Hey all, I’m gearing up to submit my wines to a national magazine or two for the first time, as much as I’ve resisted it in the past. Anyone have any recommendations on which to avoid, if any, out of Spectator, Advocate, and/or Enthusiast? Not sure if any of those are invite only but it looks like out of state wholesale buyers really want to see 90+ scores so I need to start snatching some up one way or another. Thanks!
I have very limited experience so take my advice with a grain of salt. Wine Enthusiast seems to give more generous scores. They can take awhile though so make sure you have enough inventory to last until you get the score. A 91 is worthless if you don’t have the wine.
And welcome to the forum.
That’s very much what I needed to hear thank you. Ya good point on the timing, I’ll probably submit my May releasing stuff as well just to get a heads start on it.
Tyler,
This is an old response, so the information may be out of date, but as a consumer it was fascinating enough that I remember a thread from 2009.
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=202037#p202037
Oh snap this is great, thanks Corey!
If you’re thinking of submitting, you really need to understand the types of wines that seem to resonate with the different publications. Spend some time finding wines ‘similar’ to yours and see how they perform with each - that’ll be a good start. And note that some have very specific timeframes for you to submit while others allow you to submit at any time.
Good luck!
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There is no doubt about that. I made wine at another place for over a decade and we’d get a 93, 94, or even a 95 on a wine with one reviewer, and the same wine would get a 90 with another. That kind of thing would happen all the time and really hurt the validity of the system in my eyes. Part of the reason why I haven’t submitted my own wines. Can’t argue how valuable those scores are in marketing though so gotta play the game I guess.
Sadly distribuidors just want scores to sell wines, without even caring from what reviewer they come from. My suggestion is to try a few, send samples early in the wine life, and then figure out who rates your wines better and develop a relationship there (if possible). Follow the writer on twitter, comment, let them learn about your brand indirectly.
Topped… oops, just scrolled down and reviewed responses. 