The books and articles that could be written about Beard and other organizations and people in the world we choose to live in would number many, indeed.

As to Daniel, well, he’s a friend, and I enjoy his company, though I don’t see him all that often. Truthfully, he’s accomplished a lot in the wine world, especially on the New York restaurant scene, and if he isn’t all that humble about it, so what? Frank Lloyd Wright once said that “It is better to be honestly arrogant than hypocritically humble.”

As to the nominations, well, who knows? While I’m not personally fond of what the Beard organization has become - especially with all the scandals that have popped up over the last few years - it’s still public recognition, and most of the public are blissfully unaware of the problems behind the scenes. There has always been a level of, shall we say, contribution, in order to be nominated - I was contacted a few years ago when I as at AZ and informed that I’d been “pre-”nominated for best wine and spirits professional. I was then called by one of the board members and informed, off the record, that the “pre-” would only be turned into a real nomination if I became a member… at a cost of $275 for the year, plus the nomination fee. I decided against it. And, by the way, I don’t object to that as a requirement - why should the Beard Society give awards to non-members?

The Beard awards are , in general, kind of strange. Is any organization that charges $75 per nominee really legitimate?

And as for Daniel Johnnes, who I don’t really know other than a couple of brief experiences with him, don’t get me started. I think it was Churchill who commented about a certain Lord in Parliament but which I think could be applied toward Daniel: “He is a modest little man with much to be modest about.”