A bacchanalia of news, cues, trends and tips from our in-house roster of experts, wine, food, travel and more.

Susan Kostrzewa

Executive Editor, skostrze@wineenthusiast.net,   www.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, www.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.

Lauren Buzzeo

Tasting Director, lbuzzeo@wineenthusiast.net, www.twitter.com/laurbuzz

Lauren Buzzeo joined Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2006 as Tasting Coordinator. Her passion for wine, beer and food began while attending Boston University, where she pursued the topics both academically and professionally. In addition to contributing regular beer and wine pieces to the magazine and Web site, Buzzeo currently reviews all beers for Wine Enthusiast Media, as well as the wines of South Africa, Israel and France’s Languedoc-Roussillon.

Erika Strum

Director of Internet Marketing, estrum@wineenthusiast.net, www.twitter.com/strumerika

Erika Strum is Director of Internet Marketing Manager is Director of Internet Marketing Manager at Wine Enthusiast Companies. She first became involved in wine and technology by working in search engine optimization and completing her WSET Advanced Certification. She enjoys covering topics around restaurant trends and wine etiquette.

 

Other Wine Enthusiast Magazine Editors:

Alexis Korman

Senior Associate Editor of Digital and Print for Wine Enthusiast Media, akorman@wineenthusiast.net, www.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.

Andrew Hoover

Associate Editor, ahoover@wineenthusiast.net, www.twitter.com/andrewchoover

After studying wine at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Andrew Hoover joined Wine Enthusiast Magazine in summer 2011. Prior to joining the team, Hoover served as restaurant critic for the Fairfield, CT, and Westport, CT, branches of AOL’s Patch. Hoover became a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers in October 2011 and is currently studying for the advanced exam.

Steve Heimoff

California Editor, sheimoff@wineenthusiast.net, www.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

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.

Monica Larner

Italian Editor, mlarner@wineenthusiast.net, www.twitter.com/MonicaLarner

Italian Editor Monica Larner reviews Italian wines for Wine Enthusiast Magazine and has lived in Italy on-and-off since age 11. Currently based in Rome, steps away from the Colosseum, Monica visits every corner of Italy in her red Mini Cooper to report on the wine, food and travel highlights of her adopted home. Her books include In Love in Italy (Rizzoli) and Living, Studying and Working in Italy (Henry Holt), and she is now writing a guide to traveling in Italy in the slow lane. Monica is a sommelier with the Italian Association of Sommelier (AIS) but her passion for wine finds roots in Larner Vineyard, the family-run vineyard and winery in Santa Barbara county.

Marina Vataj

Web Editor/Producer, mvataj@wineenthusiast.net, www.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.

Michael Schachner

Spanish and South American Editor

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.com, www.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, www.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.

Mike DeSimone & Jeff Jenssen

Lifestyle & Entertaining Editors, mikeandjeff@wineenthusiast.net, twitter.com/worldwineguys

Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, also known as the World Wine Guys, are the contributing Entertaining & Lifestyle Editors for Wine Enthusiast Magazine. They authored the Port Wine chapter in The Ultimate Wine Companion, the South African whisky chapter in Barrels and Drams, and are also authors of their own two books: Simon and Schuster’s The Fire Island Cookbook (April 2012) and Sterling Epicure’s Wines of the Southern Hemisphere: The Complete Guide (October 2012). They have paired wine with food on The Martha Stewart Show and love planning dinner parties for winemakers and friends.

Anna Lee C. Iijima

Assistant Tasting Director, aiijima@wineenthusiast.net

Anna Lee C. Iijima joined Wine Enthusiast in 2010 following a career in corporate law. She has studied with the American Sommelier Association, the International Wine Center and the Sake Education Council, and is a Diploma in Wine and Spirits candidate with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. She currently reviews wines from New York, Other Europe and Other U.S. regions, and writes frequently on saké, food and wine pairing for the magazine.

Kara Newman

Spirits Editor, spirits@wineenthusiast.net, www.twitter.com/karanewman

An active member of the New York cocktail and mixology scene, Kara Newman is the author of Spice & Ice: 60 tongue-tingling cocktails (Chronicle Books, 2009) 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.