Starting a wine blog: suggested dos and don'ts?

WINE TALK
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So full disclosure, I’m in the process of trying to launch a personal blog, too (but not about Bordeaux, I promise!). I should also disclose that I’m a digital journalist and have launched and edited about a dozen successful news blogs. It’s a totally different beast when you already have a large audience and a brand attached, so I’m glad you started this thread, as I’m treading these waters, too.

My best advice is what I needed to give to myself years ago: Don’t over think it, just dive in, start writing about what interests you and as everyone has said, have fun with it.

I think having a particular focus or niche is really important! It might limit your audience, which is not always a bad thing. A small audience of quality/influential people, who keep coming back to the blog, can sometimes drive results (depending on what your goals are) faster than random clicks by a bigger group of people who randomly find your blog for different reasons and move on.

Every post doesn’t have to be a long well-researched article – they can be short bursts of inspiration, or a comment on a news story, or a quick recommendation of something you’ve tried. If you’re traveling, post a few photos and let readers know there will be a longer post about your trip when you return. The key (and hardest part of blogging) is consistently writing – whether it’s daily, every other day, or weekly. Posting once or twice and then waiting a month to post again won’t necessarily keep bringing people back to the blog.

Self-promotion is important, so utilize social networks like Twitter and Facebook to send out links – don’t just say “come read my blog” – give them a factoid or make a statement with an interesting point of view that will encourage folks to click. Tag people you write about in your posts so it might encourage them to respond or share your post. Also, have conversations with your readers! If they comment on something or ask a question, respond (nicely) to them. Blogging is more about having a conversation with your readers, than just writing into the ether and hoping someone will read it.

Good luck! I see some great advice in this thread already!

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A big +1. And by the way, I admire that you didn’t put an improper extra apostrophe into “dos and don’ts.” It’s rare, but refreshing, to encounter someone these days who doesn’t believe that every word that ends in “s” should have an apostrophe before the s.

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I would not discuss in any way any other blog.

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Avoid hyperbole.

Post frequent tasting notes with a review of a wine before a meal and how the wine changes with food.

In the long haul, pick a few wines to grab 2-3 cases of and post yearly tasting updates.

Subvert yourself. Do things like blind taste groupings and put in ringers and doubles and post your results honestly.

Taste the same wines one time, then sneak them into other tastings and see how your observations change or not.

Talk about how a wine tastes via different stems.

Talk about the tasting profile of a wine as its temperature changes.

Pick commonly available snacks and post tastings in association with a snack your readers can acquire and compare results with you.

Play with “wine torture.” Store a bottle on the window sill for a couple months and compare to a well stored bottle. Try the ‘freezing leftover wine trick’ and post the difference.

All of the above can be done on a rotating or recurring interval.

Make your blog human and playful - we have plenty of Parkers.

Best wishes!

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You got all kinds of conflicting opinions. I would say write for yourself. That’s going to be your audience anyway. You might get a few dozen people to read you, but you have to wonder why they would take you any more seriously than anyone else and how they’d hear about you in the first place.

There are all kinds of genres already -

“I’m just a regular guy and I tell it like it is” or
“Let me tell you what I tasted today” or
“I’m really serious and write a lot of tasting notes so I must be serious” or
“I’m de-mystifying wine gal” (almost always a gal) or
“Here is great detail on one thing or another”, and so on.

So figure out what you like and hope someone else likes it too. Personally, I won’t read a blog that’s filled with tasting notes. Nor will I read one that’s explaining to me that Merlot is a famous grape. Nor would I have any interest in “rare” or “unusual” finds. It’s not that I wouldn’t have any interest actually, it’s just that if they’re not “rare” to me, I won’t want to read the gushings of someone who just discovered them.

I would read something that was heavily detailed with facts, statistics and science. That would probably repel more readers than it would attract. It’s one of many reasons I never started a blog.

I would also disagree with some of the advice above, particularly the “be nice” advice. Why? If you think someone is an a-hole, or some blog is gibberish, why not say so? Why be shy at all in talking about other blogs?

Same with wine. If you think a wine is hardly better than poison, why not say so? The fact is, you are most assuredly not going to make a huge dent in the sales of the producer one way or another. Parker is probably the only guy who does that and to a lesser extent maybe Asimov. And one reason people follow Parker is because he takes a stand. You may not agree with him, but he at least puts it out there.

And last, don’t publish a big column on your ethics and where people should submit samples. I mean really. That just makes you seem self-important. If I were a winery, I wouldn’t send a single sample to any blogger anywhere.

Finally, keep in mind that other people might take issue with something you said. There may be someone, somewhere who reads your blog one day. And that person might disagree with something you wrote and might call you nasty names. Be grateful. That might result in your blog being read by a few more people.

I would also disagree with the thought that you shouldn’t give something away for free. That would imply that you have people breaking down your door trying to give you $600,000 advances for your memoirs at the moment. Good for you if that’s the case, but then why start a blog? I think it’s a fine idea to give away information, people do it all the time on this forum, and you can develop a reputation if you’re an engaging blogger with something to say.

You live in Bordeaux right? You have a unique perspective that many people can only fantasize about. So write about what’s in front of you. You don’t have to call yourself a wine cellar “insider”, whatever that means, because you live there. I wouldn’t have any trouble coming up with topics in your situation.

Above all though, do pay attention to grammar and style. Great information presented in a boring manner will go no where. Silly thoughts presented in an engaging and clever manner might get you some readers. Most people just aren’t very good writers IMO. Some try too hard to develop a kind of schtick, which extends even to the names of their blogs. Others are just clueless about how to craft a paragraph or make a point. It’s OK, most people have something that they’re reasonably good at and it doesn’t have to be writing. But if you’re going to write, do it well. It’s like having people over for dinner. You don’t need to be a three star chef, but you’re not going to open a can of beans for your guests either.

Just my 2 cts. And of course, I’m just an audience of one. Good luck whatever you do!