Randy Caparoso is a full-time wine journalist/photographer living in Lodi, California. He is the author of "Lodi! The Definitive Guide and History of America's Largest Winegrowing Region" (2021, kitchencincopress.com). Recently, between 2010 and 2025, he served as freelance blogger and social media director for Lodi Winegrape Commission (lodiwine.com). In 2024 he was named Old Vine Hero for Communications by the UK-based Old Vine Conference as well as a Wine Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.
He currently puts bread (and wine) on the table as Editor-at-Large and the Bottom Line columnist for The SOMM Journal (founded in 2007 as Sommelier Journal). His vivid, naturalistic, multifaceted photography can be gleaned and purchased at randycaparosophotographystorefront.com.
In a prior incarnation, Caparoso was a multi-award winning restaurateur, starting as a sommelier in Honolulu (1978 through 1988), and then as Founding Partner/VP/Corporate Wine Director of the James Beard Award winning Roy’s family of restaurants (1988-2001), opening 28 locations from Hawaii to New York. While with Roy’s, he was named Santé’s first Wine & Spirits Professional of the Year (1998) and Restaurant Wine’s Wine Marketer of the Year (1992 and 1998). Between 2001 and 2006, he operated his own Caparoso Wines label as a wine producer. For over 20 years, he also bylined a biweekly wine column for his hometown newspaper, The Honolulu Advertiser (1981-2002).
You may contact him at randy@caparoso.com..