author portrait

Madeline Puckette

Madeline Puckette is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and has worked in several restaurants as a sommelier or a server before creating Wine Folly. Her design work with Wine Folly has been contracted by Wines of France, Wines of Bordeaux, Wines of Beaujolais, the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Guild of Sommeliers, the Washington State Wine Commission, and Rhône Valley Wines. In 2013, Wine Folly was named Wine Blogger of the Year for the 2013–2014 year by International Wine & Spirits Competition.  
Besides drinking wine, writing, and designing for the blog, Madeline loves working on cars, cycling, running, and open-water swimming. Before becoming a sommelier, Madeline was a music producer and singer.

Justin Hammack is a founding partner of Wine Folly and leads conceptual development, interactive tools, and marketplace branding. He is responsible for maintaining strict creative goals that emphasize frictionless education. Justin also handles all videography and photography.

Books

Cheers! Wine Sales Are Up

The pandemic has been a boon to retail alcohol sales of all kinds, according to the New York Times. Alcohol consumption overall has increased during the pandemic, with heavy drinking by women up 41%. Beveragedaily.com says that the biggest gain for wine sales came from casual, at-home, non-food occasions, such as drinking during the day outside mealtimes or catching up with friends via phone with a glass of wine. And now that people are cautiously returning to socializing, wine with dinner is likely to see the trend continue.

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