James Suckling Biography James Suckling is one of today’s leading wine critics, whose views are read and respected by wine lovers, serious wine collectors, and the wine trade worldwide. He is currently the wine editor for Asia Tatler and its nine luxury magazines in the region, including Hong Kong Tatler, China Tatler, Singapore Tatler, and Thailand Tatler. However, most of his time is spent working for his own website, JamesSuckling.com, as well as promoting his 100 Points wine glass with Lalique, the famous French crystal house. Suckling 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.” In late 2010, Suckling launched JamesSuckling.com, a site that evolved from him seeing a need for wine to be communicated in a more modern way. The site offers subscribers high-definition video content hosted by Suckling that reports on and rates the best wines from around the world, with a focus on Italy and Bordeaux. Video tastings and interviews conducted in vineyards and cellars with winemakers give viewers a firsthand account of the wines, and allow for a more spontaneous style. The site attracts viewers from over 110 countries, with the largest audiences in North America, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and France. His first documentary film, “Cigars: The Heart and Soul of Cuba,” was released in autumn 2011 to much acclaim. It was screened in December 2011 during the 33rd Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, Cuba, and was officially selected for the 15th Annual Sonoma Film Festival in Sonoma, Calif. as well as the Independent Film Quarterly Film & Webisode Festival in Los Angeles. He was both executive producer and host of the film. “Cannubi: A Vineyard Kissed by God” was just released as Suckling’s second documentary film, which he also hosts and produced. The film has garnered praise worldwide after a premiere screening in Hong Kong and on his website, and was officially selected for the 16th Annual Sonoma Film Festival in Sonoma, Calif. Suckling also organizes wine events, including his high-end Florence, Italy, event Divino Tuscany that he created with IMG Artists, the leading agent and events company for classical music. It showcased 50 of the best Tuscan wine producers with great music and superb food in some of the most exclusive venues in Florence. He has additionally coordinated multiple Brunello tastings in the United States called Bellissimo Brunello on both the East and West Coast, as well as started a “Great Wines” series. Great Wines of Italy events held in Hong Kong and New York City saw over 100 of the country’s best winemakers pouring their top selections, and Great Wines of Bordeaux in Hong Kong featured 45 of the region’s most outstanding chateaux. Since he started his career as a wine critic, Suckling estimates he has tasted close to 150,000 wines – and many of the greatest ever produced. It all began in 1981 when he responded to an ad in the Los Angeles Times where the fledgling Wine Spectator was looking for an assistant editor. He was hired, and four years later, Suckling 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. He still lives near Florence, Italy, most of the year, as well as in Hong Kong. Suckling 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 artist to date. Last year, she released a single on Robin Gibb’s classical album “Titanic Requiem,” and she now continues to preform at many of her father’s wine events. For more information, please contact Krystal Schwegel at [email protected]. .