Our Tasters

James SucklingCEO & PUBLISHER

James Suckling, 67, is one of today’s leading wine critics whose reviews are read and respected by wine lovers, serious wine collectors and the wine trade worldwide. He is the CEO and Publisher of JamesSuckling.com, the wine media platform and events company with offices in Hong Kong. Since starting his career, James estimates he has tasted and rated close to 350,000 wines. Last year he and his team of tasters rated more than 45,000 wines. This year they should rate about 50,000. His website provides more than 250,000 wine ratings at the moment. They currently rate about 4,000 to 5,000 wines a month.

JamesSuckling.com currently has more than 1 million unique visitors to its website per year. About 50 percent is North American. It has approximately 4 million followers, with coverage from its website, social media, newsletters (Chinese, Korean, Thai and English), James is one of the largest wine influencers on Instagram with about 440,000-plus followers.

JamesSuckling.com also organizes about nine wine events each year around the world for more than 2,000 participants at each venue. Tastings are held in the following cities: New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul and Bangkok. Events include Great Wines of the World and Great Wines of Italy.

It all began in 1981 when James responded to an ad in the Los Angeles Times where the fledgling American magazine Wine Spectator was looking for an assistant editor. He was hired, and four years later, he moved to Paris to establish Wine Spectator’s European bureau, which put him in the center of European wine production and cemented his relationships with a variety of vintners, as well as contributed to his expanding knowledge of wines throughout the continent.

In total, James spent nearly 30 years as Senior Editor and European Bureau Chief of The Wine Spectator, and as European Editor of Cigar Aficionado. On his departure from the magazines, Forbes called the Los Angeles-born writer “one of the world’s most powerful wine critics."

Shortly after in late 2010, James launched JamesSuckling.com, a site that evolved from him seeing a need for wine to be communicated in a more modern way. The crux of the site are his tasting notes, and James and his team of critics rate everything with the 100-point scale. The site also offers subscribers high-definition video content from wineries around the world, with a focus on Austria, Germany, Italy, Bordeaux, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Napa Valley, Australia and New Zealand. The site attracts viewers from over 110 countries, with the largest audiences in North America, China, Argentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy and France.

Though most of his time is spent working for his own media company, James also promotes and creates pieces for Lalique, the famous French crystal manufacturer. His Lalique 100 points Collection by James Suckling features eight different glasses as well as three decanters and emphasizes “functionality and beauty.” His most popular glass in the line is the 100-points universal glass, which can be used for all wines: red, white or rosé.

James is also a highly regarded public speaker, including being the featured wine expert for Wine Day in China with Tmall (Alibaba) in September 2016 and 2017, which attracted more than 100 million participants. He spoke in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in January 2018 as the keynote speaker on his experience with Chinese wine in front of 800 wine distributors and for the 40th anniversary of Great Wall winery. In addition, James is a highly respected instructor for Masterclass.com. His program on “Wine Appreciation” has attracted more than 20,000 subscribers while his trailer has more than six million views on YouTube.

In 2017, James received a knighthood from the Italian government – Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia – for his decades long coverage of Italian Wines. He also received in January 2018 an honorary citizenship from the town of Montalcino for his almost four decades of writing about and rating Brunello di Montalcino. James also received the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite from the French government in December 2020 for his four decades coverage of the French wine world.

A permanent resident of Hong Kong, James is the father of two children, Jack and Isabel Suckling. As a British choirgirl, Isabel signed a record contract with Decca in 2010 at age 12, making her one of the youngest classical recording artists to date.

In 2012, she released a single on Robin Gibb’s classical album “Titanic Requiem,” and she has also performed at her father’s wine events. The 27-year-old is now a assistant television producer in Sydney. Jack, 31, runs a hedge fund and lives in Bangkok.

His wife, Marie Kim-Suckling, runs the financials for his company and travels the world with James. She was born and raised in Seoul and is a former wine merchant having worked two decades with key British wine merchants. She runs their tiny pinot noir vineyard in Martinborough, New Zealand. It’s called “Mirae,” which is the Korean word for “future.” The tiny production is sold in Korea, Japan, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

Jim GordonEXECUTIVE EDITOR

Continuing a 40-year friendship and collaboration, Jim joins James Suckling as executive editor to lead content planning while reviewing wines daily. Based in Napa Valley since 2001, Jim has extensively covered wine and winemaking for American publications. He was a senior editor at Wine Enthusiast, chief editor of Wines & Vines and executive director of the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. Gaining a hands-on understanding of grape and wine production, Jim has planted multiple micro-vineyards and crafted non-commercial wine since 1990. The former managing editor of Wine Spectator, he co-created Wine Country Living TV and created the books Opus Vino and 1000 Greate Everyday Wines. Jim holds a degree from Denison University and began his careers as a daily newspaper reporter.

Zekun ShuaiSENIOR EDITOR

Zekun joined JamesSuckling.com in 2019. With a background in international journalism, he developed a taste for wine during university. His passion in wine led him to gain experience through extensive tastings and wine writing, especially during his three years in Mexico. This has also led him to the pursuit of a diploma of the English WSET and a Wine Business degree in Burgundy. When not drinking wine, Zekun enjoys savoring pour-over coffee, pu’er tea and occasionally, a shot of mezcal. He also spends his free time sharpening his Ping Pong skills.

Stuart PigottSENIOR EDITOR

Stuart’s moment of wine revelation came when he was working as a barman in the Tate Gallery Restaurant in 1981, when a bottle of Château Cheval Blanc 1971 was opened. Despite an MA in cultural history, Stuart realized the only way he could earn a living was to write about wine. After meeting James Suckling at a wine auction in Germany he has been based in the Mosel, Berlin and New York City, traveling extensively through Planet Wine. He now lives in the little town of Eppstein in the Taunus Hills of Germany. Although his name is most closely associated with riesling and German wine, he has undertaken in-depth research in wine regions as contrasting as Bordeaux, Thailand and Arizona. In 2008-9, Stuart was a guest student at the famous wine university of Geisenheim in Germany. In 2020 he became the first winner of the Professor Müller-Thurgau Award.

Aldo FiordelliSENIOR EDITOR

Aldo Fiordelli was born in Florence, Italy, in 1977 and has worked as a professional journalist and food and wine critic for a number of organizations. He was the Italian correspondent for Decanter, for which he was also a judge at the Decanter World Wine Awards, and also worked for almost 20 years at the Guida de L’Espresso. He writes for the Florentine edition of the Corriere della Sera and for Civiltà del bere. He is a corresponding member of the Italian Academy of Vine and Wine and a knight of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. In 2022, he received the Casato Prime Donne international award. He has had seven books published: the first one on Macchiaioli, the others about food and wine. In his spare time he enjoys cycling and sailing.

Jo CookeTASTING EDITOR

English-born, but resident in Italy for 30 years, Jo’s introduction to wine was as a bottle opener for James Suckling in the Wine Spectator office in Tuscany, rising through the ranks to become Tasting Coordinator and the magazine’s taster of a number of regions in Italy. Jo left the magazine in 2009 to pursue avenues in education, but recently returned to the fold and now works full-time for JamesSuckling.com, preparing tasting notes for publication and providing ingenious Filemaker solutions. When not staring at the computer screen, Jo will probably be found walking his dog on the beach or annoying his neighbors with bad bass-guitar playing.

Jacobo García AndradeSENIOR EDITOR

Jacobo García Andrade, a Spaniard, previously worked for JamesSuckling.com covering Argentina and Chile, but he now reports on Spain and Portugal. He was born in Madrid but moved to Cuba at a young age with his family before ending up in Canada, where he studied philosophy and anthropology at university. He then worked in the film industry in Spain and the U.K. and helped James make a documentary on Cuban cigars before eventually taking his first job with JamesSuckling.com. Jacobo has also worked in Spain for a renowned wine importer, Alma Vinos Unicos, and has participated in wine harvests in Spain as well as in Burgundy for Domaine Marquis d’Angerville. Jacobo says he has a soft spot for the wines of Northern Rhone, Bordeaux and the northeastern Spain axis of Bierzo, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra and Rias Baixas.

Kevin DavyTASTING MANAGER

Kevin Davy is a French-born sommelier who has studied in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Suzhou, China, and holds an MSc in International Business. But he learned about wine in Paris, and it was during his studies there that he decided to pursue this career in the business. He has been based in Hong Kong since 2013, when he started his own company as a wine educator and private sommelier, sharing his love of wine with private and corporate customers. Kevin started working for JamesSuckling.com in 2014 as a freelancer, working events in Beijing, Bangkok and Seoul, among other places. He is now a permanent part of the team as Tasting Manager.

Claire NesbittSTAFF WRITER & CRITIC

Claire Nesbitt is an Oxford-educated chemist and McKinsey & Co. alumnus who later decided to pursue her love of wine after studying at Le Cordon Bleu in London. Now based in Hong Kong, she is part of the JamesSuckling.com tasting team as well as helping James manage the wine program at James Suckling Wine Central. She also speaks numerous languages, including conversational Cantonese, French, Italian and Spanish. A competitive trail runner, Claire can be spotted outdoors and is always up for a hilly challenge.

Ryan MontgomeryASSOCIATE EDITOR

Ryan Montgomery graduated from the University or Adelaide with a bachelor's degree in viticulture and oenology, finishing his studies at the University of California, Davis. Ryan’s passion for wine started in Victoria, Australia, where he grew up on a small family vineyard. After managing a fine-dining restaurant with and completing his WSET level 3 in 2009, he went on to travel the world of wine, working 17 harvests in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, France and the United States. Most recently, before joining the James Suckling team, he worked two harvests in Burgundy under Dominque Lafon and two harvests for the Smith Haut Lafitte project in Napa, Cathiard Vineyard. Now based in Napa, Ryan covers the West Coast of the United States as well as Australia and New Zealand. When not tasting, he can be found hiking up Mount Saint Helena or surfing the California coastline.

Andrii StetsiukASSOCIATE EDITOR

A career sommelier and wine lover, Andrii ran the wine operations of various hospitality venues in Europe, and at Oceania Cruises in Miami, before joining the JamesSuckling.com team. Certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers, Andrii is now an integral part of the tasting team, helping to rate thousands of wines each year.

Courtney HumistonSTAFF WRITER & TASTER

Courtney Humiston is an experienced writer, certified sommelier and winemaker who covers the wines of Oregon, Washington and Sonoma County, California, among other regions. She previously worked for Decanter, The World of Fine Wine and other publications as a reporter and taster. She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America's AWBP program and has spent nearly 15 years running successful wine programs for restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Courtney worked several harvests in both viticulture and winemaking roles and currently produces a small amount of sparkling wine in California. She has served as a wine judge for the international competition Concours Mondial twice and has also traveled extensively throughout Europe tasting wine and interviewing vignerons. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Brian FreedmanSTAFF WRITER & TASTER

Brian Freedman began writing about wine 25 years ago as a student, and since then he has earned bylines in Food & Wine, Forbes.com, Wine Enthusiast, Sommelier Journal and Whisky Advocate. He counts 20 years of experience as a professional wine, spirits, travel and food writer. Brian has worked as a restaurant, beverage, and sustainability consultant; wine and spirits educator; and event host and speaker. His first book, “Crushed: How A Changing Climate Is Altering the Way We Drink,” was published in hardback in 2022 and paperback in 2024. He hosts wine and spirits events for corporate and private clients around the United States, and he has traveled to nearly 60 countries and territories around the world to experience firsthand the food, drink and culture of those places for his work.

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