Wow. Announcement below:
Dear Friends,
This morning I am thrilled to announce that Vinous has agreed to acquire Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar. You, our loyal subscribers, are the first to hear the news. The press release is here.
One of the most admired and respected tasters in the world, Steve Tanzer has set a high bar for independent wine criticism since he founded IWC in 1985. I have known Steve for over a decade, first as a reader of IWC and later as a colleague. I am delighted to welcome Steve to Vinous and am confident readers will find tremendous value in his insights and considerable experience.
I will continue to review the wines of Italy, Napa Valley, Champagne, Bordeaux, Sonoma, Santa Barbara and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Steve will take over primary responsibility for reviewing new releases from Burgundy (including Chablis), Washington, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, Port and Tokaj. I plan to spend a good amount of time in Burgundy, but my focus over the near and medium term will be on our interactive map project, although I will continue to visit domaines Steve has historically not covered. In a similar vein, Steve will continue to write about Napa Valley, where his focus will be on vertical and retrospective tastings. Steve’s first article for Vinous will be on Washington.
Along with Steve, we will be welcoming the entire IWC editorial team to Vinous. Josh Raynolds will cover Spain, Rhône, Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence, Oregon, Australia, Paso Robles, Santa Lucia Highlands and Chile. Josh’s passion, enthusiasm and knowledge are incredibly wide-ranging. I am sure Vinous readers will feel the same way. Josh’s first article for Vinous will focus on new releases from the Rhône Valley.
When it comes to Italy, there is no one I hold in higher regard than Ian D’Agata. I have asked Ian to take over Central and Southern Italy, where the proliferation of top-flight wines now requires more time and attention than I have been able to dedicate. Ian’s first new article for Vinous will be on Alsace, a long-standing passion and a region Ian has visited regularly for the last 30 years. Ian will also be reporting on the wines of his native Canada.
Joel Payne will cover Austria, Germany and the Loire, three world-class regions that deserve more attention. Personally, I am looking forward to learning from Joel, as I adore those wines, but don’t get to spend as much time with them as I would like to. Joel’s first article for Vinous will focus on Chenin Blanc, and will be followed by three verticals of Germany’s greatest Rieslings.
Over the coming days and weeks we will be adding IWC’s archive of 150,000 reviews and more than 500 articles to the Vinous database. During this time, the existing IWC website will continue to operate. We will also be publishing the entire contents of IWC Issue 177 on Vinous in the near future, including Josh on Santa Barbara and Champagne and Ian on Tuscany. There are bound to be some hiccups during this time of transition, so we ask for your patience. Be sure to consult this FAQ, where we will post updates.
In closing, I believe we now have one of the best and most experienced teams of wine critics in the business. I have never been more excited about Vinous than I am today. Please join me in welcoming Steve, Josh, Ian and Joel to Vinous.
Antonio