What is Vine Language?

    When I first thought up the idea for VineLanguage.com, I only had what I thought was a catchy name for a wine writing business. It never occurred to me what direction, if any, this “business” would take me. After all, I’d had a 28 year absence from writing of any kind, much less any background in writing about wine.

 

    Now, with a couple of years and a few steady writing gigs under my wine bottles, I’ve decided the part of wine writing I enjoy the most is promotional writing for individual wineries. By this I mean, introducing new wineries and new vintages, namely, by wine descriptors. “Earthy, muscular, effervescent.” Yeah, it works, but open up any mainstream wine publication and you’re likely to find the same words. Why hire me when one can basically copy descriptions right out of the dictionary.

 

    The vintners who have taken a chance on me usually have no clue what I’m going to come up with, and I mean that in a good way.

 

    That new Chardonnay release of yours? Is it “buttered popcorn in a glass, best paired with Gone With the Wind and a warm body to cozy up to,” or will it be “decidedly opulent in golden hues, showing lusty hints of caramel and American oak?”

 

    If you chose the former, then we should talk.

 

    In our ever-changing economy, our ever-lovin’ wine world has been affected, along with everything else. Everyday wine drinkers who never thought twice at picking up a case or two of their favorite Cabernet are now thriftily buying it bottle by bottle.

 

    Plus, we’re eating at home more, which means drinking at home more. As the saying goes, “Home is where the heart is.” It’s also where the wine bottles are.

 

    I enjoy the entertaining-at-home-with-friends aspect of wine drinking. And when I’m joined by friends who describe what they just tasted, it usually has nothing to do with French, American, or Hungarian oak. In other words, I remember WHO I was sipping with, WHERE we sipped, WHAT the weather was like, WHY we got together in the first place, and HOW great the wine tasted. Oak was never invited into our conversation.

 

    Of course, I admire the well-known wine critics who have spent years perfecting their knowledge, along with their keen sense of smell and taste. But they write from other wine worlds, and I am but a humble Valley gal whose goal is to write fun things about wine and hopefully entice fellow wine lovers to visit the places that make it happen. 

    While Robert Parker may have his pick from any voluptuous bottle on the face of the earth, at the end of the day, all you can do is uncork, unscrew, and drink the stuff.

 

That’s Vine Language.

 

 

 

 

What are the costs?

Consultation Fees

Within the Lodi wine region, the cost of my consultation is two bottles of what is to be written about, whether or not you choose my services.
 
For Amador, Calaveras, Fair Play, Clarksburg, Livermore, or heck, even San Francisco wineries looking for a great piece of writing, I charge $50 AND two bottles of what wines relating to the subject.

 

Writing Fees

I charge .10/word, with a minimum of $65 for any writing assignment. This covers my time, proofing, editing, and final copy. Newsletter set-up is a one-time $100 fee per set-up.

 

Writing Services

Wine Club newsletters (including formatting), events, press releases, wine descriptors, and winery/winemaker bios, website content.

 

My Credentials

I spent most of my formative college years as a feature writer for Delta College. All that great experience was put on the back burner for the next 27 years as I became a wife, mother, wife, mother, and then a wife again. Don’t ask.

 

More life experience you couldn’t ask for! Trust me.

 

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of taking a creative writing course at Delta College, where I wrote an article called How to Go Wine Tasting. My instructor, Paula Sheil thought it was worthy enough to be entered in the Stockton Arts Commission’s Annual Writing Contest. Lo and behold, it won first prize and a lot of writing doors opened for me.

 

I currently write feature stories for D’Vine Wine & Visitor’s Guide and The Arbor, and have been a contributing writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Downtown Lodi Business Partnership. I have also written for several winery websites, and I pour wine at cellardoor in Lodi.

 

For me, wine is truly a passion, and the lifestyle surrounding wine is fascinating. Through wine, I’ve met so many interesting people and made new friends. I feel that writing about my experiences with wine is my way of giving back to a pastime that has awarded me many times over, both personally and professionally.

 

I look forward to working with you.