Somm-antic Drift
Elaine Chukan Brown serves as an author, speaker, and global wine educator. Their highly acclaimed book The Wines of California, from Classic Wine Library, was released in Spring 2025. Previously, Brown served as the Executive Editor US for JancisRobinson.com, a columnist for Decanter magazine, and a contributing writer to Wine & Spirits Magazine. They contributed to the 4th, 5th and upcoming 6th editions of Oxford Companion to Wine, the 8th and upcoming 9th edition of the World Atlas of Wine, and the compilations On Burgundy and On California from Academie du Vin Library. Indigenous (Inupiaq and Unangan-Sugpiaq) from what is now Alaska, Brown has dedicated their career to the intersection of sustainability, climate action, and reducing gatekeeping in the wine industry. They co-founded the Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum, are Chair of Judges for the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards, a board member of the Wine Writer Symposium, and advise diversity initiatives in multiple countries. Brown serves as Executive Director for Batonnage Forum. They travel globally delivering keynotes and seminars, but pay rent in Sonoma, California.