Dr. Vinny

I was born in 2005 from the mind of our publisher, Marvin R. Shanken, who pictured an approachable cartoon character as the best way for wine lovers to feel comfortable asking questions. It was the perfect responsibility for me to take on; I've always loved reading advice columns, from Dear Abby and Miss Manners to Dan Savage. It's easily the favorite part of my job, putting me directly in touch with our readers from all over the world. Keep those questions coming!

And the person behind Dr. Vinny's mask? That's MaryAnn Worobiec, the political science and sociology major from The Ohio State University (don't bother talking to her about football; she was the nerd who liked how quiet the library was on game days) who followed her love of wine from New York's Finger Lakes to the restaurant business in Ohio. She then escaped to California, taking an entry level job in the tasting department of Wine Spectator back in 1997. Today she is the Napa bureau chief and a senior editor, and quite comfortable talking about herself in the third person, whether as MaryAnn or Dr. Vinny.