About Us
Welcome to Cristaldi & Co. your trusted source for reviews on wine, spirits, food, and balanced living.
Established in 2024 by Jonathan Cristaldi—a seasoned writer, storyteller, actor, event host, avante-garde educator and humorist with over 15 years of experience covering wine and food and the Napa Valley Correspondent for Decanter magazine—our mission is to help you embrace and elevate your epicurean journey.
Here, you’ll find detailed ratings and reviews of top wines, spirits, gourmet foods, and wellness products, alongside expert itineraries and compelling stories designed to inform and inspire you to lead a balanced, healthy lifestyle.
We deliver all of this with a dose of humor and a commitment to quality you can trust. Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or just beginning to explore the world of fine tastes, we’re here to be your guide.
Founder Jonathan Cristaldi
An International Man of Beverage Journalism, Time Out New York's "New Wine Prophet," and Cristaldi's Crush Podcast Host
Since 2021, Jonathan Cristaldi has served as the Napa Valley correspondent and critic for Decanter, an authoritative UK-based magazine distributed to over 90 countries with a reach of over 2 million subscribers. Cristaldi has produced extensive reports on Napa Valley Cabernet, the California wine scene, and beyond. Cristaldi is also the Editor-at-Large for The SOMM Journal and Tasting Panel Magazine.
Cristaldi’s written work has appeared in Food & Wine, Departures, The SOMM Journal, Tasting Panel Magazine, Liquor (dot) com, Seven Fifty Daily, Los Angeles Magazine, Thrillist, Tasting Table, Time Out LA, First We Feast, Vivino, Psychology Today, Distinct, and The Montecito Journal. Cristaldi also scripts film and documentary projects with award-winning commercial director and photographer Rachid Dahnoun.
In 2011, Time Out New York named him one of the new “Wine Prophets” for his witty and avant-garde approach to wine education. He was the mastermind behind “The L-Train Luncheon,” an experiential New York City subway car event that was covered by The New York Times.
"My rock bottom is still your wildest dreams!"
In 2009, I wrote my first published article about wine — by accident. Growing up in a rural upstate New York trailer park, my life was simple and modest, though I didn’t quite realize it then. After college, I moved to NYC, grinding it out as a performance artist before landing a job as a publicist in midtown Manhattan.
Wine first intrigued me in college, and my passion for it really took off after a visit to California in 2008. I wanted to bring a slice of that wine country magic back to New York, so I launched avant-garde wine parties with live music and performances under the name The Noble Rot. The concept caught on, even catching the attention of Chris Schonberger, then a writer for Time Out NY.
Schonberger, now co-creator of the hit show Hot Ones, had just launched First We Feast and invited me to write a wine column. Under his guidance, I developed a punchy, irreverent style. I even wrote a piece predicting that the 100-point wine rating system would become obsolete — a claim I’d now rate about 50 points: half right, half nuts.
My writing style has always leaned toward straightforward prose with a twist of humor. Since my First We Feast days, I’ve contributed to numerous publications, often encountering editorial “guardrails” that made me feel like my grandfather stumbling down the hallways of a retirement home.
Now, I’m bringing my experience, love for a good time, and my salty sense of humor (thanks to influences like Mel Brooks, Andy Kaufman, Martin Short, and Christopher Guest) to Cristaldi & Co.
Here, you’ll find my takes on wine, spirits, food, wellness, and more — and you can tune into Cristaldi’s Crush, a game-show-inspired podcast with all the energy and irreverence I’m known for.
