Founding shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Wine Country Marketing & Promotions. Moving to Napa, Calif. in 1985, Mr. Olney pursued jobs in the golf, wine and food industries including two golf courses, three winery tasting rooms (Silverado Vineyards, Mumm and Andretti Winery) and one restaurant. He produced two wine label poster-maps on Napa Valley winegrowers under his own company. He then began writing both fiction and non-fiction articles and books. He published numerous stories and opinions about Napa wineries and related laws. The list of publications that have presented his work include Suite 101 on the Internet, Napa Valley Register, St. Helena Star newspapers and he is a regular writer for the Napa Elks Lodge News letter and our own blog web site. In late 2006, he commenced his first fiction book on the California wine industry titled “Entwined Vines.” As an acknowledged historian on the history of wine in America, in 2007, he began the draft of his first non-fiction wine book tentatively titled “Wine U.S.A. - A Modern Historical Perspective” with the draft of the chapter tiled, “The Gentlemen Winegrowers of San Francisco: The men who really established Napa Valley.” In 2006, he was selected as one of the top 70 wine writers in America by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and participated in the selection of the inaugural members of the California Vintners Hall of Fame (HOF), located at the CIA Greystone complex in St. Helena, CA. In October 2007, he was added to the Nomination Committee for the 2nd Annual CIA HOF Induction selections. In 2008, he continues to serve on this very important California Vintner recognition organization. He is one of the 45 members of the CIA Vintners Hall of Fame Electoral College.

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

15.  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 )

16.  John M. Olney, "COPIA Continues to Defy Definition" ( Olney Speaks..... Blog: November 24, 2008 )

17.  John M. Olney, "COPIA: Confusion and Dreaming" ( Olney Speaks....blog: November 28, 2008 )

18.  John M. Olney, "COPIA: Truth in Financing" ( Olney Speaks......blog: December 2, 2008 )