Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW launches ‘fiercely independent’ wine publication

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW launched a “fiercely independent” wine publication with “revolutionary new research capabilities” after leaving Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, where she was editor-in-chief.

The new title, which is called The Wine Independent, is officially unveiled today with a provisional site, although the digital publication will not be fully operational until May this year.

As previously reported, Perrotti-Brown MW left the wine advocate in December after 13 years at the newspaper, telling db in an exclusive interview from her base in Napa – where Perrotti-Brown opened The Wine Advocate’s US office in 2015 – she had resigned from her “enviable position” at the newspaper to pursue a new project.

db can now reveal that this new project is “a completely independent, back-to-basics, subscriber-model publication” founded by Perrotti-Brown and Swedish photojournalist Johan Berglund, who specializes in capturing the vineyards of Bordeaux.

The pair owns an equal and majority share of the business, with the remaining part of The Wine Independent funded by a “small group of Swedish wine-enthusiast investors, none of whom have any connection to the wine industry”.

Talk to db last week before the official launch of the new publication, Perrotti-Brown said that she and Johan “played with so many names” for the title, but “it was The Wine Independent who came to us, because he seemed to say exactly what we wanted.

Continuing, she said db, “I don’t mean to point fingers at anyone else’s business in particular, but people don’t know what goes on behind the scenes of so many wine review publications, unless you’re in the sector, and then you’re like, ‘oh my God’.”

She added: “A consumer reading a post that tells you what you should and shouldn’t buy has no idea there are other agendas behind the scenes, so we say we’re independent in name. , there will never be a place wiggle about it, there will never be a compromise on integrity, and that comes with us [Perotti-Brown and Berglund] being a majority shareholder, and the others completely agreeing with our philosophy – no one will be greedy; we want to remain completely impartial.

Indeed, in the press release on the launch of the title, which was sent to db last week, the new publication is said to “return to the high ethical standards originally upheld by Robert M. Parker, Jr. when he started wine advocate in 1978,” noting that “a reputable wine review publication should not accept money from other wine-related entities.”

The statement also mentions the “uncovering” of “numerous conflicts of interest” in wine review publications – none of which are named – such as “the sale of event tables to wineries and previews of scores to retailers via ultra-premium subscriptions”.

Briefly, Perrotti-Brown said db that such “schemes” were the source of “big money” for wine review titles, but a potential source of income that she will avoid for ethical reasons, in expectation of a “comfortable life ” of a subscriber-only revenue model to The Wine Independent.

However, the new publication promises to offer “consumers much more than unbiased reviews”, with, in particular, Berglund focusing on “visual stories behind the stories of regions and producers”.

He said, “The wine independent aims to inform and surprise wine lovers with a steady stream of original and ever-changing content beyond the ratings.

Continuing, he noted, “We look forward to taking our readers on exciting journeys into the lives of people in the regions we cover, with in-depth features and visual storytelling.”

As for editorial, Perrotti-Brown, who will remain in Napa, is recruiting other wine critics in hopes of building a team of regional experts, and she and Berglund are offering shares in The Wine Independent to writers as an incentive.

In terms of benefits for subscribers to the new title, in addition to “expert” and “unbiased” wine reviews, Perrotti-Brown cites the timeliness of reviews as another critical factor in serving consumers.

“When wines in high demand and in short supply hit the market, we’ll be there with all the facts and advice so our readers can make informed decisions,” she said.

Finally, she talked about “revolutionary new search capabilities,” which would feature on the site “to help consumers find wines that match their palates and philosophies.”

She explained, “We are coming out of an era where wine ratings were given disproportionate importance, largely because ratings were the easiest and quickest part of a wine review to understand. But the scores are simply an indication of relative quality.

She added, “An accurately written and meaningful tasting note can offer more information about the style and flavor of the wine and therefore be even more valuable to consumers. With this in mind, we are adding a huge range of filters to our wine search feature, some of which are currently not found on any other wine website.

“This will help subscribers navigate the tasting notes more quickly and easily,” she said.

Among some “fun features we play with,” Perrotti-Brown said db that she “strongly” felt that there should be filters for “body and alcohol” when it comes to search terms, as they “are becoming increasingly important to consumers” who are looking for wines with a lighter body or less alcohol.

“Everyone has a stylistic preference, and we’re not saying one style is better than another, but we want to provide more guidance to people with a very specific vision of the wine they have in mind, so that they can find him quickly,” she said.

Finally, when asked about the range of wines the site should cover, she said that The Wine Independent was “primarily for people who want to collect wine”, but would not only feature “ultra-expensive wines” and would incorporate “new discoveries and high-value wines”.

“Parker has made a name for itself with great discoveries, then prices have risen, and we are here to look at all the fine wine references, but also to bring something new; the big new guys under the radar,” she concluded.

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Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW leaves The Wine Advocate