"Hi, I'm in the business. Comp my tasting?"

just wondering how ITBers handle the wine-blogger who rolls into the tasting room and requests a comp tasting and bottle to take home and review?

on the surface, it seems like a pretty easy decision: pour some wines and don’t worry about it.

it gets trickier when said blogger asks for a comp bottle to take home and “review,” with a score/rating/note to come on their blog. do you fork over the bottle and hope for the best? deny the request and cross fingers they don’t shat on you? other?

just wondering.

Tell them that in order to get the respect and following of Robert Parker that they need to pay their own way…

You could tell them that sort of thing needs to be arranged ahead of time. Doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. In fact, a blogger asking (without waiting/letting you offer) for the bottle to take home seems a bit unreasonable to me. But what do I know?

no way should you be put on the spot like that. everything should be arranged ahead of time.

+1

We get requests for samples from bloggers all the time, and frankly I ask them politely where they’re located and then point them in the direction of a local store. Maybe I’m a mean SOB, but I’m not here to give away wine.

And frankly, rarely has anyone ever sold a case of wine based on most bloggers’ reviews.

Since when are bloggers ITB and not lonely people longing for social acceptance?

Being in the business is a lot different than “only” writing a blog. Beyond two or three relatively known individuals, I don’t think a lot of wine bloggers appreciate that they face a steep curve to gain any kind of relevance and some likely try to oversell themselves to wineries. Any writer (especially one that just drops in) should voluntarily communicate the reason for their interest, what they write about, where it has been published and how long they have been writing. Without a prior appointment, they shouldn’t expect any special treatment at all. If genuinely interested, the parties will arrange something more formal in the future. If I am in that position, I Introduce myself, leave a copy of the publication, get a contact name and follow up. Most writers (self included) who request samples do so with a larger, more comprehensive scope in mind, be it vintage, region or variety. Serially picking off wines one-by-one provides little in the way of context. Maybe the Wine Blogger Conference should offer a session on Winery Relations to their attendees. Santa Barbara hosts several hundredwine bloggers beginning in a couple weeks.

+1 on the responses. A random blogger demanding a free bottle - and I say demanding because they are implying that it is expected - is just rude. There are artful ways to ask, by first gaining your interest and not putting you on the spot. Beginning a relationship in person can be better than by email, but you don’t start a good relationship by pressuring/demanding/expecting.

As for free trade tastings, a business card is a usual request.
But a bottle???

Well said.

I write a wine blog so maybe I can offer a bit of insight. Granted, I’m also ITB in several ways too…

Any legitimate, professional blogger will not ask for a sample bottle up front or at any point in the tasting. At some point, if you or your staff is doing their job, an organic conversation will come up and the blogger will identify themselves as such. At that point, having a clear policy in place will probably be the most helpful. Some wineries choose not to recognize bloggers as media (with the associated considerations) while some do offer comped tastings.

Also, any legitimate wine blogger will have a business card. At that point it’s up to you to take the card and ask them to contact you in the future or even, pass that card along to your PR/Marketing department or company and have them do some outreach.

Good response, Beau. I’m in the same position - writing for a (sort-of) blog but also working part-time on the production side for a couple of wineries. On the occasions when I don’t make an advance appointment at a winery, I’ll usually present both business cards upfront since, as Beau pointed out, not all wineries have a policy to comp a tasting for media people so I like to show them my winery business card too. But there are other times when I have waited until later in my visit to identify myself as ITB, handling it much as Beau mentioned. And there have been times when I chose not to let the tasting room staff know my ITB status at all (usually when I thought the wines were not worth writing about).

As far as I can recall, I’ve never requested sample bottles from a winery. Over the years, I’ve had maybe 4-5 wineries offer a bottle to take with me, though I don’t think I’ve ever told the winery person that I would review that wine later. I can’t recall a winery explicitly asking me to do that, though I imagine that was their hope.

I’ve been an independent wine writer for many years. The only time I ask for a free tasting is when it’s for an article already sold to an editor and is in the research phase.

Other than that, I pay for tastings unless a free one is offered, and I never, ever ask for a free bottle of wine–did I say never?

Having been a winery owner (who could have given my complete inventory away to freebie hunters on any given day) might have something to do with the way I think about the matter. Then again, personal ethics might have something to do with it…

I’ve written many wine reviews and blog entries. That entitles me to a free bottle of nothing. I would not ask a winery up front to comp a bottle to me. That is inappropriate in many ways. Even comping a tasting is questionable unless I’m buying.

I’m fully ITB and I don’t ask for any freebies. You’re a douche if you do. I don’t even like it when real wine writers expect free tastings, etc., or complain if the set up at a free tasting isn’t to their liking, etc. Anything free is a gift, I don’t care if you’re doing your job. I’m doing my job and I don’t get freebies. I respect people who pay their own way and are totally gracious when money isn’t involved.

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I’m not ITB and I feel uncomfortable accepting free bottles. I don’t want the giver to get the impression that that’s why I am there when it is about stopping to say hi to a friend or close acquaintance.

Vincent,

So as a matter of course, you have never had any retailer, wholesale rep, writer or loyal customer and offered him or her a free tasting and tour at your winery, they have always paid their own way? Or if they have asked to be received and had a free tasting they have never left without you thinking that he/she is a complete douchebag?

Get requests for a discount for ITB from part-time pourers in tasting rooms, waitresses, busboys, Somms and myriad of people who have anything to do with growing, selling, making, serving or blogging about wine. The growers, wineries and restaurants don’t give me a discount and I don’t see many bloggers writing about the selection at my store. Aren’t I in the business?

A free bottle AND a free tasting? Hand them a note pad and pen so they can take notes on the wine they just got for free.

I’m surprised you don’t get discounts (industry) and/or comped tastings. When I was in retail, wineries were very nice about comping tastings and giving me a nice discount on purchases. I never asked for any of it, but it was pretty cool to be extended the courtesy.

The way I go is to casually mention what I do for work and ask for nothing. Usually the tasting gets comped for me and sometimes anyone else with me. Usually if we buy some wine, the whole group gets comped the tasting. If I still pay to taste, that’s perfectly fine with me. I have no expectation of anything free, but it’s nice when it happens.