WELCOME TO KAREN MACNEIL'S BLOG
SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION
Summary: Founded in 1967 on the rugged slopes of Pritchard Hill, Chappellet Winery helped define Napa Valley mountain wines long before the area...
IN PURSUIT OF BEAUTY
What Matters When You Taste Wine By Karen MacNeil In this article, Karen MacNeil argues that wine tasting should focus less on technical...
ONE THING THAT’S KILLING THE WINE INDUSTRY
When Coravin entered the wine universe in 2013, the vinous planets realigned. Almost overnight you could order a glass of wine that cost $15, $25 or...
Behind the Scenes with a Professional Keynote Speaker
Summary:In this insightful blog, renowned keynote speaker and wine expert Karen MacNeil shares her most terrifying speaking experience—following a...
What Makes Great Wine Great?
Summary: Wine lovers are captivated by a single elusive question: what makes a wine truly great? This essay explores the deeper dimensions of wine...
An Exclusive Wine Tasting Reveals a Surprising Fact
Summary: In this thoughtful reflection, wine expert and book author Karen MacNeil reveals why describing wine flavor can be so challenging—even for...
THE SEX LIFE OF WINE GRAPES
Right now, there’s a lot of sex in the vineyards. (Strictly between the vines of course). And it may sound odd to say, but it’s also a great time to...
Bordeaux vs The Napa Valley
One of the most popular executive wine tastings I conduct is a blind tasting of top Bordeaux wines and top Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons. The idea...
Champagne—The Taste of Success
In every new edition of my book The Wine Bible, the chapter on Champagne has gotten larger. (Not all chapters have). But there’s a lot to say (and...
The Power of Wine for Successful Corporate Events
As a speaker, I have given hundreds of talks and wine tastings for corporate executives all over the world. And whether those executives are in law,...
Age Can Be Mind blowing
Most of the wine we drink is aged about as long as it takes to get it home from the store. That’s not necessarily bad. Lots of wine is simple, every...
Why Wine Matters
As a wine speaker who specializes in corporate events, I’ve watched scores of times when a tasting of great wines transforms the audience. An hour...
Women Wine Tasting Ability
We’ve all heard it said that women are better at tasting wine than men. But can that possibly be true? For most of my professional career as a wine...
Karen MacNeil gives the Keynote Speech for Wine2Wine conference in Verona, Italy
https://youtu.be/Vnh7XYYllxk?si=lMU_HsjwfWNSrW77 Public Speaker and Wine Consultant Karen MacNeil combines world-class expertise, an engaging...
How to Drink a “Vintage of the Century”
Every century, every place, has its legendary vintages. 1945 and 1961 in Bordeaux, for example, were called “vintages of the century.” Both are...
The Most Comprehensive Tasting in the US of Top Chinese Wines
The first time I visited mainland China—in the winter of 1979—the country, isolated for decades, was one of the poorest in the world. Although...
Engage. Inspire. Captivate.
What Makes Great Wine Great? - A Corporate Tasting in AsiaYou can talk to an audience. But it’s a whole lot better if you engage, inspire, and...
Five Tips for Making Your Holiday Event Exceptional and Exclusive
Holiday Entertaining: Wine Wisdom from Wine Expert Karen MacNeil There’s still time to up the game and make your holiday party sensational this...