A New Chapter For Everyday Drinking

I'm proud to announce my new partnership with Wine Enthusiast.

A year ago, I published a piece—a rant, a cris de coeur—entitled “Wine Media Is Broken: A Case Study.” In it, I detailed my brief tenure as a critic for a major wine publication. A few of you likely remember the piece, since it was one of the most-viewed posts in this newsletter. Many of you even subscribed based on reading it. Over the past year, I’ve continued to publish a steady stream of pieces criticizing wine writing and media, such as this and this and this. Yes, there’s been some complaining around here.

But during the same time, I have also been on the lookout for what’s good and positive in wine media—which publications are trying new things, new looks, new ways to talk about wine and spirits. I’ve also made no secret of the fact that, as a fledgling self-published newsletter, I am looking for solid partners to help expand what I do here—yet still allow Everyday Drinking to remain independent.

Which is why I’m super excited today to announce a unique new partnership between Everyday Drinking and Wine Enthusiast. This has been in the works for a little while, and the company has formally announced our partnership today:

Wine Enthusiast Companies announced today the launch of a specialized content partnership with Jason Wilson of Everyday Drinking. Each week, Wilson will look at issues and ideas within the drinks industry that will be targeted toward both the industry and consumer segments. Wilson’s content will be posted exclusively to Wine Enthusiast’s Beverage Industry Enthusiast (BIE) column and the Culture category on WineEnthusiast.com, including insider travel guides and longform essays on topical issues…“Jason’s engaged following and provocative essays make him an interesting writer for this innovative content partnership,” said Jacqueline Strum, President & Publisher of Wine Enthusiast Media. “This collaboration gives us an opportunity to lift niche voices in the wine industry, reach a specific audience of wine readers, and deliver content they are looking for while helping our partners target new segments.”

I’ve already written a few features for the print version of Wine Enthusiast, including my piece on Riunite’s crazy popularity for their ‘80s issue, and a few upcoming pieces on Cognac, Jerez, and Barcelona. I’ve enjoyed working with editor John Capone, who joined Wine Enthusiast from Whalebone Magazine, a non-wine publication that I really like, and who has brought some of Whalebone’s vibe and design to the print edition.

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In our expanded partnership, I will be writing a column each week for WineEnthusiast.com, focused on issues and ideas within the wine and spirits industry. This commentary will be slightly different in newsiness and tone from the essays and features you already enjoy here in Everyday Drinking, but still very much in my voice. I will also be developing longer-form content, new experiments, and special features for Wine Enthusiast. We’ll be cross-promoting and sharing content across both publications. I’m excited to work with editor Rachel Tepper Paley on this new venture.

Click here to check out my first piece, about neo-prohibition and living in America’s dry towns, live on Wine Enthusiast now.

What this partnership means for Everyday Drinking is that I am able to tap into Wine Enthusiast’s significantly larger audience, increasing the scope of what I can do here, as well as the resources to keep doing it better. My readers will benefit from this partnership as I am able to focus even more of my creative energy into writing and publishing. It’s also very nice to have colleagues when you are a lonely, self-publishing Substack writer.

Meanwhile, nothing will change with Everyday Drinking. Let me be clear about that. I will still be in full editorial control of the content on this newsletter. My recommendations and advice on wines, spirits, travel, cocktails, and recipes will still be as independent and uncompromised as always. Also, I will not be reviewing or scoring wines at Wine Enthusiast—that is a different department altogether. My bottle recommendations will run on Everyday Drinking.

Everyday Drinking subscribers will still receive your usual two posts per week. I have another travel guide, on Madrid, coming in a few weeks for paid subscribers, followed by guides to key wine regions in Italy, Austria, and Germany during the fall. Beginning in September, my older archived pieces (more than a month old) will also move behind the paywall (though occasionally I will liberate relevant posts).

Your support is still vital to what I’m doing at Everyday Drinking, and I am so grateful to everyone who reads and subscribes. If you’re not already a paid subscriber, now would be a great time to upgrade. There are great things to come!