About The Wine Heretic

Who is The Wine Heretic?

Popularly known as the Wine Heretic, John Alongé is a well-respected "educational entertainer" on food and wine topics with well over 1,000 corporate presentations on his résumé.

His innovative and dynamic presentations such as "Blend-Your-Own-Wine Competition", "Five Easy Steps to Really Enjoying Wine" and "The Wine and Culinary Game Show" are regularly booked by corporate and private groups throughout the United States.

He has written a variety of articles for international wine publications and is oft-quoted in food and wine industry trade journals. Alongé is the founder of the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center, an 8000-square foot event venue in the heart of the city dedicated to food and wine events and education.

John’s extensive wine and culinary background has ripened into a blueprint for quality wine education with high entertainment value.

Alongé began his career working in the vineyards of the Loire Valley in France. He has studied at both the Ecole d'Oenologie in Bordeaux as well as UC Davis Extension in viticulture and viniculture. He has owned and operated a number of successful restaurants and served as Director of Food and Beverage for a major San Francisco-based hotel and restaurant group. His affiliation with numerous San Diego County wineries has allowed him to participate actively in the renaissance of fine wines in Southern California.

Alongé sits on the Advisory Boards of both the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival and the Business of Wine Program at San Diego State University. Additionally, he teaches wine business classes at San Diego State University Extended Studies.

The Wine Heretic’s Bible, Alongé’s latest book, offers "Plain English Advice for the Casual Wino". He was previously selected as Best Wine Coach for San Diego Magazine's Best of San Diego.

So, why The Wine Heretic?

Few subjects are fraught with more pretension than the subject of wine. I easily imagine groups of neurosurgeons discussing their craft over dinner in less arcane terms than those used among wine aficionados.

Somewhere along the way, the whole wine thing has gotten sadly off course: too much over-intellectualization, too much snobbism and too darn may rules. I yearn for the kinder, simpler times of yore when a bottle of wine was just that, an invitation to a relaxing evening spent with friends. To many of my professional wine colleagues, that makes me a bit of a heretic. What could be more fun?