Jim Turner was a master among wine connoisseurs Mr. Turner, who owned the Wine Watch wine store in Fort Lauderdale and was one of the world’s experts on wines, died on Saturday of lymphoma at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Miami. He was 51.
“His fascination with wines began while he was in high school,” said his brother, Karl Turner. “He was quite the authority on California wines in particular.
By the late 80s, he had developed an international reputation for his knowledge of wines.”
He founded Wine Watch, a small but exclusive wine store in the Progresso Plaza at Progresso Drive and Northeast Third Avenue, in 1983.
“He would go to great extremes for his customers,” said Bob Hosman, wine writer for the Sun-Sentinel.
“In the 20 years I’ve known him, I’ve never known another person with such a taste for wine.”
Mr. Turner also was a writer. He was senior editor at Wine News magazine, a Coral Gables-based publication distributed throughout the United States and Canada.
“All of his columns were wonderful, but his annual column on the best of the wines during the year was spectacular,” Hosman said.
Mr. Turner was born in Maine, but moved to Fort Lauderdale _ it was his favorite vacation spot _ after serving a stint in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He made his mark in the restaurant industry in Fort Lauderdale. In 1978, he was hired by Dennis Maxx as the wine steward for the original Cafe Maxx in Pompano Beach.
There will be no service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Voluntary Service /120/135, 1201 NW 16th St., Miami, FL 33125.
