Amanda Barnes takes an honest look at the reality of how to survive and make money as a wine writer in 2026, in her Editor’s Comment for this edition of The Circular on the economics of wine writing.
Ever since my first jobs in journalism, I remember writing for free. As a young journalist, I accepted that I needed to do a fair share of unpaid work to gain experience, build a portfolio and, occasionally, get my foot in the door of a new publication.
The trouble is that, with the rates of pay for wine writing today, I may as well still be doing some of my work for free.
Ironically, some of the biggest names pay the least. And, following conversations with many Circle members while putting together this issue, it is clear that this is far from an individual complaint.
Wine writing, in itself, increasingly doesn’t pay. AI is making new copy cheaper and faster to produce, while freelance rates have barely moved, or in some cases have gone backwards. So how do we navigate a profession in which we are competing not only with fellow writers and aspiring writers, but also with technology capable of doing an hour’s copywriting or editing work in seconds?
I have always admired Andrew Jefford as a writer and firmly believe he is one of the finest and most creative voices in wine writing. I have equally admired his transparency in publishing his earnings, although his annual disclosure makes for sobering reading for younger and less established writers (get a dose of reality here!)
If one of the world’s most respected wine writers derives only a small fraction of his income from wine writing itself, what does that mean for everyone else?
Inflation is certainly not helping. I haven’t had my per-word rate increase in the last decade and, in fact, some publications are offering less than they did ten years ago. Freelance rates rarely keep pace with the rising cost of living.
Jefford puts the problem starkly:
“Taking inflation into account, I calculate that I am now earning less than 50% of what I earned in 2000, despite working a full 5-day week (sometimes 6 days) for 50 weeks a year. This is disheartening. It is a common and growing problem in the gig economy, and one that is politically problematic. Freelance workers’ payments are rarely raised by employers to counter inflation. Wine-media remuneration, in particular, is almost comically poor, especially for those who wish to work ethically. Those considering a career in this field should think again unless they have secondary sources of income.”
It is difficult to argue with the economics.
And that is really what this edition is about. We canvass some of the leading voices in the industry to look at where the opportunities for earning now lie: whether through speaking, consultancy, publishing wine scores, subscriptions, books, education or hosting wine trips.
One conclusion becomes rather uncomfortable to avoid: the future of earning as a wine writer is probably not in writing.
But that does not mean writing has lost its value.
In Janet Z Wang’s inspiring feature on the futurenomics of wine writing, Wink Lorch’s insightful examination of wine books and Meg Maker’s thoughts on the opportunities presented by Substack, there is a ray of hope. The value of writing is not simply the direct income attached to an article, but in the authority, expertise, audience and identity that good writing can build.
And perhaps that changes the calculation.
Even if the per-word rate remains almost irrelevant, there is still opportunity in specialising more deeply, becoming more distinctive and being unafraid to write from our own particular vantage point.
The challenge is not how to make money from writing, but how to make writing work harder for us.
Or, to put it rather less elegantly, how to turn writing into a more lucrative side hustle.
