06 Oct Please The Palate October 2026 Newsletter

Summer was hot. And my travels made it even hotter.

August was an especially busy month, with travels that took me from California to Texas to Washington, D.C., all in the heat of summer. Of course, Los Angeles wasn’t exactly much cooler!

The month started with a trip to Napa for some winery visits before I headed to Houston, where I squeezed in some eating and drinking with a friend before getting to work on events for Wines of South Australia in Houston and Dallas. From Texas, I continued to Washington, D.C., for a small reunion with longtime friends.

I came home, unpacked, and almost immediately packed again, this time for Santa Ynez and one of my favorite annual events, Sta. Rita Hills Wine & Fire. This year marked the 25th anniversary of Wine & Fire, which made me realize that I am also “celebrating” 25 years in the wine industry. My career in wine began in 2001, after the dot-com bubble burst. It is remarkable to think about how much has changed since then, and how much I have learned, tasted, traveled, and experienced.

From Santa Ynez, I headed north to Lodi for its first annual wine showcase and then continued to Lake County for an overnight visit with Brassfield Estate Winery and an interview for the Wine Soundtrack USA podcast. Add it all together, and August was quite a busy month!

September, thankfully, was quieter. I stayed close to home, attended local events, wrote, and focused on the many projects happening behind the scenes, including planning for the 2027 Festival of Undiscovered Grapes.

But amid all of the activity, this summer also brought a tremendous loss. At the end of August, I lost a dear friend from the wine industry. It was a painful reminder that the relationships we build through this work ultimately mean far more than the wines we taste, the places we travel, or the events we attend. After 25 years in this industry, I am especially grateful for the friendships it has given me.

✈️Where Are You Going Next? ✈️

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know how much I love to travel. I also love planning my own trips—researching hotels, restaurants, tours, and experiences, and finding those special places that are a little off the beaten path. But I also know just how much time that can take.

So, I have some news: I am now a Fora Travel Advisor!

It feels like a natural extension of what I already do. I can help plan and book travel anywhere, from a weekend getaway or cruise to an international vacation, but I am especially excited to help people plan wine- and food-focused trips.

For me, wine travel is about more than visiting the most famous wineries. I love discovering the small, family-owned producers, exploring regions that may not be on everyone’s radar, eating where the locals eat, and experiencing a destination through its wine, food, culture, and people.

Whether you want to spend a few days in Napa or Sonoma, explore an emerging California wine region, or plan a wine adventure through Italy, France, Portugal, Croatia, or beyond, I can help you put the pieces together and take some of the hours of research off your plate.

And your trip doesn’t have to be about wine! I can help with hotels, cruises, weekend getaways, international vacations, and more. Booking through me may also include benefits at qualifying hotels, such as complimentary breakfast, property credits, upgrades, and early check-in and late checkout, often at the same rate you would book yourself. And the biggest draw – it’s FREE to work with me, as my commission comes from the vendor.

You can also be as involved as you want. Already know exactly where you want to stay? Send it to me. Have a destination in mind but don’t know where to begin? I can help with that too.

Have a trip in mind? Where are you going next? 🌎Tell me where you want to go.

Start planning your trip with me.

✍️ A New Place to Follow: Please The Palate

After more than 15 years of writing on PleaseThePalate.com, I have added another place to share my stories: Substack.

Don’t worry! The Please The Palate blog isn’t going anywhere. Substack gives me another way to connect with readers and share my writing directly. I’ll be publishing wine and travel stories there, including some of the deeper dives into regions, producers, people, and experiences that inspire me.

I am also using Substack for something a little different. I recently started sharing my Communication Series, short reflections about how we communicate, listen, disagree, question what we think we know, and understand perspectives different from our own. It is a subject that has always interested me. I even have a Master’s degree in International Communication, which gives me space to explore ideas beyond wine.

So whether you come for the wine, the travel, the stories, or the conversations, I hope you’ll follow along.

Subscribe to Please The Palate on Substack →

🍷 SAVE THE DATE(S) 🍷

Planning is well underway for the 2027 Festival of Undiscovered Grapes, and I am excited to announce that we will return to San Jose on Saturday, January 30, 2027, and Los Angeles on Saturday, April 3, 2027. We are almost full with wineries, and I cannot wait to share more about what we have planned.

Mark your calendars! 

Tickets are now on sale!

San Jose

Los Angeles

View the entire Please The Palate October 2026 Newsletter.