Mark Oldman’s new book, How to Drink Like a Billionaire: Mastering Wine with Joie de Vivre, is being released by powerhouse publisher Regan Arts/Phaidon this October.   Passionate about helping wine enthusiasts jostle the jaded, slay the snooty, and drink bravely, Mark Oldman (@MarkOldman) is one of the country’s leading wine personalities.  He has been the wine expert for Pottery Barn and the wine correspondent for the Food Network.  His signature style was best summed up by Bon Appètit magazine as “winespeak without the geek” and by Publishers Weekly as “the ideal mix of wine connoisseur, showman, and everyday dude.”  He has twice won the Georges Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year Award. Mark was a lead judge in the PBS television series The Winemakers and a regular on Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio.  In addition to his Food Network column, Mark has written for several publications, including Food & Wine, Departures, Travel & Leisure, and has chosen all of the wine picks for the 17-million annual readers of Everyday with Rachael Ray.

Mark’s last book, Oldman’s Brave New World of Wine (W. W. Norton), is the ultimate antidote for those craving new taste sensations.  It plots a course to pleasure, value, and adventure beyond wine’s usual suspects, focusing on that holy grail of wine lovers: insider wines of moderate cost and maximum appeal.  The Wall Street Journal called Oldman’s Brave New World of Wine “the perfect book for someone who’s just caught the bug, or would like to.”  best wine knowledge book, “for enthusiasts of all levels” (Fine Cooking), “hedonistic happiness” (wine personality Natalie MacLean), and “a book you will cherish” (Huffington Post).beer and wine france Mark’s last book, the best-selling Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine (Penguin), was called “perfect” (Wine Enthusiast), “shortcuts to a connoisseur’s confidence” (Businessweek), and “the perfect primer—concise, evenhanded, fun, and practical” (The New Yorker).  buy wine without labels

Currently in its eleventh printing, it won the Georges Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year Award, was a finalist for “Best Wine Book” at the World Food Media Awards, and is published in Japan, Belgium, and in four volumes in France. Mark regularly speaks to sold-out audiences at the country’s top gastronomic festivals, including the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, the Boston Wine Expo, the Food Network Wine & Food Festivals in New York City and South Beach.  the best french wines 2012He recently headlined as wine expert at the Food & Wine Festival in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico together with chefs Michael Symon and Marcus Samuelsson.  best red wine from 2008He has also spoken at venues as diverse as the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard Business School, the 92th Street Y, and dozens of Fortune 500 companies.cheap white wine bc

Reviewing his seminars at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, the Aspen Business Journal called Mark “hilariously entertaining…and all about helping real people who happen to love wine learn to appreciate fine wines – but without attitude.”  The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel cited Mark’s seminars as a reason why the Aspen Classic is “vibrant and lively, once again nearly full of the joie de vivre that has long marked [the Classic].”  Miami magazine called Mark “the ever-entertaining wine guru.”  Referring to his seminars at this year’s Austin Food & Wine Festival, the Austin Chronicle cited his “amazing performance: animated, informative, hilarious and crowd-pleasing”. Recent highlights from Mark’s appearances include his giving audience members a taste of wine from Bernard Madoff’s collection at the Aspen Classic, offering a spirited pairing of wine with meatballs at the South Beach Festival, and showing an Aspen audience how a top winemaker drinks wine with a licorice stick.  

The Aspen Daily News called him one of the most entertaining speakers of the Aspen Classic, describing how in one talk he “managed to incorporate some Biggie Smalls lyrics while discussing a $90 bottle of French champagne; led a little chant and dance on how to taste wine; and shared his method of pouring undrunk rosé into a Gatorade bottle when unable to finish a bottle of the pink stuff in a restaurant…very few looked as though they wanted to leave as the volunteers signaled that his time was up.” Mark’s approach is pro-consumer, spirited, and a bit irreverent.  The New York Times Style Magazine recently featured his victorious visit to New York criminal court to fight an open container summons that he received carrying an empty bottle of prized Bordeaux wine. The New York Times also covered his annual “Bring Your Own Truffle” ritual that he developed to counter restaurant truffle pricing.   Mark began his wine journey in 1990 when as a student he founded Stanford Wine Circle, a popular university club hosting tastings with California wine legends, earning him the nickname “Bacchus on the Campus” in Wine Spectator magazine. 

Graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a B.A., M.A., and J.D., Mark has long been keenly interested in innovating in the areas of education and consumer advocacy.   in 1997 and served as the company’s president through its successful sale in 2007 to a private equity firm.  He has served on five major boards of Stanford, including its highest governing board, the Stanford University Board of Trustees. Follow Mark on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest and check out dozens of free wine videos. To contact Mark, please click here. Wine samples may be sent to the following address: Mark Oldman 101 West 23rd Street, #220New York, NY 10011-2490 One thing that makes life easier during the holidays is having a wine-lover on your gift list. Santa — whose nose is often in a wine glass, it seems — has come up with a wide range of perfectly jolly presents for fellow imbibers. There are gift boxes from Wisconsin-based Swiss Colony and a practical wine tote from Crate & Barrel.

Some of the gifts are a bit unusual. There is, for example, a scratch 'n' sniff wine guide, as well as a state-of-the-art wine extraction system designed to preserve leftover wine. Here's the list of suggestions beginning with three books that enlighten in three very different ways. 1) "The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert" by Richard Betts. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $19.99). Master sommelier Richard Betts has put together a kid-style board book in which you can sniff various aromas —such as pear, vanilla and even bacon — associated with different wines. Have a glass of wine on hand when you "read" this book, so you can match the wine's smells with the expert's examples. 2) "The World Atlas of Wine, 7th Edition," by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. (Octopus Publishing, 2013, $55). One of the most interesting and most authoritative references on wine has been updated with new maps and coverage of emerging regions such as coastal Croatia and northern Virginia.

It's also available as an iPad e-book. 3) "Savvy Girl, A Guide to Wine" by Brittany Deal (Savvy Girl, 2013, paperback $19.99). This is a quick, enjoyable read — just 92 pages — that deftly covers all the basics. How to decipher a wine label? Why do wine snobs swirl their wine? What to know before you go on a wine country getaway? It's all here with plenty of LOL moments. 4) Celeste Crianza, Ribera del Duero, 2010 (about $23 a bottle). Wine-lovers want nothing more than a special bottle of wine. This lovely, silky smooth red is from venerable Spanish producer Torres. Buy one bottle to give away — and at least one to keep for yourself. 5) "Let it Snow" holiday-themed truffles and Prosecco ($49.99). have teamed up to offer wine with chocolate and other edibles. One of the most appealing combinations pairs smiling snowmen truffles with Carletto Prosecco. But there are quite a few choices, including DeLoach Chardonnay paired with jumbo cashews, as well as other more elaborate gift boxes.

How to keep leftover wine tasting fresh? This new wine-extracting gadget, created by a medical device inventor, is the latest answer.Using a thin, hollowneedle, it extracts wine from the bottle without removing the cork. The wine that remains in the bottle stays fresh because no oxygen gets in. 7) Bamboo coasters with chalkboard labels ($24.99 for a set of four). These eco-friendly coasters, each with a chalkboard strip, will help guests keep track of their drinks. Chalk pencils are sold separately. 8) Blitzen Holiday Gift Set ($23). A cute hostess gift, this set includes a reindeer-shaped wine stopper and a bar towel with a reindeer who has evidently had a little too much fun. 9) Canvas drawstring tote ($19.95). From Crate & Barrel, this simple wine sack has an outside pocket for a corkscrew. 10) Recycled metal wine and liquor caddies (from about $75 to $125). Made from recycled steel and copper, these sculpture-like caddies come in dozens of permutations — professions, sports, animals and vehicles.