In 2002, as the Wine Director of Suburban Wines & Spirits, I had not heard of biodynamic® wine or biodynamic anything for that matter. I was very passionate about wine and wine with “terroir,” but biodynamic wine hadn’t yet appeared on my radar. Continue reading “Biodynamic Wine: An Adventure Begins” »

In Biodynamics, Demystifying Natural Wine, History, Jeff's Blog, World | Tagged with biodynamic, natural wine

After five-and-a-half years planting roots and calling Ashland, Oregon home, it’s time to shake it up and embrace change. It’s time to pull up roots, pack the U-Haul and head to a new garden, which in this case it includes a vineyard. More on that later… Continue reading “Thank you, Ashland!” »

In History, Jeff's Blog, Storytelling | Tagged with oregon

On “the morning after,” at Tazza Cafe, Megan and I settled in for some rehab at a Somers, NY caffeination station pit stop. Within minutes we were chatting to discover the location of an excellent cannoli. We’d heard rumors of some locally the previous night, while consuming the ends of the dessert plate. Continue reading “The Morning After” »

In History, Jeff's Blog, Storytelling | Tagged with events, new york

It’s been over two weeks of NY adventuring and this Oregonian (a former New Yorker) is just about ready to go home, but not before celebrating what we’ve been working on for several years.

On June 3, my partner Vinny Liscio and I are hosting a ConsciousWine event to say, “Thank you,” to a lot of folks who’ve helped bring this idea, website and business into being. This is only the beginning, but every once in a while it’s good to stop and pause and remember how you got to where you are. Continue reading “In a New York State of Mind” »

In Biodynamics, History, Jeff's Blog, Storytelling | Tagged with new york, Vinny Liscio

I was on the Appalachian Trail near Black Furnace State Park, in the vicinity of Harrisburg, PA. I had just gotten off a bus and stepped directly into 90 degree temperatures, 90% humidity and a persistent rain. Having never really hiked before, my NY trained brain had a goal of ten miles per day. With fifty pounds on my back, I bounced along the rocky trail, made even more interesting by the countless roots criss-crossing the path. Continue reading “What Inspired ConsciousWine: Part 2” »

In History, Jeff's Blog, Storytelling | Tagged with Travel

In 2002, I was running Suburban Wines & Spirits in the New York City area. A sales rep came into the store with six wines he hoped to sell me. These six wines happened to be from six different countries. As we tasted, what stood out was that all the wines were plush and lush, low acid, very easy to drink on their own, high alcohol, and were missing any distinctive flavors whatsoever. Continue reading “What inspired ConsciousWine: Part 1” »

In History, Jeff's Blog, Storytelling | Tagged with natural wine, new york

I was working wine wholesale in NY, and a retailer friend asked me to speak for his wine society. I agreed. I forgot to consult my nerves on the decision, and come the night of the tasting, they were particularly tangled up.

The gathered group was just over 30, and I was alone on the podium. I had my pre-game thoughts written out on index cards. As I looked at the cards, I could not get my brain to get the written words to come out of my mouth. Continue reading “Jeff’s Public Speaking Initiation” »

In Digging Deeper, History, Storytelling | Tagged with new york

My Mom & Dad went to Italy two years in a row when I was 12 & 13. That led to a bottle of wine on the dinner table every night. In high school, I was blessed with a mythology teacher who dated a friend of my Mom. This friend was French… and of course, she could really cook! One night a group of high schoolers were over at the teacher’s house. His gal friend made a multi-course extravaganza, and the teacher went to his wine-cellar to gather up a wine to go with each course. This was the beginning of our “Wine & Food Society.” Each of five very young adults would con their moms into making a food course. Our host (the mythology teacher) would gather the appropriate viticultural partners for those courses and off we would go. We met monthly. The following summer, I spent six weeks (through the same mythology teacher) in France, Italy, and Spain on a trip sponsored by the American Institute of Foreign Study. Without knowing it, I was an in-training sommelier, and getting my career started as an enthusiastically contagious communicating wine evangelist.

In History, Wine & Food, World | Tagged with touring, Travel