Comments for wineblogger.info

Comment on Free Samples Are Not So “Free” by Julien in China

Julien in China — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:27:00 +0000

I recently received some samples that I didn’t like at all. The sender was very nice when I told him that I couldn’t write about the wine. He understood perfectly. It is important for the winery to understand that to send samples can lead to nothing. However, if I receive a wine a like, with especially a good value-for-money price point (very important in China), I will write everything I can about it, not only tasting notes, but also history and and any story I can find about it. If the time is a bit short, I will send a good comment on weibo with the distributor contact details.

Comment on New and Improved Wineblogger.info by Ugawino

Ugawino — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:25:00 +0000

How can I add the wineblogger bottle logo to my blog? I’ve seen it on a couple of other wine blogs.

Comment on New and Improved Wineblogger.info by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:04:00 +0000

as always some steps ahead! you guys rock!

Comment on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine by Bloggers by Jeremy Gilbert

Jeremy Gilbert — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 07:24:00 +0000

There are many options out there if you are in the market for a good
wine magazine. You need to be careful, however, as you never really know
what type of content you will be getting from a wine magazine. Wine is
such a subjective field that it can be difficult to find a magazine that
properly identifies with some of your tastes without sacrificing an
overall desire to get to know some new flavors.

Comment on Wine Consumer Online Survey by sefersson

sefersson — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:01:31 +0000

Hi Veronique,very interesting work,especially for Master's student!

Comment on Free Samples Are Not So “Free” by Wink Lorch

Wink Lorch — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:21:43 +0000

Ryan, I'm not really answering your questions properly here – slapped wrist … but, just wanted to say that whereas I think bloggers/writers have responsibilities when they are sent samples, so do wineries/agents/distributors/PRs, most definitely.

Most importantly, it is, frankly, irresponsible to send out unsolicited samples (and yes, this does happen) – I don't believe the recipient has any responsibility at all if they haven't shown they welcome your samples. If you do want to send out a sample, then don't just send to a list of bloggers/writers etc, email (not phone, please) each individual first to ask if they actually want a sample. Why waste your time/money otherwise?

Then, when you do send samples, make sure the fullest details possible are attached, not just the background of the wine, but where it can be purchased. To save the environment and this writer's messy office, this could very well be simply a link to a webpage where you can find all the info or perhaps a memory stick.

Comment on Free Samples Are Not So “Free” by Fabio (Vinos Ambiz)

Fabio (Vinos Ambiz) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:19:48 +0000

4. No, it's not a waste of time, but there a concern/risk. Namely, what if the blogger doesn't like the wine? There's no accounting for taste, so it's perfectly fine by me if the blogger doesn't like it and writes about it, but how is this expressed in the write-up? Is the blogger/taster being fair/objective and impartial and admiting that it's his/her own taste preferences that are behind the bad review? or is s/he calling the wine "bad" or "flawed" when it's not?
I think this is one case where it's not true that "Any publicity is good publicity" A bad review, especially on a popular site/blog could have a big negative impact on future sales. I have to say that I've been very wary of sending sample to anyone, and so far I've only sent them to people I know and trust to be fair and impartial even if they don't like the wine. Also, I ensure that all my wines are tasted here locally in Madrid by several experienced tasters to assure myself that they don't have any flaws or faults.

Comment on Free Samples Are Not So “Free” by Fabio (Vinos Ambiz)

Fabio (Vinos Ambiz) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:19:14 +0000

3. Yes, a review on a social tasting-note site would be worth it for me.

Comment on Free Samples Are Not So “Free” by Fabio (Vinos Ambiz)

Fabio (Vinos Ambiz) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:18:22 +0000

In answer to your 4 Wineries questions:

1. It depends who I'm sending it to. For example, if it's to an importer/distributor/wholesaler/etc I'm hoping s/he'll like the wine in question and buy from me! If it's to a blogger, then I'm hoping for an article/post (or inclusion in a wider article or even just a mention). Private feedback is great too though I'd prefer a public post

2. One tweet only would not be worth it. I'd hope for a tweet in addition to a post

Comment on Free Samples Are Not So “Free” by Maciek Gontarz

Maciek Gontarz — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:13:57 +0000

Hi there,

i’m a wine blogger from poland = not really representional part of wine bloggers/journalist world:)

Due to the fact that sometimes I receive some free samples from wineries i decided to give you my feedback.
Bloggers/Writers/Video Peeps

What is your procedure when dealing with samples?
- first of all I decided to publish strict and clear policy which I send to someone who is interested in sending free samples (http://www.viniculture.pl/zasady/ - sorry it’s in Polish).
What do you do when the wine is in your opinion bad?
- than it’s really up to me whether do I decide to publish my opinior or not (regarding policy)
What do you do when you love a wine but do not have room currently to write about it?
- again regarding policy - never promise to publish anything about free samples (it happens really rare).
What do wineries do most often that annoys you when it comes to sending samples?
- on our market we deal mainly with wine importers than wine producers. The most annoying situation is when company want to publish their own text…

Probably my experiences are not something special and won’t give you full picture, but let’s treat it as a small brick:) (comment from traffic jam on Warsaw’s streets).
Cheers!

Maciek