Marvin Shanken (1943-2026)
How Shanken Uncorked My Career
By Jan Walsh
On a wintery day in 2005, I lay in the bed with the flu. Opening the mail, I received a letter from a magazine, which had accepted my pitch for a story on Birmingham’s Dr. Duane Randleman. This magazine published stories about doctors with interesting hobbies. Thus, I saw his hobby, turned business, of building private wine cellars as a perfect fit. Yet the letter was from its new editor, who disagreed, stating that she was overturning the previous editor’s decision to publish the article.
I did not take this well, especially while too sick to get out of bed. I decided not to bother with this small publication again… “I am going to send this pitch to Wine Spectator, I declared with a raspy voice.” I further emphasized, “And I am going to send it straight to Marvin Shanken.” Shanken was the legendary founder of publishing company, M. Shanken Communications and the longtime editor and publisher of Wine Spectator. So, there was no one who could overturn his decisions. I grabbed my laptop, wrote a letter to him along with the pitch, entitled, “The Cellar Surgeon,” licked the stamp, and Kev took it to the mailbox. This was a bold move for a writer, who had a wine column in a local magazine, but had never been published beyond Birmingham. So, I honestly did not expect to hear back from Shanken, other than a thank you but not interested letter. But it made me feel better to pound out the letter and send it, knowing there were other wine magazines I could also pitch it to if I got turned down by Wine Spectator.
Surprisingly, just a few days later, while still in bed with the flu, I got a call from Shanken’s office. He requested photos of cellars that Randleman had built. I quickly got a CD of cellar images together, leaving out the largest due to the notoriety of the owner and mailed it to him. After Shanken received them, I got another call approving the story for the “Collecting” department’s monthly column. I was over the moon and think the positive adrenaline quickened my recovery!
Randleman was just as delighted. That week on a frosty morning we met at his house. Over hot cups of espresso, I “interviewed” him. My interviewing style is basically getting the person to talking, about what I want them to talk about, while listening and note taking. I learned how he got into wine, and like myself, Randleman was an avid Champagne enthusiast. He also revealed that he had built the cellars with the help of his father a former accountant who was “good with wood.” These cellars ranged from $10K to multi room $750K. Soon afterwards I had the story written and mailed it to Shanken. A third call came asking me to set up a photo shoot with the owners of one of the cellars and the wine photographer Wine Spectator was sending to Birmingham. And the story was published in May 2005.
Also, in 2005 Jane Seymour was in Birmingham to promote her line of home products. I was seated beside her at a media brunch. And I interviewed her afterwards. Having read that her mother was a sommelier, I pitched the idea of publishing her own wine story. She was hesitant yet her public relations person encouraged it. Thus, in July 2005, “Wine Talk: Jane Seymour” was published in Wine Spectator.
My next Wine Spectator story was planned as a feature about the late Julian LeCraw. Real estate mogul who built the glass skyscrapers across Atlanta’s skyline, he was known as the “Donald Trump of Atlanta.” He also had a passion for wine, with seven cellars with a 25,000-bottle collection. On the day before the scheduled interview, LeCraw called me backing out, fearing the publicity and international exposure. I was very disappointed that I could not deliver as promised to the magazine. They understood and said if he ever changed his mind they would run the story. Months later, LeCraw called and said he had changed his mind and wanted to do the story. This time I turned him down, telling him I was no longer interested, for fear he would bolt again as we got closer to publishing it. He was not accustomed to taking no for an answer and began to call and email me daily asking me to reconsider. He promised to be “a good boy” and would be available 24-7 until it was published. After a few days I gave in and scheduled the interview again at his Buckhead home. Arriving at his mansion, he welcomed and introduced me to (the architect of the cellar and the wine inventory keeper. Both had flown in from California for the interview. Down 32 feet the cellar was remote guarded by thumbprint-recognition technology, hidden cameras, laser-beam sensors, touch-screen computers, and secret walls that move at the touch of a hand. LeCraw pushed a button on a remote and a hanging painting slid beneath a portion of the wall to reveal a window into one of the cellars. Another button released nitrogen particles into the cellar, illuminating the laser beams that sense movement in the chambers and are connected to an alarm system. I felt like Jane Seymour in a James Bond movie! We toured six cellars surrounding a tasting room, and a seventh cellar off site. And as I departed Julian gifted me seven wines, one from each cellar. Yet I knew I was in over my head, not even being familiar with most of these wines. So, I had a lot to learn quickly. Also too overwhelmed to organize this into an outline much less a story, I decided to start where I always do, and come up with the title, “Seventh Heaven.” After months of phone calls and emails between Julian and me, I got my mind around his history, each cellar, and his future ambition to build a wine cave. But when the Wine Spectator called to arrange the photography, LeCraw’s secretary said he wanted his photo taken in his office at Julian LeCraw and Company. My editor at Wine Spectator told me to “work my magic” with him. I called and talked to him like his mother, told him he owed me this, and the photo shoot would happen in his cellars. And it did. The feature was published December 2005.
That winter I was invited to the Wine Writers Symposium in Napa Valley. Here I met Vintner Hugh Davies of Schramsberg and J. Davies. On a later trip to Napa, Davies later treated Kev and me to lunch in Jack’s Olive Grove where his chef prepared our meal. When I invited him to come to Birmingham, he said that Schramsberg and J. Davies didn’t not sell much wine in Birmingham. I replied, “Let’s change that.” Later I set up a vintner dinner for Davies with Birmingham’s Chapter of International Wine and Food Society (IW&FS). He and I also visited wine shops while he was here. And he called me, after I dropped him off, from the airport saying he just heard from the winery. And he sold more wine that weekend than they had in the State of Alabama the prior year. He has hosted us several times in his home with his family since. I was also invited to his mother, Jamie’s funeral. He has since been back to Birmingham, staying in our home again, and hopes to come back next year. Also, in 2027 Davies generously blocked off the morning of my birthday on his calendar to celebrate my birthday with us at Schramsberg Vineyards and Cave.
Also in attendance at the symposium was Wine Spectator’s Harry Steiman. Steiman encouraged my development of awards for BirminghamWine.com. It was my first business, which was supported by California wineries and local wine shops as well as Piggly Wiggly Wine Department. And it was the beginning of my serial entrepreneurial, future Internet ventures for restaurants, physicians, and attorneys. Just as Shanken started the Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Awards to encourage restaurants to up their wine game, I wanted the same for local restaurants. Thus, taking Steinman’s advice, Birmingham Wine gave wine awards for years to local restaurants with various categories, such as wine dinners, sparkling, etc.
Upon reading LeCraw’s private wine cave wish, a private collector with his own cave sent a letter to Wine Spectator requesting that I write a feature on private wine caves. The timing was perfect! I had been invited to Auction Napa Valley, which was a few months away. So, I extended the trip to include visits to private wine caves and meet with the cave excavation companies.
During auction weekend, I had the great honor of being on stage with brothers, Robert Mondavi and Peter Mondavi. For the silent auction, I collaborated with artist, Valentino Monticello for him to create a collage of Napa Valley and pair the art with large format bottles from the wineries: Schramsburg, Far Niente, and Opus One. The night before the auction, we were hosted for dinner with Winemaker Ed Sbragio, at Beringer Estates. Celebrity Chef Cat Cora cooked and shared the meal. Another night we were hosted at Jackson Family Winery, where Jess Jackson invited me to watch the sun set. Here we were entertained by and made friends with Frank D'Ambrosio, who also came to Birmingham soon afterwards to perform. And the evening of the auction Harlan invited me to a small cocktail party before the auction where I sat with and sipped Champagne with the woman who would later win the final auction lot for $1M.
Having previously met the late Bill Harlan of Harlan estate and Meadowood during the wine symposium, he hosted me on every trip afterward with stays at Meadowood. And he has written to me through the years with the most recent letter announcing his retirement from Harlan Estates. The trips also included more restaurants that I can name. But the standout was Restaurant at Meadowood with Executive Chef Christopher Kostow, a Michelin 3-star. Tragically the Glass Fire in 2020 destroyed much of Meadowood including the restaurant and Calistoga Ranch.
At my invitation Sbragia came to Birmingham to be the Master of Ceremonies for the IW&FS. Soon afterwards Sbragia left Beringer to start his own label, Sbragia Family Vineyards in 2006 at the old Lake Sonoma Winery property. Upon our arrival we are greeted by “Welcome Jan and Kevin,” written on their chalkboard sign. Here we had a private tasting and tour with Sbragia of his new wines and his panoramic Sonoma property. Having previously packed a picnic from Dry Creek General Store and spent the afternoon boating on Lake Sonoma, which adjoined the Sbragia property. Sadly, this winery has been closed since 2024. But good news, it is reopening in Spring 2027 after a merger with Brookside Vineyard Company, in the Brookside name.
Another Sonoma favorite was the French inspired Jordan Winery. Proprietor, John Jordan hosted us for two nights in their private Chateau Guest Suite and a picnic lunch the chef had prepared at Lake Jordan. As a black swan glides across the lake, Jordan shared lunch and his father’s story and original vision of producing world class Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay—along with his vision for the future. Our suite was fit for a princess overlooking Jordan’s Barrel Room, from one balcony and the vineyards from another. As I opened the door to the Barrel Room, all the workers scurried to hide behind the barrels. One lost his cap and a hand reached out to snag it. In early mornings the kitchen staff would silently sneak into the suite and set up breakfast without us ever hearing or seeing them. And late afternoons we tasted wines under the shade tree in the vineyards before dinner.
Bacchus Cave’s David Provost and others helped with connections to private cave owners. At one cave the owner had a tennis court outside. Here Dunn Vineyards’ Randy Dunn was stringing a tennis racket. He sat in on the visit and sent us home with special vintages of his wines. Cave excavation was a learning experience that lasted until after I returned home. I can still remember the late Alf Burtelson calling me on my Blackberry while I was out walking my neighborhood discussing a cave excavation. After sending the private wine cave options to Wine Spectator, they selected the caves of George Bull, Larry Grunewald, and Vito Bialla for the upcoming story. I titled it, “Modern-Day Cavemen.” The article grew from a feature to a cover story. And the day the magazine arrived in my mailbox I excitedly ran in the house with it. Holding it up and saying, “I can now die happy. I made the cover of Wine Spectator!” Soon afterwards, Grunewald sold his property to a Wine Spectator reader who fell in love with his cave while reading the article. He called me and told me and jokingly that he owed me a realtor commission. And he later sent me wines with his own label from the property. Today, 20 years later, people still remember the story published in November 2006.
More trips to wine country came as I continued to contribute to Wine Spectator. Another forever memory from these trips was the night we were to meet Peter Mondavi, Jr. at a restaurant for dinner. He wanted to share his new book with me. On the way, I realized there were two locations for this restaurant name. And I panicked because the one we were headed to was five minutes away, and the other was much further. I called the first location and asked if it was the right location. The woman on the phone, asked, the name of my reservation. I gulped and replied, with pride, “Mondavi.” She said that Peter is sitting right here waiting for you. On the next trip he hosted us at Charles Krug the day after I spent the night in St. Helena hospital with an allergic reaction. On another trip I broke my foot at a winery in Livermore Valley. So, it was not all wine and roses. But mostly.
I continued writing about private collectors for the next several years, including a hotelier John Jorgenson’s second wine cellar "Improving On Perfection," physician Ben Gravatt’s "Garage Wines", and a jewelers Steve and Judy Padis’s private wine cave, "Safe Keepting" before Wine Spectator ceased the Collecting column. And since I have written in the "People: Thomas Price" section about Auburn’s Master Sommelier. Most recently my Wine Spectator editor asked me to make time to write for them again regularly.
I have Shanken to thank for all these opportunities, experiences, relationships, and memories. I am saddened by his death today. And as I read his full life and wine story, I learned that Shanken had an epiphany, while lying in a hospital bed after a traffic accident, that he wanted to become a wine writer. So coincidentally, both of us decided to become wine writers while recovering in bed. I hope to find more time in my future for wine writing because I do not believe in coincidences. But I do believe Shanken would have wanted more of my wine stories.
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