IN BREVE
- Italian wine is spending on advertising space that yields no real results, preferring to appear in self-styled ‘luxury’ publications.
- These publications offer no valuable content, being built entirely on commercial relationships and press releases.
- Wine communication is losing its authenticity, blurring the lines between luxury and reality while ignoring the value of content.
- A critical and authentic approach is essential, because credibility in the wine world is built, not bought.
- Luxury publications are multiplying, but they are a self-referential bubble that does not foster real market positioning.
Despite difficult times, between a consumption crisis and various attempts at repositioning, Italian wine continues to spend, rather than invest. Many companies—wineries, but not only—simply choose to “appear” in publications that call themselves “luxury,” convinced they are gaining prestige and new markets. In reality, dear producers, you should know that these are often empty spaces, fueled by your own ego. Digital or print showcases without a real audience, without “real journalists.” But above all, without authority. Little rags that feed off your senseless desire to appear at all costs. No matter where. Or how.
THE FAKE LUXURY WINE AND LUXURY LIFESTYLE PUBLICATIONS
Behind the word “luxury” hides a system of communication and fake pseudo-journalism built exclusively on commercial relationships. Not on content. The result is a narrative of wine—and of the “luxury” sector itself—that does not inform. It does not educate. And it has no impact, except on the coffers of unscrupulous publishers, who would be better described as snake oil salesmen.
A role-playing game where everyone pretends to believe in it, while the real value of those “media placements” remains close to zero. Giving me this certainty, even more so than in the past, are the latest events featuring Champagne houses in my city, Milan. I heard one of these “pay-to-play” publisher-phenoms literally say, pointing his finger at representatives of the distribution and the maison: “These are the only people still investing nowadays. This is where the money is, this is where business is done.” Those who know me can imagine the goosebumps I felt.
ITALIAN WINE AND SHOWCASE PUBLICATIONS
Many of these luxury magazines, which only talk about “fine wine,” “luxury wines,” “nightlife,” and everything that is “fashionable,” “cool,” and “trendy,” present themselves as leading platforms built on copy-pasting press releases. No analysis. No critique. No selection. Yet, there is no shortage of wineries—Italian and foreign—that continue to pay to appear in these monuments to nothingness. Chasing an aura of exclusivity that remains confined within the same bubble. Self-referential.
Wine communication has allowed itself to be seduced by the aesthetics of luxury and the glossy page, in a vortex that no longer distinguishes between reality and fiction. Forgetting that reputation comes from content, not from photos in evening gowns or tastings in five-star hotels or locations.
The paradox? These publications are chosen precisely because they don’t ask questions. They don’t evaluate. They don’t risk expressing a judgment. On the contrary, they rely on a narrative devoid of journalism, which becomes pure promotion useful for self-promotion and parasitic self-positioning. After all, isn’t promotion without real readers a losing investment?
THE WATCHWORD IS “CREDIBILITY”: THE ONLY LUXURY THAT MATTERS
I may be a dreamer, but I remain convinced that credibility remains the most solid currency in modern wine communication, at least for those who aim to be truly authentic. In authenticity lies what distinguishes “a brand with vision” from those who are simply content with appearing.
Is a critical and constructive voice better, or a paid round of applause? Certainly, credibility in the wine world cannot be bought. It is built. With all due respect to the many “luxury publications” popping up like mushrooms. Even in a period when it’s already pouring.
