Do Winemakers Check CT?

I’ve always wondered this.

I always write my notes very much with fellow consumers in mind, and am lucky because typically I just buy wine from talented winemakers, but am curious if a really unflattering note would likely be seen by a winemaker or not. plus just curious how that information gets used if they do!

Ever had your allocation reduced?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I’d hope that a truly conscientious winemaker would take a poor note seriously enough to think about it and consider whether there could be truth in it.

I see winemakers commenting all the time when they see what they think is a note on a bad bottle–and ask people to contact them for a replacement.

For sure some do.

Yes …

As Eric noted, there’s been a few documentes cases on WB about winemakers looking at CT and reaching out to users to try to rectify the situation on what they see as a bad bottle.

I’d venture to guess that more detailed notes provide more feedback to the winemaker as to what the potential issue is. Someone saying that they didn’t like a wine is not particularly telling. The wine could be faulty, shut down, not in a style the drinker enjoys, simply not well made, or a while host of other things.

whoops!

I am speculating here, but I assume that when this happens, it is mostly with North American winemakers, but perhaps I am incorrect. I have never seen a non-American winemaker comment on his/her wines on CT, but I may just not have seen it.

I hope if I make enough glowing reviews on DRC, Aubert will notice and send me a direct allocation.

Same. There are a couple US-based winemakers who have posted on my TNs. I don’t know how much CT is used in other countries though.

oh… crap! better go edit my note.

just kidding I have definitely never run into that being a problem with any of the winemakers that frequent WB. y’all just do too good a job!

I always try to be conscientious in my TNs when I don’t enjoy a wine. Trying to both accuracy describe my experience drinking the wine and providing insight into why I didn’t enjoy it. Sometimes a wine is well made, but just not in my wheelhouse, that doesn’t mean it merits a TN simply saying it’s bad.

Yes. Every day .

Paul

I made a very good friend with a Cypriote winemaker who reached out to us after my rather harsh comments on early vintages. I was fortunate enough through this to meet his father who was a legend in CY wine and then became good friends with his son. I also had a different CY winemaker quote back at me a negative review of his wine.

Most of the non-US winemakers I’ve met (mostly EU) don’t comment or really follow-up directly if they check CT notes. A fair amount of them do read the notes though.

Cameron Hughes has been very active in encouraging CT note-writers on deNegoce to please give the bottles some time post shipping before drinking. His windmill tilting is low-key amusing, but I understand his frustration.

Yes

I think autocorrect reversed your intended meaning. OTOH, I don’t mind being contentious, but I’m conscientious with my contentiousness. I reserve my inflammatory negative reviews for wines that I believe deserve them.

Yes. You are right. Fixed my post to reflect that. Hostile TNs are NOT what I’m aiming for. An always antagonistic reviewer would make for a very awkward critic.

I check pretty regularly. Positive or negative, honest feedback is actually very, very helpful to us.

Even Rodrigo’s contentious reviews

Yep.