Marvin R. Shanken: Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado Publisher Dies at

Marvin R. Shanken was an American magazine publisher and editor. Born on October 4, 1943, in New Haven, Connecticut, he studied business at the University of Miami and American University and worked in investment banking before buying the wine and spirits trade newsletter Impact in 1972.

In 1979 he bought The Wine Spectator, a struggling free newspaper, and turned it into a glossy magazine that adopted the 100-point rating scale in 1985. He launched Cigar Aficionado in 1992, renamed Malt Advocate as Whisky Advocate, and founded the trade titles Market Watch and Shanken News Daily. He created the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards and the Wine Experience, whose proceeds have raised more than 40 million dollars for scholarships. He received the Association of Magazine Media Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wine Spectator and Cigar Aficionado announced that he died on October 29, 2026, at age 83.

Achievements: Founder of M. Shanken Communications, Association of Magazine Media Lifetime Achievement Award, Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation.

Birth: October 4, 1943 - New Haven, Connecticut.

Profession: Publisher, editor.

Interesting Facts: He said a bottle of 1961 Petrus at a client dinner sparked his love of wine.