BLOGGING: Net gains

The rise of the internet blogger has fundamentally and permanently transformed wine criticism. Gabriel Savage reports on the findings of the European Wine Bloggers Conference 2010.

What’s the collective noun for a group of bloggers? Jokes aside, the more forward-looking companies are keen to harness the power of this fringe movement, which is steadily being assimilated into the wine communication mainstream.

Doubting Thomases may wish to consider the 200 bloggers from 30 countries who gathered in Vienna in October 2010 for the third European Wine Bloggers Conference.

From social media tools to ethical issues, or even just finding out who – if anyone – is your audience, the conference’s mission was to explore potential avenues which might represent the future of wine communication, criticism and commerce. As co-organiser Ryan Opaz, founder of Catavino, summed up: “Our goal at EWBC is not just to talk about wine, but to talk about the tools you can use to talk about wine.”

So is the blogger army about to stage a coup for the throne of traditional wine writing? Or has this revolution already swept through the gates, unnoticed by the old guard in their ivory towers?

Elin McCoy, author and columnist for Bloomberg News, assessed the scene in the conference’s opening session. “The internet has really changed the landscape of fine wine criticism and changed it forever,” observed McCoy.

She linked the days of a small pool of guru-status critics, holding sway through “the tyranny of the tasting note” to “a time when consumers were far less sure of their own taste”. Moving forward to the present day, McCoy noted how the rise of the internet has removed restrictions on who can be a critic, introducing an abundance of information and writing styles.

At the same time the wine landscape itself has become bigger and more diverse, both in terms of regions and consumers. In short, remarked McCoy: “The internet offers a diversity of taste, opinion and writing styles that matches the diversity of the wine world itself.”

Developing her theme, McCoy continued: “The sheer number of voices is undercutting the guru model,” citing Eric LeVine’s Cellartracker, where “the number of reviews published in three weeks is more than Parker’s Wine Advocate publishes in a year”.

As well as enabling breadth, McCoy noted how the online revolution “promotes specialists who can go in-depth into a region and find an audience for that on the internet”. With the wine criticism market becoming ever more crowded, McCoy suggested that a blog should not be viewed as a revenue source in itself, but rather as “a platform to build your brand and reputation and then make your money from speaking at events as an expert in your subject”.

In this democratic world of the web, McCoy highlighted its link to shifting attitudes towards wine, saying: “Studies make it very clear that in every country young consumers are much more adventurous, less reverent and rely on friends much more than ageing gurus to tell them what to buy.”

However, while the lack of constraints on bloggers compared with traditional media offers exciting liberation, McCoy recommended that: “For modern critics it comes down to having a personal code, rules that you set up for yourself to create journalistic integrity. Finding that line is becoming more and more difficult, but it means that it’s more important than ever to have one.”

Meanwhile, for wine marketers and producers, McCoy noted that the broadening critical landscape means “it’s not just about getting one 95-point score anymore”.

As a picture of just how powerful and alternative today’s influences can be, she offered the example of D’Arenberg’s Laughing Magpie, which sold out all over Asia after being recommended in a Manga comic. In short, she concluded: “The ivory tower is not dead yet, but it’s becoming a tiny piece of wine criticism."

Words of wisdom from EWBC 2010:

George Nimeh, digital marketing expert and creator of www.i-boy.com

“It’s important to understand where it is you fit in; to plot your path between content and commerce. It’s not about a mass audience; it’s about understanding what each individual you are interacting with can take away. How can you extend yourself into other publishing or commercial environments?

“Opinions go a long way online. Is what you’ve said interesting just to yourself or interesting to other people? Is there something people are going to want to pass on? What’s the value there? And why would they choose this over someone else? Is it available where they want to find it?”

Andrew Gregson, founder of Media 140

“I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to track the audience for your online activity. The more information you have, the more you’re going to be able to make informed decisions about where to take your business.”

“How can you know what content to produce if you don’t know what your audience is asking?”

Evelyne Resnick, founder of Resmo, a consulting service for wine brands

“In the US you very often see people in the supermarket on their iPhone looking up tasting notes on a wine before they buy it. It’s going to happen more and more.

“Wine producers need to be a little more proactive and aware of all the propositions on the net. E-commerce sites are a way for producers to really engage with their consumers.”

Gabriel Savage, December 2010