Is Costco the largest single retailer of wine in the United States? I believe they are.
So, it's a very nice little coup for Wine Enthusiast Magazine to be able to announce that their reviews and ratings will accompany wines being sold at 300+ Costco stores around the country.
I can't speak to all the Wine Enthusiast wine reviews with the confidence that I can speak to their reviews of California and West Coast wines. But here's the thing. Over the past two years or so I've seen the Wine Enthusiast's reviews of West Coast wines take on what seems to be a call for balance in wines. It seems more and more these reviews are marking down or not rating as high wines of huge extraction or high alcohols, or some combination thereof, in favor of wines of balance.
This is a pretty important change. The person behind what I see is Steven Heimoff, the West Coast Editor of the Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Heimoff is a man who has been tasting
and reviewing wine for quite some time. So, it's not as though it's a newcomer on a crusade. Also, I'm not suggesting that Heimoff has no time for "BIG" wines. He clea
rly understands there is a market for them and a devoted following for such prototypical California wines. It's just that he seems to be looking to make sure that when they come in that form they have the entire package...fruit, weight and structure. That's a good thing!
The Costco partnership will impact the visibility of Wine Enthusiast Magazine. That's a good thing, too.
