Is the Vox Video True? Is Expensive Wine for Suckers?
So, as I’m sure happens to many of my readers, anytime someone sees a news article about wine, I’m asked, “Is it true?” Typically, this is pretty easy to answer. The recent video from Vox, however, is so packed with claims, that it takes more than just a Facebook reply to answer. So, I figured, if I’m going to answer it, I may as well write a blog about it. I’m pretty slammed with clients needs right now, so it will be a bit before I put together a more heavy-hitting post
Updated, Glitch-Free Data Tool
Apparently, the version of the tool I sent out the other day had some glitches in it. It has been replaced with a better version that actually works. Click here to go to the Excel tools page and download it. #excel #tools #data
Best Grape Data Tool Ever
As any of my readers know I am passionate about the use of data in the wine industry. I want us to stop relying on our gut decisions when we can use data to inform our decisions. One great source of data are the USDA reports. These are largely under-utilized, though. If you are looking at historical numbers, it can take a long time to wade through the data. That is the case no more. The work is done for you. I made a tool that requires you to type in the district and p


Cognitive Biases in the Wine Industry, Part 3
This is the third article in a series that focuses, basically, on how our brains are wired in a way that misleads us to make poor business decisions. The first two articles can be found here and here. Though we humans have learned to gather and utilize facts, data, evidence and logic, we do so poorly for innate, biological reasons. Those of us in the wine industry are not exempted from this. If you are regular reader, you know that I am passionate about using facts, data,
Israel is a Drought-Survival Model for California – But Not the Way Everyone Keeps Telling You
That’s it. I’ve had it. It’s just too much. Any time I hear speakers talk about the drought in California, there is a portion of the speech that goes something like this: I was just in Israel to see how they deal with arid conditions. They have it at least as tough as us and have even fewer financial resources. But they have no water worries! In fact, they’re exporting water and operating aquaculture in the middle of the desert! In conclusion, we must build more water sto


Cognitive Biases in the Wine Industry, Part 2: Confirmation Bias
Cognitive Biases in the Wine Industry, Part 2: Confirmation Bias This is the second article in a series that focuses on how our brains, which are still wired to deal with Neolithic tasks, often mislead us into making poor business decisions. Though we have learned to gather and utilize facts, data, evidence and logic, we do it poorly for innate, biological reasons. Those of us in the wine industry are not exempted from this. These human hardware glitches are called cognitiv