Founding shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Wine Country Marketing & Promotions, owner of The Wine Country Club (TWCC) and American Wine Industry Taster's Choice Awards, Hall Of Fame, and Foundation.

Graduate of College of the Pacific, a component of the University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, with BA degree in Liberal Arts

Moving from Hawaii (Honolulu) to Napa, California, in 1985, Mr. Olney pursued opportunities in Wine Country industries including two golf courses, three tasting rooms (Mumm, Silverado and Andretti) and one restaurant. He produced and marketed two wine label poster-maps of Napa Valley winegrowers.

In 2005, Mr. Olney established his weB LOG (BLOG) site which has grown from a few hits per day to a popular site supplying wine consumers with up-to-date information about new events and wine releases from approximately 1045 wine producers distributed between Napa and Sonoma Counties.

In January 2007, He was named "one of the top 70 wine journalists in America," by the Culinary Institute of America and participated in the selection process of the inaugural inductees to the California Vintners Hall of Fame.

Before arriving in Napa, California, he served in the U.S. Navy on active duty (1965-1970) at commands in Alaska, then Treasure Island (SF Bay Area) and finally at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, in Hawaii. As an officer he was involved in shore-based detection and tracking of Soviet submarine operations in the Pacific Ocean. For the next five years, and after departing the Navy, he continued to conduct operations analysis for private companies, including the prestigious firm, Arthur D. Little, Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1975, Mr. Olney and partners drafted the Energy Conservation and Public Awareness federal grant applications for Hawaii and Territory of American Samoa and was then contracted to assist implement them.

John M. Olney can also be found on the web at http://thewinecntryclub.blogspot.com/.
John M. Olney can be reached by email at thewinecntryclb2@aol.com.

1.  John M. Olney, "Alfred Loving Tubbs and the Birth of Chateau Montelena" ( St. Helena Star: Aug. 3, 2006 )

2.  John M. Olney, "A VISIT TO JUDD’S HILL VINEYARDS AND WINERY IN CONN VALLEY" ( The Wine Country Club: May 2005 )

3.  John M. Olney, "Part 2 A Conversation with Holly -- The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa --of Judd’s Hill,”" ( The Wine Country Club: May 2005 )

4.  John M. Olney, "Part 3 “Tasting Judd’s Hill a 1,000 feet up" ( The Wine Country Club: June 2005 )

5.  John M. Olney, "Morris M. Estee Creates Hedgeside Winery & Distillery (Now occupied by Del Dotto Vineyards)" ( The Wine Country Club: May 2005 )

6.  John M. Olney, "The Stories Underlying The Niebaum-Coppola Estate - Part One- The Real Origins of Inglenook Vineyards" ( The Wine Country Club: June 2005 )

7.  John M. Olney, "Bouchaine Vineyards" ( The Wine Country Club: March 2005 )

8.  John M. Olney, "Ch. Montelena: Part 1 & 2 - About The Tubbs San Francisco, California Operations" ( The Wine Country Club: March 2005 )

9.  John M. Olney, "PART ONE - THE KRUG ESTATE - THE CHARLES KRUG ERA, PART 1" ( The Wine Country Club: April 2005 )

10.  John M. Olney, "Part 2 -- 2nd Krug Ranch Owner James Kennedy Moffitt (Duration: 1892-1943)" ( The Wine Country Club: February 2005 )

11.  John M. Olney, "1 st Annual Vintner's Hall of Fame Nominations " ( The Wine Country Club: Jan. 29, 2007 )

12.  John M. Olney, "Maze of Winery Licensing and Charity Events" ( The Wine Country Club: Feb. 18, 2007 )

13.  John M. Olney, "A West Coaster's Look at New England Winegrowing" ( The Wine Country Club Blog: March 2007 )

14. New! John M. Olney, ""LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD IN WINE COUNTRY - CONSUMER RIGHTS"" ( The Wine County Club blog site: September 11, 2007 )

15. New! John M. Olney, "General Erasmus Darwin Keyes - Creator of the Edge Hill Estate. April 30, 2007 [Now owned by Leslie Rudd] " ( The Wine Country Club blog site: April 30, 2007 )