Author W. Blake Gray

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W. Blake Gray
Staff Writer
Wine writer W. Blake Gray is Chairman of the Electoral College of the Vintners Hall of Fame. Previously wine writer/editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, he has contributed articles on wine and sake to The Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Wine & Spirits, Wine Review Online, and a variety of other publications. He travels frequently to wine regions and enjoys coming home to San Francisco.

Idaho Wine Industry Moves from Bleak to Lucrative

W. Blake Gray
Features
8 min read
If you look at a map, it's hard to see why Idaho wouldn't grow wine grapes about as well as eastern Washington. Until recently, it wasn't close, except geographically. Today, better viticulture, an influx of talent, and global warming are contributing to an increasingly interesting Idaho wine scene. There's good

The Epic Adventures of Santorini Assyrtiko

W. Blake Gray
Features
6 min read
Assyrtiko from the Greek island of Santorini is a world treasure, with one of the epic stories in wine. Catastrophic volcanic eruptions, centuries-old vines, sabotage by resentful neighbors, the threat of big corporations: all this story needs is Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. And you know what? They have a

Wine Snobs Unite!

W. Blake Gray
Features
4 min read
I was reading a baseball chat last year with Keith Law, an ESPN writer who also answers cooking questions, when the following exchange came across (it's from memory, so might not be verbatim): Fan: Do all wine snobs always wave their pinkies in the air? Law: I drink beer, so

The 30-Year War

W. Blake Gray
Features
5 min read
If sommeliers want to win their 30-year war with critics, they must harness the power of validation. Before the rise of Robert Parker, sommeliers had far more power in deciding what wines Americans drank. Many Americans hated and feared them. That's a major reason Parker became so powerful: he freed

Let’s Take the Fake Romance Out of Wine

W. Blake Gray
Features
5 min read
Quiver in fear, wine lovers: Tomorrow is for chocolate-infused wine and wines with names like Flirt or Je T'Aime (Bitch is for Feb. 15 and after). All holidays have wine and food marketing, and some, like the minor regional Mexican holiday on May 5, seem entirely created by marketing. But

Brazil Rising: A New Frontier for Wine

W. Blake Gray
Features
5 min read
Brazil is the next great frontier for the wine world. Brazil now drinks just 1.6 liters of wine per capita per year—significantly less than some Muslim countries like the Maldives and United Arab Emirates, according to the Wine Institute. By comparison, the US drinks 9 liters per capita per year.