Kathy Marcks Hardesty is the former Tasting Coordinator for Wine Spectator magazine. She prefers wines that exhibit classic varietal characteristics, regional identity, and the depth and balance to make a good meal great. She’s just as enthusiastic about sharing news of those rare, value-priced wines of good quality. Despite her past association with wine critics, she doesn’t assign numbers to wines, save in her memory (old habits die hard). She prefers writing descriptive reviews that whet the palate and leaves the final score to her readers.