We realise that ‘site improvement’ might raise an eyebrow or two for those members who’ve been experiencing issues related to our new membership platform (we are working on it!), but here’s a bit of unmitigated good news: our esteemed Pacific Northwest correspondent Sam Cole-Johnson has joined us full-time as senior editor US.
As you already know, Sam is a stellar MW student, having won the Commanderie de Bordeaux Andre Crispin Travel Scholar Award as one of the two best US performers in last year’s Stage 1 exam; fingers crossed for the results of Stage 2, which she took in June! Sam came to us originally through her entry into our 2019 wine writing competition (Portland for wine lovers), and then wrote a series of reports from places she did harvest (Willamette, Barossa and Napa) before becoming our go-to person for the wines of the Pacific Northwest. She’s since filed 80 stories and updated the Oregon entry for the 5th edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine, which will be released on 14 September.
Before signing on full-time with us, the competition for Sam’s time was fierce, as she was writing for everything from Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book to Wine & Spirits, Trink, SevenFifty Daily, GuildSomm and others. She also teaches WSET Level 3 and Diploma qualification classes up and down the West Coast, and is a sought-after speaker for wine events, especially those having to do with sustainability and regenerative viticulture, a special interest of hers.
Going forward, Sam will continue to report from her base in Oregon on the wines of the Pacific Northwest but will also work with long-time California-based correspondent Alder Yarrow to cover the rest of the country as well.
She’ll also be working on developing more educational and video content, and will take over social media, helping us get over the 100K mark on Instagram (if you’re not following us yet, please do!).
Please welcome Sam to the team, and say hello next time you run into her – she’ll be at TexSom this weekend, and representing JancisRobinson.com at US events throughout the year.
Photo of Sam Cole-Johnson by Kip Pesses.
