Awards & Accolades

My work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Kitchn, Jancisrobinson.com, SevenFiftyDaily, and elsewhere. My wine writing has earned first place in the Born Digital and Wine Blog awards, been finalist for the IACP Food Writing Awards, and was listed at Notable in Best American Travel Writing.

I earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in Visual Studies and a master’s degree in Liberal Studies/Creative Writing, both from Dartmouth. My book-length graduate manuscript, “Making It Home,” was awarded the Thesis Excellence Award for Creative Writing. As an undergraduate, I earned the Adelbert Ames Fine Arts Award for top achievement in the major, and academic citation in Modern French Drama, and was a Rufus Choate Scholar. Download my current CV for full details.

Press

“‘The language of wine needs a reboot,’ said Meg Maker, a wine writer, educator and author of the blog Terroir Review. Maker moderated a panel discussion in late January at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, an annual trade fair in Sacramento, titled ‘A New Lexicon for Wine’… Their critique was straightforward: Wine is Eurocentric, and we tend to talk about it using analogies and metaphors centered in the European experience.”
—Dave McIntyre, The Washington Post

“Meg hit it out of the park with this one.”
— Alder Yarrow, Vinography

“Meg Houston Maker delves deeply into the issue of whether wine labels should list the ingredients that went into the production of the wine.”
—Eric Asimov, The New York Times

“Five good reasons from Meg Houston Maker to fall in love with Austrian red wines faster than you can say blaufränkisch.”
— Eric Asimov, The New York Times

“Wine writing is such a serious business, isn’t it? Yet under that dour veneer, Meg Houston Maker finds its inner Shecky Greene.”
—Eric Asimov, The New York Times

“Everything you always wanted to know about knowing wine without sounding pretentious.”
—Maria Popova, The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings)

“Meg is a very fine writer, a true lover of words and she edited my work with intelligence, respect, and sensitivity. Working with her was a pleasure!”
—Dorothy J. Gaiter, wine writer and author

“Wine lovers who are addicted to ambling armchair reads that gracefully take them through lovely landscapes and enviable meals might browse ‘A Trip to the Rhône,’ in two parts, by Meg Houston Maker.”
—Howard G. Goldberg, The New York Times

“Meg is a writer’s writer with a head on her shoulders.”
—Clinton Stark, Stark Insider

“Meg has the ability to taste with precision and understanding. Each VineSleuth evaluator must repeat her assessments at a rate of 90% or higher when re-evaluating a wine. Meg truly has a rock star palate.”
—Amy C. Anderson Gross, entrepreneur and founder, VineSleuth/Wine4.Me

“Meg Houston Maker is a brilliant, creative, and dedicated individual. Her communication skills are unmatched. She approaches every opportunity with verve. Meg worked as Palate Press’ Executive Editor and imbued the magazine with focus, direction, and professionalism.”
—David Honig, Palate Press

“…in Serious Eats, Meg Houston Maker offers the best guide yet on cheese and wine pairing.”
—David White, author and founder of Terroirist

Awards & Recognition

2024 Finalist, Narrative Beverage Writing — IACP Food Writing Awards 2024
2024 Shortlisted — 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards
2023 Twenty-five Threads Accounts for Wine Lovers — Wine Destinations
2023 Top 100 Wine Influencers in 2023 — Feedspot
2022 Finalist, Beverage Focused Column — IACP Food Writing Awards 2022
2022 Twenty-five Best Wine Blogs and Influencers to Follow in 2022 — Absolute Winery
2020 Notable Travel Writing of 2019 — The Best American Travel Writing 2020
2020 Top Wine Influencers in 2020 You Need to Pay Attention To — Sommeliers Choice Awards / Beverage Trade Network
2020 The Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 — Corking Wines
2019 First Place, Best Editorial / Opinion Wine Writing — Born Digital Wine Awards
2019 Top Wine Influencers in 2019 You Need to Pay Attention To — Sommeliers Choice Awards / Beverage Trade Network
2018 Top 100 Most Influential People in the U.S. Wine Industry — IntoWine
2018 Top 90 Wine Blogs — Amsterdam Diary
2018 Top 40 Wine Influencers — Social Vignerons
2018 The 103 Best Wine Blogs That You Can’t Miss — Wine Turtle
2017 Editor’s Choice Fellowship — Symposium for Professional Wine Writers
2017 Third Place, Best Investigative / Journalistic Wine Story — Born Digital Wine Awards
2017 Top 40 Wine Influencers — Social Vignerons
2016 Top Wine Influencers — Social Vignerons
2016 Finalist, Best Writing— Wine Blog Awards
2016 Finalist, Blog Post of the Year — Wine Blog Awards
2015 Winner, Best Writing — Wine Blog Awards
2015 Finalist, Blog Post of the Year — Wine Blog Awards
2014 Favorite Wine News Blog — Millésima Awards
2014 The 100 Most Influential Wine People on Social Media — Wine Wankers
2013 Finalist, Best Writing— Wine Blog Awards
2013 Noteworthy Wine Blogs — Stark Insider
2012 Finalist, Blog Post of the Year — Wine Blog Awards
2012 Top 20 Wine Influencers — The Wine Hub
2011 Byam Shaw-Brownstone Thesis Excellence Award for Creative Writing — Dartmouth
2011 Top 10 Wine Experts on Twitter — MyMediaInfo
Top Wine Gurus on Twitter — Vincarta
Featured Wine Blog — Foodista
Adelbert Ames Fine Arts Award — Dartmouth

Speaking

A partial list of keynotes, lectures, courses, conference leadership, and similar engagements related to wine, wine writing, and editorial strategy. For a complete list of engagements please see Projects on my LinkedIn profile.

Speaker, Panelist, and Panel Moderator — Wine Writers’ Symposium, Napa, Calif., Jan. 2024
“The New Languages of Wine” — Opening a Bottle, Jan. 2024
“Rethinking the Lexicons of Wine” — Wine Scholar Guild, Nov. 2023
“The Mystery of Minerality” — Wine Blast Podcast, July 2023
“Rethinking the Lexicon of Wine” — Circle of Wine Writers, May 2023
“Toward a New Lexicon For Wine” — Sheffield Hallam University, Mar. 2023
“Toward a New Lexicon For Wine” — Panel moderator, Unified, Jan. 2023
“Rhone Rangers Red Blends for the Holidays” — Panel moderator, Dec. 2021
“Media matters: How to Update Your Website to Help Journalists Tell Your Story” — Colorado Wine Board, Apr. 2021
“Writing the Artist Statement” — AVA Gallery & Art Center, Mar. 2021
“Media Matters: Updating Your Cidery Website to Help Journalists Tell Your Story” — CiderCon, Feb. 2021
“Media Matters: How to Update Your Website to Help Journalists Tell Your Story” — Wine2Wine Verona, Nov. 2020
Keynote Speaker and panel moderator — TopDrop Vancouver, May 2018
“Six Truths About Wine“ — International Women’s Club, Feb. 2018
“Stories Matter: Harnessing Narrative to Write Truth” — Tulane University, Feb. 2018
“Heroes, Goals, and Obstacles: Harnessing Narrative to Write Truth”— Tulane University, Jan. 2017
“Secrets of Wine Writing Success” — Wine Bloggers Conference, Aug. 2015
“Editorial Strategy for the New Information Landscape” — CASE D1, Jan. 2014
“Using Analytics to Guide Editorial Strategy: Tactics for the New Information Landscape” — Dartmouth, Jan. 2014
“Measuring Outcomes: Using Analytics to Inform Editorial Strategy” (training course) — Various venues, 2013 – 2014
“Your Writing, Online” — The Writer’s Center, Dec. 2012
“What’s Social Got to Do with It?” — eBay, Jun. 2011
“Social Media Marketing for Wineries” — Univ. of NH, July 2010
“More Effective Writing on Your Blog” — Wine Bloggers Conference, Jun. 2010
Conference chair and faculty — CASE Online Strategies, Nov. 2009
“Connecting and Re-connecting: Facebook Pluses and Minuses” — Dartmouth, May 2009

Also in the Media

Meg Maker Lobbies for Greater Diversity and Personality in Wine Writing — The Fizz
Turning the Tables on Meg Maker — Wine Industry Advisor
Wine Words Matter: Meg Maker and a New Language for Wine — guest on the Sip Sip Hooray podcast
The Mystery of Minerality — guest on the Wine Blast Podcast with Susie and Peter
Why Industry Professionals Are Rethinking the Language of Wine — SevenFifty Daily
The Best Wine Shops in the U.S., According to Pros — Wine Enthusiast
Meg Maker in conversation with Jason Haas — Tablas Creek Live
Essentially Nonessential: Wine in Strange Times — Planet of the Grapes
Meg Maker of Terroir Review — The Wine Shot Interview (video)
Meg Maker profile — A Balanced Glass
LeBron James’ Incredible Taste In Wine, Explained By 4 Experts — SBNation
The Wine Moments That Defined 2017 — Opening A Bottle
Q. & A. With A Wine Influencer: Who is Meg Houston Maker? — Social Vignerons
Women in Wine Fridays: Meet Meg Houston Maker of Makerstable.com — Avvinare
Meg Houston Maker Shares the Pleasures of the Table on Her Blog, Maker’s Table — VinVillage Radio
How to Make the Wine Industry More Sustainable—The Bloggers’-eye View —Tetrapak
The Best Wines Under $20, According to Wine Bloggers — Serious Eats

Memberships

Circle of Wine Writers; Chair (2024); Honorary Secretary (2022–24)
Wine Scholar Guild
Certified Specialist of Wine

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