Lessons from Combing Through 100s of Pieces of Consumer Wine Content
Yes, there is a formula for success in wine content creation
It is impossible to deliver compelling wine content and wine coverage to consumers without embracing the complexity of the drink.
This is just one of the truisms that I have confirmed after culling through 250 - 300 pieces of wine content daily to produce and publish THE SPILL. Created for consumers rather than the wine and beverage trade, THE SPILL is a collection of the most interesting, most educational, and most entertaining wine articles, videos, and podcasts released into the wild every day.
COMPLEXITY AND NUANCE IS REQUIRED
The reason embracing wine’s complexity is important for the wine and beverage trade to appreciate is due to the various calls from within the industry to “meet consumers where they are” or to do away with the complexity in wine communications—including the media. Without the wine media addressing the nuances and differences between wines and wine regions (terroir), the wine traditions that drive production and consumption of wine, the history of winemaking and wine drinking, or the impact of cultures, economics, and politics on wine and wine drinkers, is that without this emphasis, we are left with videos of clowns juggling wine bottles.
CLEAN DESIGN IS EVERYTHING
The most useful and compelling pieces of wine writing and wine content are both visually appealing and designed in a clean and easily accessible manner. I’ve left several interesting and compelling articles out of the daily editions of THE SPILL simply because the design of the website, the interruption of the flow of the article with too many ads or popups, or disjointed page design made consumption of the content too disruptive in a desktop or mobile environment.
One might argue that this rule is an issue of my own bias and not a reflection on what makes for compelling wine content. But it’s also true that the general prejudice against a garden filled with wilting plants rather than plump, upstanding, healthy plants is also an aesthetic prejudice, but one that the vast majority of people embrace. Too much otherwise interesting wine content is practically inaccessible due to dirty design.
THE UNFORTUNATE REALITY OF THE PAYWALL
Despite my current rule for THE SPILL that no articles or content will be included in the daily curated publication that falls behind a paywall, most of what lies behind those walls indeed represents some of the best available reporting and writing on wine. Here I’m thinking of Decanter, Wine Spectator, The San Francisco Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal, Vinous, James Suckling, and numerous Substack newsletters.
While it’s frustrating to click through to a piece of content and find access is denied, what’s true is that the best writing and publishing can only survive through patronage. It takes money and investment to hire the best writers and editors, to work full-time on understanding an industry, and to gather and maintan the tools and services to publish a quality product. This was true a century ago in the age of paper and ink, and it’s true today in an era of digitization.
What you are reading at this moment is also often placed behind a paywall (2 of every three posts are made accessible only to paying subscribers). However, like this Substack newsletter, many of the best subscriber-only wine publications and newsletters occasionally open an article to non-subscribers. These opportunities are often included in the 20 or so pieces of content linked from THE SPILL and they usually represent excellent opportunities for the wine readers.
IDENTITY IS SECONDARY TO WINE CONTENT QUALITY
THE SPILL is looking to identify the very best wine content that will entertain, educate, and inform its subscribers. What has been interesting to note from combing through hundreds of pieces of wine content is that ostensibly wine-focused content that leans into the author’s or creator’s identity (gender, race, etc) is seldom about wine or wine drinking, but is social commentary or personal reflections. This is an important observation because the various and regular calls to diversify the wine communications business over the past few years have generally come with claims that doing so will bring new and important perspectives to wine enthusiasts of all backgrounds.
The wine content that does center on issues of identity is few and far between. This is true, I think, because content creators of all identities whose passion and interest is wine realize that what makes for interesting and compelling storytelling has to lean on the details of the writer’s life and experience and how they intersect with and impact a life with wine, not lean on surface-level and very broad personal features such as ethnicity and gender. Put another way, the calls to diversify wine communications are justifiably urgent so that opportunities are extended to all, not for wine communications to improve.
GOOD CELEBRITY-FOCUSED WINE CONTENT IS LOVED, BUT RARE
Every day I’ve sifted through the long list of wine content to consider for inclusion in THE SPILL, I inevitably come across content that features celebrities dabbling in wine. Ninety percent of the celebrity-focused wine reporting is either toxic or fluffy as cotton candy, yet quality examples of that genre included in THE SPILL is among the most commonly read by subscribers.
The general public’s interest in celebrities and their daily doings is immense and undeniable, and this includes their relationship to wine. Occasionally, wine content will focus on the genuine, deep interest a public figure has in wine or winemaking. These are often compelling reads focusing on wine’s ability to attract the interest of those who have the entire world at their fingertips.
But more often than not, I find celebrity-focused wine content is an occasion to dismiss or denigrate the celebrity. The reporting by the British press, for example, of Meghan Markle’s foray into wine has generally been vicious and exercises in ripping a person apart. But the most common celebrity-focused wine content centers around the question, “But is it any good?” This focus is justified, as we all know that so much celebrity-endorsed or produced wine is really just an extension of the celebrity’s brand name. Usually, these are fluffy articles of little substance that I can’t find justification for inclusion in THE SPILL. But, because the interest in celebrities in our culture is so great, I do look for those occasional celebrity wine articles that are both well done and newsworthy to satisfy THE SPILL’s readers who enjoy coverage of the rich and famous.
THE TWO MOST READ AND USEFUL TYPES OF WINE CONTENT
In analyzing what subscribers to THE SPILL read the most, two types of articles consistently rise to the top and indicate that wine enthusiasts and the wine curious desperately want. Articles on how to visit wine country and how to identify value when purchasing wine have the widest audience.
This is certainly the case because both travel and wine purchases are luxuries, and they involve people parting with two of the most valuable commodities they have: time and money. Whether consumers have a deep interest in golf, music, personal skin care, art, or wine, when they expend their time or money on these things, disappointment and wasted resources are what they are most hoping to avoid. So, well-composed, comprehensive, compelling articles that deliver consumers the confidence that their wine purchases or wine vacations will be time and money well spent are extremely valuable—particularly to the average wine-interested person as opposed to the experienced wine enthusiast.
This is why articles or videos about the best wines on sale at Costco or Trader Joe’s and articles about how to visit Napa Valley or Virginia wine country generate so many clicks from the daily editions of THE SPILL. I suspect they always will.
All of these observations about wine content today and its consumption were evident to me from both years of working in wine marketing and media relations and from being a consumer of the wine media myself. But it has been just the short time publishing THE SPILL that has confirmed them all.
Here’s the nugget: The very best and the most read wine content will be that which both communicates the complexity and nuance of wine in a compelling format and also addresses the broad and general needs of the wine curious consumer. This may seem like a simple and even obvious message. But I’m here to tell you, this kind of combination is rare in wine communications. The writer, content creators, and publishers who keep this in mind are the ones who will find the largest audiences.
As usual, I find both useful and some humorous (in an ironic sense) information in your posts, Tom. Thanks for offering a hard nosed alternative to the usual drivel!
You bring up a point i'f like to comment on: paywalls. Maybe others can spend lots of money on paywalls. I'm just not able to do that. But I read a lot of material on various topics. So I know I miss out on some important discussions. I would love to have access to more of those discussions. Its kind of like being at a big social event and the "important people" are in the center of the ballroom and those who didn't pay are outside the yellow tape. But I find some awfully good content anyway, like a snoopy reporter. And your blog is one I constantly check in on. I like the way you handle the paywall issue. Of course you need it. But you find a way to keep everyone informed. I appreciate that because you are talking about important issues that I'm connected to. Thanks.