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 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
Our primary audience is working beverage professionals, and we publish content with that in mind, assuming a basic level of knowledge about wine and beverage, 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; An Introduction to Amaro, by Steven Gullo
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: Chianti Classico: Past, Present, and Future, by Carlin Karr; Understanding the Modern German Wine Landscape, by Joe Kane; Tempranillo Wars: Rethinking the Traditional-Modern Schism in Rioja & Ribera del Duero, by Bryce Wiatrak
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; Beyond Sulfur: Viticultural Foliar Spray Programs, by Samantha Cole-Johnson
Business: Articles that explore business topics relevant to working beverage professionals, with an emphasis on practical application.
A Few Favorites: Understanding Alternative Wine Packaging, by Samantha Cole-Johnson; So You Want to Be a Wine Importer, by Kelli White
History: Articles that present the history of a specific wine or beverage topic.
A Few Favorites: The Birth of the Wine Connoisseur, by Rebecca Gibb; Wine & Medicine: An Enduring Historical Association, by Geoffrey Crawford
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
We also accept pitches for two 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: Burgundy: Past, Present, and Future, by Myles Trapp; 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
We don’t publish any of the following:
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.
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:
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.
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%.
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.