Meet Linda Murphy who compiled the 2022 100 Amazing Wines list

Linda Murphy, a longtime Healdsburg resident, has lived a lot of wine life in her 32 years in Sonoma County.

She left a newspaper sportswriter career in San Diego in 1990 to worm her way into the wine business, working first as a cellar rat, then in winery communications and marketing, then back to journalism, this time zinfandel-stained, with New York Times Digital, the San Francisco Chronicle, Decanter magazine, Sonoma magazine and The Press Democrat.

Linda’s book (for Jancis Robinson MW), “American Wine,” was released in 2013; her research, travels and tastings during the three-year project enhanced Linda’s already-immense appreciation of winemaking in all 50 states. Without prompting from her, the book’s London publisher chose a gorgeous sunset image of Monte Rosso Vineyard in Sonoma Valley for the book’s cover.

Not Napa. Enough said, Linda says.