The writing on the bottle

Here are some of the best wine magazines

What are the top wine magazines in the world and why should you be interested in contributing to any of them? The answer is simple: wine magazines are a huge storehouse of information about wine and are an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to know more about the beverage.

As is fast becoming the norm, one should be aware that all these wine magazines have gone digital. The magazines have websites that are quite informative, but the casual visitor will have limited access to content. If you want the full Monty, you would have to subscribe to either the online version or the hard copy. And, of course, there is nothing like flipping through the hard copy to get a real feel for the written word. These are some of the best wine magazines.

Wine Spectator: The wine magazine with the world’s largest circulation is owned by the current publisher and editor, Marvin Shanken, since 1979. Its New York-based team of experts reviews up to 15,000 wines annually using the 100-point rating scale, and being featured on the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of the Year is a huge achievement for any wine label. It has a database of 374,000 wine ratings that is constantly updated and is one of my favourite sources on the provenance of a wine. A year’s print subscription (16 issues) costs $60. (www.winespectator.com)

Wine Enthusiast Magazine: This magazine is part of a larger conglomerate that does multi-channel marketing of wine- and spirit-related products, such as magazines, accessories, storage, information, education, events and travel, and which was founded in 1979 as a direct-mail business. The magazine addresses a broader set of subjects that include food, drinks and travel (apart from wine) and costs $50 for three issues. (www.thewinemag.com)

Decanter: Founded in London in 1975 and published in 91 countries, Decanter has several Master of Wine contributors for its articles, but tends to focus mainly on wines available in the UK. It differs from other wine magazines in offering in-depth reviews of two wine regions at a time, and also reviews wines for everyday drinking. A print subscription costs $85 for 12 issues. (www.decanter.com)

One of the top value-for-money wines available in Bengaluru is from the range of MAN Family Wines from South Africa — two whites, four reds

The Wine Advocate: The link to its website gives this magazine’s provenance away. Founded in 1978 by famous wine critic Robert Parker, the magazine is also known as Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and is unique in that it accepts no advertising and relies only on subscriptions to sustain itself. RP (as the man is known in the wine world) developed a widely emulated 100-point scale to rate wines: 96-100 is extraordinary, 90-95 outstanding, 80-89 “above average to excellent”, 70-79 average, 60-69 below average, and below 59 “appalling”. He is famously credited with making or breaking wines in France and worldwide. A one-year online subscription (six issues) now costs $99. (www.robertparker.com)

But what of India? We have Sommelier India, published from Delhi since 2005 by Reva Singh and her son, Shiv. It features articles on both Indian and international wines, from contributors such as MW Jancis Robinson. I, too, have been writing articles for it since its inception and think the magazine deserves a wider audience. Print subscriptions cost Rs 1,000 for the six issues published annually.

Wines I’ve been drinking: One of the top value-for-money wines available in Bengaluru is from the range of MAN Family Wines from South Africa — two whites, four reds, all priced at Rs 1,733 per bottle. My favourite is the Skaapveld (“sheep grazing pastures”) Shiraz: spicy and floral aromas, balanced with ripe fruit aromas and flavours, with fine tannins and a decent finish.

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant