I grew up in New Haven, Conn., where my parents owned a jewelry store. I graduated with a business degree from the University of Miami, then earned a master's of business administration at American University in Washington, D.C. I began my career on Wall Street, specializing in real estate and investment banking, but was bitten by the wine bug in the early 1970s.
I started my publishing career in 1973, when I paid $5,000 for a small wine and spirits industry newsletter called Impact. Now the company's roster of magazines includes Wine Spectator, Whisky Advocate and Cigar Aficionado, along with the trade publication Market Watch.
I enjoy the light opera of Gilbert & Sullivan, the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the novels of Jeffrey Archer. I'm also a lifelong fan of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, who performed at the California Wine Experience in 1992 and 2002. My new-found happiness is on any great golf course.
