James Gabler grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Washington & Lee University with degrees in economics and law. He served as a finance officer in the U.S. Army with a tour of duty in Korea. He practiced as a civil trial lawyer in Maryland for both the defense and plaintiff. He is retired and living in southern Florida with his wife. He writes both fiction and non-fiction. Jim's passion for includes travels to vineyard regions throughout the world, collecting wine and wine books, and writing about wine. His most recent book is How To Be A Wine Expert, A Beginner's Guide, 3rd edition. Other books are Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson, winner of the 1995 "Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year," and a Robert M. Parker, Jr. "Wine Book of the Year" selection, An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation, Dine with Thomas Jefferson and Fascinating Guests, Wine into Words: A History and Bibliography of Wine Books in the English Language, two novels, The Secret Formula, and God's Devil, and a stage play, Franklin & Jefferson: Sex, Politics, and the American Revolution. Since the publication of Passions, he has been a guest speaker on Jefferson and wine at institutions, organizations and clubs throughout the United States including Monticello, Smithsonian Institution: Museum of American History, Boston Athenaeum, Winterthur, and The Society of the Four Arts. Jim also gives talks about Benjamin Franklin and wine, and conducts wine tastings.
