Wine Appreciation 101

Lovers of fine wine have many reading sources to consult for information. Books and magazines about wine, wine travel, wineries, and other topics related to wine are often in abundance at book stores and many regions of the U.S. and the world have dozens of small wineries to keep wine lovers occupied.

One magazine that caters to wine lovers and is relatively new is Wine Enthusiast, a publication about wine and other adult beverages. Let’s take a look at what this magazine has to offer:

Features of This Magazine:

Each issue of Wine Enthusiast contains approx. 80 to 120 pages and is comprised of the following:

The Enthusiast’s Corner- The opening memo from Editor Adam Strum, this helps set the tone for the rest of the magazine.

Letters to the Editor- A few comments from readers, along with any corrections to mistakes made in past issues, can be found here.

Enth Degree- About five pages in length, this department includes some short articles about unique happenings in the world of adult beverages, as well as a “shot of the month”, inside tips on wine and wine storage, featured books, etc.

Calendar- Important festivals, tastings, fund raising events, and other noteworthy occasions relating to wine are summarized on the calendar, letting you know what is taking place around the country over the next four to eight weeks.

Buying Guide- Broken down by world region, this section rates some good and not so good wines, with a few ratings of distilled spirits.

Pairings- This section talks about food and wine, complete with a highlighted food and recipes.

Proof Positive- Here, you will find a specific style of booze in the spotlight, complete with facts and sometimes a few drink recipes.

Case Closed- Found at the end of each issue, this one- page article includes some story about wine, beverages, food, etc., and is usually trivial or humorous in nature, often with a personal bend to the story.

Besides these regular departments, Wine Enthusiast can be counted on for about three to five featured articles of the month, and these articles can vary widely in length and topic.

Cost to Subscribe:

Wine Enthusiast is published a total of 14 times per year (monthly with two special issues) and it carries a base subscription price of $30, which works out to $2.10 per issue, a savings of 46 percent from the $3.75 cover price.

Checking some popular on- line magazine retailers, I had no trouble finding this magazine for a lower price. Many sites were offering a full year for only $19.95 and some were selling it for half price: only $14.49 for a full year.

Customer Service:

Wine Enthusiast is published in Elmsford, New York, with regional offices around the country. If you need to contact the company to start a subscription, the phone number is 800-829-5901. You can also start a subscription and find answers to questions by visiting the on- line site, winemag.com.

Final Thoughts:

Wine Enthusiast is a magazine for those who enjoy talking about wine, learning about wine, and finding out about new varieties and brands and where/how to buy them. This magazine is published fourteen times per year and is intended as an educational resource and an entertainment publication.

I have been reading this magazine for about six months now. Even though I’m not a big wine drinker, I accepted an offer for a free subscription because, well, it was free and because it seemed like a magazine that could have something interesting to offer, even for a person like myself who ordinarily consumes only malt beverages. And after reading this magazine now for the better part of a year, I have found that it does have some good value as a reference and educational source, but it isn’t quite as good as other magazines that cover the same or similar subjects.

First, however, let’s talk about the positive qualities of this magazine. For starters, I like the magazine’s larger than normal size, which measures about 13 inches by 10 inches (33cm by 25cm). With the larger pages, the images are more vivid and more enticing. Many of the pages have pictures of food and drink, and with the pages this large, they look almost life size. They really whet your appetite to seek out and sample some of the featured food items and accompanying wine or spirits.

Another thing about Wine Enthusiast that helps it score points with me is its coverage of distilled spirits. When I first accepted a complementary subscription to this magazine, I took it with the hope that it would cover more than just wine, since my interest in wine is limited. I was hoping, at the very least, for some good articles about food and maybe a recipe or two. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Wine Enthusiasts does, indeed, cover more things than just wine. Articles about liquor can be found throughout each issue. The department called “Proof Positive” is one such example of a place you can turn in each issue and read about distilled spirits. Some articles (although very few) even cover beer. This diversity might be cause for a rating reduction if you’re strictly a wine lover. But if you like other adult beverages more, then this is a definite plus to this magazine.

Another thing I like about this publication is the Buyer’s Guide. Again, you will find more than just wine here- the editor’s also include ratings for certain distilled spirits. I like this section not just for the ratings and tasting notes, but even more for the suggestions on things to buy. I don’t make many trips to the liquor store, so I often lose touch with what’s available on the shelves to purchase. This section keeps me informed about what’s available that might be good.

Now for the negatives. The one thing about this magazine that could turn off potential subscribers is the articles themselves. They often keep things simple and are not written in a very sophisticated way. They seem to be intended more for beginners to the subject of wine appreciation and for this reason, more educated students of wine will probably not find much useful in this magazine.

Yet another thing I don’t like about this magazine is its short length. Most other monthly magazines relating to wine cover much more than 100 pages. Food and Wine magazine, for example, offers nearly 300 pages in each issue. This shorter length means there isn’t much room for monthly featured articles. Once you take away the needed space for the monthly departments, you are left with enough room for only three to five monthly features- an inadequate number for this type of magazine.

One other important thing worth mentioning is this magazine’s web page. It isn’t necessarily the easiest to navigate or the most attractive, but it offers greater access than others. Among other things, it allows you to read some articles from the current issue without insisting you start a subscription. Many other magazine web sites tease you by letting you know what to expect in the current issue, but not allowing you to read. Wine Enthusiast goes a step further than most, letting you get a taste for what the publication is all about. It even allows web surfers to access the Buyer’s Guide. All you need to do is setup a free logon id and password.

Advertisements cover only about 30 percent of the pages in each issue of Wine Enthusiast, and this is less than most other magazines. The advertisements are consistent, too. They talk about wine, wine gadgets, wine, liquor, wine, travel, and you guessed it, wine. They don’t deviate much at all from the magazine’s core focuses, which are wine and other adult beverages.

Overall, I think Wine Enthusiast is a pretty good publication. The fact that it covers more than just wine earns it a few more points in my book- enough to give it a recommendation. Depending on your own personal interests, this diversity might be viewed as an asset or a liability. I like it, but I’m sure that many wine lovers will not appreciate the added articles about distilled spirits.

Wine publications exist in greater quantities than those for beer, liquor, or any other alcoholic beverage. Wine Enthusiast adds to that growing list, with a pretty good magazine about wine, liquor, and entertainment. The articles are probably a little too simple for those with advanced knowledge of wine, but for everyone else, this magazine presents a good starting point on the path toward greater wine appreciation.