magazine's Profile, My House, and feature stories and contributes regularly to Dwell.com. She also freelances, writing travel, design, art, and culture stories for publications including the New York Times, T (the New York Times style magazine), and Travel + Leisure, where she serves as the magazine's San Francisco Correspondent. Her website is www.jaimegillin.com.When not writing, editing, or combing design magazines and blogs for inspiration, she's experimenting with new recipes, traveling as much as possible, and tackling minor home-improvement projects that inevitably turn out to be more complex than anticipated.
Anthony GismondiWriter and broadcaster, and one of North America's most influential wine critics. WWS Speaker 2011
Anthony Gismondi is one of North America's most influential wine critics. A writer and broadcaster, he is currently in his 14th year at Wine Access, Canada's national wine magazine and seventh as editor-in-chief. He begins his 23rd year as the weekly wine columnist at the Vancouver Sun where his full-page weekend column is read by some 1,000,000 readers. His comprehensive wine website www.gismondionwine.com attracts some 650,000 hits a month and he is also the co-host of the longest running, weekly, wine and food show in Canada. The Best of Food and Wine airs in prime time from 6 to 7 pm Thursday nights on AM 650. In his spare time he is the Canada section editor for Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book, writes regular wine columns in Calgary's city magazine: Avenue, and West Jet Airlines in-flight magazine UP!, and the Pique Newsmagazine serving the resort community of Whistler, British Columbia, North America's number one ski resort.
Joshua GreeneEditor and publisher of Wine & Spirits magazine since 1986. WWS Speaker 2012
Editor and publisher of Wine & Spirits magazine since 1986, Joshua Greene began working in wine shops during college, later spending a summer as wine captain for Wheatleigh, a small inn in Lenox, Massachusetts. After graduating from Princeton University in 1981, Joshua pursued a career in magazines, starting in management of special interest publications. His involvement with Wine & Spirits began on a consulting basis, and eventually led to his purchase of the magazine in 1989. Wine & Spirits today is a special-interest publication with a circulation of 90,000, published eight times a year. A major source of wine reviews, the magazine also reports on travel, food, fine spirits and the art and science of wine growing. Wine & Spirits has offices in New York and San Francisco. The magazine has won five James Beard Awards for wine journalism. At Wine & Spirits, in addition to his duties as editor and publisher, Joshua serves as the critic for California, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Italy, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand, providing tasting notes and ratings for wines recommended by Wine & Spirits' tasting panels. He also contributes feature stories and commentary in each issue of the magazine.
Jack HartAuthor, writing coach and former managing editor at The Oregonian. WWS Speaker 2011
Jack Hart is an author, writing coach and former managing editor at The Oregonian, the Pacific Northwest's largest daily newspaper. At The Oregonian he also worked as a reporter, arts and leisure editor, Sunday magazine editor, training editor, and editor at large. He has additional reporting experience at two other newspapers, holds a University of Wisconsin doctorate in Mass Communications, taught at five universities, and was a tenured associate professor at the University of Oregon, where he served as acting dean of the journalism school. At The Oregonian, he worked as an editor on four Pulitzer Prize winners and was the solo editor on two of them. He also edited national winners of the American Society of Newspaper Editors writing awards, the Ernie Pyle award, the Scripps-Howard business-writing award, the Overseas Press Club awards, the Headliners awards, and the Society of Professional Journalists feature-writing award. He is the author of The Information Empire, a history of The Los Angeles Times; A Writer's Coach: The Complete Guide to Writing Strategies That Work; and Storycraft: A Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction, which the University of Chicago Press will publish in the spring of 2011.
Steve HeimoffWriter for Wine Enthusiast and auther of two wine books. WWS Speaker 2010
Steve Heimoff is a native New Yorker who lives in Oakland. He has written about wine for more than 20 years, first for Wine Spectator, and now for Wine Enthusiast. He has written two wine books for University of California Press and blogs at steveheimoff.com.
Martha HolmbergFood editor, writer, and consultant to self-publishing authors. WWS Speaker 2012
Martha Holmberg is a food editor, writer, and consultant to self-publishing authors. She is also the editorial director of Watershed Communications, a brand strategy firm that works with artisan food and drink companies. She is the former food editor of The Oregonian newspaper, the founder and editor of MIX magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of Fine Cooking magazine for 11 years. She has two new cookbooks coming out in 2012 with Chronicle Books: Crêpes and Modern Sauces. Her first cookbook, Puff, was nominated in 2009 for a Julia Child First Book award by the IACP. She is a frequent contributor to Fine Cooking and other magazines, and a guest teacher and speaker at professional events, including The Greenbrier Food Writers Symposium. In 2008, Saveur magazine included her in its "Top 100." She earned the Grand Diplôme from Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
Bob HosmonSenior editor at The Wine News magazine. WWS Speaker 2008
For 30 years, Bob Hosmon has been writing a weekly wine column, first for the Miami Herald and KRT Wire Service and then for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and McClatchy-Tribune News Service. He is also a senior editor at The Wine News magazine, a columnist for Miami Monthly Magazine, has been a restaurant critic for several South Florida publications, including the Herald and the Sun-Sentinel, and has written for a number of national publications on wine, spirits, and food. In his "day job," Hosmon is a Vice Dean in the School of Communication at the University of Miami, where he also teaches public relations.
Jack IrbyCo-founder and managing partner of Hang Time Press. WWS Speaker 2012
Jack Irby is the co-founder and managing partner of Hang Time Press, a new-media publishing company. A former technology executive, Jack was the chief technology officer for several Bay Area-based companies including Winebid.com, Colt HR and Benelicious, which received the prestigious "Most Innovative Application" award by Salesforce.com. He is an avid wine and technology enthusiast and resides in Napa Valley.
Nat IvesMedia editor at Advertising Age. WWS Speaker 2012
Nat Ives is media editor at Advertising Age, overseeing coverage of the media business, including publishing, TV, movies, radio, outdoor and new platforms such as tablets. He has reported on consumer magazines and newspapers since he joined Ad Age in 2005. He previously helped cover the media and advertising industries at The New York Times. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2001.
Heather JohnWrites the Wine & Spirits column for Bon Appétit. WWS Speaker 2010
Heather John writes the Wine & Spirits column for Bon Appétit. She has been with the magazine since 2004, first as a senior editor overseeing the magazine's wine coverage and more recently as a contributing editor. Prior to joining Bon Appétit, she was senior style editor at the Los Angeles Times Magazine. She is also the creator/editor of the acclaimed blog, TheFoodinista.com. John has been a judge at numerous wine and chef competitions, served as a James Beard Restaurant Awards judge, and appears on TV and radio, ranging from Hell's Kitchen to NPR's Morning Edition. John grew up in the Napa Valley, where her parents still live, and worked at local wineries after graduating from UC Davis. She has also lived in Oxford, England, and Paris, France, where she studied at the Sorbonne. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their baby boy.
Christopher KostowMichelin-starred chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood. WWS Speaker 2011
A Michelin-starred chef before the age of 30, Christopher Kostow is the chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood. He takes a thoughtful approach to food, blending contemporary French cuisine with the farm-to-table tradition. The Chicago native earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy before entering the world of fine dining. Since arriving at Meadowood in February 2008, Christopher has introduced dishes that draw on the bounty of the seasons while taking a disciplined approach to modern French fare. Guided by the pure flavors of the highest-quality ingredients, Christopher also leaves room for inspired spontaneity Kostow passed much of his youth cooking for friends and brushing off suggestions he pursue a serious career as a chef. It was only after earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Hamilton College in New York that Christopher knew his calling. Relocating to San Diego in 1999, he set out to enter the rarefied world of fine dining and caught the eye of the area's foremost chef, Trey Foshee, named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in 1998. After just a few months at the acclaimed George's at the Cove, Chef Foshee gave Christopher the opportunity to create his own dishes when he was only 22. Christopher took off on a whirlwind trip through France. He landed in kitchens far and wide, from a Paris bistro to Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier to the village of Salon-de-Provence, where he manned the stove at a former monk's abbey dating to the 14th century. After returning to the States, Christopher moved to San Francisco where he worked as sous chef under the auspices of Daniel Humm at the award-winning Campton Place Restaurant. From there, he became top toque at Chez TJ in Mountain View for two years, garnering the restaurant many accolades including two Michelin stars and a coveted spot on Food & Wine's list of Top Ten Dishes of the Year in 2007 and the San Francisco Chronicle named Christopher a 2008 Rising Star Chef. Throughout his career, Christopher has always been inspired by the pleasure guests experience when they taste something new and unexpected.
Tony LawrenceWine and food pairing specialist, sommelier, educator/lecturer and writer. WWS Speaker 2012
Tony "Winechef" Lawrence is a trusted wine and food pairing specialist. As a talented chef, sommelier, international wine and food judge, educator/lecturer and writer, he designs wine pairing programs for the global wine trade, associations, groups, college culinary/wine programs and wine festivals. His company, A Chef For You, LLC, focuses on wine and food as a lifestyle by educating about their history, art, science of terroir, sense of place and culture bridging wine to food as one. Tony started at the age of 13 cooking at a camp, then in restaurants and wineries in Maryland then vocational cooking school. He received a full scholarship to Widener University's Hotel/Restaurant program, earning a BS degree. He honed his innate love of food interning and training at the Hotel Krone Assmannshausen in Rudesheim, Germany. He was a member of the inaugural class that launched The Culinary Institute of America Pro-Chef program at Greystone in Napa Valley in 1998. In 2000, he completed the Wine and Food Pairing for Chefs program at the CIA Greystone and a graduated from the Wine Educator Napa Valley Wine Academy in 2010. This will be Tony's eighth year attending The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley. He is a member and lecturer with the Society of Wine Educators, American Wine Society, German Wine Society, Tasters Guild Society, and the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine & Food Festival. Lawrence was appointed to the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirit Advisory Counsel [PLCB] in 2010. The "Winechef " has over 34 years experience in the food & wine industry serving in various capacities including restaurants, corporate, motion picture and private catering, chef for the Philadelphia Eagles organization, and NFL Films. He was also the executive chef at two highly regarded clubs in Pennsylvania: the Germantown Cricket Club and the Merion Golf Club.
Bill LeBlondEditorial director of food and drink at Chronicle Books. WWS Speaker 2011
Bill LeBlond is the editorial director of food and drink at Chronicle Books. He is responsible for the acquisition of most of the 30 cookbooks, cocktail books, and wine books Chronicle publishes each year. Bill publishes some of the best food writers in the country and has worked with such outstanding authors as Colman Andrews, Michael Ruhlman, Joyce Goldstein, Martha Holmberg, Michael Chiarello, John Ash, and Janet Fletcher. Bill's books have been nominated for, and won, many IACP and James Beard Foundation cookbook awards. Bill is also a frequent speaker on publishing topics.
Ted Lee and Matt LeeWine columnists for Martha Stewart Living. WWS Speakers 2009
Siblings Matt and Ted are the wine columnists for Martha Stewart Living and also write for numerous other publications. They founded The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order catalogue for southern pantry staples. When a magazine editor asked them to write about great food in their home state they embarked on a second career as food and travel journalists. They currently write food stories for Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, GQ, The New York Times Dining Section, Sunday Magazine and Book Review sections.
Benjamin LewinMolecular biologist and authority on classic wine regions. WWS Speaker 2012
Benjamin Lewin is an authority on classic wine regions. Originally a molecular biologist, he was the founding editor of the life sciences journal Cell, and also established the publishing house Cell Press. Since following a life long passion and starting a second career in wine he has published three acclaimed books, What Price Bordeaux?, Wine Myths and Reality, and In Search of Pinot Noir. He is presently working on his next book, Claret & Cabs: The Story of Cabernet Sauvignon. His blog about Claret & Cabs is at www.winespecific.com. He also writes the myths and realities column for the World of Fine Wine, and contributes to Decanter. He divides his time between the eastern United States and London.
Natalie MacLeanNamed the World's Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards. WWS Speaker 2011
Natalie MacLean, named the World's Best Drink Writer at the World Food Media Awards, publishes a free newsletter that reaches more than 123,000 wine lovers at www.nataliemaclean.com. She has won both the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award from the James Beard Foundation and the M.F.K. Fisher Award for Excellence in Culinary Writing from Les Dames d'Escoffier International. In her bestselling book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, Natalie chronicles three years of sipping, spitting and slogging her way through the international wine world to visit some its most evocative places and to meet some of its most charismatic, obsessive and innovative characters. Natalie's columns have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Bon Appetit, Reader's Digest, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Conde Nast Traveler, Time Out New York, enRoute (Air Canada), Hemispheres (United Airlines), Sydney Morning Herald, Wine Enthusiast, Ritz-Carlton Magazine, and Coastal Living. She has created free mobile wine apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Droid.
Avis MandelExperienced professional life-style, advertising and corporate photographer. WWS Speaker 2010
An experienced professional life-style, advertising and corporate photographer, Avis Mandel enjoyed a successful career in Minneapolis and Chicago prior to the family's move to Napa Valley. The transition has elevated her artistic style from "corporate" Midwest to the romantic, vibrant life expression that permeates wine artwork. She includes large and small wineries around the world as her clients.
Frances MayesBest-selling author of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in the World. WWS Speaker 2010
Frances Mayes is the best-selling author of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in the World, a widely published poet and essayist and Formerly a professor of creative writing at San Francisco State University. She has always adored houses, and when she saw Bramasole, a neglected, 200-year old Tuscan farmhouse nestled in five overgrown acres, it was love at first sight. Out of that instant infatuation has come four marvelous, and hugely popular, books: the bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany; In Tuscany, a collaborative photo-textbook with her husband, the poet Edward Mayes and photographer Bob Krist; and Bringing Tuscany Home: Sensuous Style from the Heart of Italy, another collaborative book with Edward Mayes and photographer Steven Rothfeld. All four highly personal books are about taking chances, living in Italy, loving and renovating an old Italian villa, the pleasures of food, wine, gardens, and the "voluptuousness of Italian life." The third book in her Tuscan trilogy, Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life (due out in spring 2010), is about Tuscan seasons and Mayes' reflections on her Italian life. Her first novel, Swan, a family saga and mystery, returns Mayes to her childhood home of Georgia and was published in 2002. A film version of Under the Tuscan Sun, starring Diane Lane, was released in fall of 2003. Frances Mayes was the editor for the 2002 Best American Travel Writing. She is also the author of the travel memoir entitled A Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller, which immediately debuted as a New York Times bestseller in 2006. Working again with Steven Rothfeld, she published SHRINES: Images of Italian Worship, also in 2006. A widely published poet and essayist, Frances Mayes has written numerous books of poetry, including Sunday in Another Country, After Such Pleasures, The Arts of Fire, Hours, The Book of Summer, and Ex Voto. Her work The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems is widely used in college poetry classes. Formerly a professor of creative writing at San Francisco State University, where she directed The Poetry Center and chaired the Department of Creative Writing, Mayes now devotes herself full time to writing and to her "At Home in Tuscany" furniture and accessory lines. She and her husband divide their time between North Carolina and Cortona, Italy.
Christian MillerWine consultant, negoçiant, and marketing expert. WWS Speaker 2010
Christian Miller has worked in the wine industry since 1983, primarily in marketing. His industry experience includes restaurant and retail wine sales, work as a consultant and negoçiant, marketing management and market research. He is currently proprietor of Full Glass Research and a founder of WineOpinions.com, where he is responsible for research design and development. Full Glass Research has produced numerous marketing, economic and industry studies for clients ranging from the Oregon Wine Board to Vintage Wine Trust to small high end wineries. Wine Opinions maintains a representative consumer panel of over 4000 high-frequency and high end wine consumers and a trade panel of over 800 employees and owners working in the U.S. wine trade. These unique resources are used by wineries, importers, consultants and regional organizations to better understand trade and consumer trends. Christian co-manages the OIV Wine Marketing Short Course at U.C. Davis, is a regular lecturer at several universities, and is often quoted in trade publications. Previously, he was Director of Research for MKF, a leading CPA-consulting firm in the California wine industry. Christian has worked at some of the leading California wineries in brand and category management, consumer research and sales promotion. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Franklin & Marshall and an MBA from Cornell University.
Jeff MorganNapa Valley-based winemaker, author and educator. WWS Speaker 2010
Napa Valley-based winemaker, author and educator Jeff Morgan has written on wine and food for such publications as The New York Times, Elle, Food & Wine, Drinks, Wine Enthusiast, and Wine Spectator. The author has written four books: Dean & DeLuca, The Food and Wine Cookbook; Rosé, A Guide to The World's Most Versatile Wine; and The Working Parents Cookbook, the latter co-authored with his wife, Jodie. The PlumpJack Cookbook: Recipes for Living Well—was published in the fall of 2006, and his fifth book, The Restaurant at Domaine Chandon, will be published in 2010. As a winemaker, Jeff makes Covenant and RED C Cabernet Sauvignon in partnership with Napa vintner Leslie Rudd. He's also releasing a new Covenant Chardonnay in February 2010. Jeff is a consulting winemaker for Peter Paul Wines under the aegis of M Squared Wine Consultants, a business he runs with winemaker Daniel Moore. Jeff also finds time to teach at the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
Vic MottoCo-founder, chairman and CEO of Global Wine Partners LLC. WWS Speaker 2010
Vic Motto is co-founder, chairman and CEO of Global Wine Partners LLC, specializing in wine industry mergers, acquisitions and investments. His clients include many of the top wine businesses around the world. Vic is an investment banker, registered securities principal and CPA. He serves as a director or advisor to several wine industry trade groups and universities, and is a director on the Boards of several wine companies. He actively teaches, writes and speaks on the wine industry and is widely quoted in major media.
Linda MurphyWest Coast Correspondent for Jancisrobinson.com and Decanter Magazine. WWS Speaker 2008
Linda Murphy is the West Coast Correspondent for Jancisrobinson.com and Decanter Magazine. Formerly, she was the wine editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, the only newspaper in the United States to publish a weekly, stand-alone wine section. After 13 years as a sportswriter at The San Diego Union, Linda traded a beer and a shot for Sauvignon Blanc, moving to Sonoma County to live among the vines. After one harvest of dragging hoses and pumping over tanks, she discovered that writing about wine was a lot more fun than making it, and she's been writing ever since. Linda has contributed to Decanter, The Wine News and Food & Wine magazines, and was the managing editor for WineToday.com, the New York Times' former wine Web site. Linda is an experienced wine competition judge and learned the wine business from the inside, as a communications and marketing director for wine companies in California, Oregon, Washington state, Australia, New Zealand and Italy.
Frank PrialNew York Times reporter for 30 years, and author of the wine column, Wine Talk. WWS Speaker 2009
A consummate story teller, Frank Prial wrote for The New York Times for 30 years as a reporter, foreign correspondent and author of the wine column, Wine Talk. Prial, who retired from The Times in 2005, is the author of the book, Wine Talk, published in 1978, Companion to Wine published in 1992 and Decantations published in 2001.
Charles ReidelbachIntellectual property expert in the wine, food and culinary arts industry. WWS Speaker 2007
CHARLES REIDELBACH, JR., a partner and chair of Higgs, Fletcher & Mack's Intellectual Property Group, represents clients in the wine, food and culinary arts industry having a wide spectrum of intellectual property-related legal needs, involving trademarks, trade dress, unfair competiting, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, electronic commerce, rights of publicity and entertainment law. An avid cook and author himself, he is able to understand the unique legal issues facing today's professional wine and food writers. He is currently authoring a work entitled "The Legal Guide to Protecting Culinary Creations."
Joe RobertsFounder of the 1WineDude.com wine blog is a wine consultant. WWS Speaker 2011
Joe Roberts, founder of the 1WineDude.com wine blog is a wine consultant and musician in the greater Philadelphia area. He is a Certified Specialist of Wine, and holds both the Level 2 (Intermediate, with Distinction) and Level 3 (Advanced, with Merit) Certificates in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) based in England. He is also a member of the U.S.-based Society of Wine Educators, holding their Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) qualification, and belongs to the Wine Century Club. 1WineDude.com won Best Overall Wine Blog in the 2010 Wine Blog Awards.
David RosengartenTravel writer, cookbook author and TV journalist. Has writen for numerous magazines. WWS Speaker 2008
David Rosengarten is one of the world's foremost authorities on food, wine and cooking. He is also a travel writer, cookbook author and TV journalist beloved by millions of fans the world over. He is perhaps best known for his popular TV programs on The Food Network, where he has hosted or co-hosted approximately 2,500 shows.A frequent guest on NBC's Today show, David has also written about food, wine and travel for Gourmet, The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Wine Spectator, Newsday, Bon Appetit, Harper's Bazaar, House Beautiful, Business Week, Metropolitan Home, The New York Daily News, The New York Observer, Expedia Travels, Cigar Aficionado, among many other publications. David is the author of the award-winning cookbook, Taste, based on his TV cooking show of the same name. He is also the author of The Dean & DeLuca Cookbook, a 500-recipe book devoted to the food and food ideas of America's most famous grocery. He is a much sought-after jurist for wine, food, chef and sommelier competitions. For example, he has served as the only American judge on an international panel that selected the world's greatest sommelier. David teaches cooking and wine classes on many topics, and travels frequently throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia, where he writes and lectures on a wide range of culinary subjects. He holds a doctorate in dramatic literature from Cornell University, and was an assistant professor of theater at Skidmore College. He resides in New York City. Currently, David is the editor-in-chief of The Rosengarten Report, a newsletter covering the most exciting, undiscovered food products, restaurants, wines and travel destinations in the world. The Rosengarten Report received the James Beard Award in 2003 as the best food and wine newsletter in the country.
Bruce SchoenfeldWine and spirits editor of Travel & Leisure. WWS Speaker 2011
Bruce Schoenfeld is the wine and spirits editor of Travel & Leisure and writes frequently for the magazine on wine and other topics. He's a former contributing editor for Wine Spectator, and his work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Gourmet, The Atlantic Monthly, Sports Illustrated, and many other national and international publications. His books include The Last Serious Thing: A Season at the Bullfights (Simon +Schuster), and The Match: Althea Gibson & Angela Buxton (HarperCollins/Amistad.) He lives in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife and two sons.
Jerry ShriverWrites about wine, dining and travel for the Destinations & Diversions section of USA Today. WWS Speaker 2007
JERRY SHRIVER writes about wine, dining, travel and whatever else catches his eye for the Destinations & Diversions section of USA Today, the nation's largest general-circulation newspaper. The Ohio native and 1978 Ohio State University graduate has held numerous editing and writing positions since joining the USA Today staff in 1983. In 2002 his eulogy for the Windows on the World restaurant in New York was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award. He resides in New York with his wife, Debra.
Katie TamonyVice president and editor-in-chief of Sunset magazine. WWS Speaker 2012
Katie Tamony is vice president and editor-in-chief of Sunset, the premier magazine of Western living. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., Sunset is a subsidiary of Time Inc. The magazine has a circulation of more than 1.25 million readers throughout the 13 Western states. Tamony joined the company in 1994 as a copy editor, and was named copy chief later that year. In 1995, she helped launch the custom publishing division, developing magazines for clients such as Target, Acura, Cisco, Mazda, Safeway, and Oracle. Tamony was promoted to vice president and director of custom publishing in 2000. In May 2001, she was named VP and editor-in-chief of Sunset, responsible for all editorial products including the magazine, books, website, and, soon, tablet versions. During her tenure, she has overseen several redesigns, the launch of the Western Wine Awards, and other major changes to keep the magazine relevant to a demanding audience. A native of Sebastopol, Calif., Tamony earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California at Berkeley.
Lettie TeagueWine columnist for The Wall Street Journal, author of Educating Peter. WWS Speaker 2011
Lettie Teague is wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal, author of Educating Peter, and former executive wine editor of Food & Wine magazine. During her ten-year tenure with Food & Wine, her monthly column, "Wine Matters," won the James Beard MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing award and the James Beard Magazine Columns award. Teague's book, Educating Peter, based on her columns, was published by Scribner's in March 2007. In this book, Teague teaches her good friend and wine neophyte Peter Travers, film critic of Rolling Stone, a few fundamentals — how to order from a restaurant wine list without fear, approach a wine merchant with confidence, and perhaps score a few points off a wine snob. Teague is also co-author, originator and illustrator of the introductory text, Fear of Wine, published by Bantam Books in 1995 and still in print.
Rom ToulonJudge at San Francisco's International Wine Competition and noted sommelier. WWS Speaker 2011
Born and raised in the rich wine culture of France's Loire Valley, Rom Toulon's early interest in wine led him to the restaurant business at the age of 15. The Vouvray native went to work in a local Michelin two-star restaurant in the Loire Valley while still in high school. He further honed his skills as a sommelier in another Michelin two-star in the Loire after receiving his sommelier diploma in 1996. In that same year, he won the acclaimed Young Sommelier of the Loire Valley award and was a semi-finalist in the Young Sommelier of France competition the following year. Toulon spent three years in Ireland's County Kerry, outside Cork, as a sommelier at the noted Sheen Falls Lodge where he worked with Ireland's leading Master of Wine Alain Bras. He then went on to a career at the Four Seasons at the hotel's headquarters in Toronto. While at the Four Seasons, Toulon was tapped to open the property's flagship San Francisco location on Market Street, as well as work at other Four Seasons locations in Los Angeles, Tokyo and London. He was part of the wine team for the Four Seasons' reopening of the George V in Paris in 2002. Toulon judged the San Francisco International Wine Competition, was part of the San Francisco Chronicle's tasting panel from 2001 to 2005 and was named the city's least snooty sommelier by the same paper in 2004. He appeared in the DVD Wine Fundamentals, a training tool for the wine trade, and edited the France and Bubbly editions of Wine Passports for SmartsCo. While working for the Four Seasons in San Francisco he frequently visited Napa Valley and decided to make wine country his full-time home. He manages the wine offerings at the The Restaurant, The Grill, in-room dining, pool area and catering facilities. He oversees a 700-label wine list and a wide selection of constantly changing wine pairings by the glass.
Stephen WallisDeputy Editor of Departures, the lifestyle magazine published by American Express. WWS Speaker 2010
Stephen Wallis is the deputy Editor of Departures, the lifestyle magazine published by American Express. In addition to overseeing most of the cultural content in Departures, he edits and writes stories on travel, food, wine, and luxury goods. Prior to joining the magazine in 2005, he worked for nearly a decade as an editor at art publications, including Art + Auction and Art & Antiques.
Aaron WehnerPublisher of Ten Speed Press, a California-based imprint of Crown/Random House. WWS Speaker 2012
Aaron Wehner is vice president and publisher of Ten Speed Press, a Berkeley, California-based imprint of Crown/Random House. During his 15-year tenure at Ten Speed, Aaron has worked with most of the house's top authors, including Grant Achatz, Mollie Katzen, David Lebovitz, Peter Reinhart, Heidi Swanson, Rajat Parr, and Charlie Trotter. His acquisitions range across all categories of Ten Speed's nonfiction list, with a focus on food and drink, business/career, and pop culture. He has been instrumental in establishing Ten Speed as one of the leading cookbook publishers in the country, and the cookbooks he has edited have received 21 James Beard and IACP award nominations, garnering 12 wins. In 2006, Food & Wine magazine named Aaron one of the most influential people in the culinary world under the age of 35.
Stephanie WilsonEditorial director for Haute Living magazine. WWS Speaker 2010
Stephanie Wilson is the editorial director for Haute Living magazine, a luxury lifestyle publication with regional editions in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Prior to this position, she served as the regional editor for fine dining publication DiningOut Miami.
Molly WizenbergWrites the monthly column "Cooking Life" in Bon Appetit, magazine. WWS Speaker 2010
Molly Wizenberg writes the monthly column "Cooking Life" in Bon Appetit, magazine, and her first book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, was a New York Times bestseller. She is the voice behind Orangette (www.orangette.net), named the best food blog in the world by the London Times. Her work has also been published in Town and Country and on NPR.org, PBS.org, NYTimes.com, and Gourmet.com.
Guy WoodwardEditor of London-based Decanter magazine. WWS Speaker 2012
Guy Woodward is the editor of London-based Decanter magazine, where he has worked for nine years. He joined the magazine from a journalistic background, notably in business-to-business journalism, and also as a sub-editor on national newspapers. During his time at Decanter, the magazine has expanded to encompass overseas editions, education and the world's biggest global wine competition, the Decanter World Wine Awards. Decanter is read in 94 countries, with over half its readership now overseas. Guy is responsible for devising and commissioning all editorial content for Decanter. In addition to his role with the magazine, he is a regular commentator on wine on both radio and TV, and has written for a number of UK newspapers and publications including The Independent, Observer, Guardian and Telegraph.
Stephen YafaEditor of Apple-Nomad's iPad weekly, Uncorked. WWS Speaker 2012
Stephen Yafa, the editor of Apple-Nomad's iPad weekly, Uncorked, considers himself a lucky man. He gets to entertain and inform wine buffs in a multi-media digital wine magazine venue, the first of its kind. He also gets to make Russian River Pinot Noir for his own label, Segue Cellars. The author of Big Cotton (Viking), and a screenwriter at major Hollywood studios, when not editing and writing he conducts experiential wine seminars at major national wine events, most recently at the New Orleans Food and Wine Exposition.
