Early life, education and entry into publishing

Shanken grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. He received an undergraduate BBA degree in 1965 from the University of Miami, and then an MBA at American University in 1968.

Shanken started his career in real estate and investment banking, then moved into publishing in 1973, purchasing Impact, a small wine and spirits industry newsletter, before expanding to other trade publications including Market Watch, Shanken News Daily and Impact Newsletter. In 1979, he purchased Wine Spectator a few years after its 1976 founding,^[3] and launched Cigar Aficionado in September 1992.^[4]

He later went on to spearhead Wine Spectator’s entry to the digital world, with mobile apps including Wine Spectator WineRatings+ and Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards.^[5]

High-profile interviews

For Cigar Aficionado, Shanken has interviewed leaders, artists and celebrities—many of whom are famously elusive—such as Fidel Castro (1994), Francis Ford Coppola (2003), General Tommy Franks (2003), Arnon Milchan (2008), Michael Jordan (2005, 2017), Robert De Niro (2015), Alex Rodriguez (2018), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (2020), Mark Wahlberg (2023) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (2023).

In 2020, Shanken's video interview with Michael Jordan was released. To date, it has been seen by over 8 million viewers. Shanken revealed to GQ details behind his two Cigar Aficionado cover story interviews with Jordan, who rarely talks to the press.^[6]

In 2022, Wine Spectator released a rare video interview, filmed in 1999, between Shanken and the famously private Ernest Gallo, co-founder of E & J Gallo Winery.^[7] The interview was filmed on Gallo's 90th birthday.

Reader and industry focused events

Shanken was one of the first magazine publishers to host reader-focused events, with the launches of the New York Wine Experience in 1981, WhiskyFest in 1998 and the Big Smoke in 1993.^[8]

The annual Impact Marketing Seminar for wine and spirits industry leaders from around the world began in 1977 and has featured renowned speakers such as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Dick Cheney, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Milken, Ron DeSantis, Michael Strahan, Abba Eban, Madeleine Albright, John R. Bolton, Newt Gingrich, Tommy Franks, Helmut Schmidt and Walter Cronkite.

Additional

In 2021, M. Shanken Communications published a special 50th anniversary issue, whose contents included an interview with Marvin R. Shanken, the origins of M. Shanken Communications, a history of the U.S. drinks market, a history of the cigar industry and a look at the future of wine and spirits in America.^[9]

In 2019, Shanken News Daily launched its Cannabis Edition, a weekly newsletter covering the cannabis market, with a special focus on the movements of major drinks industry companies.^[10]

Shanken and his wife Hazel collect French poster art from the 1890s to WWI, the era of Toulouse-Lautrec. The collection is showcased in a book by Jack Rennert called Posters of the Belle Epoque.

Charity events

Shanken is the creator of several annual charity events including Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience (started in 1981); Cigar Aficionado's Night to Remember dinner for prostate cancer (1993); and the Els for Autism Pro-Am Golf Tournament (2010). Combined, the events have raised more than $50 million. The monies have been donated to many educational and culinary institutions.

Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation

He is also founder of the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation. In 2021, the Foundation made a record $10 million commitment to Napa Valley College to support the construction and expansion of the college's Viticulture, Wine and Technology program teaching spaces, which will be named the Wine Spectator Wine Education Complex at Napa Valley College.^[11]

In 2020, the Foundation contributed $250,000 to World Central Kitchen, the charitable organization led by chef Jose Andres.^[12]

In addition, the Foundation funded Sonoma State University's Wine Spectator Learning Center, which opened its doors in 2018.^[13]

Els for Autism Foundation

In 2009, Shanken, along with Ernie Els and Liezl Els, founded the Els for Autism Foundation in Jupiter, Florida. With a global mission to transform the lives of people with autism and those who care for them through lifetime services and collaborative partnerships, the Foundation built and runs a school for 300 boys and girls on an expansive 26-acre campus in Jupiter, Florida. Shanken served as Chairman of the Board, with his tenure concluding in 2023. As of 2023, he serves as Honorary Chairman.^[14]

In 2018, the Els for Autism Foundation and the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai partnered to create the Seaver Els Institute, a research organization dedicated to helping people on the autism spectrum fulfill their potential to lead positive, productive and rewarding lives.^[15]

In 2016, at the annual Els for Autism Pro-Am, Rickie Fowler shot a hole-in-one, resulting in a $1,000,000 donation.^[16]

Scholarship and Organizational Activities

In 2021, the Marvin and Hazel Shanken DEI Scholarship was announced. The scholarship benefits students pursuing a hospitality education at Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.^[17]

Shanken is an Honorary Board Member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami.^[18]

In 1988, he was inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich, which was founded that year as a celebration of Scottish culture, tradition and whisky. As of 2023, he serves as vice chair of the USA chapter.^[19]