BIOGRAPHY
James Suckling is an American journalist, critic, and wine expert. He served as the editor of Wine Spectator from 1987 to 2010. Suckling developed and popularized the 100-point wine rating system. In 2011, he founded JamesSuckling.com, an independent wine review website.
Suckling grew up in an Italian family in Long Island, New York. He studied art history at the University of Southern California before entering the field of journalism. In 1977, he joined Wine Spectator as an assistant editor, and in 1987, he was appointed editor. Under his leadership, the magazine experienced rapid growth, increasing its circulation from 50,000 copies to over 700,000.
In 2010, Suckling left Wine Spectator to launch his own website, JamesSuckling.com. There, he publishes wine reviews, videos, blogs, and information about wine events. Suckling also collaborates with the American television network PBS on a wine documentary series called The Perfect Bottle.
In 2011, Suckling was named "Personality of the Year" by Wine Enthusiast magazine. In 2012, he was named "Man of the Year" by Decanter magazine. Suckling was also awarded "Best Wine Critic" by Wine & Spirits magazine in 2009 and 2010.