Is there a way to be notified by email when there is new content?
Roy emailed me as soon as it was published?? Would check your account setup.
Agree on his BDX futures article. Insightful, and in particular appreciate how Roy breaks down the financials.
I also really enjoyed Roy’s insider look at the Abreu/Trinchero news.
I loved the initial articles, but am I seeing it right now that the most recent article was April 4?
Indeed I have been far too MIA.
Bottling and trying to do all the legwork for the release of my 2022 next month, plus a few other things, has kept me too inactive on the Gazette. But I have several articles that just need more editing. I promise to hit everyone up with some next week and get back on a more regular footing after my release. The downsides of being a one-person show. So sorry about that!
@Roy_Piper Antonio scooped you on Aerika. I have known Julia since she hit Napa and knew about the project but did not realize she had a website up.
I will start by saying that Roy is a great resource in Napa for WBs and I thought the newsletter was a great idea as the articles provide a different take on Napa. But so far I am very disappointed as the content has not been flowing as was initially indicated. After an initial flurry of articles in March and early April, there were a few articles in late June and nothing since then. I know Roy’s primary focus is on Piper winery but that shouldn’t be an excuse for not delivering on content for the Gazette.
He has built up a lot of goodwill on the board but if anyone else ran a wine publication in this manner, WBs would be trashing them. Unless something changes, I am not renewing.
I will come at this from a different angle. We give reviewers tons of shit! I think wine writing is a lot harder than it looks. Try writing several detailed articles per year and putting out several 100s or 1000s of tasting notes per year. I don’t know how @William_Kelley does it! They are professionals for a reason…
Barry, would you feel differently if he just spaced them out a little bit - say, one article every week or two? I don’t need three articles every day, or week. I’ve been very happy with the quality of the content, and have tried to take into account that this is likely the busiest time of the year for him. Like everything, there are growing pains as new projects get off the ground. Maybe he has a bunch of new content ready to go. Maybe he’ll lower the price next year. Or, maybe he’ll realize the bit off more than he can chew. But, as you said he has built up a lot of good will here, and as a result I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I am not saying it is easy at all but most (all?) professionals focus full time on delivering content. Parker was very prolific and in the early days had a full time day job until he had enough subscribers.
I believe the subscription to the Gazette is set up to auto-renew by default. I turned that “feature” off when I signed up (as I do for all my subscriptions) . I have been enjoying the albeit infrequent content and agree Roy is great winemaker and a class act! Cheers.
This was included in a recent email:
PS- Apologies for the very long gap in Vinter Gazette articles. A few events have taken more time than I thought they would but I will release issues about Bordeaux and Santa Barbara wine country, during harvest. I have a lot of catching up to do! I will definitely make up for lost time.
Michael — was that a general email to subscribers? I did not receive it
Wine purchaser email.
Ola, everyone.
I am also disappointed in my lack of articles after a fast beginning. Maybe too fast a beginning. I think the time needed took more than I thought it would. I did not account for hiccups like a protracted health issue in my immediate family, which was resolved just as harvest was starting. I like to do everything myself, and I bit off a bit more than I can chew, to be honest.
I started this back in March, and have released just 3 batches of fifteen articles, five at a time. I’ve been asking a few people how they would like to see the articles come out and am shifting how I am going to do this.
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I don’t plan to renew anyone’s sub unti a full year’s worth of articles have come out. Given I am behind, I would not expect any further billing until late summer of 2025 or even this time next year. I want to make sure I deliver the goods, first.
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Second, I can tell that when I release 4-5 articles at a time, one or two get read, but two or three do not. Mostly likely because these are substantial write-ups and few can sit down and take 45 minutes straight to read them all. So I am thinking of releasing ONE or TWO at a time but release them more consistently. Perhaps one every third week and only one a month in Sept and Oct (harvest.) That’s 30+ per year, minimum.
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Two-point-five articles per month may not seem like a lot but given even in cases of major critics, most subscribers are waiting for maybe 4-6 issues per year to cover their most collected regions, I think this will be a very good value proposition, once I get it consistent.
I would love to hear what you would all like to hear about. So far, I am covering issues and events in Napa that are well known to insiders but not well known outside of Napa. Industry trends, etc. I won’t review wines from my own backyard but have already posted at length about wines before they were released (001, Palisades Canyon.) Also, Bordeaux. Central Coast is on my radar. In fact, the next 6-8 articles will be primarily about those two regions.
Since this is still a work in progress, I am curious what you would all like to have that makes such a gazette useful. Besides more consistency. ![]()
I will get the Vintner Gazette straightened out and back on track. Thanks.
Very sorry to hear about your family issue.
If I could just ask one small favor. I have never received an email when you post new articles. I subscribe to several wine publications all send an email when there is new content. You should check out Trink Magazine as they are a similar style publication to you that is focused more on articles than scores. And their site and notifications are excellent. It is also probably a good benchmarking for you to see how much and the frequency of their content. @Paula_Sidore one of the cofounders is a member here. I do know they have a tech team behind them so in no way is it easy.
Roy — any updates regarding timing for new content?
and just like that – there it is!
What a coincidence
Hi Roy, just got a notification that my subscription expired despite your statement above that you would not renew subscriptions until you had posted at least one year’s worth of content. This is probably the result of an automatic feature in the software but wanted to make you aware. Thank you.