Tasting Panel

Executive Editor Susan Kostrzewa joined Wine Enthusiast in 2006, when she moved from Sonoma, California, to Manhattan. Kostrzewa has written and edited wine, food and travel stories for the past 12 years, and in addition to editing Wine Enthusiast Magazine and WineMag.com, currently reviews wines from Greece and Cyprus. She is also the head of WE's book publishing department and recently co-edited the Wine Enthusiast Wine & Food Pairings cookbook. Additionally, Kostrzewa has authored books on literary travel and contributed to the DK-published Opus Vino.

Tasting Director and Senior Editor Joe Czerwinski joined Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 1999 as an associate editor. In addition to managing the entire tasting and review program, he reviews wines from France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Assistant Tasting Director Lauren Buzzeo joined Wine Enthusiast Magazine in 2006 as Tasting Coordinator. Thanks to her father, Lauren developed an interest in and love of wine at an early age, inspiring her enroll in a variety of wine and hospitality classes while at Boston University in an effort to further evolve her wine knowledge. She also worked at one of the area's most reputable beer establishments, Sunset Grill & Tap, while an undergraduate. During the experience, Lauren developed an intense appreciation for beer and brewing. Since coming to Wine Enthusiast, she's made it one of her personal missions to try and open the eyes of wine lovers to some of the masterfully-crafted libations that brewers have to offer. She is also currently working on obtaining her diploma in wines & spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

European Editor Roger Voss is a wine and food author, and a journalist. The veteran has been writing about wine and food for the past 25 years. His books include France: A Feast of Food and Wine; The Wines of the Loire; Pocket Guide to the Wines of the Loire, Alsace and the Rhône; and Fortified Wines. He is based in Bordeaux, France, and reviews the wines of Austria, France and Portugal.

Italian Editor Monica Larner reviews Italian wines for Wine Enthusiast Magazine and has lived in Italy on-and-off since age 11. Currently based in Rome, steps away from the Colosseum, Monica visits every corner of Italy in her red Mini Cooper to report on the wine, food and travel highlights of her adopted home. Her books include In Love in Italy (Rizzoli) and Living, Studying and Working in Italy (Henry Holt), and she is now writing a guide to traveling in Italy in the slow lane. Monica is a sommelier with the Italian Association of Sommelier (AIS) but her passion for wine finds roots in Larner Vineyard, the family-run vineyard and winery in Santa Barbara county. She returns to California each year for harvest, pruning and tractor driving.

West Coast Editor Steve Heimoff was born in New York City and moved to California to attend graduate school. He quickly discovered wine and it became his passion. He has been with Wine Enthusiast for 13 years and reviews virtually all of the California wines. His book, A Wine Journey along the Russian River, was published in 2005 by University of California Press. New Classic Winemakers of California: Conversations with Steve Heimoff, also from U.C. Press, was published in 2007.

Michael Schachner is a New York-based journalist specializing in wine, food and travel. His articles appear regularly in Wine Enthusiast, for which he is a contributing editor and a member of the magazine’s tasting panel. In addition, he is a wine consultant and professional speaker. His areas of wine expertise include Spain and South America.

In addition to reviewing Pacific Northwest wines for Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Seattle-based Contributing Editor Paul Gregutt writes about wine for Seattle Times, Yakima Herald-Republic, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and Spokane Spokesman-Review. He contributes the Pacific Northwest section to Tom Stevenson's annual Wine Report. Gregutt's book, Washington Wines & Wineries: the Essential Guide, is now in its fourth printing and was the top selling wine book of 2008 for the University of California Press.

Spirits reviewer Kara Newman, an active member of the New York cocktail and mixology scene, is the author of Spice & Ice: 60 tongue-tingling cocktails (Chronicle Books, 2009) and has written about wine, spirits, and cocktails nationally for the last several years. Her articles have appeared in Wine Enthusiast, The New York Times, Imbibe, The San Francisco Chronicle, Gourmet, and Saveur, among others. Television and radio credits include ABC's View From the Bay, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food on Sirius Radio, Heritage Radio Network, and The Splendid Table. She is also a cocktail consultant, national speaker and cocktail recipe developer.

Tasting Coordinator Anna Lee Iijima joined Wine Enthusiast in 2010 following a career in corporate law. She has studied with the American Sommelier Association, the International Wine Center and the Sake Education Council, and is currently working to obtain a diploma in wine and spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Her passion for Japanese saké and shochu often rivals her devotion to wine.

Contributing reviewer Virginie Boone ("Practical Hedonist") began her writing career wandering the world for Lonely Planet, contributing to guidebooks on South America, Northern California, France and America's Deep South. She figured it'd be just as much fun to write about her own backyard, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino, and that led quite naturally to wine, a subject she's covered regularly for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, a New York Times regional newspaper. Her work also appears in Savor Wine Country Magazine and on zester.daily.com; she is the author of Napa Valley and Sonoma: Heart of California Wine Country.