WHO IS SJ

Stephanie Johnson, a.k.a. SteepleJack or SJ, has been writing exclusively about Italian wine for more than a decade. Her wine career spans the journalism, retail and restaurant sectors, including five years as Wine Director at City Winery in Soho. She joined Wine & Spirits Magazine as Tasting Director in 2013 and served as Italian Wine Editor from 2016 to 2024. Her pursuit of stories about Italian wines and the people who make them takes her to all 20 of Italy’s wine regions.

Stephanie holds the WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits and is one of 22 people worldwide who are certified as an Italian Wine Expert by Vinitaly Academy. She has judged at international competitions such as the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon in Bordeaux and Five Star Wines in Verona, led masterclasses for top sommeliers in NYC, and presented at major industry events including Vinitaly and wine2wine in Verona. A passionate educator, she teaches WSET Level 2, Level 3 and Diploma courses at NYC’s International Wine Center.

To find out the origin of the name SteepleJack, click here to read wine writer Jordan Mackay’s dramatic rationale for coming up with the nickname.