GUIDE TO SENDING WINE SAMPLES FOR REVIEW
Since September 1 2020, I have been the Vinous editor for New Zealand and the Loire Valley and my tasting notes are now published on the site.
VINOUS SCHEDULE 2024
NEW ZEALAND
My New Zealand reports are published in the first quarter of each year covering new releases. I taste throughout the year so please fill in the submission form on the Vinous website and sent the samples. Please note all producers are responsible for import duties and any related taxes owing.
LOIRE VALLEY
Multiple trips to the region in spring/summer each year with a focus on Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Centre Loire (ie. Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé and its satellites). Samples can also be sent throughout the year to my home address.
How and where to send samples
Submission forms for Vinous should be sent using the below instructions.
Fill in the submission form on the Vinous website. You will need to be a subscriber of Vinous to do this.
The sender is fully responsible for any local duty or sales taxes incurred from importing review samples into the United Kingdom.
Each shipment must be accompanied by an invoice drawn up by the shipper that states: “No commercial value, Value stated for Customs only, Not for sale purpose.”
All deliveries must clearly state: “Commercial samples of negligible value – relief claimed” on the box. “Commercial sample” must also be written on the wine label with a marker pen. You must use my EORI number: GB022289632000
Customs invoices drawn up by the shipper must state nominal values (0.50 euro, for example) for all samples irrespective of market value.
For all submissions, please label the bottles clearly with sender’s name and contact details, RRP and stockists to the address below.
Please send one bottle if under screwcap; two if cork sealed. Package in a cardboard case – or other easily recycled material. No polystyrene accepted. And, no wooden boxes – a person only needs a couple of containers for their herbs.
Technical information on wines can be sent to me or with the bottles.
Address: Samples should be sent to Rebecca Gibb, 24 Fawn Meadows, Greystoke, Cumbria, CA11 0FQ, England.
Delivery instructions: If no-one home, please leave in alley behind garden gate.
ETHICS
Tasting
Where possible, I taste wines blind. However, I generally taste wines non-blind, as I don’t have a group of elves to bag the bottles. I do not believe that my evaluation of a wine is swayed by the producer on the label and I assess wines based on their quality parameters.
Travel
I aim to self-fund my travel, where possible. I do not accept paid-for trips to visit individual wineries but if an invitation comes from a generic body and I feel I would that it would be useful for my education or research, I may accept it.
Hospitality
I sometimes attend dinners that are paid for by wine producers. It is an opportunity to build relationships, learn from those making wine, and potentially offer a new story for readers. If you think I can be bought in a meal, then you must think I am a cheap date.