Signing the pledge

An organisation called Wine Writers of New Zealand has been formed with the aim of encouraging excellence and integrity in wine writing.

It is open to authors, broadcasters, journalists, and lecturers professionally engaged in communicating about wine in this country.

But not to all of them. Before you can become a member of what on the surface is an organisation with very worthy aims, you must sign a so-called declaration of independence. You must guarantee that you will not accept direct payments from producers to review their wines.

According to the organisation's founding five, it is all about protecting the integrity and the reputation of those who resist this "highly undesirable practice", which has the potential to harm the reputation of all wine writers in New Zealand.

They say such reviews create a potential for bias, whether actual or perceived; that independence is crucial to the integrity on which the critic's reputation rests.

Rests with whom? That's an interesting question, since the Earnest Five go on to say that the public generally is completely unaware that money is changing hands between producers and some reviewers.

This apparently differs in some way from a writer being paid by a magazine for reviewing wines and the magazine onselling those reviews to wineries.

It also ignores the fact that we wine writers quite happily accept the hospitality of wineries and distributors both here and overseas.

And it presumes that all New Zealand wine writers are critics, in the narrow, snooty British sense. We are not.

The smartest among us write for an audience that is different both in terms of culture, interest and experience.

It should come as no surprise then that at least two of the guiding lights in the new organisation are British – Jane Skilton, a Master of Wine, and Jo Burzynska.

Also involved in getting the show on the road were Emma Jenkins, a colleague of Skilton's, Yvonne Lorkin, who has a degree in wine marketing, and Michael Cooper, whose many credits include a wine atlas and an annual guide that has become the New Zealand wine lovers' bible.

He also recommends wines for New World supermarkets.

However well-intentioned their efforts, their decision that members must first declare their independence has prevented at least two respected writers/reviewers from becoming members and has cast doubts among those who don't know any better on their integrity and on that of others.

Worst affected are Raymond Chan and Sam Kim, two highly respected wine show judges who, after long careers in the wine business, now write about and review wines for a living.

Wineries, should they wish to use these reviews to advertise or to promote their wines, can buy them.

Bob Campbell, a Master of Wine and an internationally respected wine writer, reviewer and educator – New Zealand's Mr Wine – has also been affected.

He has declared his independence but to do so he has been forced to cancel a service he offered wineries, among which are those that send him thousands of wines for review each year.

It was called Priority Plus and involved a small administration charge for an urgently-needed review or tasting notes for websites, brochures, export markets, whatever.

In a letter to wineries and distributors he says: "I resent having to pull the plug on Priority Plus but it is simpler than trying to explain how the payment of a small fee in this case has no influence on my judgment."

Vic Williams, New Zealand's Mr Food and Wine, feels that as the cellar director for a major wine producer and seller he has also been compromised and as a result will not be joining the "club".

And I will certainly not be signing the pledge; not when people for whom I have the utmost respect have their integrity and reputations called into question in this way.

Their contribution to the industry, to the understanding and the enjoyment of wine has been immense and will, I hope, continue to be so.

The industry, their friends and readers hope so too.