As importers of organic wines we are often turning new consumers on to wines for the first time or helping others to change habits. We are frequently asked “How do I increase my wine knowledge?” The common belief is that one needs to invest heavily in reference books and begin reading from start to finish. This ill-advised method usually leaves one burned out on the knowledge gathering part of wine appreciation long before the “A” section of the reference guide is finished.

We always encourage new aficionados to invest in subscriptions to Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast (a seemingly lighter quick read) to enable them to participate in conversations about the current trends in Wines and Winemaking. Specific subjects that a reader takes interest in from either of these guides can be later expanded upon by delving deeper with their favorite reference guide.

In this case the “best” wine magazine would be the magazine that best speaks to the reader.

Edward Field
Natural Merchants, LLC

Thanks for including Wine Spectator in this evaluation. But I would ask your students, is it really fair or accurate to judge a magazine’s editorial content by its advertisers? Vanity Fair includes many of the same luxury advertisers as Wine Spectator, but no one would confuse the two publications, and both contain long-form, investigative journalism that belie the “plush lifestyle” stereotype.

Wine Spectator reviews more wines than any other wine publication, we believe – more than 17,000 in 2009. That’s a pretty hard-core wine magazine.

Yet we recognize that most people who love wine have broader interests, in fine dining, travel and a generally sophisticated and adventurous lifestyle. So we try to speak to those subjects, too.

I agree that what magazine (or wine) is “best” for any given person depends on their tastes and character. I hope your students will take the time to read Wine Spectator. I think those who are interested in wine will find a lot to like.

Thomas Matthews
Executive editor
Wine Spectator