Neal D Hulkower is an applied mathematician and freelance writer living in McMinnville, Oregon. His first contributions to a wine publication appeared in the early 1970s. Since 2009, he has been writing regularly about wine-related topics for academic, trade and popular publications including the Journal of Wine Research, the Journal of Wine Economics, American Wine Society Wine Journal, Oregon Wine Press, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Wine Press Northwest, the Slow Wine Guide USA, The World of Fine Wine and on Wine-Searcher, TRINK Magazine, and GuildSomm. Neal is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. His first book, Grape Explications, was released in 2025.

‘The book is dauntingly detailed yet thoroughly entertaining — a rare combination in the wine world.‘
Andrew Jefford, author of Drinking with the Valkyries

‘This is a delightful book. Neal writes with rigour and balance, and his style is easy to read.”
Jamie Goode, author of I Taste Red and The Science of Wine

‘Grape Explications is a witty and alternative read that spans an array of wine topics. It nourishes the inner wine geek within and is an amusing display of Hulkower’s ability to apply critical thinking to wine, even if the results are not what we’d first expect.‘
Sunny Hodge, author of The Cynic's Guide to Wine