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Wine Enthusiast Magazine and WineMag.com is conceived and executed by a team of experienced editors based in New York, California, Washington, France and Italy. While each offers a unique set of expertise, personality and perspective to the Wine Enthusiast team, we're all united by one mission: to taste, enjoy and communicate our love of the best wines, spirits and food in the world to readers in a fresh and accessible way. Learn more about what makes us tick below, and check back soon for blogs and columns covering everything from the great screwcap debate to why you should drink Chardonnay for breakfast.
Adam Strum
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Wine Enthusiast Companies
A 38-year veteran of the wine and media businesses, Strum co-founded Wine Enthusiast catalog and magazine. Both have had a major impact on increasing wine consumption and wine culture in America.
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Jay Spaleta
Vice President of Publishing, Wine Enthusiast Media
In his role, Jay Spaleta oversees all commercial and creative direction, both in print and online, and is integral in all aspects of evolution for the Wine Enthusiast Magazine brand. Spaleta's career prior to Wine Enthusiast spanned more than 13 years in senior roles with prestigious publications such as Details and Vanity Fair. Spaleta was previously Associate Publisher for Wine Enthusiast Media.
EDITORIAL
Susan Kostrzewa
Executive Editor, skostrze@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from Greece and Cyprus.
twitter.com/suskostrzewa
Executive Editor Susan Kostrzewa joined Wine Enthusiast in 2006, when she moved from Sonoma, California, to Manhattan. Kostrzewa has written and edited wine, food and travel stories for the past 12 years, and in addition to editing Wine Enthusiast Magazine and WineMag.com, currently reviews wines from Greece and Cyprus. She also co-edited the Wine Enthusiast Wine & Food Pairings cookbook. Additionally, Kostrzewa has authored books on literary travel and contributed to the recently published wine guide, Opus Vino.
Joe Czerwinski
Managing Editor of Digital and Print for Wine Enthusiast Media, jczerwin@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from Australia, New Zealand and the Rhône.
twitter.com/JoeCz
In his role, Czerwinski manages all aspects of digital and print production for Wine Enthusiast Magazine as well as helping drive the creative direction of the dynamic online and print publications. Czerwinski has been a wine journalist, editor and taster for over a decade and is a regular wine panelist, speaker and educator for events and organizations worldwide. Czerwinski was previously Senior Editor and Tasting Director for Wine Enthusiast Media.
Mike Dawson
Senior Editor, mdawson@wineenthusiast.net
Dawson brings more than 16 years of experience ferreting out trends in travel, food & drink, health & science and American culture. An award–winning newspaper reporter, Dawson is a former editor at Men's Health and Maxim magazines. His work has appeared in numerous publications including DETAILS, New York Magazine, GQ Italia, The Wall Street Journal and VIBE.
Marina Vataj
Web Editor/Producer, mvataj@wineenthusiast.net
twitter.com/marinavataj
Marina Vataj has written about pop culture, wine and food for various publications for the past seven years, including The New York Post, Life & Style and Cottages & Gardens. She's also an adjunct professor and teaches a media writing course at a college in New York, as well as an accomplished video producer. Vataj has a Masters of Arts in Non-Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College.
Steve Heimoff
California Editor, sheimoff@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from California.
twitter.com/STEVEHEIMOFF
Steve Heimoff was born in New York City and moved to California to attend graduate school. He quickly discovered wine and it became his passion. He has been with Wine Enthusiast for 13 years and reviews California wines from the coastal regions starting in Sonoma and extending south. His book, A Wine Journey along the Russian River, was published in 2005 by University of California Press. New Classic Winemakers of California: Conversations with Steve Heimoff, also from U.C. Press, was published in 2007.
Roger Voss
European Editor, rvoss@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from Austria, Portugal and All Other France.
Roger Voss is a veteran wine and food author, and a journalist and has been writing about wine and food for the past 25 years. His books include France: A Feast of Food and Wine; The Wines of the Loire; Pocket Guide to the Wines of the Loire, Alsace and the Rhône; and Fortified Wines. He is based in Bordeaux, France, and reviews the wines of Austria, France and Portugal.
Kerin O’Keefe
Italian Editor, kokeefe@wineenthusiast.net
twitter.com/kerinokeefe
Italian Editor Kerin O’Keefe reviews all Italian wines for Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Prior to her appointment with Wine Enthusiast, O'Keefe, who moved to Italy in 1991, wrote regularly on Italian wine for Decanter, as well as for World of Fine Wine and on WineSearcher.com. She is a former contributing editor for Wine News magazine, and is the author of Franco Biondi Santi: The Gentleman of Brunello (Veronelli Editore, 2005), a recipient of a Gourmand Wine Book Award. She also won the Premio Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino in 2008 for her cover article "Brunello de-con-structed," which appeared in the Oct.–Nov. 2007 issue of Wine News. Her latest book, Brunello di Montalcino: Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy's Greatest Wines (University of California Press, 2012), was shortlisted for the André Simon Award.
Michael Schachner
Spanish and South American Editor, mschachner@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from Argentina, Chile and Spain.
Michael Schachner is a New York-based journalist specializing in wine, food and travel. His articles appear regularly in Wine Enthusiast, for which he is a contributing editor and a member of the magazine’s tasting panel. In addition, he is a wine consultant and professional speaker. His areas of wine expertise include Spain and South America.
Paul Gregutt
Pacific Northwest Editor, paulgwine@me.co
Reviews wines from Oregon and Washington.
twitter.com/paulgwine
In addition to reviewing Pacific Northwest wines for Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Seattle-based Contributing Editor Paul Gregutt writes about wine for Seattle Times, Yakima Herald-Republic, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and Spokane Spokesman-Review. He contributes the Pacific Northwest section to Tom Stevenson's annual Wine Report. Gregutt's book, Washington Wines & Wineries: the Essential Guide, is now in its fourth printing and was the top selling wine book of 2008 for the University of California Press.
Virginie Boone
California Reviewer, vboone@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from California.
twitter.com/vboone
Contributing reviewer Virginie Boone began her writing career wandering the world for Lonely Planet, contributing to guidebooks on South America, Northern California, France and America's Deep South. She figured it'd be just as much fun to write about her own backyard, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino, and that led quite naturally to wine, a subject she's covered regularly for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, a New York Times regional newspaper. Her work also appears in Savor Wine Country Magazine and on zester.daily.com; she is the author of Napa Valley and Sonoma: Heart of California Wine Country. Boone currently reviews California wines from Mendocino, Lake and Contra Costa Counties, Livermore Valley, Lodi, Central Valley and the Sierra Foothills for the magazine.
Sean Sullivan
Pacific Northwest Reviewer, ssullivan@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Canada.
Sean is the founder of Washington Wine Report,, an on-line publication dedicated to the wines and wineries of the Pacific Northwest. A native of Massachusetts, he moved to Washington in 2000 to pursue a love of mountain climbing. Captivated by the area’s exploding wine scene, in 2005 he began writing wine reviews and distributing them via email before founding Washington Wine Report as an on-line site in 2007. In addition to his work at Washington Wine Report, he has written for Seattle Metropolitan, Decanter, Vineyard & Winery Management, Washington State Wine Touring Guide, among others.
Alexis Korman
Contributing Editor, Food, akorman@wineenthusiast.net
twitter.com/lexisips
Passionate about cocktails, wine and food for many years, Alexis Korman joined Wine Enthusiast Media in 2010 after writing cocktail, lifestyle and food articles for publications like New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Chicago Tribune and amNY, as well as on her blog: citycitybangbangny.blogspot.com. Korman has an MA in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, and is also a short fiction writer, whose work has appeared in Pax Americana and other literary publications.
Mike DeSimone
Lifestyle & Entertaining Editor, mikeandjeff@wineenthusiast.net
twitter.com/worldwineguys
DeSimone is a spirits, wine, food and lifestyle writer who has traveled extensively in his journalistic pursuits. Most recently he co-authored the book Wines of the Southern Hemisphere (Sterling Epicure, October 2012).
Jeff Jenssen
Lifestyle & Entertaining Editor, mikeandjeff@wineenthusiast.net
twitter.com/worldwineguys
Jenssen is a spirits, wine, food and travel writer, and a professional speaker. He is a co-author of several wine, food and beverage books, including The Fire Island Cookbook (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, April 2012).
Kara Newman
Spirits Editor, spirits@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews spirits.
twitter.com/karanewman
An active member of the New York cocktail and mixology scene, Kara Newman is the author of Cocktails for a Crowd (Chronicle Books, 2013) and has written about wine, spirits, and cocktails nationally for the last several years. Her articles have appeared in Wine Enthusiast, The New York Times, Imbibe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Gourmet, and Saveur, among others. Television and radio credits include ABC's View From the Bay, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food on Sirius Radio, Heritage Radio Network, and The Splendid Table. She is also a cocktail consultant, national speaker and cocktail recipe developer.
TASTING
Lauren Buzzeo
Tasting Director, lbuzzeo@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from South Africa, Languedoc-Rousillon and Israel. Reviews beers.
twitter.com/laurbuzz
Lauren Buzzeo joined Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2006 as Tasting Coordinator. Thanks to her father, Lauren developed an interest in and love of wine at an early age, inspiring her enroll in a variety of wine and hospitality classes while at Boston University in an effort to further evolve her wine knowledge. She also worked at one of the area's most reputable beer establishments, Sunset Grill & Tap, while an undergraduate. During the experience, Lauren developed an intense appreciation for beer and brewing. Since coming to Wine Enthusiast, she's made it one of her personal missions to try and open the eyes of wine lovers to some of the masterfully-crafted libations that brewers have to offer. She is also currently working on obtaining her diploma in wines & spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Anna Lee C. Iijima
Assistant Tasting Director, aiijima@wineenthusiast.net
Reviews wines from Germany, New York and Other Europe.
Anna Lee C. Iijima joined Wine Enthusiast in 2010 following a career in corporate law. She holds a Diploma in Wine and Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is student in the Masters of Wine Program. She also holds a certification in Viticulture and Vinification from the American Sommelier Association and is a Certified Sake Professional of the Sake Education Council. Her passion for Japanese saké and shochu often rivals her devotion to wine.
Molly Sowers
Tasting Coordinator, msowers@wineenthusiast.net
Sowers joined Wine Enthusiast in 2012 after interning with Wine In Provence and working harvest at Kunde Family Estate in Sonoma, California. She has a degree in wine and viticulture with a business concentration from Cal Poly in San Louis Obisbo, CA.
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