Last October, heading into the final quarter of my first year devoted exclusively to writing for my website, I posted a brief update about the evolution of my thinking about what to write and how to best provide value to my readers. I am sending this out today to provide context for what follows.
I will send previews of specific wine recommendations and other material to subscribers regularly. I welcome – I need – feedback so I can develop this part of my writing further. I don’t want to send too much, too little, or the wrong sort of material. I know your time is valuable. So please send notes as my Substack posts accumulate and let me know what works best for you. Many thanks. Now back to my October post.
Any new project will evolve, and this website is no exception. I have posted new material every Saturday morning and will continue to do so with the top three wines of the preceding week featured prominently. I have designed this for quick access to recommended wines.
Scroll down past them and you will find a themed essay under the heading 'Deep Dive.' All of the current material is later archived and searchable. Following the Deep Dive are various reviews compiled from recent tastings. So far so good, but how is this different from a zillion other websites and blogs? Fair question.
First and foremost, paulgwine.com is free. There are no sponsors. No advertisers. No pay to play. No kickbacks for links to websites.
Second, I do not publish scores but after many conversations with winemakers I have elected to offer scores to wineries in order to help them promote sales. This will also drive traffic to my website. And for Substack subscribers scores will be included when I post specific wine reviews.
Third, I write thematic articles on topics of interest to both consumers and trade – varietal-specific, AVA-specific, winemaker interviews, updates on breaking news and more. Basic business stories – such as changes in ownership, executives, etc. – are already covered in numerous outlets. No need for me to pile on unless there is a compelling connection to actual wine quality.
Fourth, I publish reviews exclusively for recommended wines. No negative reviews. I believe that with the limited time we all have to read anything it's best to cut to the chase with recommendations of what wines to buy, not what wines to avoid. If I list a wine here you may be certain it has stood out from its peers, it offers something extra in terms of QPR, and/or it is from a boutique winery worthy of your attention.
Fifth, I provide context. All wines are tasted in very small peer groups over a period of several days, not wham-bam mass tastings where each wine gets a couple of sniffs and a quick spit. Many of these wines have only recently been bottled and need more time to open up. I give them that time, often several days. It's amazing how many of them improve after 24 hours. Conversely, some that instantly seem special fall apart on the second day, which to me indicates that they should be consumed quickly and not cellared. The more time I spend with each and every wine I taste the more confident I am in my assessment.
Sixth, I seek out new, small, under-the-radar wineries as well as some regional pioneers. I try to find a balance between more widely available wines and truly rare and limited releases. I am not interested in writing about the generic wines you'll find lining most supermarket shelves. I want to alert you to what often are very limited purchasing opportunities. As best I can I will write up wines while they are still available as shown by linking to winery websites for purchase. In some instances I am tasting wines pre-release and can give you a heads-up to watch for them.
Last but not least I write exactly what I want, when I want and how I want, without reference to the demands of editors, editorial calendars or advertisers. I am as transparent as I know how to be about my preferences, predilections and tasting methodology. You may agree or disagree, but you'll always know where I'm coming from.
As I reach my one year anniversary with paulgwine.com I am getting great feedback from wineries and others involved in the business of wine. I thank you all for your time and attention and support.