What Wine & Spirits Magazine does

Wine & Spirits Magazine was a privately held US wine and spirits publication founded in 1982 by Joshua Greene, who purchased the title outright in 1989 and operated it as Publisher and Editor until closure. Headquartered in New York with a secondary office in Los Angeles, the magazine published seven issues per year covering wine and spirits reviews, food pairing, restaurant coverage, and tasting reports, anchored by a two-step blind tasting methodology: wines were first screened by panels of retailers, sommeliers, and winemakers, then scored by in-house critics on a 100-point scale (80-100 ratings plus Good Value and Exceptional Value designations). Underlying the editorial product was a manually curated, subscriber-logged database of 237,000+ wines tasted with notes and scores on more than 85,000 recommended wines.

The business model mixed four revenue streams: subscription sales across Digital Edition tiers ($19.95/year) and Print+Digital bundles up to $69.95 for three years; single-issue retail sales ($5.99 standard, $9.99 specialty Winter issue); advertising and promotional services for wineries and importers, including bottle/label reproductions, website spotlights, accolade sheets, and social media coverage; and $20-per-SKU wine submission fees from producers seeking review outside featured tasting categories. Distribution combined direct subscription fulfillment with a Retail Program offering 40% returnable or 55% non-returnable wholesale discounts to wine retailers, supplemented by paid industry events (Top 100 Tastings in San Francisco and New York, WSLA Drink + Eat). The publication reached 200,000+ readers, maintained social followings of 83.8k Twitter, 86.3k Facebook, and 26k Instagram, and was the only wine publication to win the James Beard Foundation Award five times for wine writing.

The magazine ceased print operations in April 2024 after more than 40 years. Its website and wine search database remain accessible as an archive, and the entity (Wine & Spirits Magazine, Inc., a New York corporation) is recorded as closed. The magazine was family-owned throughout, with no venture capital, private equity, or corporate parent involvement disclosed.

Name

Wine & Spirits Magazine

Legal name

Wine & Spirits Magazine, Inc.

Website

https://wineandspiritsmagazine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wine & Spirits Magazine was a privately held US wine publication founded in 1982 that evaluated 15,000+ wines per year via two-step blind tasting, reaching 200,000+ readers until it ceased print publication in April 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Magazine subscriptions sold as digital-only or print+digital bundles. Digital Edition: 1 year (7 issues): $19.95; 2 years (14 issues): $31.95. Print and Digital Edition: 1 year (7 issues): $29.95; 2 years (14 issues): $51.95; 3 years (21 issues) $69.95.
2. Single Issue Sales: Individual magazine issues sold at retail. Regular issues cost $5.99; specialty Winter issue costs $9.99.
3. Advertising and Promotional Services: Wineries and importers can purchase label reproductions, website spotlights, and social media coverage. Options include Basic (label/bottle insertion), Website+Issue, and Complete packages with social media coverage.
4. Wine Submission Fees: Processing fee of $20 per cuvée/bottling/SKU for wines submitted outside of featured tasting categories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wine & Spirits Magazine produces a wine and spirits publication offering editorial reviews, tasting reports, and scores on a 100-point scale, plus an online searchable database of more than 85,000 recommended wines. The publication supports wine enthusiasts with tasting notes and food pairings, while serving the wine trade through paid wine-submission evaluations, winery/importers promotional placements, and an annual events series.

Product overview

Wine & Spirits Magazine is a single unified publication (ceased print in April 2024) offering wine and spirits reviews, tasting reports, and editorial content through its core magazine product, supported by an online searchable wine database of 85,000+ reviews, subscription services (digital and print), and wine industry events. The publication operates a wine submission and tasting service for wineries and importers, and offers promotional opportunities through its digital and print platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wine & Spirits Magazine The flagship wine and spirits publication offering editorial wine and spirit reviews, tasting reports, restaurant reviews, scores on a 100-point scale, and food and wine pairing content, distributed to over 200,000 readers in America's wine community. The magazine ceased print publication in April 2024 but the brand and database are maintained online.
• Digital Edition Subscription Annual or multi-year subscription to the digital edition of Wine & Spirits Magazine, providing 7 issues per year with access to the searchable wine database of 85,000+ recommended wines. Intended for individual wine enthusiasts and consumers.
• Print and Digital Edition Subscription Combined print and digital subscription delivering 7 issues per year of the magazine to the subscriber's address plus digital access and database login. Priced in 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year tiers with progressive discounts for longer commitments.
• Wine Search Database Online searchable database of more than 237,000 wines tasted, including detailed tasting notes and 100-point scores for over 85,000 recommended wines. Accessible to individual subscribers via login and used as the reference backbone for wine selection.
• Retail Program Wholesale distribution program that lets wine retail stores carry Wine & Spirits Magazine with seven issues published per year, available returnable (40% off cover price) or non-returnable (55% off cover price). For independent and chain wine retailers using the magazine as a trusted in-store reference for customers.
• Wine Promotion Opportunities Paid promotional packages for wineries and importers to amplify favorable Wine & Spirits reviews, including Basic (label/bottle insertion), Website+Issue, and Complete (with social-media coverage on Twitter/Instagram) packages. Sold directly to wineries and importers seeking to convert editorial coverage into sales.
• Wine Submission Service Evaluation service that allows wineries and importers to submit wines through a structured protocol tied to Wine & Spirits's editorial tasting calendar, with a $20 per-SKU processing fee for wines outside featured tasting categories. In return, submitters receive blind-tasting evaluation, scores, and potential inclusion in editorial coverage.
• Wine Tasting Events Annual industry tasting events including Top 100 Tasting SF, Top 100 Tasting NYC, and WSLA Drink + Eat, connecting wine professionals, wineries, importers, and consumers with featured wines. Sold as ticketed experiences to attendees and participating brands.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wine Spectator: Wine Spectator is the largest US wine publication, offering wine ratings, reviews, and industry coverage. It is the most direct competitor to Wine & Spirits Magazine, serving overlapping audiences of wine enthusiasts and trade professionals through a similar critic-led rating model and tasting-event platform.
• Wine Enthusiast Magazine: Wine Enthusiast is a major US wine media brand covering ratings, reviews, and lifestyle content. It competes directly with Wine & Spirits Magazine in the wine consumer and trade audience using a similar print+digital subscription model and 100-point rating system.
• The World of Fine Wine: The World of Fine Wine is a quarterly publication focused on premium wine criticism and analysis. It is directly comparable to Wine & Spirits Magazine in targeting serious wine enthusiasts and collectors with sophisticated tasting reports and critic-led reviews.

Regional players

• Decanter: Decanter is a leading UK-based wine publication covering global wines with detailed reviews and ratings. It is comparable to Wine & Spirits Magazine in editorial scope and blind-tasting methodology but primarily serves a UK and European audience rather than the US market.

Broad incumbents

• Food & Wine Magazine: Food & Wine is a mainstream food and lifestyle publication with substantial wine coverage including reviews, pairing content, and travel. It overlaps with Wine & Spirits Magazine on wine criticism but addresses a broader consumer lifestyle audience rather than wine specialists.
• Robb Report: Robb Report is a luxury lifestyle publication covering wine, spirits, travel, and high-end consumer goods. It overlaps with Wine & Spirits Magazine in fine wine and spirits coverage for affluent consumers, though wine is one of several luxury verticals rather than the core focus.

Emerging players

• Imbibe Magazine: Imbibe is a trade publication focused on bartending, cocktails, and on-premise beverage professionals. While narrower than Wine & Spirits, it overlaps in spirits coverage and trade audience (bartenders, sommeliers), making it a partial competitor for advertising and audience attention.
• SevenFifty Daily: SevenFifty Daily is a digital-first B2B wine and spirits media outlet covering the on-premise beverage industry. It competes with Wine & Spirits Magazine's trade and professional coverage but operates as a free digital publication rather than a paid subscription model.
• VinePair: VinePair is a digital wine, beer, and spirits media company producing news, reviews, and educational content. It competes for the same wine enthusiast audience as Wine & Spirits Magazine but operates on a digital-only, advertising-supported model rather than paid subscriptions.
• Wine Folly: Wine Folly is a digital wine education platform with visual content, courses, and reviews aimed at beginner-to-intermediate wine consumers. While focused on education rather than trade criticism, it competes for the same broad wine enthusiast audience as Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wineandspirits
• Facebookfacebook.com/WineSpiritsMag
• Instagraminstagram.com/wineandspiritsmag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wine & Spirits Magazine