Virginie Boone is a UC Berkeley political science graduate who earned a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University. She began her career at Lonely Planet, an experience that helped shape her unique perspective on wine criticism.

Boone covers Washington state, Spain, Argentina, and several key regions of California for JebDunnuck.com with a commitment to accuracy, a spirit of exploration, and a deep understanding of the people behind the wine.

Boone spent several years at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, writing features and news stories about wine, food, and travel for the daily newspaper, formerly owned by the New York Times Co., and its quarterly food and wine magazine, Savor.

Her work at the Press Democrat opened the door to a contributing editor and reviewer role at Wine Enthusiast, where Boone spent over a decade as the wine critic for Napa and Sonoma, responsible for over 30,000 reviews during her tenure. Additionally, Boone has written about wine, spirits, and travel for Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, Somm Journal, Tasting Panel, GuildSomm, and others.

While honing her palate, Boone has never lost her desire to literally go to the source of the story. “I love walking vineyards and try to spend as much time in them as I can,” she says.

She likens the task of wine criticism to that of a travel writer, immersing herself in the vineyards, establishing relationships, and understanding the stories behind the labels. Her philosophy is to treat wine criticism not strictly as a tasting exercise but as an exploration of culture, geography, and craftsmanship.

When she’s not reading or writing about wine, Boone is reading music and movie memoirs. She is married, has a 19-year-old son, enjoys hiking, and has a passion for animal welfare, volunteering at a local dog rescue.

The adventurous spirit that brought Boone to journalism and wine remains intact — along with a lingering obsession with Stevie Nicks, with whom Boone one day hopes to share a glass of wine and convince to let ghostwrite her memoir.