Maryam Ahmed is the owner of Napa, CA based Maryam + Company and the co-founder of the Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum. She works at the intersection of sommeliers, chefs, activists, sustainability experts, media, and organizations focused on diversity and sustainability to design impactful educational programs and execute strategic projects in the food and wine … Continue reading “Maryam Ahmed”

Antonia (Toni) Allegra is a coach and mentor dedicated to working with food and wine professionals regarding their writing and their careers. She has coached culinary starters and stars, having influenced the creation of more than 150 publications in all formats. She lives in the Napa Valley where she is active as a poet, an … Continue reading “Antonia Allegra”

Jane Anson has lived in Bordeaux since 2003 and is author of Inside Bordeaux (BB&R Press 2020, called a ‘category buster’ by Wine Anorak and ‘the Bordeaux bible’ by Le Figaro), Haut-Bailly (First Press Editions 2021), Wine Revolution (Quarto 2017), The Club of Nine (Katz Publishing 2016) Angélus (Editions de la Martiniere, 2016) and Bordeaux … Continue reading “Jane Anson”

John Brecher is known for long-form journalism at The Wall Street Journal, which won seven Pulitzers during his tenure as Page One Editor, as well as breaking news (City Editor of The Miami Herald) and mentoring (Executive Editor for Enterprise at Bloomberg News, Executive Story Editor at USA Today Network). He also has led writing … Continue reading “John Brecher”

Stacy Briscoe is an award-winning journalist with 10 years experience writing for and about the wine industry. She’s held multiple roles throughout her career, including managing editor of Wine Enthusiast magazine, managing editor for Wine Industry Network, assistant editor of Wine Business Monthly, and staff writer for Wines & Vines magazine. You can find her … Continue reading “Stacy Briscoe”

Elaine Chukan Brown is an award winning writer, speaker, and global wine educator. They devote their work in wine to helping build greater equity for underrepresented communities, removing gatekeeping in the industry and strengthening climate action. Their book The Wines of California was published in Spring 2025.

Samantha Cole-Johnson is the Senior Editor US for JancisRobinson.com and the host of the site’s popular ‘Wine News in 5’ podcast. Prior to her current post she worked as a cellar rat – publishing her exploits on JancisRobinson.com – while freelancing for Guildsomm, SevenFifty Daily, and Wine & Spirits Magazine. She is the Oregon contributor … Continue reading “Samantha Cole-Johnson”

Zach Dundas is the editor-in-chief at Wildsam, a publisher focused on travel, culture and American place. Wildsam creates an acclaimed series of field guides to storied destinations across the land and a magazine celebrating the great American road trip. Born in Montana, based in Portland, he’s the author of a pair of books and writes … Continue reading “Zach Dundas”

Jessica Dupuy is a freelance journalist, author, and educator specializing in wine, spirits, and travel. Based in Austin, Texas, she has over 15 years of experience and has written for Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, Imbibe, Forbes, SevenFifty Daily, GuildSomm, Decanter, and Southern Living. She holds the WSET Diploma, is a Certified Sommelier, and author … Continue reading “Jessica Dupuy”

Osayi Endolyn is a two-time James Beard award-winning writer and culture strategist who creates narrative, visual, and experiential storytelling. She recently launched TEXTURE, a culture newsletter that explores how we experience the world. Osayi’s work ranges from reporting and content development for media and publishing platforms, to production and consulting for brands and organizations in … Continue reading “Osayi Endolyn”

Dorothy J. Gaiter, senior editor of Grape Collective, an online wine magazine, is an award-winning journalist and author. She wrote The Wall Street Journal’s “Tastings,” from 1998 to 2010 with her husband, John Brecher. They’ve studied wine since 1973, written four books, and created ‘Open That Bottle Night.’ They’re part of the Warren Winiarski Wine … Continue reading “Dorothy J. Gaiter”

Mary-Frances Heck is the VP/GM of Media at Outside Inc. where she oversees adventure and endurance brands including SKI, Climbing, Backpacker, and Outside Magazine. With roots in food and service journalism, she is a James Beard and IACP award-winning author and editor. Prior to joining Outside, Mary-Frances was the senior food editor of Food & … Continue reading “Mary-Frances Heck”

Stacy Ladenburger is an editor and writer with over 15 years of experience in nonprofits and the food and wine sector. She is the editor at GuildSomm International, a nonprofit membership organization for beverage professionals and aficionados. Since 2016, Stacy has directed GuildSomm’s editorial program, working with top wine and spirits writers to produce a … Continue reading “Stacy Ladenburger”

Alongside a decorated career in university teaching and research, Alex has for fifty years grown vines and made wine at his home in Wales. And through this he became interested in vineyard geology and its fashionable but poorly understood relationship with wine. This led to numerous publications in the popular press and academic journals, and … Continue reading “Alex Maltman”

Wanda Mann has been writing about wine for over fifteen years. She is the East Coast Editor for The SOMM Journal and Tasting Panel magazines. Wanda’s writing has also been published in Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, NAPA Magazine, Saveur, and other publications. An in-demand speaker, Wanda has been featured at the Food & … Continue reading “Wanda Mann”

Dan is a Napa Valley Winemaker and was formerly a magazine executive at Sports Illustrated and TIME magazines. He previously published a magazine on Instagram in partnership with Phaidon Press (2020-2021), and produced a cookbook on Substack and Instagram (2022-2023). Dan is presently developing an Italian travel newsletter and a compendium of pasta.

Clive Pursehouse is Decanter’s North American Editor. Based in Seattle, Washington, Pursehouse has developed a deep appreciation for the wines of the Pacific Northwest over the course of 20 years, and is the regional expert on the wines and producers of Oregon and Washington State for Decanter.

Patrick Spencer is the Executive Director of the Natural Cork Council, a non-profit, member based industry organization, representing the 6 largest cork companies in Portugal. Patrick is responsible for the organization’s lobbying, marketing, public relations and educational operations. Patrick holds a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Central Connecticut State University.

Kelli A. White is the Director of Education at The Wine Center, a private wine education service for members of The Napa Valley Reserve and guests and members of Meadowood Napa Valley. She worked as a sommelier for nearly a decade between New York City and Napa Valley; in 2013, Food & Wine magazine named … Continue reading “Kelli A. White”

Once a pioneering wine blogger, now a well-known wine writer and critic, Alder Yarrow has been writing about wine since 2004 and continues to publish regularly at his site Vinography.com. For the past 14 years, he has been a columnist and critic for Jancis Robinson’s, covering American wines on her website. He contributed to the … Continue reading “Alder Yarrow”