(Editorial team)
Two years of Wineparty. Two years of journalistic responsibility in the face of the uniformity that has long since taken hold of large parts of today’s wine journalism. Two years of articles without regard for PR jargon, diplomatic niceties or that sterile political correctness that has now taken hold in the world of fine dining, just as it has in all areas of society. A tendency to play it safe and avoid causing offence at all costs. We do not want that. We want to cause a stir; we want to be uncomfortable. We want to practise genuine, free journalism. Because none of us has ever been – or is – merely a wine journalist – and none of us ever wants to be just a wine journalist. That would be unfair to wine and winemakers.
From the very start, Wineparty was conceived as an alternative model. As a platform for free, objective, and even subjective, sometimes polemical, sometimes euphoric, but always independent wine journalism. For articles that do not prioritise SEO, affiliate marketing, algorithms or advertisers. But rather language, perspective, debate, enjoyment, culture and freedom.
The problem, of course, is that freedom does not pay for itself.
The Wineparty still exists as an ‘appendage’, as a side project of a strategy and marketing agency that also deals with other topics and which, apart from the Wineparty, has nothing else to do with wine. This project is still being neutrally observed and cross-subsidised from there. We can still afford the luxury of offering all our content for free, because we believe that independent wine and lifestyle journalism needs a public audience. A genuine public audience, not merely anonymous reach.
But we are now approaching the end of the second year of free access. And it is slowly becoming necessary to decide whether Wineparty can stand on its own two feet. The moment of economic reality has arrived. The issue is the independent financing of Wineparty, which should cover its own fixed costs. Regarding fixed costs, it should be noted that the editor-in-chief and management continue to work pro bono – that is, for no fee – and are therefore not part of the fixed costs.
Good journalism doesn’t come out of nowhere. Writing takes time. Research takes time. Travel costs money. Interviews, tastings, photography, technical infrastructure, editing, design – none of this simply appears by magic in the digital space just because readers have become accustomed to free content.
This highlights one of the fundamental problems of our time: to many people, independent journalism seems to be worth nothing as long as it remains available for free. It is only when it is behind a paywall that people suddenly realise that work has gone into it. That articles do not fall from the sky like algorithmic content rubbish on social media.
We actually want to avoid going down this route.
Wineparty should deliberately remain open. Accessible. Readable. Shareable. A platform that doesn’t greet its readers with paywalls first. Yet an independent media outlet cannot be run sustainably without its own financial basis – and certainly not one that deliberately operates outside the traditional logic of PR and advertising – as is currently the case with cross-subsidisation.
That’s why we’re saying this openly and without false modesty:
If you want Wineparty to remain what it is, then please support this project. Not out of pity. Not out of charity. But because you want there to continue to be a journalistic voice that refuses to be tamed. A voice that doesn’t seek to sound polished, doesn’t dumb itself down to the level of press releases, and doesn’t dutifully applaud every current trend.
Because that is precisely what is disappearing in many places right now.
The media landscape is becoming increasingly cautious, polished and predictable. Wine journalism is often reduced to product management or lifestyle window-dressing. Conflicts are avoided, language is watered down, and criticism is softened. Wineparty was created precisely to counter this.
That’s why it would be a shame to have to put this project behind a strict paywall at some point.
If enough readers are willing to support Wineparty voluntarily and take advantage of one of the offers provided via the link here (we certainly do not judge supporters – whether they are winemakers or wine merchants – by the amount of their contribution), this project can continue to grow independently – perhaps even expand, with more reports, more travel pieces, more essays, more investigative stories and more of those texts that have long since found no place elsewhere. Please click here if you wish to do so: https://wineparty.hdghbgghgfhfhgf/subscription/. We would like to thank every supporter.