IF YOU WERE ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT WINE MAGAZINE WOULD YOU WANT TO READ?

I get this all the time: a customer comes in the store, sees the various copies of wine reviews hanging from our shelves and asks, “Which magazine do you like the most?” The question refers to the various wine review publications out there – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, The Wine Spectator, Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine, etc., etc. I tell my customers the inherent biases that each one has, some more overt than others, and they tell me why they listen to this critic or that critic – the conversation winds through opinion after opinion, and it always gets me to wonder, “Who is the most trustworthy?”

I can certainly offer my opinion – I feel that Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar is the least biased – but what would that accomplish? It would be just MY OPINION, wouldn’t it? I feel that there is no pressure from advertisers, and that he just doesn’t arbitrarily give out a bunch of 99 point scores; you’ve got to earn your score. Still, that is just my opinion.
So what I would like to ask of you is to either post your reply here, or email me at thewineguy@zoomtown.com and let me know, who do you think is the most reputable, least biased wine publication out there? Tell me why you feel this way. If it is another magazine or online review site, tell me what it is and why they are more reliable and less tainted than the rest:

A. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
B. Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
C. The Wine Spectator
D. Wine Enthusiast
E. Wine and Spirits
F. Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine
G. Decanter
H. Santé
I. Quarterly Review of Wines
J. The Wine News
K. Wine Review Online
L. Another Magazine
M. They are all full of it!

I’ll post the results next week. Let's see what you think.