Bio
Ronn Wiegand is a wine professional with 35 years of wine experience. A widely published author, he also possesses two of the world's top wine credentials—Master of Wine (1991) and Master Sommelier (1986)—and was the first person in the world to hold both titles, and successfully completed by exams on his first attempt.
He is a resident of Napa, California, where he publishes the prestigious industry trade journal,
RESTAURANT WINE, which he founded in 1988. For two decades, he has tracked the evolution of wine in the restaurant market in the USA, and annually publishes two unique reports on the “Top 100 Wine Brands” and “Top 100 Individual Wines” sold in USA restaurants.
As a consultant, he has done wine consulting for dozens of major corporations and organizations, including Sun MicroSystems, Bank of America, Barclay’s International, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Corporation, and Merrill Lynch.
From 2001-2006 he was the editor of
Sommelier Guide to Restaurants in America, a publication listing thousands of USA restaurants with dedicated wine programs.
Over the years, he has conducted hundreds of workshops and classes on wine, wine marketing, and wine trends, particularly related to the on-premise market, for such major companies as E. & J. Gallo, Kendall-Jackson, Robert Mondavi, Southern Wine & Spirits, and National Distributing Co.
He has also been a professional wine judge at dozens of wine competitions around the world, and in 1986 and in 1987 organized and ran the first-ever all-Italian, professional wine competition ever held outside Italy, Il Vino. He also has been a wine instructor at Napa Valley College since 1988.
In March 2008, Mr. Wiegand introduced Signature Series of lead-free, crystal wine glasses, designed by him, and produced and marketed by Germany’s prestigious crystal producer, Eisch Glaskultur.
For further information online, please visit
www.restaurantwine.com and
www.tastetour.com.