Dear Wine Hub readers,
I read this Press Release and knew that what I read would be so helpful, I decided to include it in article page for your enjoyment.
The 'Future Gap between reading about a wine and drinking it is now a reality'.
Philip S. Kampe
GRAPE COLLECTIVE: RETHINKING
THE WINE MAGAZINE
New Online Publication
Merges Content and Commerce to Connect More Readers To Wine
New York, NY (2013) – Grape Collective (http://grapecollective.com/), a new subscription-free online
wine magazine, revolutionizes how wine media is consumed by introducing a
digital platform that bridges the gap between reading about a wine and drinking
it. Loaded with content from the industry’s top writers and editors, Grape
Collective is the only editorial format with integrated e-commerce wherein
readers can read a story or watch a video about a wine, then procure it directly
through the website.
Inspired by a common frustration among wine consumers—the
difficulty of sourcing the wines we read about—Grape Collective founder
Christopher Barnes set out to create a more seamless shopping experience. “In
the past, my experiences of reading about a wine and then trying to buy it were
extremely frustrating,” says Barnes, who was formerly president of the New York
Observer Media Group and co-founder of amNewYork. “More often than not, I
would find out that the wines that I had just read about in my favorite wine columns
were unavailable.”
At
its core, Grape Collective is a portal for top-notch wine content. It features regular, exclusive content
from industry veterans including Dorothy J. Gaiter, who co-wrote the Wall Street Journal’s wine column, “Tastings”,
from 1998 to 2010, and Barbara Fairchild, who was the editor in chief of Bon Appétit magazine from 2000 to 2010, as
well as a fleet of established and emerging writers. Grape Collective’s
collection of articles, video and multimedia features are geared to the casual-but-curious
wine drinker, an audience that’s often overlooked by traditional wine media,
which heavily favors the collector and connoisseur.
“We are
rethinking a category where existing wine media focuses mainly on the affluent
wine consumer, and most of the quality writing is hidden behind pay walls,” says
Barnes. “Instead of charging our readers for access to our content, we’re supporting
our business via direct wine sales—a customer service that also generates
revenue.”
The content that appears on Grape
Collective—a behind-the-scenes video tour of Rioja’s legendary wineries, an
exploration of affordable alternatives to Sancerre, or an interview with Napa
Valley pioneer Peter Mondavi, Sr.—is supervised by editorial director Nick Fauchald,
formerly an editor at Wine
Spectator, Food & Wine and Tasting Table.
“We want to introduce wines from
a diverse selection of voices and perspectives that offer more insight and
context than the industry’s standard 100-point grading system,” says Fauchald.
“Instead of tasting wines inside an isolated office, our writers are
on-the-ground reporters who have the freedom to share their discoveries with
readers in an exciting new way.”
Grape Collective believes good wine becomes better the more
you know about it. As such, its content, updated daily, will both inform and
entertain, covering a variety of topics that range from emerging winemakers to
restaurant sommeliers and roundups of the wine blogosphere.
Grape Collective’s retail arm is headed up
by John Finkle, a New Jersey-based wine retailer and owner of Magnolia
Wines and Spirits.
Grape Collective
is now live at http://grapecollective.com/. For
information, including press interviews, and other PR-related information,
please contact Liz Kellogg at 646.389.5235 or liz@kelloggandcaviar.com.
###
CHART:
COMPARE/CONTRAST
Grape
Collective vs. Traditional Wine Magazine
Grape
Collective
|
Traditional
Wine Magazine
|
|
Access to
Online Content
|
Free. No paywall
|
Paywall. Subscription required
|
Print
Counterpart
|
None. An online-only publication
|
Yes
|
Sell wines
direct to reader
|
Yes - via integrated
e-commerce feature
|
No
|
Content
Contributors
|
Use multiple writers and focus on diversity of points of
view.
|
Writers tend to be exclusive to publication. Majority is
staff-generated content rather than freelance.
|
Content
|
Focus is on winemaker’s narratives and on-the-ground
reporting from the vineyard
|
Focus on staff tasting notes
|
Audience
|
Casual-curious wine drinker
|
Wine connoisseurs and collectors
|
Revenue
Stream
|
Generated from online wine sales
|
Based on advertising sales and paid subscription model
|
Content
Frequency
|
Updated daily
|
Based on monthly editorial schedule
|
GRAPE
COLLECTIVE
BIOS
Christopher Barnes, Founder & Publisher
Christopher Barnes, a
frustrated wine drinker who couldn't figure out where to buy all the great
wines written about in his favorite wine columns, is the visionary and
publisher of Grape Collective. With more than 10 years experience creating
innovative new media products in the publishing industry, Barnes has served as
President of The New York Observer Media Group, where he oversaw the launch of
multiple successful print and digital media properties, including Galleristny.com, Statestreetwire.com, Politicker.com,
Betabeat.com, YUE, Commercial Observer,
Scooter and Scene. His start-up experience also includes launching and managing
two profitable free daily newspapers—am New York and Metro Boston—and co-founding The London Monthly Magazine.
Nick Fauchald, Editorial Director
Nick Fauchald is a
Brooklyn-based writer, editor and publisher of print and digital products. He's
been an editor at Food & Wine, Wine Spectator and Every Day with Rachael Ray magazines. From 2008 to 2011, he was the
editor in chief of Tasting Table. In 2012, Nick created All Day Press, a publishing company that bridges
traditional and new media by consulting on and creating print and digital
products. His clients include The New York Times, Gilt Taste, Tennis and La Boîte á Epice. His writing has been featured in the Best Food Writing
series, and he continues to contribute to numerous print and digital
publications including Food & Wine,
Departures, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal,
AFAR and The Wall Street Journal.
Dorothy J. Gaiter, Senior Editor
Dorothy J. Gaiter conceived
and wrote The Wall Street Journal's
wine column, "Tastings," from 1998 to 2010 with her husband, John
Brecher. She has been tasting and studying wine since 1973 and has had a
distinguished career in journalism as a reporter, editor, columnist and
editorial writer at The Miami Herald
and The New York Times as well as at The Journal. Dottie and John are well
known from their many television appearances, especially on Martha Stewart's
show, and as the creators of the annual "Open That Bottle Night"
celebration of wine and friendship.
Barbara Fairchild, Restaurant and Travel Editor
With more than three decades
at Bon Appetit magazine—including
over ten years as editor in chief—Barbara Fairchild is a nationally recognized
expert in the areas of food, restaurants and travel. These days she is enjoying
a second career as a freelance writer, editor, public speaker, radio personality,
and journalism professor. She has appeared on numerous television programs,
including Today show; Food Network's Iron Chef America; and Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, both with Gordon Ramsay. In 2000, Fairchild was
inducted into the James Beard Foundation's "Who's Who in American Food
& Beverage.”
Kaitlyn Goalen, Managing Editor
Kaitlyn Goalen writes, cooks
and eats, splitting her time between Raleigh and
Brooklyn. She is the editor of Short Stack
Editions, a series of small-format single-subject cookbooks, and was previously
the National Editor at Tasting Table.
Her work has appeared in Food & Wine,
Wall Street Journal, Garden & Gun, O: The Oprah Magazine, AFAR,
and Gastronomica.
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