The Continuing Evolution of the Wine Media

With recommendations of the the best of the new

The substance of what passes as “wine media” or wine communications” has not changed in decades, if ever. What’s changed is how wine media is distributed and who is doing the distribution. The evolution of the distribution of wine media has been slow. But, notably, we are now in the midst of another change to the system by which the wine-curious and wine-obsessed get their information fix.

First, about that question of substance. Go back in time as far as you want or can and observe the basic substance of wine writing. You’ll find it always has and still does revolve around 3 basic themes: What wines taste like. Who is making it and how it is made. Who is selling it and how it is sold.

Whether we are reading ancient or recent descriptions of what wines taste like or reading lists of numerical ratings as stand-ins for quality determinations, it has always been about what’s in the bottle (or cask). Whether it is an ancient description of Falurno or modern books on the history of Burgundy, the question being answered is how is it made and by whom. Finally, because wine is and always has been a business, a good deal of writing has centered on how and where wine is sold. Within these categories, all manner of wine writing can be appropriately placed.

It’s how these categories of wine information have been distributed and accessed that has seen meaningful change and evolution. It can honestly be said that for centuries, the distribution of wine information was controlled by those with the means (money) to create information distribution vehicles. From control of ancient scriptoriums to ownership of printing presses, those who controlled this mechanical technology also controlled the information that was disseminated about wine. Call it the ownership of the means of publication.

In 1990, when I first entered the wine industry as a young publicist working at the Wine PR firm of Gracelyn and Burns, my job was to communicate with writers and editors who worked at physical wine magazines, newspapers, radio stations, and television networks. If I was successful, subscribers to magazines and newspapers would read all sorts of good things about the clients I represented when their magazine showed up monthly in their mailbox or when they opened their paper (usually on Wednesdays) and turned to the food and wine section produced by nearly every daily newspaper,

The magazines that published wine information might be specifically about wine (Wine & Spirits Magazine, The Wine Spectator, Quarterly Review of Wine, The Wine News, Wine Enthusiast, Wine X, etc., etc. Or they might be general interest magazines that published wine columns. Most midsized to large daily newspapers and even some smaller and weekly newspapers bought a syndicated wine column to include in their pages.

What’s important to note about this system of wine media distribution is that in order to be a member of the wine information club, you had to have the means to publish and distribute a magazine or newspaper—a very expensive prospect that resulted in a tiny number of people controlling what information about wine was disseminated.

None of this is to say that the information flowing into wine lovers' mailboxes and daily newspapers was not good or brilliant. It was often, even usually, very good due to professional editors and highly professional writers doing the work.

Little changed in the early days of the Internet. When we were surfing the early internet with Netscape, there was little in the way of published wine information; when it was, it was generally produced by wine magazines that published a small part of their content on their early websites. Through the early 2000s, most wine lovers still looked to print publications, newspapers, and books for their wine information.

Then, in the early years of the 00s, came the blog.

Powered by inexpensive and easy-to-use platforms for publishing such as Blogger and Typepad, then Wordpess, the emergence of the blog tore down the gates that kept most people out of the publishing pastures. Between 2004 and 2015 the number of wine blogs exploded and wine lovers flocked to them. It seemed anyone with a corkscrew and a WordPress account was now a publisher.

Whether the new voices that emerged from the wine blogosphere were any good, of any use, insightful or downright laughable isn’t the point. What changed everything was that with the blog, everyone had access to a printing press and everyone used the same delivery method. And it cost next to nothing for the emerging wine blogger to platform their blog and deliver it—just like the legacy wine publishers.

It wasn’t that the gatekeepers of wine information had fallen asleep on their watch. It was that the gates they were guarding disappeared.

I could write a book-length history of wine blogging, having been part of it from the start. That book, however, will never get written mainly because there are probably only 17 people who would read it. I do, however, have the title for the book: “Cheers! Now Who the Fuck Are You?—A History of Wine Blogging.” Instead, my own blog, Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog, with more than 3,500 posts beginning in November 2004 is still accessible for all to see.

One thing the emergent collection of wine bloggers never did well was monetize their wine publishing efforts. While advertising and revenue generation through subscriptions remained the raison d’etre of the legacy wine media that eventually migrated their content and businesses to the Internet, the vast majority of wine bloggers concentrated on writing and publishing. Some took ads, but few drew an audience large enough to justify the advertisers’ attention. Moreover, few wine bloggers published something new frequently enough to draw more and more eyeballs to their work and any prospective advertisers’ ads.

Then came Substack.

Substackification is still an ongoing evolution in the realm of wine writing and publishing. That evolution is not unlike the wine blogging evolution. Substack, along with other subscription-generating platforms like Medium and Patreon, has provided independent writers with a simple and off-the-shelf way to generate revenue from their content.

Substack is essentially a blogging (publishing) and newsletter distribution platform rolled into one with the addition of a built-in subscription management and payment system. This evolution in wine media and wine publishing may seem minor. In fact, it is minor compared to the way the blogging evolution tore down the gates that the keepers had guarded for centuries. But the implications are significant for independent content creators.

The best and most popular wine writers and content creators, despite the emergence of the blog platform, gravitated toward commercial and legacy media to generate revenue for themselves. This revenue usually came in the form of a fee for words that were then published with their name attached under the banner of a larger media entity. Substack provides these writers and journalists an easy means of getting paid for their work without relying on legacy and larger publications and media.

Over the past year or two, a substantial number of wine content creators have migrated to Substack or begun their writing careers on Substack. I want to use the rest of this post highlight some of the better and more significant wine substack newsletters that I highly recommend. In my view, Substack and similar publishing and subscription platforms will be the venue where important wine content creators ane writers emerge.

WINE WANDERINGS from Tricia High Connover
A publication for consumers with all manner of content

THE CORK REPORT from Lenn Thompson
Focused on the wines of NY an the East Coast by a former blogger and expert on wines from the Atlantic corridor.

NAPA VALLEY FEATURES from a collection of veteran writers and journalists
A focus on the hospitality and business of Napa Valley wine and tourism by veteran writers and journalists

BIGGER THAN YOUR HEAD from Frederic Koeppel
The veteran wine writer and reviewer migrated his longtime blog of the same name to Substack where he continues to unearth and recommend wines.

PAUL GREGUTT’S NW WINE GUIDE from one of the foremost experts on wines of the Northwest and veteran writer Paul Gregutt.

JOE FATTORINI from the marketer and host of The Wine Show
Joe may be one of the best known wine personalities in the world due to his work on the The Wine Show. His Substack newsletter is dedicated to wine business and marketing observations.

THE WINE KNOWLOG from Master of Wine Joel Butler
Long time consultant and writer Joel Butler delivers wine educational articles on a consistent basis.

THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR from Robin Garr
Robin’s substack delivers review and educational articles. Robin has been at this for more than 3 decades and has a dedicated following.

WINE BIBLE(ING) from Karen MacNeil
Yes, THAT Karen MacNeil. Here she posts occasional missives and articles.

LIQUID GEOGRAPHY BY LARRY BROOKS from Winemaker Larry Brooks
Brooks, a legendary winemaker, has taken to Substack to serialize the book he wrote about wine from a winemaker’s perspective. Brilliant reading.

UNLIMITED from VinoShipper CEO Steven Harrison
From a wine industry insider who explores the regulatory ins and outs of the business of wine and its impact on wineries and consumers.

EVERYDAY DRINKING from writer and book author Jason Wilson
Wilson is an accomplished and popular author who explores the entire world of drinks for an enthusiastic audience.

THE ENJOYER from Caroline Lamb, a wine industry veteran
At The Enjoyer, Ms. Lamb shows off her excellent writing talents as she muses about wines, the industry and her relationship with both.

WINE AND… from Dave Baxter
Wine And… is the home for Dave Baxter’s podcast of the same name where he explores and pairs wine with movies, music and more. Very well done!

GRAPE TO TABLE from Sarah O’Kelley
O’Kelley uses her Substack to explore wine pairings, food recipes, and wine regions from the perspective of a former restaurant and wine bar owner.

FINGERS from Dave Infante
Fingers is a newsletter about drinking and the business of drinks in America. Dave is an outstanding writer, very funny and very informed.