HOW TO PITCH

Who We Are

GuildSomm's mission is to create accurate, comprehensive, and accessible educational content in support of the global wine and beverage community. We elevate the industry by empowering individuals through education.

We publish a wide range of content, but we exclusively accept pitches for our feature articles and MW Perspectives essays.

MW Perspectives

MW Perspectives essays are written by Masters of Wine, taking the general format and style of an MW Paper. If you are a Master of Wine interested in contributing, please contact the editor: stacy@guildsomm.com

Feature Articles

What We’re Looking For

Our primary audience is working wine professionals, and we publish content with that in mind, assuming a basic level of knowledge about wine, as well as an interest in the nitty-gritty details around topics of relevance to the industry.

We prioritize longform reported stories that explore a subject important to the world of wine and/or the beverage industry. Articles run anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 words. In most cases, they involve thorough research and interviews with multiple subjects. They always offer a strong point of view and conclusion.

Pay rate is based on the article’s complexity and the writer’s experience and/or sample work.

The most successful articles on our site tend to fall into one of these categories:

360-Degree Look: Articles that offer an in-depth, unprecedented exploration of a grape, place, wine/beer/spirits category, or topic.

A Few Favorites: The Wine Glass: Form, Function, & Fragility, by Kelli White; Sangiovese on Edge: Tumult & Triumph in Chianti Classico & Montalcino, by Bryce Wiatrak

Unique Regional Analysis: Articles that focus on a region or regions, presenting a fresh perspective, questioning typical assumptions, exploring how things are changing, and/or comparing multiple regions to bring new understanding to readers.

A Few Favorites: Tempranillo Wars: Rethinking the Traditional-Modern Schism in Rioja & Ribera del Duero, by Bryce Wiatrak; Valley Views: Contrasting Constantia & Hemel-en-Aarde in Contemporary South Africa, by Kelli White; Examining English Fizz, by Courtney Schiessl

Viticulture & Winemaking: Articles that unpack a viticultural or winemaking concept that isn't well understood by the general industry audience.

A Few Favorites: Over the Moon: Contemporary Biodynamics & Beyond, by Kelli White; A Guide to Wine Phenolics, by Jennifer Angelosante; Pruning for Sap Flow: Extending Vineyard Life & Improving Output, by Sarah Bray

Wine History: Articles that present relevant wine history around a specific topic.

A Few Favorites: The Birth of the Wine Connoisseur, by Rebecca Gibb; Wine & Medicine: An Enduring Historical Association, by Geoffrey Crawford; Dom Pérignon: Fact & Fiction, by Tom Stevenson

Wine Education & Certification: Articles that take on wine education or certification from a unique angle or with a fresh perspective.

A Few Favorites: Exploring WSET: Advice for Students, by Vicky Burt; Lessons Learned on the Road to Mastery: Recollections of a Master of Wine, by Mary Margaret McCamic

Debunking Myths: Articles that break down common myths and misconceptions.

A Few Favorites: Five Myths of Winemaking, by Fred Swan; Three Misunderstood Topics in Spanish Wine, by Miquel Hudin; The Myths of French Wine History, by Rod Phillips

We also accept pitches for three recurring columns:

Interviews: Articles that offer a variety of perspectives on a specific subject in a question-and-answer format, in the interviewees’ own words. Interviews are condensed and lightly edited by the author.

A Few Favorites: Expats of Napa & Sonoma, by Kelli White; Pioneers of Place, by Bryce Wiatrak; Perspectives on Whole-Cluster Fermentation, by Kelli White

Spotlight: Articles that highlight the wine and beverage industry in a city or region, spotlighting varied voices from that market. Interviews are condensed and lightly edited by the author.

A Few Favorites: Detroit, Stockholm, Mexico City

So You Want To: Articles that offer practical advice on pursuing a particular position in or sector of the wine and beverage industry.

A Few Favorites: So You Want to Open a Wine Bar, by Kelli White; So You Want to Be a Wine Importer, by Kelli White; So You Want to be a Beverage Director, by Erin Brooks

What We’re Not Looking For

We don’t publish any of the following:

  • Breaking news
  • Reviews of books, products, restaurants, or wines
  • Personal or opinion essays
  • Articles directly related to press trips

An article might, however, take an angle on a news story or offer more context and research around a current event. Experience on a press trip might inform an article or offer interview opportunities. Personal elements may be included, but this generally takes place without use of the first or second person; overall, our articles have a more academic tone and approach.

How To Pitch

To pitch an article, send an email to the editor: stacy@guildsomm.com

Cold calls and DMs to our social media accounts will not be considered.

Your email should outline:

  • Your thesis and the main points you will make to back it up
  • Why this article is a good fit for GuildSomm
  • Why you are the right person to write it
  • What makes it timely
  • If the topic has been covered elsewhere, what makes your article unique
  • A list of potential interviewees, if relevant
  • Any key texts or sources you are using for your research
  • Clips of previous work (does not need to be published) similar to the article you are pitching, unless you’ve written for us before
  • A timeline for writing the article

We are committed to highlighting diverse voices. To that end, we are particularly interested in hearing pitches from BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and others offering diverse perspectives. We also encourage you to feature a range of voices in your writing (e.g., interview subjects, examples).

We respond to all pitches. If you haven’t heard back in a week, you are welcome to reach out again with an email in the same thread.

Editing Process

If we are interested in your pitch, we will next discuss the scope of the article, rate, timeline, and other expectations. We may ask questions about your initial pitch or ask for more details prior to making a decision on whether to move forward.

All articles go through a rigorous editing, fact-checking, and proofreading process. Our editor works closely with writers on any requests for significant updates or revisions and to respond to queries from our fact-checker. Articles will be edited to align with GuildSomm’s style guide and editorial standards. The writer will have the opportunity to review the final article before publication.

Invoices may be submitted once all editing requests from the editor have been completed. We pay in a timely manner.

If an article doesn’t work out, our standard kill fee is 25%.

Conduct

We have high standards for our employees and representatives. If you experience a problem working with us, we encourage you to discuss it with your editor or to submit your complaint anonymously through our third-party incident reporting system, managed by Empowered Hospitality.