James Suckling, former Wine Spectator European bureau chief, cigar expert and (in his own words) “internationally acclaimed wine critic and journalist” set up his own website in 2010 and made an immediate impact with professionally produced videos from famous vineyards, at a time when that sort of multimedia wasn’t so widespread.

His tasting reports are clearly presented and authoritative, with good cross-referencing and clear notes. His listings are eminently clickable: “7 Great Riojas under $45 (95 points and up)”; “Top 100 Wines of the USA 2019”. He shows off his pulling power by tasting the 1982 Bordeaux icons over lunch with the likes of Jay McInerney and Mike D of the Beastie Boys, or an impromptu tasting of 2017 “Guado al Tasso, Masseto, Ornellaia and Sassicaia before dinner”.

jamessuckling.com is a straightforward site. It comprises feature reports, tasting notes and videos. There is no lifestyle content, nor restaurants or gastronomy. Suckling is a prolific taster (his backing team doesn’t have a high profile) and this is reflected in a wealth of notes. Italy (Suckling’s great strength) has 28,450 notes, Bordeaux 16,214, Spain 7,649. Burgundy is not a strong point. The search engine looks good but can be clunky and difficult to use.

Suckling was one of the first to see the Asian middle class as an information-hungry market. Brand extensions come naturally: based now in Hong Kong, in 2018 he opened his wine bar, the James Suckling Wine Central – where he tastes all his wines. There is also a joint venture with Lalique, the “100 points by James Suckling Stemware Collection”, which comes with a leather case by Salvatore Ferragamo. There is also a series of Italian tours throughout the US and Asia whereby producers showcase their (top-scoring) wines to paying guests.

Since leaving Wine Spectator a decade ago, Suckling has been accused of being one of the prime culprits of “score inflation” – the trend that sees many consumers disregarding anything below 95 points. But he’s a very good businessman, he knows his market, and his scores are quoted by any merchant with an eye on the Asian consumer. He is credited with quickly recognising the rising taste for South American wines in Asia; his naming of Chile’s Almaviva 2017 as his wine of the decade last year was duly reported around the world. Almaviva is a joint venture between Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Concha y Toro Winery. Philippe Dhalluin of Mouton (and Almaviva) was named winemaker of the decade at the same time.

See also: https://cluboenologique.com/story/wine-websites-behind-the-paywall-jamessuckling-com/

What would you consider was the most important decision of your career in wine?

The biggest decision in my career was joining The Wine Spectator in December 1981. I was a daily newspaper journalist but decided to join the fledgling American wine magazine for a few months until I could find a job on a newspaper on the West Coast. I stayed covering wine ever since. It’s more than 40 years now.

Do you consider your career progression to be conventional?

My career progression was conventional because I worked for the same publication for 29 years. But then it became unconventional when I left and started my own company JamesSuckling.com in 2010. It was easier to be innovative with the use of the internet and social media.

Do you consider yourself a disruptor – how?

I guess I am somewhat of a disruptor. Probably my use of video at JamesSuckling.com at the beginning was disruptive and the video style was not liked by some. But what I do now is fairly normal in the context of today in wine rating and reporting and using the various channels on-line and in social media.

Do you consider yourself and the site to be agile? ie would you be able to cope with an existential threat such as the pandemic meant for the hospitality industry?

You need to be nimble and not be tied down by expensive and heavy infrastructures such as expensive offices or layers of employees. We have pivoted to Zoom tastings -  I love to walk the vineyards and I know some people hated it [when he first launched jamessuckling.com, Suckling became notorious for his slow-paced video walks through famous vineyards] but I don’t know if I’ll go back to the frenzied flying routine. We can communicate all that, with everything from podcasts to videos, and Zoom is a whole new way of doing it. It’s much easier to share it with all the different channels.

What is the level of knowledge of your wine audience: what % are collectors, investors, keen amateurs

I would say 90% of our followers are keen amateurs. We reach about 10 million people annually with our media and social media channels. We have almost 265,000 followers on Instagram alone. The wine trade and wineries use our ratings and information and are also important followers

How many staff do you have?

We are around 12 – we had 20 before the pandemic

Then we have editors and I just hired a content manager to make sure things are posted on time then we have 2 editors in China

What’s your succession plan – do you worry that the entire site rests on your shoulders – who will take over?

I don’t worry that I’m a single person identified with the site. It happens – they always call Wine Advocate “Parker” even though he hasn’t been there for years. I’m more like jancisrobinson.com: I have the brand tied to a person but we have people who work for us. Look at Chanel and Calvin Klein, or many restaurants: they are based on individuals but it’s widely known they are organisations. We’ll see who has the better model. 

How do attract a younger audience?

68% of followers on Instagram are 24-48 years old; around 20% are in their 20s. What do they want from a 63-year-old man? Well, they are savvy: they want authenticity. 80% of my Instagram feed [Suckling manages his own feed] is about me and [my wife] Marie and our lives. I see it as story telling – who we are and what we do. They see an old guy with a fantastic Asian wife and for them it’s like living the dream – I get so many emails asking how do I get to do what you do?

Which social media channels are you excited about?

I’m excited about Club House, which is setting a new standard. It’s like live talk radio, or like a virtual meeting talking about wine. We’re working out how we can monetize (we all get speaking gigs). Then there is TikTok which is easier because it’s basically video – we need to watch how they all develop – Twitter for example does more video; every platform is doing add-ons and all do more or less the same thing so you have to stay on top of it. We’re ready to embrace it.

We have about 50,000 followers in China on WeChat and Weibo – it’s still a small market - we have a full-time editor there – they are also interested in video so we’re working on that.

It’s not a battle to stay on top. I really enjoy it – we hire new and younger people to keep up with all developments. It’s fun to have younger employees - you can learn a lot from them and vice versa

How important are “lifestyle” articles on the website – ie restaurant reviews, gastronomy, even music reviews?

I remember on Wine Spectator that 98% of searches were for tasting notes, not restaurant reviews. We used to have cigar reviews but in the end decided to focus on wine, and providing tasting notes. On social media we can be much broader: what you had for breakfast for example – it’s the total lifestyle, who I am and how I interact with team etc. It brings people into the whole James Suckling life.

What is your attitude toward influencers? Are there any that you particularly rate?

Influencers add to the diversity of the wine world. I think that Wine Folly for example is a wonderful influencer with lots of solid and well-presented information. Then there are the many influencers who you see on video, smiling in the barrel room. I really like that - it’s fun.You can be academic, which is great too, but if you’re making people drink and enjoy wine, what’s wrong with that? We are all story tellers and we have to embrace new ways of telling the story. It’s now all about the experience – you don’t have to be a great writer any more: you can use other media, and your voice. I like to hear about them - to me it’s really interesting

Doesn’t it hold you back, not being about to write proper sentences?

Yes of course it does, but what a great age this is, where we all have a voice and we can all have an audience. This is the new thing, the real grass-roots movement of people on their wine journey, and it’s just as valid as an old expert like me who can talk about what’s happened in the past

As a journalist can you remain objective and sceptical if you’re having fun?

[My generation] came from the age of new journalism – it was about being embedded, being part of the story. That’s what’s kept me going; you make friends with producers, you visit the wineries, but you have to call it like it is when you’re rating their wines

But some modern influencers aren’t journalists – they’re simply embedded and have no objectivity

I don’t know. Maybe people look at it differently – I look at it and think, “That’s cool”. I wouldn’t want to judge. Most people understand when something is serious or not – and young people on social media are pretty savvy

What are your views on the wine landscape and how you feel the disruption of the last 12 months will shape it in the future? I’m not looking for trade secrets here but I’m interested in how industry leaders are thinking.

I think that the last 12 months have reinforced the importance of social media in communicating about wine and that online information is useful to the consumer and wine trade and they are willing to pay for it. The wine world needs to embrace this and execute proper strategies to provide information about wine through every channel available. It might seem overwhelming at times but the world changes so quickly in communication and it’s important to stay part of it and not get left behind.

Which is best if you’re starting out, generalist or specialist?

It’s better to be a generalist and learn as much as you can about wine. Specialising is difficult because you miss part of the wine world – you should keep your hand in with everything. You might think that there is crossover between regions: ie as a Bordeaux specialist you will have a natural affinity with Napa, as another Cabernet Sauvignon region, or as a Champagne specialist you will understand Pinot Noir. But actually knowing about Bordeaux doesn’t add value when you’re talking to producers in Napa – it annoys them – you need to take the time to see people in Napa and get your own ideas of the region.