I love wine and business. I am obsessed with the subject, the art, the history, the sciences, organization management, and making things less complex
I have been a former national wine marketing manager for a large off-premise food and wine retailer (280+ retail locations in 30 US States); the love for wine taught me the good practice of using the best methodologies to right side a business which unto itself is complex. Further complexity is wine. Wine simple to enjoy and yet profoundly complex because of many factors:
- Many grape varieties
- States of wine: sparkling, still and fortified wines
- Vintage
- Blends
- Regions/AVAs/DOCs etc.
- Many producer styles
- Many producers
- Limited supply
- Limited and often restricted distribution
My experience is still a lot of intimidation with respect to wine. Wine means many things to many people; status, fear, success, ‘you’ve arrived’, enjoyment, good times, tradition and even ceremony.
I have consulted with wine producers and association. I have spoken on Wine and Social Media, Wine and Video and The Business of Wine in conferences in the United States and Europe.
Beer and spirits do have the same dynamics–there are many producers but compared to wine there is no other consumer product like it.
I have been writing about since November 2006 on my site and I have over 2,890 wine videos on my YouTube channel talking about general wine subject matter as well as specific educational topics on wine and reviews. I have been a wine judge and have traveled to many wine countries in the new and old world. Wine has taken me to great places.
Life is tough for most of us and it is nice to celebrate life with those near and even far. What wine is really about is sitting around a table with family and friends raising your wine glass and saying—to life! I love to write about travel, food, technology and business–please subscribe!
Santé,
James, JamesTheWineGuy
Demystifying Wine…One Bottle at a Time from all wine regions around the world.
© 2010, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2023 James P. Melendez / JamesTheWineGuy— All Rights Reserved – for my original content, logo, brand name, rating, rating graphic, point score graphic, award and all graphic designs of JamesTheWineGuy.
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James Melendez - JamesTheWineGuy 
Hi James; I enjoyed reading your comments. No Synth cork!! Mike
hi Jaime:
I import boutique wines from Argentina
I am in Redwood City, CA
How can I get ahold of you?
i received an e-mail from Conalbi Grinberg.
Sergio said you were interested in his wines.
all the best,
Ines Colombetti
Best of Argentina
I tried to update my google blogger blog to the new version and now I can’t access it.
Is this a good blog system to use? I guess I have to start a new one. It makes me mad when a company tries to “improve” things and makes them too hard or impossible to use.
Thanks, Sandy
Hi James,
Your descriptors are so enticing, I feel that I am there to enjoy the wine with you. I really enjoy reading your blog.
Hey, JP the wine guy, I used to be a wino, so I know what you mean about loving wine. But not for me anymore, 31 and a half years without an alcoholic beverage. Do you have any non-alcoholic wines you could recommend? I like the white Zinfandel, but do they sell quality wines in NM?
(Did you see the Monk episode with Tony Shalhoop when he thought he was getting non-alcohol wine when he was investigating a crime, and got looped? He didn’t have a tolerance for it. I think it was the sugar or grapes he was allergic to.)
By the way, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Wow. Miss you. Love, Sandy
I LOVE your picture. You look as delicious as the wines. Love, Sandy
🙂
Hello,
Sorry to be leaving a comment, in reality I wanted to email you but couldn’t find an email address.
My name is Ciara Carruthers. I am the staff writer for a website called travelcalifornia.com and we currently trying to boost our link popularity. I wanted to ask you if you would be interested in selling a link to us on one of your pages?
We can offer $20 for the link, and would ask that the links would go from one of your pages focused on the Alexander Valley or the wines from there, to our page which is found here http://www.travelcalifornia.com/winery/alexandervalley/body_alexandervalley.htm
If this is something which you would be interested in, we could arrange the payment via paypal.
Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you,
Ciara
Hey James,
Love the presentation at My Possibilities yesterday. I was only sorry that I was pouring the wines and tasting them!!! Next time!
If you decide to go to South Africa, get in contact with us and we will point you in the right direction for some beautiful wine estates and also some great places to visit.
Kindest regards, Lez Meggersee
Hi James, my compliments for your blog I found really interesting.
I’ve appreciated you have published also something about our Apulian wines, just forgot to add Puglia in your “favourite wines come from” list.
I invite you to take a look at my Off The Beaten Track Apulia Tours blog, on http://wp.me/pRt63-b you could find a Luxury Wine Tour of Apulia.
Cheers
Are you planning to attend Grape & Gourmet on 7/7 in Sacramento? It’s the venue for the CA State Fair to announce the winners of their wine competition. Save Mart is hosting a private tasting of 6 wines in the competition, for media, wine bloggers, and selected partners only. Please contact me if you are interested. Our tasting is at 2 pm in our Grape & Gourmet booth. Thanks!
Thank you, James, for a year for a year of fabulous reviews. As you say, wines should be for the masses. I say, so should a great review. You have mastered the art of a review which is intelligent, accessible and entertaining. Cheers to an exciting and memorable 2013! Looking forward to seeing you around the wine events – or better yet, right here in the Red Hills of Lake County!
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Hello James, thank you very much for dropping by my blog! I think I’ve been following you on twitter for years now 🙂 Your blog is fantastic! Have a lovely day!
Hi James,
I manage the Global Wine Cellars affiliate program. We would love to be able to partner with you, where you could earn commission for every sale generated and we could offer exclusive discounts and deals to your visitors.
Would this be something you’d be interested in?
regards,
Marc
It’s nearly impossible to find knowledgeable individuals on this topic, and you seem like there’s more you’re preaching about! Thanks
I am writing a post about pairing food with champagne. Your blog is one I follow and I respect your opinion about wine very much. I would like to include a quote from you about how you pair food with champagne. Do you choose the champagne and then find food/dishes/ingredients to pair with it. Or do you find the food first and then pair it with champagne? What is your favorite champagne and food pairing? I will include a link to your blog in my post. Thank you so much for your time and interest! Please leave your quote here or send your response to my e-mail: maxima2@aol.com.
Cheers,
Becky
Bubblybee.net
Come and see the Okanagan Valley winner of last years du Monte wine contest for best Chardonnay You rated us nicely for our 2014 Chardonnay. Coolshanagh. 2 bedroom gate house is yours for a few days during July or August. Come see what we have to offer and why our wine and vineyard is special. Dr Pedro Para rated us in the top 15% of all vineyards world wide. Fly to Penticton or Kelowna. Let me know if you’re interested.
Skip Stothert
Coolshanagh Vineyards
Hi James,
Hope you’re doing well. We haven’t spoken since the dinner at the Genentech off-site a few years back on the patio of the Carmel Ranch Resort. I retired from Genentech a couple of years ago and am enjoying traveling around California visiting wineries.
I am leaving in two week for a month in Italy (Tuscany/Chianti Regions) and would appreciate any winery recommendations you may have.
Thanks so much and hope to see you again soon,
John
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Hello James. I represent one of the largest producers of wine in France from the Languedoc region and I recently read an article about a virtual tasting of wines from the area. I am reaching out to obtain information on the proper policy/procedure for submitting wines for you to consider for your blog. Please advise.
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