The Feiring Line Wine Writing Award

One of my favorite wine writers and a global leader in the natural wine movement, Alice Feiring has started a new competition called the Feiring Line Wine Writing Award.

The competition is teed up for new writers who, as Alice says, “haven’t taken the plunge.”

I’ve made my living in large part from writing about wines and spirits, primarily on the commercial side as a PR and advertising agency copywriter, but also recently in “legit journalism” mode for Meininger’s and other international publications.

And one thing I’ve noticed is that with the explosion of Social Media into and overwhelming the communications mix, the level of professionalism, correct use of grammar and spelling, and ability to make money from the profession have all declined.

So kudos to Alice for taking her own plunge into the contest and awards biz.  I highly recommend that anyone who has wanted to write about wine , but found one excuse or another for not doing it, to register for the awards and start writing.

Prof. Clay Shirky pointed out just how important writing is to our evolving national dialog  in his seminal book on the subject, “Here Comes Everybody,”  (Yes, the book title should have been underlined, not in quotes, but there’s no underline function in the tool I’m using)

“The old dictum that freedom of the press exists only for those who own a press points to the significance of the change.  To speak online is to publish, and publish online is to connect with others.  With the arrival of globally accessible publishing, freedom of speech is now freedom of the press, and freedom of the press is freedom of assembly”

“Revolution doesn’t happen when society adopts new technologies—it happens when society adopts new behaviors”

And a side note to the students attending my lectures at Bologna Business School and Cornell…this is directed at you.