That might be the case where two people know each other, but Joe said he had never met Natalie and never read the book. I think that’s completely different and I guess Joe did too.
The founder of Palate Press is an attorney - I’m guessing other writers (as seems to be the trend) are also attorneys. I wonder if any take action.
Worlds best wine writer. LOLZ
Agreed, that part was bizarre.
Interesting discussion on the UK board with comments (bottom page 1) reference legal jargon (in UK).
http://www.wine-pages.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=036545;p=1
in the UK they are so scared of defamation.
For good reason.
indeed
Now more allegations of pay-for-play:
http://palatepress.com/2012/12/wine/pay-for-play-wine-writing/
"Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio 2011,
Valdadige, Alto Adige/Trentino, Italy.
One of the best values for pinot grigio in the liquor store! Fresh, clean a
n
d crisp with sunshine bright aromas of lemon zest, lime blossom and white peach. Amazingly great price for this half bottle size.
Tasting notes, score, price and recipe matches at the link above. Cheers, Natalie"
I quoted her review from FaceBook so it is not confused with me or anyone else. I think this might be an orignal review as I don’t know anyone writing about Santa Margherita let alone saying good things about it.
Truly this note is the work of the World’s Greatest Wine Writer.
I am humbled.
John Glas wrote:> http://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks/wine/santa-margherita-pinot-grigio-2011/110135
"Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio 2011,
Valdadige, Alto Adige/Trentino, Italy.
One of the best values for pinot grigio in the liquor store! Fresh, clean a
n
d crisp with sunshine bright aromas of lemon zest, lime blossom and white peach. Amazingly great price for this half bottle size.Tasting notes, score, price and recipe matches at the link above. Cheers, Natalie"
I quoted her review from FaceBook so it is not confused with me or anyone else. I think this might be an orignal review as I don’t know anyone writing about Santa Margherita let alone saying good things about it.
Truly this note is the work of the World’s Greatest Wine Writer.
I am humbled.
Todd I am just upset I didn’t review this wine before Nat as this newer vintage must be amazing and better than the 75 point scores I reviewed the 08 and 09.
If you had, she might have plagiarized it anyway
“Richard P. Vine, Professor of Enology Emeritus at Purdue University…”
Awesomely appropriate name.
Even if one liked this wine, the last thing you could say about it is that it is a good value. Many just as good or better for less than half the price.
Where is the “Wine Writing Scandal Of The Day” thread?
Great guy. I learned a lot from him when I was just starting to explore wine. Took his wine appreciation class a few times although only once according to my transcript. Dr. Vine would let me know when something special was to be opened and I would get a seat in back that class. Got to taste a lot of stuff I could not afford at the time that way. Helped me in a lot of other ways also but no need to bore you with the details.
So does she really have any followers at all? I mean people who will read her review and then actually go and buy a bottle of whatever she recommended?
Unless you can really move product, it seems preposterous to demand that people pay to have their wine reviewed. Seems she’s just one more of hundreds or thousands who claim outsized importance and influence.
No kidding - $17 now, I believe, and it’s mass produced garbage
That’s an aggressively marketed wine, Terlato IIRC
A few brief comments - I am not Natalie’s apologist, but I got to know her over a couple of James Beard Award dinners - one where she won the M.F.K. Fisher Award (I believe, the year she wrote the wonderful essay “Lady Sings the Booze,” - basically about getting hammered on classic drinks at some of NYC’s stodgy old bars). Another terrific essay she wrote was (hoping I don’t botch the title) “Pulling the Shots” about working as a barista. I believe she won James Beard Awards for both of those. So she is certainly not irrelevant in the food writing world - if you think she is, you might not be reading people who are relevant. (But one of her mistakes, IMHO, is trying to keep a foot in both camps - one as writer, and one as critic/review consolidator - she should stick to the former and not the latter. I get that her website is self-branding, but it doesn’t play to her strengths as a writer.) Anyone who hasn’t heard or her or read her before now is missing some fun stuff. Anyhoo…
The copyright infringement is impossible to defend, so I won’t even try.
“World’s Best Wine Writer” - well she won some award and uses it to promote herself. What’s new there? Writers will use a good quote or award for their whole career. She cites what she won right on her home page.
The pay to play (more “subscribe to play”) is difficult to defend, but… (Do I think my company would be more likely to have books reviewed in the NYTBR if we took out more ads? Yes. Do I lose sleep over this? No.) This is surely an unstated policy in many places. Especially small publications in a variety of areas - think regional magazines with restautant directories which (egad!) only include advertisers. I don’t think the behavior is virtuous, but have no doubt that it is common. (And it is $25/year.) FWIW, Natalie is from Ottawa and I have always assumed her constituency is largely Canadian - I’m not surprised if an American audience isn’t familiar with her (though some of her narrative writing has been in the mainstream food magazines).
The blurb thing - well, I think she was hamfisted with this, if she was sending the request to people she didn’t know - but the reactions here to this are kind of funny to me, because this is how blurbs get written. I hope nobody is disappointed. Not all blurbs. But a whole lot (if not most) of them. When you ask someone for a blurb, half the time they reply “send me something.”
I’m disappointed in Natalie’s actions - though I am sorry that it is complete (self-created) distraction from the work of someone who really can write. I get that it is hard to make a living writing, and she seems to have been trying to build a brand with the other stuff - though she would likely have been better off cultivating a solid writing niche.