For our Question of the Quarter, we ask members the very direct question, can you make a living as a wine writer?
“I think you can make a living as a wine writer, but writing alone is unlikely to be enough. As outlets shrink and shift priorities — or disappear altogether — consistent assignments have become harder to rely on. For me, the answer has been to build around the writing. My podcast gives me a platform where I can reliably tell the stories I think matter, while my brand advisory work allows me to apply the industry knowledge and perspective I’ve developed as a journalist in a different way. More than ever, I think wine communicators need to think about owning a platform and building multiple, complementary revenue streams rather than depending entirely on traditional media.”
Erica Duecy
Erica is a freelance wine writer and editor in New York and runs a podcast, Business of Drinks
“No, I don’t believe I could make a living as a wine writer, and I have never really tried to. For me, wine writing has always been a side pursuit, particularly since leaving full-time employment.
I first had wine notes published in 1973 in the now-defunct Vintage magazine, while I was still a graduate student. There was no payment. That was hardly unusual: I later published academic papers, both wine-related and otherwise, in peer-reviewed journals, again without compensation.
When I moved to McMinnville, Oregon, in 2011, I decided to return to popular wine writing. My first article for Oregon Wine Press was unpaid. My third, published in 2012, was the first piece for which I was paid. The rate was $0.15 per word. It is still $0.15 per word today.
That perhaps says more about the economics of wine writing than anything else.
The most I have ever received for a single article is $1,000. Several others have paid a few hundred dollars. While contributing to the Slow Wine USA Guide, I received $35 for each winery I covered, which barely compensated for the travel and time involved. It felt more like pro bono work.
Book writing has not proved substantially more lucrative. My book, Grape Explications, was rejected by Academie du Vin Library because of my lack of name recognition, so I chose to publish it through Luminare Press and produce the book exactly as I wanted. More than a year after publication, I am still a long way from recovering the costs.
I have been fortunate. A successful career in aerospace and consulting allowed me to leave full-time employment with an adequate retirement income. I also still work occasionally in a Dundee Hills tasting room.
That means I can afford to treat wine writing differently. I can write what interests me without depending on it to pay the bills. Anything I earn from it is, essentially, gravy.
So can I make a living as a wine writer? No. But because I never needed it to be my living, I have been able to continue doing it on my own terms.”
Neal D. Hulkower, PhD
Neal is based in Oregon where he writes about wine and economics
“I think the answer has to be yes, but only if either you have full-time employment as a wine writer/copy-writer etc or at least one regular well-paid wine column plus other freelance work, or you have managed to establish your own successful subscription website (could be a Substack) alongside other freelance work. Without one of these situations, you will need to supplement your living with speaking/teaching engagements, consultancy, public relations work, wine tours, events or another job completely!”
Wink Lorch
Wink is a wine writer and author based out of France and England, and specialises in Jura and the wines of the Alps
“I have never even tried to! I love writing and thinking and studying about wine, but I have never even tried to make a full-time living as a writer. I know the rates don’t pay as well, and even though I do have a monthly wine column and occasionally contribute to other publications, I make over 95% of my earnings in PR and events.”
Sarah Phillips McCarten
Sarah works and lives in Miami where she runs her wine events company, FiftyOneNorthHQ