Veteran wine writer Max Allen has raised the ethical issue of reviewers being paid by producers to write about them.
In a column in The Weekend Australian Magazine, Allen points to the creation of the association Wine Writers of New Zealand.
The new body states:
“We believe the practice of supplying wine reviews for direct payment removes… independence, is highly undesirable, and has the potential to harm the reputation of all wine writers in New Zealand.
“It would not be acceptable to the public for critics in other fields to be paid by those whom they are reviewing. We believe that the public and wine producers are entitled to expect that an equally high standard of independence and integrity is applied to the field of wine reviewing.
In Australia, among the longest established bodies is Wine Communicators of Australia Inc which was founded in 1978.
ADVERTISEMENT
In his column in this week’s edition of the magazine, Allen reveals that on occasion he has been paid to reproduce content he has already created f by organisations including by The Winemakers of Rutherglen who also provided a speaker’s fee
Allen asks: “Is this acceptable? Or is it crossing the ethical line? Does it make me Rutherglen’s bitch?”