Comments on: The Future of Wine Writing

By: Wine

Wine — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:59:19 +0000

I agree social media is where it's going for most all marketing, and mobile being the key driver. I often find myself at the stores looking for reviews of products which was unheard of a few years ago. It's especially true for things like wine where someone can be right in front of the product and get a ton of feedback quickly.

By: BeyondTheMargin.net

BeyondTheMargin.net — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:26:58 +0000

I haven't subscribed to a wine magazine in years. I would much rather read what others are writing on the web then what some potentially biased / bribed individual wrote in a for profit magazine.

By: Stephan

Stephan — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:50:13 +0000

Usually articles about wine are very serious, informative but not very amusing. Wine is a feast for the senses and sometimes joyful, sometimes joyless but never a science.

By: John Wolf

John Wolf — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:48:43 +0000

Wine writing has been influential in what people drink and think. This has gone on for the last 15 or so years. The writers now tend to be much more commercial, such as the Advocate and Enthusiast. It is hard to really get a true picture of what is really good and who paid whom to try and comment on what. As the Advocate increased from Parker and one or two others, to a newsletter with a large staff, it seems to be trying too hard and not really delivering useful info anymore. As more people accept wine as a beverage less commentary is needed from experts. Therefore I believe the curve is on the downward slope,and newspapers like the Journal will be better suited to keep wine writing up to speed with the current days realities.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:29:36 +0000

I find this concept fascinating, especially as one who has done markrting on and off the net and works in the retail wine business. I believe one has only to look at motion picture and music industries to understand Pandora's Box has been opened and it will never be as it was. Personally I thnk that to be a good thing. What does it bode for the future of wine writing – well having a fairly decent understanding of the publishing world, I think one should examine if "serious" wine writers will lament about young and seemingly less qualified writers starting to grow in influence – or will come to some understanding that the landscape has changed and that they most evolve with it.

By: David Honig

David Honig — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:55:06 +0000

I'm not so sure. I think the next decade will be dominated by people like Gary V, using social media to sell product, not opinion. Bloggers will continue to blog, and their opinions will start to be the virtual shelf-hangers, but they won't dominate. If any "blogger" opinion dominates, it might be the gestalt opinions coming from Cellar Tracker.

By: GrapeCrusader

GrapeCrusader — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:38:28 +0000

"But I do think that several wine bloggers working together at a single blog is the future of wine writing." — You're right, its been getting very expensive for me personally, trying to cover as much as I can. I'm moving to San Francisco in nine days. Going forward, I'll be more than happy to cover the up and coming Mendocino/Anderson Valley beat for this new wine blogging business model. Any takers for the other regions in California?

By: jasonswineblog

jasonswineblog — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:57:28 +0000

Totally agree on the blogging coalition covering the world, region by region. Whether it is formal or a loosely formed network it can't be too far away…

By: Tim Elliott

Tim Elliott — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:54:48 +0000

I agree, Joel. The job is a lot more challenging than blogging notes about which wine you had with dinner. And I've always said that if Mr. Parker started now, he'd be a blogger. The monetization strategy is the sticky wicket here.

By: Joel Goldberg

Joel Goldberg — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:44:19 +0000

If you accept the notion — which I do — that Parker was the wine blogging equivalent of his generation, then it 's not difficult to imagine many stepping up to assume the mantle. The problem is just the opposite: too many people will try to lay claim to the role for which too few are qualified.