Rex Pickett

Rex Pickett is the critically-acclaimed author of the novel "Sideways," which was adapted into the iconic, award-winning feature film directed by Alexander Payne. Sideways won over 350 plaudits from various critics and film organizations, received five Academy Award nominations and won for Best Adapted Screenplay, received seven Golden Globe nominations and won for Best Screenplay and Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), and undeniably changed the wine world forever.

Pickett is the author of two "Sideways" sequels – the IPPY Gold Medal award-winning "Vertical," and "Sideways Chile." His novel "The Archivist" was published in the fall of 2021 by Blackstone Publishing, and was immediately featured on the New York Times "16 New Books Coming in November."

Pickett is also the screenwriter of "My Mother Dreams the Satan’s Disciples in New York," which captured the 2000 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, making Pickett, technically, a two-time Oscar-winning writer.

Additionally, Pickett has written and staged his Sideways play four times, the most prominent being with three-time Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys) directing in a record-setting run at the La Jolla Playhouse. He also wrote the Book and the Lyrics for Sideways the musical with composer/lyricist Anthony Leigh Adams.

A southern California native, Pickett has written/directed two indie feature films, and his Rex Pickett Papers are currently enshrined at Geisel Library in their Special Collections & Archives on the campus of his alma mater, the University of California, San Diego. Pickett hopes to continue the adventures of Sideways's iconic characters in other notable wine regions across the globe.