Tom Wark, who runs a communications agency, has surveyed wine writers several times in the last couple of decades. His latest survey paints a picture of who they are today:
— Nearly two-thirds of wine writers are 50 years old or older, and more than a third are over 60.
— Twenty-five percent say they have been writing or reporting about wine for more than 20 years. An additional 9% say for 10 to 20 years, and 30% say for five to 10 years.
— Fifty-five percent are male, 45% female.
— They are highly educated: 40% have a graduate degree and 53% have a college degree.
— 32% have obtained, or are pursuing, wine-related certification, such as Master of Wine, Master Sommelier or WSET. 68% haven’t.
— Writing about wine is a labor of love: only 20% say 75% of their income comes from wine writing, while 46% say they earn 10% or less from wine writing.
— Some 48% say their work appears in wine-related publications and 32% say it appears on a personal blog. 14% say it appears in a newspaper.
— 9% say their work is published daily, 47% weekly, 30% monthly and 14% every few months.
— Two-thirds of those who write primarily for their own blog or publication earn 10% or less of their annual income from wine writing.
— 59% of wine writers say their review wine, 23% write about the wine business, 45% about wine-related travel, 43% about wine-food pairings, 68% profile people at wineries, 28% report wine-related news
— 46% of wine writers say they are pitched story ideas daily
— The average press release received is somewhat useful, 49% of writers say, while 39% call them “rarely useful.”
— Given the fact that reviewing wine is engaged in by 59% of writers, it’s little surprise that 69% say receiving samples is “the most useful type of information.” Next: Wine-related travel news (41%), wine business trends (34%), wine events (31%).
— 78% say they review wines are part of their wine-related writing/reporting.
— Primary social media are Facebook (67%), Twitter (55%), Instagram (50%), Linked-in, 15%, and YouTube (13%).
— Seventy percent of respondents say climate change will fundamentally change viticulture worldwide, while 26% say it won’t make much difference.
–Thirty-two percent say sexism is deeply embedded in the industry, while 45% say it exists but is much less important than before. Only 4% say it plays little or no role in the industry.