Randy Caparoso
Verified- Freelance Wine Journalist and Photographer, The SOMM Journal
- Writer, The Wine Clarion by Randy Caparoso
California, Lodi
As seen in:
The SOMM Journal,
The Wine Clarion by Randy Caparoso,
LinkedIn,
Substack,
Wine Industry Advisor,
Local Wine Events
Covers:
Wine
Wine journalist (SOMM Journal, lodiwine.com/Blog); photographer (randycaparosophotography.com); author (kitchencincopress.com)
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Biweekly wine columnist, The Honolulu Advertiser, 1981.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I'm in my 60s, so of course.
How is social media changing news?
Free access to news and information changes everything, opening up new worlds (real and imaginary) to readers unimagined up until the 1990s.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Jorge Luis Borges
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Investigation and research and, basically, never believing everything you're told, giving credence to first-hand information.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I have no sense of humor (just kidding).
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I have a MacBook Pro, which serves just about all my needs.
What's your favorite social network?
Can't say,
Who do you wish followed you?
Barack Obama
Why did you become a journalist?
I've wanted to be an "influencer" long before that was a thing (since the 1970s), particularly because I started in wine and hospitality.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Contributing opinion columnist.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Too many to count, but proudest of interviews with wine industry giants I've admired the most (like Andre Tchelistcheff and Kermit Lynch).
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Do the work, do not follow leaders, take on occasional mentors but forge your own path.
When's the best time to pitch you?
9 to 5, PST
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I respond to wine-related pitches, especially if it's unique, different, original.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Can't recall.
What's your favorite drink?
Zinfandel
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In vineyards, taking photos, communing with Nature.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Beats me.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.