Are Restaurants Shooting Themselves in the Foot? By Karen MacNeil September 25, 2026 A couple of months ago, I interviewed Eric Asimov, wine critic for The New York Times, and during the interview, Asimov spoke about the need for more good wine in American...
By Karen MacNeil September 18, 2026 In 2024, I dreamed up what would become the largest pro-wine grassroots campaign ever launched in the United States. It is called Come Over October. Now in its third year, Come Over October is designed around a simple but...
By Karen MacNeil July 10, 2026 Originally 3/18/2026 (A version of this piece originally appeared in Decanter magazine in May 2026.) It takes a long time to become hated. First you have to become desired. Deeply desired. Such is the psychological paradox of...
Wine and America on the 250th Anniversary of the United States By Karen MacNeil June 30, 2026 The Statue of Liberty was crumbling. But in 1986, after five years and $250 million, the statue—an extraordinary gift from France—was “relit” in a thrilling nationwide...
Guest Blog By Jacqueline Strum Introduction from Karen: Jacki Strum is the President and Publisher of Wine Enthusiast Media. In this guest blog, she makes a fascinating and compelling case for using lessons from the perfume industry to reach young wine...
By Karen MacNeil In this week’s wine news, nearly 50% of the stories from writers and critics were about age. Here are some headlines: Can X Wine Age? Tasting of B Reveals B Can Age! The Question of Ageability and C Wine This Ageworthy D Wine Has Genuine Longevity Is...
Ninety-five percent of the physical wineries in Napa Valley—roughly 450 out of the 475 brick-and-mortar operations—are family-owned. Even though global corporations and luxury empires (like Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy or Treasury Wine Estates) own some Napa estates, independent families still make up the backbone of the valley. The majority of these family businesses are produce fewer than 10,000 cases of wine each year. While about 30% of Napa Valley’s family-owned businesses are run by the second or third generations, most of the current owners of small wineries moved to Napa to start a second career.