Kelli White

  • Interview: Perspectives on Whole-Cluster Fermentation

    Kelli White interviews Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac, Mathieu Lapierre of Marcel Lapierre, Pax Mahle of Pax Mahle Wines and Wind Gap, and Taras Ochota of Ochota Barrels about their perspectives on whole-cluster fermentation and stem inclusion.
    • Jan 18, 2018
  • The Devastator: Phylloxera Vastatrix & The Remaking of the World of Wine

    GuildSomm's Senior Staff Writer Kelli White dives deep into the history and impacts of phylloxera on the world of wine.
    • Dec 30, 2017
  • Reflections on Wine List Awards

    Kelli White considers the state of wine list awards—including those of The Wine Spectator, the James Beard Foundation, Wine Enthusiast, and World of Fine Wine—and discusses their impact on the industry.
    • Dec 1, 2017
  • Forgotten Spain: Valencia

    While big blends remain Valencia's dominant mode of production, a handful of producers are taking up arms against this dim reputation. Their weapons? A meticulous but sensitive approach to winemaking and the region's bounty of old vine indigenous material.
    • Oct 19, 2017
  • Interview: Expats of Napa & Sonoma

    As the price of land in Napa and Sonoma reaches new heights, many young winemakers are looking for land and opportunity in other regions of California. Kelli White interviews Matt Naumann, MW Morgan Twain-Peterson, Matthew Rorick, and Tegan Passalacqua.
    • Sep 21, 2017
  • An Interview with Axel Borg of the UC Davis Library

    Kelli White interviews Axel Borg, the wine and food science bibliographer at the UC Davis library, which has an unsurpassed stockpile of wine books, periodicals, and ephemera that anyone can come explore.
    • Aug 22, 2017
  • Gods & Heroes: Xinomavro in Northern Greece

    Most of northern Greece's PDOs are dedicated to Xinomavro or Xinomavro-based blends. It's a difficult grape, but the best examples are exceptional, with savory tones, intense structure, and an incredible ability to age.
    • Aug 2, 2017
  • Exploring British Columbia

    It’s natural to want to understand something new in terms of something known, to define A by its similarities to and differences from B. This is often especially true for emerging wine regions, where a direct comparison to a more established area provides a shortcut for consumer comprehension. Prior to my trip to the Okanagan Valley, I marveled at all the marketing materials that compared the region to Napa. In…

    • May 25, 2017
  • So You Want to Open a Wine Bar?

    Whether drinks professionals or professional drinkers, we all have our ideas as to what makes a bar or restaurant great. Some of us even go so far as to flesh out the fantasy, ruminating on the ideal location, décor, wine list, and preferred clientele. Far fewer execute on such a vision, and for good reason—as glamorous as opening your own business may seem, the reality is often far more tedious. For those that are seriously…

    • May 10, 2017
  • The Evolution of American Oak

    It happens almost every time. American oak comes up in a conversation, and I see it: that subtle flinch, a pinch of the lips, maybe a cocked eyebrow. As a subject, American oak seems to be forever filed away under “things sommeliers know they hate.” And yet, this hypothetical person, our imagined skeptical sommelier, would likely never turn down a glass of López de Heredia, well-aged Grange, Ridge Monte Bello, or Pappy…

    • Mar 22, 2017