Jim Clarke

New York City, NY USA
http://
10 Years Experience

Professional Experience

A trained sommelier and former wine director, as a writer I focus on wine, beer, and spirits, subjects which I approach with enthusiasm, a confident palate, and an insider's eye. I have also written about restaurants and food and am well-connected in the national restaurant scene. I am comfortable writing for the trade, connoisseurs, beginners, and anything in between. I speak about wine and beer regularly for a variety of events as a lecturer, panelist, and moderator. I am an engaging speaker and can present material for a wide range of audiences. Examples of past clients include: De Gustibus Cooking School Wine Festival of Colorado Springs International Culinary Center StarChefs’ Chefs’ Congress Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Wine Course Private Corporate Events

Expertise

Writer 10 YearsEditor 5 Years

Specialty

Food 10 YearsOther, Specify 10 Years

Industries

Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines 5 YearsMagazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B) 10 YearsOnline/new media 10 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Beverage Media (10+)
  • Edible Manhattan/Brooklyn (6-10)
  • Latitude News (3-5)
  • Plate (3-5)
  • Sommelier Journal (3-5)
  • Wine Business International (3-5)
  • Wine Enthusiast (3-5)
  • World of Fine Wine (1-2)
  • Saveur (1-2)
  • All About Beer (1-2)
  • Culture (1-2)
  • Details (1-2)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • My Wines Direct (10+)
  • American Sommelier Association (3-5)
  • Grape Collective (3-5)

Awards

American Sommelier Association/Wines From Spain Rias Baixas Contest 2003

Other Work History

I was formerly a columnist for StarChefs.com (Wine & Spirits Editor), Forbes.com, and Vox Hamptons (now defunct). In addition, I served as a wine critic for Sante magazine for several years, and regularly appear as a judge at several wine competitions.

Foreign Language Skills

Comfortable German; reading French and Italian

Computer Skills

Windows XP, Word, Excel, OS 10

Features

Europeans Thirsty for American Craft Beer
(Latitude News 1/26/2012)
A look at how American craft beers are gaining respect in Europe
All Together Now
(Imbibe 3/1/2010)
Brewers collaborating on new and creative beers
South African Chenin Blanc: Don't call it Steen any longer
(Sommelier Journal 1/15/2013)
A look at the current state of Chenin Blanc in South Africa
The Rise of the Tin-Men
(Meininger's Wine Business International 6/1/2012)
A look at Vance Metals, a metalworking company outside Rochester, NY. The rise of Finger Lakes wine offered them the opportunity to supply tanks for the industry, so the piece looks at how the wine business creates opportunities for ancillary businesses.
Exploring Sake's Dark Side
(San Francisco Chronicle 4/5/2009)
Exploring dark sakes
New Zealand's Aromatic Whites
(San Francisco Chronicle 11/2/2007)
New Zealand moves beyond Sauvignon Blanc to other white varieties like Riesling and Pinot Gris
The Shortlist
(Beverage Media 4/1/2013)
A service piece for the trade on how to create and manage a restaurant wine by-the-glass program to maximize profits and minimize loss.
Cider Flexes its Muscles
(Beverage Media 9/12/2012)
A look at cider's new popularity.
First Crush
(Edible Brooklyn 12/12/2012)
A profile of Peter Becraft, a Brooklynite who fell in love with wine and gave up city life to become a winemaker in the Finger Lakes

Essays

Wines That Travel Well
(New York Times 12/7/2004)
An Op-Ed on the Supreme Court case concerning interstate wine shipping
Grape Against the Grain
(World of Fine Wine 3/1/2012)
A long-form essay on the interaction between the social and manufacturing aspects of wine and beer that have for centuries placed the former as the drink of the upper class and the latter as a working man's drink, and how today's craft beer scene is changing that in some ways.
Take a Break from Signature Grapes
(Forbes.com 7/31/2009)
A service piece on choosing lesser-known alternatives to popular grapes
Wine Buying with Deductive Reasoning
(Forbes.com 3/24/2010)
A service piece: how sommeliers think about wine, and you can use that yourself to navigate the wine list

FOB

Is Petit Verdot the Next Malbec?
(Wine Enthusiast 12/1/2012)
A quick look at the increase in Petit Verdot plantings around the world
Blending In: Lambic's New Trend
(All About Beer 7/1/2012)
A look at amateur lambic blending in Belgium
Why It's Time to Drink South African Wine
(Details Magazine 10/1/2013)
A quick look at six up-and-coming South African wineries