About The Snark

Don Carter WineSnarkWhen it came time to write an “about me” page, I thought “no problem, I’m my favorite subject”. But I soon realized you’re going to think I’m pretty full of myself. You’d be wrong of course. I’m actually full of Cabernet.

I’ve traveled to every single wine producing region in the entire world. Well, except for Oregon, Washington, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and Germany, unless you count the airport. I was once in the Frankfurt airport on a layover. And of course someday I will get to Piedmont, Burgundy, and the Rhone Valley. Aside from that, my wine travel is unparalleled.

I could have been the greatest sommelier in the world but tragically, my career was cut short when I burned my mouth on a slice of pizza.

It was Jersey Shore boardwalk pizza so it was worth it. 

For 20 years I owned and operated a highly acclaimed wine store in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Then I owned a bi-coastal wine brokerage and marketing business and consulted for wineries and wine retailers from Napa to New York. Now I’m the Director of Wines & Spirits for a chain of stores in New York and New Jersey. I love my job so please don’t mention this blog if you meet my employer.

I’ve attained a Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wine & Spirits with distinction from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and I’m certified with high honors by the Sommelier Institute of New Jersey (high honors are awarded to sommeliers who refuse to spit). 

Journalists seek my input on everything from under-the-radar wineries to over-the-top cocktails. I have been published, featured or quoted in dozens of media outlets worldwide, including the following:

  • The New York Times
  • Paris Match (France)
  • The Shape of Wine. Henry H.Work
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Stories That Need to Be Told. Tulip Tree Publishing
  • The Good Beer Book. Timothy Harper
  • Stories Through the Ages Baby Boomers Plus. Living Springs Publishers
  • The New York Post
  • The Bergen Record
  • The London Daily Mirror
  • American Photographer
  • Bunte (Germany)
  • Gente (Italy)
  • France Magazine (UK & USA)
  • Bloomberg News
  • 201 Magazine
  • Bergen Health & Life
  • The Star Ledger
  • The Daily Herald (Chicago)
  • The Oregonian
  • The Sharon Pennsylvania Herald
  • The Ridgewood News (weekly circulation 4,733 – but one of those is my mom).

Wine Snarks’s Wise-Ass Guide to Wine Appreciation is organized in a book format, with chapter headings in the right hand column. I occasionally post additional wise-ass articles, reviews or memoir pieces that I find blog worthy (I realize that’s setting the bar dreadfully low), but don’t expect me to be blogging everyday because writing too fast cramps my drinking.

All content on this website is © Don Carter except for a few images poached from the public domain.