[Hong Kong – April 30, 2021] Gavin Jones joins JamesSuckling.com, the international wine media and events company, as CEO on May 1. Jones has extensive experience in the wine and drinks business having served more than 25 years as managing director of Jebsen Beverage Co. Ltd., the largest wine, spirits and beer company in Hong Kong with extensive operations in Mainland China. He is also the founder and chairman of GRJ Beverage Consulting Ltd, a successful agency that continues servicing its clients with a strengthened line up of independent consultants and advisors in the drinks business.
Jones will be based in Hong Kong and will manage the business as well as the staff of 17 around the world.
“Gavin is an important part of my company’s plans for the future bringing some of the best wine content and ratings in the world as well as high-end wine events and masterclasses for the consumer and trade around the world,” said James Suckling, the founder of JamesSuckling.com. Suckling, based in Hong Kong, has been a wine critic for 40 years, first as a senior editor for the American wine magazine, The Wine Spectator, and then with his own internet-based platform which started in December 2010. JamesSuckling.com scores, notes and reports are among the most widely quoted and shared wine content globally amongst the wine trade and consumers.
Jones added, “I am absolutely delighted to join the team at JamesSuckling.com. The James Suckling brand resonates around the world and the momentum we are currently enjoying shows that we are ready for the next phase of growth, both from a media perspective but also, once safe, for our wine events program. The level of interest in JamesSuckling.com from consumers, the wine trade and winery owners is remarkable; we will continue to build a first-class platform to provide the very best content and events.”
Suckling is best known for his wine ratings, which carry the initials “JS” around the world. Last year, he and his team rated more than 18,000 different wines. This year they have already rated 7,000 wines and hope to reach 30,000 by the end of the year. His highly successful on-line wine course with Masterclass.com is one of the best watched of its kind with tens of thousands of subscribers. His company is currently conducting dozens of masterclasses under the banner of “Great Wines of World” in Hong Kong and hope to expand again to Mainland China and the US in the autumn. In 2019, JamesSuckling.com organized more than two dozen large wine events in key wine cities around the world including Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Miami, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Seoul.
“The growth in on-line wines sales has been incredible in the last 13 months due to the pandemic as well as other initiatives in the world of wine such as Zoom tastings, so our content both online and through social media has been in even greater demand.” said Suckling. “But I believe that we will all relish the chance to attend in-person wine events when it’s safe and we get the chance.”
For more information please contact Anne Krueger at JamesSuckling.com: ak@jamessuckling.com .
About JamesSuckling.com
James Suckling is one of the world’s foremost wine critics, having rated more than 250,000 wines over four decades. His dedicated website JamesSuckling.com explores the best in wine through ratings, blogs, podcasts and videos. Founded in 2010, JamesSuckling.com now features more than 130,000 tasting notes, numerous tasting reports, videos and other wine-related articles. His team of tasters currently rate almost 2,000 wines a week. The company reaches more than 4 million followers through its website, social media platforms, newsletters, and partnerships with luxury magazines such as Asia’s Prestige and Noblesse in South Korea and China. James.Suckling on Instagram has 275,000 followers and is one of the largest wine influencer accounts on the platform. JamesSuckling.com’s Great Wines events have become some of the biggest and most popular wine tasting events around the world, taking place in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, Miami and San Francisco in the United States, as well as Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul, and Hong Kong. In 2018 the James Suckling Wine Central wine bar opened in Central Hong Kong, offering more than 500 wines by the glass, all rated 90 points or above, as well as daily tastings and weekly wine events. It has become the go-to destination for all wine professionals, discerning collectors, and wine lovers in the city.
