Seems there is a new evolving trend on MySpace - hundreds of small wineries open up their profiles and actively conducting relations with hundreds of thousands of their fans. The potential is much bigger where over 3% of total members (over 3 million) clearly state on their profile their interest in wine.

You can find a full list of MySpace wineries, detailed statistics and useful tips on:
http://www.beesandpollen.com/st/blog_wine.aspx

Quickly, the curatorial program I have going on includes Jeff at Good Grape, Dr. Debs, Catavino and others…basically, I partner with bloggers who get to be guest wine buyers for domaine547. They lend their expertise in a given area to my store which has plenty of holes in inventory to fill…I’m just learning about wine myself, and I try not to stock things I don’t love or have experience with (Kermit Lynch model!). So bloggers such as Catavino, with their deep understanding of Spain and Portugal, was able to guide me to wines I may not otherwise have been aware of. Jeff pointed me to producers whose wines weren’t readily available in Los Angeles. It’s been a great experience from my end, and hopefully from the blogger end as well.

As for wineries and retailers, that’s an area I haven’t totally explored. I’ve spoken with Jeff Stai about doing an El Jefe blogger pack which would include a Twisted Oak wine along with a wine from the Rhone or Spain that serves as an inspiration point for what they’re doing at his winery. But with wineries I find that most of the things I do are old fashioned, non-web events like wine dinners and tastings…not exactly new ground being covered there. Maybe one day the lighting bolt will hit me. But so far?…

“Do you see an issue with the possibility of lack of acceptance based on the possibility of financial bias? I have heard several people deride one large review site because “advertisers get better review scores” - probably not true but I hear it quite a lot. I could see the same kind of credibility issue if it becomes circulated that a vWineShop only mentions wines that pay a “premium commission”.”

But a vWineShop isn’t a wine review site, it’s a wine retailer. No one has ever accused Kermit Lynch, or your local wine retailer of credibility issues because they are clear that they are making money off the sale of wine.

I know it’s hard to think this way because he casts such a huge shadow, but the dominant model for blogging needn’t be Robert Parker.

You can build a readership recommending wines AND get paid a commission for each sale, as long as you are authentic, transparent and add value.

IE, you can’t recommend a bad wine and expect people to trust you. You can’t give a glowing review to a mediocre wine and expect people to think that you are on the up and up.

So don’t do it! Your readership is your greatest asset, and squandering the long term value of it for some short term gain is pretty silly.

Thanks for the discussion Eric! I hope someday soon more bloggers will look to partner with wineries like me and monetize their influence.

I think your “vWineShop” idea is excellent. It gives small producers a form of retail distribution but with better margins than they would get with bricks-and-mortar shops, not to mention distributors - and that margin is critical to small producers given winery economics as they are today.

A benefit to consumers would be the potential of these vWineShops to focus on very specific wine types and styles, so if you have a preference for, say, super intense unoaked Sauv Blanc, you could find a site to steer you to a short list of some stellar examples quickly.

Do you see an issue with the possibility of lack of acceptance based on the possibility of financial bias? I have heard several people deride one large review site because “advertisers get better review scores” - probably not true but I hear it quite a lot. I could see the same kind of credibility issue if it becomes circulated that a vWineShop only mentions wines that pay a “premium commission”.

Thanks for the conversation!

I think the barrier you mention has to do with bloggers modeling themselves after wine reviewers instead of wine merchants. I’m arguing that you can advocate passionately for a wine AND make money. Kermit Lynch and every other wine merchant is my example.

The trick is to review wines from affiliates that you are passionate about. Then you make it clear that you are providing an affiliate link. What you should never do is shill for a wine you aren’t passionate about.

Kermit Lynch made his name by only carrying wines he was passionate about. He didn’t stock his shelves with wines just because they sell well.

Because of that, he earned a reputation as a straight shooter. No one felt like they were getting sold a wine Lynch wasn’t a fan of himself. That is the model bloggers should aspire toward IMO.

If a blogger changes a “just OK” review to a “very good” one just to make a quick buck, he will eventually lose his sway with his readers, and will lose in the long run.

It’s not that I don’t realize that people have objections to getting paid for their expertise and influence. It’s just that I don’t understand it. Don’t sell out, be transparent, be passionate, and you’ll be fine.

Great to bounce ideas off you Marco. Thanks again.

1. Agreed.
2. I understand that is how affiliate programs work but several wine review bloggers today do occasionally write less favorable reviews of a wine. So, not writing a “just okay” review because they are receiving a cut would be a change in their approach. I’m not disagreeing with the idea, in fact I like it and think that it should be explored further. I just think the issue of how less favorable reviews are handled could be a barrier for an honest and independent blogger to somehow partner with producers.

Thanks for the comments. It’s a great question and I think it has two answers. At least these are my two answers. Folks with more experience might respond differently.

1. If you aren’t prepared to get negative, or just OK reviews as a winemaker, then you aren’t cut out to be a winemaker. Not everyone is going to like your juice. If everyone did, what a boring monoculture we’d be living in. You don’t need everyone to like you, you just need a few people to *love* you. Passion helps.

2. In my experience, affiliates don’t often post reviews for things that they think are average. They simply don’t post about them at all. Consider: they aren’t strongly recommending the wine so they can’t expect much action on the part of their readership. No action = no affiliate cash. Affiliate programs are really for cases when you have a wine you want to desperately recommend to your readership and you’d like to monetize your influence. And your influence is finite, so you won’t risk wasting it on a wine you secretly think is just OK.

So bottom line is: I’m not really worried. But then of course my marketing plan is much larger than just affiliates and I plan on making some of the best pinot you’ve ever tasted.

So there’s that

Thanks again for the comments and the kind words!

I do agree that partnering with retailers of all kinds is very important for a small winery specifically one that is just starting to build its brand.
Regarding the possibility of bloggers turning retailers… an intriguing question comes to mind. Would you as a small winery who’s working hard to build your brand, be willing to “take the punch” from the blogger-turned-retailer who posts a “just-okay” review about your Pinot? You may disagree with the review but you had agreed to let the blogger write an independent review based on his/her tasting experience. And somehow you paid for this review. On the flip side, will the blogger remain honest and truthful to his/her readers by reviewing a wine not so favorably despite the fact that he/she is collecting a small profit from the sale of the wine?

I don’t know the answers to these questions myself.

A parallel could be drawn with the traditional retailer, and I have been told several times at the local retailer… <>, but a blog is in writing and usually bloggers review wines in much more detail than the local wine retailer. A blogger’s opinion, especially from a knowledgeable one with thousands of readers, carries a lot more weight… IMO.

Oops, here we go talking to each other again !