Still, is this distinction enough to hang a magazine on? Wine Adventure's editor-in-chief, Michele Ostrove, claims that many women are left cold both by wine ratings and by the tasting notes that accompany the scores. Although studies show that women have a more acute sense of smell than men, Ostrove says that in her experience, women are less inclined to stick their noses in a glass of wine and report every aroma they think they detect, à la Parker and other critics. ("Mission figs dipped in caramel, with hints of vanilla, talc, balsam wood, and Indian spices, rolled in sweet Cuban tobacco leaves, framed by fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Classy juice.") The fact that Parker and his ilk offer no food-pairing advice, says Ostrove, only deepens the sense of frustration.
Wine Adventure is a smart-looking lifestyle magazine, but there is little about the content that seems overtly girly. Compared with Wine Spectator, it does speak in a different voice, but it's not at all obvious that that voice is a feminine one.