WILLIAM GLUCKSTERN

GLUCKSTERN--William B. William B. Gluckstern (also stylized Willie Gluckstern, with the German Umlaut) was a wine importer, educator, writer and wine agent based in New York City. He worked for over 40 years in the wine and spirits industry. He established himself as a self-taught authority on wine and food pairing and did not hold back on his opinions. He wrote a witty and playful wine column for New York City's Learning Annex course brochures in the 1980s where he also taught classes for two decades and inspired thousands of novice wine lovers. He put his thoughts and beliefs about wine and its relationship to food into practice as the consulting wine director at Nancy's Wines For Food, a groundbreaking wine and spirits retailer on Manhattan's Upper West Side in the 1990s and early 2000s. The shop's sleek design and highly curated selection presented with clever write-ups (which he often wrote) became the template for a generation of wine stores. One of his best-known works was the 1998 guidebook The Wine Avenger (Simon & Schuster) - a fun, irreverent take on wine, aimed at demystifying the wine world for the regular consumer. The book's playful, satirical tone was a hit with readers, propelling the little paperback through multiple editions. In it he took pot shots at wine-snobbery, pretentious marketing, and over- priced wine. "There are just as many lousy $60 bottles as $3.99 bottles," was a typical zinger. Town and Country Magazine included a line from the book in their Top Ten Best Champagne Quotes: "In a perfect world, everyone would have a glass of Champagne every evening, no later than 6:00pm." Gluckstern was one of the foremost experts on German wine in the United States. He served as their champion in all of his professional ventures. Under his brand name, Willie Gluckstern Selections, he sourced wines for import from Germany, as well as Italy, Spain and France, focused on affordable price points. He designed many of the labels himself to make the wines more appealing and accessible to American consumers. Willie was a vibrant, warm and genuine person, naturally charismatic, quick with a joke and always ready to make others laugh. He drew people in with his energy and could turn an ordinary moment into a lasting happy memory. Beneath his playful and spontaneous side he was deeply kind and caring; he was the first to lend a hand and his presence made people feel lighter and more at ease. He loved and surrounded himself with plants, music, food and wine. He was married three times and divorced twice. He is survived by Anna, his spouse, his sister Jane, the family of his late brother Steven, his cousins, and countless friends whose life he changed forever.