Editor and owner of Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado.
If you are into wine or cigars, you know this man’s legacy. I consider myself a wine enthusiast and 95% of what I know about grapes has come from Wine Spectator.
I only dabble in the leaf, but do occasionally pick up an issue of Aficionado.
He had an impact on both industries. RIP.
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Company, villainous company hath been the spoil of me.
October 29, 2026, 08:59 PM
lyman
RIP sir
when I was in the grocery biz, Wine Spectator was a go to for ratings of various wines,
There was a period around the early 00's where both magazines had some really good articles. Thank you Mr Shanken.
October 30, 2026, 11:37 AM
oddball
A couple of decades ago, I subscribed to Cigar Aficionado for a year when I was well under way in my cigar obsession. I thought Shanken was an excellent interviewer, he can converse on a wide range of topics, not just cigars, I have watched his talks with Michael Jordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger. And the guy obviously had access to the greatest smokes. Here is a small sample. the longer interview is on You Tube.
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965