By Carl Giavanti
Cori Solomon, an award-winning writer/photographer in Los Angeles, often travels with her pet Salukis in tow. Her blog, The Written Palette, features eclectic articles about her experiences traveling, dining and discovering new wines, wineries, wine regions, art and pets. Solomon’s background in real estate and art plays a role in her writing, as she uses an artist’s palette both visually and verbally. She’s known to look for the story behind the restaurant, chef, winery, winemaker or artist.
In addition to her blog, she is a contributor to The Alcohol Professor, Big Blend magazine, FWT magazine, Rovology, Travel World International, and Wander with Wonder. Solomon has also been featured on several radio shows, including Big Blend magazine and the SoCal Restaurant Show. She founded LA Wine Writers, a group of approximately 50 seasoned wine writers who get together to learn more about wine and winemakers. She earned her WSET Level 2 award in Wines and Spirits, the NASA American Wine Specialist certification and the NASA Spanish Wine Specialist certification. She is president of IFWTWA and a member of NATJA and SATW.
How did you come to wine and to wine writing?
I had been collecting wine for several years. A friend suggested I write about dogs since I knew a lot about breeds, training and health. Dogs led to winery dogs, and through those articles and a trip to Santa Barbara County writing about dog-friendly places, I got hooked on the wine aspect. It came about because I am a good networker and, on that trip, I met Barbara Satterfield from Hitching Post Wines and Santa Rita Hills Wine Alliance. I also met the head of Solvang Tourism, who introduced me to Laura Kath. The rest is history.
What are your primary story interests?
Wine travel and/or the story behind a winery or winemaker.
What are your primary palate preferences?
Good wine. Seriously, I love indigenous varieties, unique whites and reds. I am a sucker for Cabernet Franc.
You write for your own website The Written Palate, as well as freelance. What are the advantages of both?
Most of my travel articles are freelance, because many destination hosts want a larger audience than my website. Writing for other outlets provides me with more bylines. I publish many of my winery articles and wine reviews on my website.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
Most people know I wear many hats. Sometimes, I forget which hat I am wearing. I am a community leader, president of two organizations — Brentwood Glen Association and IFWTWA (International Food Wine Travel Writers Association) — run LA Wine Writers, lover of Salukis, animal artist and writer.
I live with my husband, four or five Salukis (we just had a litter and my husband and I have different favorites), and they sleep in our bed. I am also a conservator to my developmentally delayed sister-in-law. I am in the sandwich generation. My husband and I adopted my half-sister from my father when she was six. My family story is like Peyton Place: too long to tell it all here, but one day, it would make a good book. My goal is to find the wow moments that enrich my life.
You are a travel, wine, dog and cat writer and artist. Please explain.
It began with wanting to draw my Salukis. Although I was an art major in college, I started taking drawing classes (actually a figure drawing class). When my sister passed away, it opened the door to drawing animals, which gave me comfort after her death. You would find me in the figure drawing class, but I was drawing animals instead of the nude model. The atmosphere and energy in the class inspired my animal drawings.
Years later, it was natural to move from drawing to writing. I started with pets and moved to travel and wine. For me, wine and art are connected. I look at creating wine like the artist’s palette: the palette gives you many choices, just as the winemaker has when creating wine. Hence, my website name is The Written Palette. An artist’s palette of colors can change, and the wine palate can change depending on varying factors.
What is one thing you’d like your readers to learn from your writing about wine?
Trust your palate and drink what you like. Our palates develop and change over time. I remember people used to think of me as a lover of fruit-forward, big, jammy reds. Let your palate grow and follow writers you think have similar palates.
What’s the best story you have written?
I love visiting wineries with unique stories. It makes it easy for me to come up with a creative story angle and express those “Wow” moments I discover while visiting a winery. Dave and Sara Specter of Bells Up Winery in the Chehalem Mountain AVA in Washington’s Willamette Valley certainly fit the bill: www.writtenpalette.com/bells-up-winery-pairing-of-wine-and-music/
How often do you write assigned and paid articles? How often do you blog?
I like to blog once a week. I try to take on assigned articles once or twice each month.
What are your recommendations to wineries when interacting with journalists?
Allow time for writers to get to know you. Tell us what compelled you to get into wine and what separates you from other wineries.
What advantages are there in working directly with winery publicists?
They can help get all the answers you need to complete a story. They are the conduit to the winery or winemaker.
What frustrates you most about working on winery stories and/or wine reviews?
My pet peeve is wine reviews. How many times can you use the same words to describe a wine? Because of allergies, I cannot always smell the aromas of red wine.
Which wine personalities would you most like to meet and taste with (living or dead)?
The pioneers of California and Oregon wines. Those who established themselves in the industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Examples would be Warren Winiarski, Mike Grgich and Robert Mondavi.
If you take days off, how do you spend them?
I work in the garden, go to dog shows and visit art museums.
What is your most memorable wine or wine-tasting experience?
Attending a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars tasting with a vertical going back to 1979.
What’s your cure for a wine hangover?
Don’t drink too much and drink a lot of water. Lately, I think it is better to spit.
What’s your bucket list of wine regions you’d like to visit?
Spain, Portugal, Croatia and Hungary.
______________________________________________________________________
Carl Giavanti is a Winery Publicist in his 16th year of consulting. Carl has been in business marketing and public relations for over 30 years; his background in tech, marketing and project management informs his role as a publicist and wine writer. Clients are or have been in Willamette Valley, Napa Valley, and Columbia Valley carlgiavanticonsulting.com/ He also writes for several wine and travel publications linktr.ee/carlgiavanti
