San Francisco Magazine has called Alder “The Wine World’s Brightest Cyberstar” and he is widely accepted as the pioneer of wine blogging — whatever that means. A blogger by night only, Alder spends his days as the Founder and Principal of HYDRANT, an interactive design and strategy consulting firm. He is currently a member of the editorial board for Sommelier Journal magazine, and the author of the Sonoma and Marin County chapter of the recently released behemoth, Opus Vino a comprehensive look at the world’s wine regions and their best wines that weighs in at 7 pounds and 800 pages, and was a finalist for the 2011 James Beard Journalism Awards. Since November of 2011, Alder has been a columnist for Jancis Robinson on her web site jancisrobinson.com. His “Alder on America” column focuses on current events, trends, and happenings in the world of American wine.