While the original question was about Wine Critics who’s primary income and/or daily job is to write about wine, I would love to start identifying WBers who specialize in a certain region or style of wine.
I think it would be great to start a list so others can follow their tasting notes and/or become a fan of them on CT.
Wine “hobbyists” can often provide as much value and information as a Wine critic. This has become clear to me reading the WB board everyday where I look to try wine that someone has tried on the board.
For some of the regions I’m interested (Northern Rhone, Beaujolais, Spain, Jura), I value Josh Raynolds and Luis Gutierrez (although my palate doesn’t fully align with either).
I didn’t vote, but I’ll give a different slant to the conversation.
I find it hard to rely on any critics that I don’t know personally, and even those I do and whose palates have some alignment with mine, I’ll just give the benefit of the doubt. But there’s a lot of reading between the lines on particular wines and wineries, and if I really want to know about a wine or a set of wines based on what a critic said on paper, it’s hard to tell what’s going on from a cold record. So if I care, I’ll reach out. I highly recommend this. Most are not lofty folks on a pedestal. Most were just wine geeks before they were critics. William is obviously very accessible and has his own perspective and mode that is wonderfully informative to this community in particular. Some like Alan M and Luis G and Jean Fisch started by hanging out on wine boards like this one back in the day and moved into the business. Others worked in the industry from the get go, like Gilman and Josh R and David S, before settling into the critic role. I highly recommend finding ways to interact with them directly. Better in person. Best with multiple bottles and people.
I couldn’t possibly pick three. I have a lot of respect for all those making a “go” of their passion for wine whereas a lot of us are obsessed but it’s firmly a hobby.
On Riesling: As echoed above, no one knows more about Riesling and German wines than Schildknecht. Current and historical. If I need deep critic-like knowledge that I can’t find on my own, I ping him. For the latest releases though MFW and Gilman are the best source of what’s going on every vintage in a more timely manner.
None. I haven’t followed any critics for years. After nearly 45 years of tasting, collecting, and being ITB off and on, I know what I want and what I’m looking for. I have taken many recommendations from friends and local store owners who know my palate.
If influential means that you make wine buying decisions based on their tasting notes and recommendations, I’ll definitely vote for my friends-in-wine and this board
I voted for Ian D’Agata and Eric Asimov. If Levi Dalton and Masnaghetti would be listed then they would definitely be on my list.
My choices are not that much about ratings, I find that they think about wines more profoundly.
If i stumble upon a fortune and burgundy becomes part of my daily diet Jasper would probably be another voice i would tune into more.
Out of all the influencers, I’m quite sure Levi Dalton will leave wine lovers with the greatest legacy. His recordings. No one else comes close in that respect… it is something with that format, the intimacy and the insight which we all can absorb through the interview and dialogues Levi does/holds. It’s all for free out there for everyone. I try to donate something annually (hope more who appreciate his work does as well). He’s probably the only person I’d let pick any bottles from my cellar. Sharing a bottle would obviously be more fun but I’d let him take as many bottles of his choice with him home as well, as long as he can carry them with two hands.
my list of “Favorite Tasters” on CT (yes, I know this is cheating, but there ya’ go — consider it a many ways tie for this spot)
JG
Mosel Fine Wines
WK in the 4th slot after editing to add MFW. I don’t think WK is any worse than the ones I mentioned above — not at all, but – for me – I find the above-three drive my buying decisions more often than WK does, primarily because I cannot afford to swim in the Burgundy pond, therefore the above-three are more influential.
M.Kaplan wrote:
I wish all who voted or will vote identify their choices, so we can have another indicator of where our respective palates and tastes align and, equally or more important, where they don’t.
FWIW, I voted for William Kelley, as well as Jane Anson and this board for the ‘others’.
Met a lot of wine press when I was in the biz coming through the region.
Best palate that I struck was Ch’ng Poh Tiong from the Real Review. Very impressive and nice guy.
His bio.
A lawyer by training, CH’NG Poh Tiong also holds a postgraduate Certificate with Distinction in Chinese Art from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London. He is an Honorary Ambassador of TEFAF – The European Fine Art Fair – Maastricht. Ch’ng works principally as a wine journalist and is publisher of The Wine Review, since 1991, the oldest wine publication in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and China. In 2000, he also published, as an annual, the world’s first Chinese Bordeaux Guide. A columnist for the United Kingdom’s Decanter magazine, Ch’ng is also Regional Chair, Middle East, Far East & Asia, Decanter World Wine Awards. He also writes a weekly blog in Sina.com, perhaps China’s biggest internet portals; a bi-monthly column for TARGET, one of China’s widest circulation luxury magazines; and, a fortnightly column in decanterchina.com.
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Friends,
The reviews I am always looking forward to are the ones by A Meadows, N Martin, W KELLEY (on BURGUNDY that is…). The most interesting read for me is WINEHOG since it is solely concerned with top level Burgundy. Sarah Marsh was there too but she published once a year and I found that too expensive. I normally do not buy books costing 1OO Euros and more. I do not see the point of including Parker and C Coates here (however good he was) since they no longer publish. Loved Jasper MORRIs’ Inside Burgundy.
SINCERELY JOHAN
Thanks for the votes, folks! It’s very encouraging (wine critics generally work in something of an echo chamber, without much consumer feedback—one of the reasons I try to participate here), and I hope I won’t lead you down any blind alleys. If I do, I hope even more that you’ll tell me!
Strongly agree that Luis Gutierrez and Josh Reynolds should have been on the poll! Luis has cost me more $$$ than any other wine critic, especially that time I chauffeured him around the Jura
I’m surprised by all the votes for Jancis Robinson as a) her scoring is usually in a very narrow band which doesn’t help when being confronted with hundreds of choices to buy, b) she often only gives higher scores/does upscoring many, many years after the release which doesn’t help (or said the other way around, she takes less of a stance early on, which what the best wines will be/what the consumers need to buy) and c) many but not all notes are often extremely short without much information on the wine or the experience.
Remarkably difficult to predict who should be there, especially as we have different influence(r)s in our experience and geography. This certainly exposed some gaps in my knowledge of who is influential (and in not being aware of any of the German wine influencers). Chris Kisack an odd one, as I knew him as a forumite on Wine Pages, plus his hobby website which he decided to try and make a go of commercially. Someone I would absolutely trust to be fair and reasonable. If Jamie is on there, then it’s not unreasonable to suggest Chris should be.
I’ve no exposure to Jane’s writing, but it’s clear she’s got respect here.
I certainly over-estimated the interest in Australian / NZ wines & wine writers! One the isn’t on the list is someone whose notes (and wines chosen for tastings) are always interesting… Geoff Kelly. I don’t always agree with him, but I always find what he says to be interesting / thought-provoking.
Plenty of names new to me, not just in what’s posted here, but in trawling for who google suggests is influential. i.e. I’ve no knowledge of a handful of the names I listed in the poll!
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