JamesSuckling.com Adds 2 New Journalists for Expanded U.S. Wine Coverage

JamesSuckling.com has added two new U.S.-based journalists as we expand our coverage of North American wines. Courtney Humiston, an experienced writer, sommelier and winemaker living in Oregon, and Brian Freedman, a longtime wine and spirits writer living near Philadelphia, begin their duties this month.

Their additions bring JamesSuckling.com’s U.S. editorial team to four journalists, including Executive Editor Jim Gordon and Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery, who are both based in Napa, California. The entire staff of dedicated tasters now counts 12 globally, with many based at the company’s Hong Kong headquarters.

Courtney is an experienced writer, certified sommelier and winemaker who will cover the wines of Oregon, Washington and Sonoma County, California, among other regions, for JamesSuckling.com. 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.

Brian began writing about wine 25 years ago as a student and 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. Freedman 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 country. Freedman has traveled to nearly 60 countries and territories around the world, and extensively throughout the United States, to experience the food, drink, and culture for his work.

Both Courtney and Brian will work as Staff Writers & Tasters.