Ray Johnson has been writing about wine, food and destinations where these passions intersect since 1980. Not satisfied with being an outside observer of the wine industry, he joined the business in 1986, leading tours for the public and trade at the historic Christian Brothers’ Greystone Cellars in Saint Helena, California.

From there he went onto selling wine, first on the supplier side, working with the trade, and later in retail, working directly with consumers.

His work has been published in the International Journal of Wine Business Research, Vineyard & Winery Management, the Journal of Wine Research, Practical Winery & Vineyard and online at Ray Johnson’s Wine Blog. His groundbreaking book, The Good Life Guide to Enjoying Wine was published in 2006.

Ray earned his Master’s in Wine Business from the University of Adelaide in South Australia. Today he is one of California’s most admired wine experts and shares his knowledge and insight in the Wine Studies Program at the Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County with UC Berkeley Extension and most recently with VESTA in the Midwest.
 

The Good Life Guide to Enjoying Wine

A Guide to Enjoying the Tasting

The number of wines at this year’s tasting can seem overwhelming – so many grapes, styles and types of wine. To make sense of it all, Ray Johnson, the assistant director of the competition, has written The Good Life Guide to Enjoying Wine.

“Johnson’s brisk, cut-to-the-chase approach to wine appreciation, leavened with a dollop of humor and free of pretension, is just what consumers are thirsting for.”
— Jerry Shriver, USA Today

“Halleluiah – a book that makes me, a beer guy, want to tackle the world of wine!”
— Pete Slosberg, founder of Pete's Brewing Co.

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