Free Event Hosted by Napa Valley College Foundation and UC Davis Library’s Warren Winiarski Wine Writer Collection
NAPA, CA. (October 4, 2023) – The Napa Valley College, the Napa Valley College Foundation, and the Warren Winiarski Wine Writer Collection at the UC Davis Library will host writer Hugh Johnson, in conversation with writer Karen MacNeil, at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center. The event will take place on Monday, October 16, at 5:30 p.m. This ticketed event is free and open to the public.
“A Conversation Among Friends” will feature the two writers discussing wine and innovation in California; the craft of wine writing as a career; and how wine, in Johnson’s words, “leads you up paths of knowledge and byways of expertise you would never glimpse without it.” Wines made from the Napa Valley College Teaching Winery will be served at the event, and a limited number of signed copies of Johnson and MacNeil’s books will be available for purchase.
“We’re honored to partner with the Napa Valley College Foundation and the UC Davis Library to present Hugh Johnson with Karen MacNeil,” said Dr. Torence Powell, Napa Valley College President. “This conversation will feature two of the most important voices of the wine world, and we look forward to hosting this exciting conversation on our campus.”
Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and a supporter of Napa Valley College, conceived of this event as way to “introduce new audiences to the way that ‘better words make better wines.’ As a teaching institution for viticulture and enology, Napa Valley College was the ideal venue to host two of the most superb wine wordsmiths – Hugh Johnson and Karen MacNeil.” Widely recognized as the greatest wine library in the world, the UC Davis Library’s vast collections include the Warren Winiarski Wine Writer Collection. Both Johnson and MacNeil have donated their archives to the library.
This event is also presented by Napa Valley College’s Viticulture and Winery Technology program, one of the largest in the world. The program provides students access to viticulture, winemaking, wine marketing and sales program that grants certificates and associate of science degrees.
“This conversation will provide our students and community members an opportunity to hear from two of the world’s leading voices on all things wine,” said Jessica Thomason, Executive Director of the Napa Valley College Foundation. “We’re especially grateful to Warren Winiarski for his vision to bring this conversation to our students, and for his personal support of the Napa Valley College and Foundation.”
Known as “The world’s best loved wine writer,” Hugh Johnson is one of the world’s best-selling wine writers, known for his annual “Pocket Wine Book” and “The World Atlas of Wine,” first published in 1977 and 1971 respectively. His autobiography, “A Life Uncorked,” was published in 2006. Among his many accolades, he was named Decanter’s Man of the Year in 1995, Officer in the French Order Nationale du Mérite in 2004 and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007.
Writer Karen MacNeil is the only American to have won every major wine award given in the English language. These include the James Beard award for Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year, the Louis Roederer award for Best Consumer Wine Writing, and the International Wine and Spirits award as the Global Wine Communicator of the Year. In a full-page profile on her, TIME Magazine called MacNeil “America’s Missionary of the Vine.” She has been named one of the “100 Most Influential People in Wine.” Currently in its Third Edition, MacNeil’s “The Wine Bible” is one of the best-selling wine books of all time, with more than 800,000 copies sold.
For free tickets and more information about this event, please visit: Performing Arts Center Napa Valley College (arts-people.com) or call 707-256-7509.
About Napa Valley College
Napa Valley College prepares students for evolving roles in a diverse, dynamic, and interdependent world. The college is an accredited open-access, degree- and certificate-granting institution that is committed to student achievement through high-quality programs and services that are continuously evaluated and improved. The college serves students and the community in the following areas: transfer courses, career-technical education and training, basic skills, and self-supporting contract education and community education classes. Napa Valley College is located at 2277 Napa-Vallejo Highway in Napa. Learn more at www.napavalley.edu.
About Napa Valley College Foundation
The Napa Valley College Foundation was founded in 1968 to increase community awareness and provide financial support for Napa Valley College and its students. The Foundation engages the Napa Valley community by cultivating relationships, leveraging partnerships, and inviting generosity for Napa Valley College. The Foundation’s Board of Directors includes professional, business, and philanthropic leaders who have a dedicated interest in the College and its students. The Napa Valley College Foundation is an independent California nonprofit, public benefit corporation and is tax-exempt as provided by IRS Sec. 501 (c)3. Federal ID# 23-7003565. Learn more at https://www.napavalley.edu/AboutNVC/Foundation
About the UC Davis Library
Supporting research, teaching, and learning in every discipline, the UC Davis Library is the academic heart of the university. The library provides access to more than 50 million items as part of the University of California system and offers the world’s best research collections on winemaking and grape growing.
