Frequently Asked Questions - Wine & Spirits Magazine
General
How many issues does your magazine publish a year?

Wine & Spirits Magazine publishes 4 issues a year.

How do I purchase a back issue of Wine & Spirits?

Please click here to order a digital single back issue of Wine & Spirits you desire by choosing “Single issue.”

If you would like a print version of a back issue, please email us at [email protected] or call (888)-695-4660.

How much does a single issue cost?

A single W&S issue generally cost $5.99. Our specialty Winter issue costs $9.99.

Subscriptions
How much does a subscription to your magazine cost?

We have two subscription plans:

  • Digital Edition subscription: 1 year (7 issues): $19.95; 2 years (14 issues): $31.95.
  • Print and Digital Edition: 1 year (7 issues): $29.95; 2 years (14 issues): $51.95; 3 years (21 issues) $69.95.
I signed up for a subscription in between publishing dates. Why have I not received my first issue?

If you have signed up in between our publishing dates, please expect to receive the following issue. For example, if you subscribed to our magazine between February and April, please expect your first issue to be the April issue.

Where do I go to renew or cancel my subscription?

Please click on “Edit Profile” under “Membership” after logging into your account to change your subscription status.

How can I obtain a receipt for my subscription purchase?

Your receipt should be emailed to you upon your confirmation of purchase. If you did not receive it, please contact us at [email protected].

When is the Digital Edition available?

Our Digital Edition is available a week before our print magazine is for sale on newsstands.

Wine Review & Scoring Process
What is W&S Magazine’s review process?

All wine evaluations for our tastings section are conducted under controlled, blind conditions in our own offices. There are no exceptions.

W&S selects wines for recommendation via a two-step process. First, all wines are tasted by a screening panel; the panels determine which wines stand out as being better than average for their variety and appellation. These panels, conducted by W&S staff, are composed of retailers, sommeliers, winemakers and other wine professionals whom we invite to taste with us. We draw on a diverse community of tasters to provide multiple perspectives on each wine, thereby mitigating the prejudices of any one critic.

The wines recommended by our screening panels—generally between 20 and 30 percent of those originally assessed—are then tasted blind by our critics, who score each wine and write the reviews. A second, unopened bottle of each wine is tasted during this second stage of our tasting process.

What scoring system does W&S use?

We use a 100-point scale. Wines from 80 to 85 are recommended as good examples of their variety or region, wines from 86 to 89 are highly recommended, 90 to 94 are exceptional examples of their type, and 95 or higher are superlative, rare finds.

If my wine is recommended, where will it be published?

All wines, whether or not they are recommended by our panels and scored by our critics, are published online in our searchable database. Recommended wines appear with their score and tasting note; wines not recommended by our panels appear with NR (not recommended).

All wines that earn exceptional scores (90 points or higher) appear in the tasting section of the magazine (both the print and digital editions). Wines awarded Best Buy status (recommended wines priced below the median price in their category) will also appear in the print and digital editions of the magazine.

Wines that earn exceptional scores as New Releases will appear again in a future issue as part of a “Year’s Best” section, if the magazine features such a focus during the 10 months subsequent to the initial publication.

How much time elapses between submission of a wine and a published review?

It may take four months between the time we receive a sample and the date it is published in the magazine and/or on our website. The time frame could be longer if we receive a wine after an issue’s submission window has closed.

Will I be notified if my wine is recommended?

If you provide complete contact information on your submission form, our team will be in touch with news of recommended wines, and will share promotional opportunities available for your recommended wines.

You can also find out if your wine has been tasted and/or scored by visiting our website and clicking on the “Tasting Notes Search” tab to search for your wine.

Recently tasted wines will appear on the website within one month of the publication date of the print edition for which they were tasted.

Are all submitted wines reviewed?

Our critics review and score only those wines that are initially recommended by our tasting panels.

How many wines does W&S taste?

Our panelists taste more than 15,000 wines each year.

Submitting Wine Samples
What is our aim in implementing a new tasting protocol?

With our new protocol, we are aiming to have more focused tastings for each issue offering better context within that specific category. At the same time, we hope to continue to offer our readers reviews on newly released wines from around the world.

Our Tastings provide perspectives on specific regions and varieties. We offer this timely information to connect wine buyers with great opportunities arriving in the market. As the wine market has grown, our ability to meet these goals has been stretched. We will no longer attempt to cover the entire world within one year.

As we have narrowed our featured tastings, we are working to encourage wide participation within each category. We believe this will strengthen the perspectives we can offer to our readers as well as the value of our recommendations for wineries and importers. So, we do not require a processing fee for wines within these featured categories.

We have implemented a processing fee for new releases outside these featured categories so wineries and importers can continue to submit wines as they arrive in the market. We encourage you to be selective in the new releases you submit, and we look forward to sharing those that excite us with our readers.

We appreciate your participation in our tastings and we look forward to working with you in the months to come to bring great wines to the attention of our community of buyers.

When should I send samples?

Please refer to our editorial tasting calendar to determine when to send wines. For wines slated to be tasted within the focus categories in the upcoming issue, they must be submitted by the noted deadline.

If you are submitting new releases, you may send them at any time. You must deliver a submission form and the wines within the submission window for any particular issue to guarantee that the wines will be considered for that issue. Otherwise, they may be considered for the subsequent issue.

How many bottles of each wine should I send?

We request that two (2) bottles of each wine be sent with your initial submission, in case our panel questions the condition of a bottle or a cork and requests us to open a second bottle.

Is the $20 fee per SKU or per bottle?

The $20 processing fee is per cuvée/bottling/SKU. The fee covers both bottles that we request.

What information must be included with samples?

Before submitting wines to our tasting department, you must first complete a digital submission form. We no longer accept emailed or printed submission forms.

Where do I send samples?

Before submitting wines to our tasting department, you must first complete a digital submission form. We no longer accept emailed or printed submission forms.

Can I ship samples from outside the US directly to W&S?

We do not have an import license and cannot be responsible for clearing wines through customs. All samples from outside the US must be sent through a licensed US importer.

What if a region or grape variety is not a focus category for 2019-2020? Are you no longer reviewing certain regions or categories?

The critics at Wine & Spirits magazine have curated a list of focused tastings based on categories that have received high recommendation rates in the recent past or have shown growth in the current global wine market. We are not intending to exclude wines, which is why we are holding new release tastings.

Can I submit a wine from a region that is covered even if it is not the specified grape variety or style?

You may submit any wines from any region at any time. Wines falling outside the featured category require a $20 processing fee. If, for example, our featured category is Barossa shiraz, and you would like to submit a Barossa grenache, that grenache submission would require a processing fee.

Can I submit older vintages of my wines?

Yes, if they fall under the following criteria: It is within a focus category for the issue, it is currently on the market and we have not tasted it before. Non-vintage sparkling and fortified wines may be re-submitted once a year. Vintage Champagnes may be re-submitted for our annual Champagne assessments by house and grower, even if they have been previously tasted, as long as they are currently available in the market.

Should I wait to send my wines for a focus region or send them now as a new release?

That is a decision between the importer and winemaker on how quickly you’d like to see a review. Wines that earn exceptional ratings in the new release tastings will appear again in print later that same year if we cover the category in a focus tasting.

Will I receive confirmation of payment or delivery?

You will receive a confirmation of submission and payment from [email protected]. If you do not find this confirmation in your inbox, please check your spam folder. We do not send confirmation of delivery due to the amount of wine we receive. You may confirm with your shipper or e-mail us directly at the addresses below.

Can I purchase a label reproduction or other promotional activations if my wine is reviewed in the print edition?

After tastings for an issue are completed and scores have been recorded, you may purchase a label reproduction (to be featured along with your review in our print edition) through our sales team. Label purchases are completely voluntary and advertising decisions have no effect on scores or reviews.

What if I have more questions or technical issues?

Please reach out to the tastings department at Wine & Spirits—for imported wines, reach out to [email protected]; for domestic wines at [email protected].

After Sample Submissions
May I contact W&S to find out if my wines have been have been delivered or reviewed?

Due to the sheer volume of samples we receive, our staff cannot confirm receipt of samples. Please contact your shipper to obtain confirmation of delivery.

How much time elapses between submission of a wine and a published review?

It may take four to six months between the time we receive a sample and the date it is published in the magazine and/or on our website. The time frame could be longer if the wine is received past an issue’s deadline or if the wine falls outside of our editorial focus for that issue.

Will I be notified if my wine is recommended?

Our editorial staff does not contact importers or producers to report tasting results. To find out if your wine has been tasted and/or scored, visit our “Wine Search” section to search for your wine.

Recently tasted wines will appear on the website within one month of the publication date of the print edition for which they were tasted.

Can I purchase a label reproduction if my wine is reviewed in the print edition?

After tastings for an issue are completed and scores have been recorded, you may purchase a label reproduction (to be featured along with your review in our print edition) through our marketing team. Label purchases are completely voluntary and advertising decisions have no affect on scores or reviews.

Editorial
Account Information
How do I change my password or contact information?

After you log in, you may change your information in “Edit Profile” under “Membership” on the navigation bar.

Media
I would like to advertise with your magazine. Whom should I contact?

Please see our Marketing & Advertising page where you will find contact information for our Advertising team.

Whom should I contact to get a copy of your media kit?

Please contact Louise Nightingale for any information in regards to our media kit and advertising opportunities.

Where can I get a copy of your press releases?

Copies of our press releases are posted on our website. If you would like a physical copy, please contact Louise Nightingale.

Employment
Does your company offer internships?

Please check our Jobs page for the latest postings.

I would like to work for your company. How do I apply?

Please check our Jobs page for the latest postings.