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exploring taste—santa margherita gruppo vinicolo people —bruce sanderson

Wine Spectator now speaks for itself; when it comes to most effective forms and approaches to talk about wine in
wine, not only the magazine is one of the most important a contemporary context?
voices in the industry, but also one of the longest-running, The changing scenario has forced us to work harder to keep “The wealth of indigenous
with a 40 years of experience. Through the decades, Wine abreast of all the changes. I think in many ways, reporting on
Spectator has maintained its prestigious reputation. the world of wine is the same, but the delivery has evolved.
Bruce, do you think this is due to the consistency and talent We created winespectator.com in 1994, have developed several
of its contributors? applications for smart phones and tablets and are active on grape varieties available is
First of all, Wine Spectator has kept its reputation of having social media, both as a publication and as individual editors,
the highest standards through our method of blind tasting, to promote Wine Spectator and provide our readers with in-
which provides our readers with a trustworthy, independent formation and reviews. We constantly try to improve our re- Italy’s strength. With the
third party review process of the important wines produced view process and have effectively used social media and our
and sold today. Our editors also follow a strict code of ethics extensive library of online videos as sources of news, infor-
to ensure our integrity. mation and education. Along the way, our mandate for edu-
The success of Wine Spectator is a result of these principles, cation and sticking to our original vision has kept us on track. current viticulture and
along with regular editorial meetings as a team to brainstorm That said, we continue to try to understand what our readers
story ideas and discuss what is going on in the world of wine. want in terms of wine coverage and buying advice. I believe
The vision of editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken, plus our readers and wine consumers still want reliable, indepen- vinification, what in the past
the long-term tenure of our senior editors, a combined 200+ dent information and advice.
years of experience, with years of covering specific regions, has
allowed us to keep up with the changes to the wine industry. In 10 or 20 years from now, what do you think the future
For example, James Laube has been covering Californian wine of wine & wine critics will hold? Which are likely to be the was considered a limit today
for more than 35 years, giving him a unique perspective of the new tools to purchase wine?
most important wine region in the United States. Wine production continues to be increasingly fragmented
and compartmentalized. In the U.S., distribution is becom- translates into a extraordinary
Do you think Wine Spectator has been capable to keep up ing more and more concentrated. As consumers become bet-
with changes to the wine industry? Which were the most ter informed, I think the interest in wine as part of a lifestyle
important and groundbreaking contributions of the team? will grow and wine lovers will continue to seek information
As we have consistently brought the evolving wine industry to and advice. These factors will make it difficult for an individ- array of regional wines.
our readers over the past 40 years, it makes it difficult to single ual critic to cover everything. A team approach, like we have
out any individual editorial contribution, but rather a combi- here at Wine Spectator, where tasters and critics can special-
nation of coverage of important events in the wine industry; ize, will be necessary in order to reach a wide audience. Tech- This productive panorama
the Mondavi/Rothschild joint venture, French Paradox, the nological innovation will determine the tools, however the
phylloxera epidemic in California, with feature stories on ma- trend appears for information to be delivered more and more
jor influencers in the wine business. The biggest change in the to individuals through personal devices.
editorial direction came in the early 1990s when Marvin Shan- is welcomed with enthusiasm
ken broadened Wine Spectator’s editorial coverage beyond It has been just 20 years but it seems much longer. In such a
wine to become a lifestyle magazine. short stretch of time we’ve moved past the cult of barriques
Some of the groundbreaking ideas include the creation of the and have become strongly interested in natural wines and by millennials, a generation
Wine Experience in 1981, the Restaurant Awards program in old materials such as clay and cement. How do you assess
1981, the annual Top 100 in 1988 and from a cover story in Wine this trend?
Spectator in 1991, the creation of Cigar Aficionado in 1992. I think the best producers are always looking for ways to make
better wines. Fermentation and maturation vessels are ways to in search of unique, authentic
TripAdvisor and the web democracy has built a scenario influence style and quality. Sometimes a fresh look at old tech-
in which we all have become food & wine critics. Consid- niques results in new trends. As editors, we’re always looking
ering Vivino with its 21 million members worldwide, and for new trends to write about and consumers are always look- wines that tell a story.”
the countless bloggers, the situation has changed a lot for ing for new wines to enjoy. My experience has shown that there
‘official’ wine publications. What do you make of it? Did are many ways to make great wine; some producers are always
writing about wine become better or worst? Which are the searching and others stick to a tried and true philosophy. Both

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