Anthony Dias Blue
Anthony Dias Blue (January 5, 1941 – December 25, 2023) was an American author, editor, columnist, television and radio personality, and founder of a wine and food event company in Los Angeles. He was born in Larchmont, New York, to Gertrud and Sidney Blue, and attended Riverdale Country School and Amherst College. Blue married Kathryn Koshland in 1967 and they had four children. He moved to San Francisco in 1978.
Blue became known for restaurant reviews on WCBS radio in New York, later adding wine coverage. His feature, The Blue Lifestyle Minute, ran for more than 30 years and earned him a James Beard Award in 2001. A Los Angeles version began in 1999 on KFWB, later moving to KABC with The Taste Buds, and then to KNX in 2014, reaching over 200,000 listeners.
He built a major wine and spirits events business, acquiring the San Francisco International Wine Competition and launching the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2000. He served as West Coast Editor of Food & Wine and as Wine and Spirits Editor of Bon Appétit for many years. He wrote wine columns for the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News and helped with the Zagat Guide for Northern California.
In 2007 he and Meridith May bought Patterson's Beverage Journal and renamed it The Tasting Panel, which became a leading beverage publication. The Tasting Panel later acquired The Sommelier Journal, with Blue as Editor-in-Chief. He produced numerous wine and food events worldwide and was the color commentator on Iron Chef USA in 2001. He authored nine books on wine, spirits, and cocktails, and with his wife wrote two cookbooks, Thanksgiving Dinner and America’s Kitchen.
Blue received several honors, including a 1988 James Beard Who’s Who in Food Award, a 1997 Communicator of the Year Award from the International Wine & Spirits Competition, and a 2001 James Beard Award for The Blue Lifestyle Minute.
He died in Los Angeles on December 25, 2023, at age 82.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:05 (CET).