Seems like a win. Tanzer & Co. have been doing good work for IWC for years. Critic haters gonna hate but there is value in the IWC approach to wine reviews. Plus IWC subscribers will get to access the Vinous content soon. I will miss Tanzer’s Piedmont reviews.
As a subscriber to IWC, I was interested in the email from Tanzer. I hadn’t yet subscribed to Vinous. An excerpt from the IWC side:
“All IWC subscribers will receive access to Vinous for the remainder of their subscription periods. Readers who are already subscribers to both publications will have their Vinous subscriptions extended by the amount of time left on their IWC subscriptions. I invite you to read the press release and FAQ for more details.”
I’ve been happy with Vinous and I think this further enriches the package.
Congratulations to Antonio!
A very shrewd move by Galloni. I think it’s quite possible that Tanzer is simply looking towards the future and retirement. Having to not manage the “brand” and business of a publication does remove quite a bit of stress I imagine. I suppose I figured Josh Raynolds taking a greater role at IWC, but the fact that every reviewer is coming up on board speaks to a greater strategy by Galloni.
I have a good deal of respect for Tanzer and Raynolds and in conjunction with Galloni’s analytical nature and technological mindset Vinous could be a pretty incredible publication. I might have to bite.
Let me add my: Wow!
Best of luck to Antonio, Steve, and the rest of the team.
I don’t subscribe to any wine publications, but I’ve always found Antonio to be friendly and a stand-up guy in my few forum interactions. The interactive map has me tempted to give Vinous a try. I’m much more interested in stories than in wine reviews.
This is such a huge headline for a thread I thought it was a farce - amazing, and shrewd move by AG, and seems like a super smart decision for both Steve and Antonio.
Mad respect for Antonio, as he hit the ground running, that’s for sure. He must have a solid amount of money behind him, and some powerful business insight, for such a move, this early in his business.
This acquisition could be the one serious player in the professional wine reviewer game, as Parker and Suckling are concentrating almost exclusively on Asia, likely under the assumption that it has legs, rather than focus on a market that is already centuries old (Europe/Americas)
Just got an email saying that Vinous was buying IWC, and that they were going to combine forces. I was debating which to subscribe to, but now that they are one this seems like a no-brainer. I wonder about potential duplication of reviews between Tanzer and Galloni, as I don’t know them that well yet. Do we think that both will review Napa wine, or that one of them might give it up?
Either way, I think this puts enormous pressure on WA and WS.
They gave the breakdown in the announcement:
http://vinousmedia.com/statics/vinous-to-acquire-stephen-tanzers-international-wine-cellar
The New Vinous Editorial Team
· Antonio Galloni: Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Italy, Champagne, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz Mountains and Burgundy
· Steve Tanzer: Burgundy, Chablis, Washington, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, Port and Tokaj
· Josh Raynolds: Spain, Rhône, Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence, Oregon, Australia, Paso Robles, Santa Lucia Highlands and Chile
· Ian D’Agata: Central and Southern Italy, Alsace, Canada
· Joel Payne: Germany, Austria, Loire
I have been on the fence for a while about Vinous. This gives me ample reason. I enjoy Josh’s reviews as well as Tanzer and AG. That’s a lot of content. I just signed up.
Wow, that is an interesting move. Good for AG.
AG is uber long the risk. Tanzer just cashed out. Both sides are happy, and now with the consolidation market share will be reconfigured.
Bold move by AG. All the luck for continued success of his brand.
I agree that it’ll be a thorn for WA, but not WS. Two different readers.
I’m curious what it means for the independents, like Liem, Meadows, Baker, Gilman, et al.
Does anyone know how old Steve is? I know he’s older than Antonio, but I didn’t think he was very close to retirement.
Agree that this is value-added and a great move. I wonder if it also means a subscription price increase?
Well, in theory the purchase increases the user base of Vinous while consolidating some of the overhead costs. It also makes Vinous more attractive for those who remain uncommitted. I doubt he would increase prices even though it’s possible, but this is more of a long-term strategy rather than a means of maxing out revenue in the short term.
Kinda sad Josh isn’t going to be covering SB…he’s got a great grasp of the area. Fun to talk and drink with, too.
Head to Head! AG versus his former employers.
He is old enough not to let Burgundy go, I bet that was key to the deal. I see he has NZ which is great, hopefully we will see him over here. BTW I think he is late 50’s so knows what he is talking about, for that matter he has been my favourite critic for the last 20 odd years.
Wow, they only have two subscribers left between them! 