Perrotti-Brown to launch her own publication

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW launches ‘fiercely independent’ wine publication

Lots of interesting details here, but this stood out:

… Speaking to db last week ahead of the official launch of the new publication, Perrotti-Brown said that she and [her 50-50 partner Swedish photojournalist Johan Berglund] “had been playing with so many names” for the title, but “it was The Wine Independent that came to us, because it seemed to say exactly what we wanted.”

Continuing, she told db, “I don’t want to point fingers at anyone else’s business in particular, but people don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes of so many wine criticism publications, unless you’re in the business, and then you are like, ‘oh my God’.”

She added, “A consumer reading a publication that tells you what you should and shouldn’t buy has no idea there are other agendas behind the scenes, so we are saying we are independent in the name, there is never going to be any wriggle room on that, there is never going to be any compromise on integrity, and that comes with us [Perotti-Brown and Berglund] being majority shareholders, and the others being very much in agreement with our ethos – no-one is going to get greedy; we want to remain completely unbiased.”

Indeed, in the press release on the title’s launch, which was sent to db last week, the new publication is said to “return to the high ethical standards initially championed by Robert M. Parker, Jr. back when he started The Wine Advocate in 1978,” noting that “a reputable wine criticism publication should not accept money from any other wine-related entities” …

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Wow! Quite the statement!!

Thanks for sharing!

I mean this as a respectful question, as I do not know the answer, but does she actually have a following or such name recognition, that a venture like this can succeed?

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If her goal is to be a fierce consumer advocate, she could start by naming and shaming those who would make all of us say “oh my God” and tell us what they’ve done.

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It’s a fairly crowded market, with folks like Dunnuck and Suckling going solo with a subscription-based business model, plus Wine Advocate, Vinous, Jancis Robinson and Decanter.

It will be interesting to see if she focuses on particular regions. The article doesn’t really address that.

No kidding. I would subscribe just to see what is really going on!

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She could up her name recognition by posting on the board! [cheers.gif]

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I wonder if 7% of the wine she reviews will be corked

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It would cost $2K per month to figure that out. [snort.gif]

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She seems to be implying that a couple of the things she disapproves of are clearly things that Galloni does. The 48 hour preview and the deals with producers for wine at his events. It seems though, when Parker sold the Advocate, there were plenty of events surrounding that too. I do not know the ins and outs of either deal.

Net though; I shall not be subscribing as her palate is in no way aligned with mine. I do wish her luck though, and hope that she puts the spotlight on many of the conflicts and other behind the scenes shenanigans critics get up to. It seems that in a field where the reader is the ultimate audience and payer, there should be no conflicts, unless very clearly defined.

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I thought Trent Crimm was already reviewing wines under that name. And European Soccer…

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From the article:

The release also mentions the “coming to light” of “numerous conflicts of interest” at wine criticism publications – none of which are named – such as “selling event tables to wineries and score previews to retailers through ultra-premium subscriptions”.

In short, Perrotti-Brown told db that such “shenanigans” were the source of “large amounts of money” for wine criticism titles, but a potential revenue stream that she will eschew on ethical grounds, expectant of “a comfortable living” from a subscriber-only revenue model for The Wine Independent.

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This was about as close as she came to answering that:

As for editorial staff, Perrotti-Brown, who will remain in Napa, is recruiting further wine critics in the hope of building a team of regional experts, and she and Berglund are offering equity in The Wine Independent to writers as an incentive.


I keep hoping that she will hire “Trent Krim, The Wine Independent” as it appears he is now looking for work… [rofl.gif]

We know she will have at least ONE subscriber - Neal - because they have “groundbreaking new search capabilities”

Think of all the times wine publication subscribers lamented that the search capabilities were so not-groundbreaking, only ‘regular’ capabilities like when you enter a word or set of words, you get results that show you those words or sets of words.

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That’s the only reason that teenage William Kelley guy has any clout. His posts here, obviously.

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He posts here? I watch his videos on IG. :wink:

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She might also be referring to her own experience. Parker hired her as a critic around 2008, and then the Singapore investors who bought control of the Wine Advocate from Parker in 2012 appointed her editor in chief. They were in the wine business and their business model seemed to be to monetize the brand via events in Asia with the help of the trade.

Michelin, which bought 40% in 2017 then bought the rest in 2019, has a long reputation for independent restaurant and hotel ratings, but I don’t know how that’s played out for WA.

[Corrected: Originally I had written that Parker appointed her editor in chief. - John]

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Jane Anson just went solo, too.

We probably won’t hear any juicy details about how the sausage was made because she is likely under NDA.

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John didn’t mention this part because he was probably too giddy with excitement, but it appears that if you like Black Forest Cake in your wine, you’ll be able to find all the wines with Black Forest Cake:

She added, “An accurately written, meaningful tasting note can offer more information about the wine’s style and flavour and therefore be even more valuable to consumers. With this in mind, we are adding an expansive range of filters to our wine search function, some of which are not currently found on any other wine website.

“This will help subscribers navigate the tasting notes with greater speed and ease,” she said.

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