I obviously love wine, and as I’m not made of stone (and as of yet have not won the Powerball), I don’t turn away free samples sent to me, free tastings provided to me, or travel opportunities. That said, I write this blog based upon my own tastes and experiences, and the fact that a winery sends me wine or provides a special tasting for me based upon this blog will not influence my blogs and recommendations. Period. At best, it might only expose me to a wine I don’t know about – for better or worse. I write about what I love, not what I receive for free. So, readers, please understand that while there are many wineries I love and write about, I love and write about them because of their wine and the experiences I’ve had with them, and I will not promote wineries based upon getting free stuff.

Wineries and Public Relations folks: Please understand that while I may accept your samples, that doesn’t guarantee that I’ll drink it. If I do drink the wine, it doesn’t mean I’ll write about it.

I do have an exception to all of this. There are simply some great wines out there that I generally cannot afford. If you send me one of those wines – I may be so grateful I’ll write something nice. So, if your winery is one of the following, all of which are out of my every day budget, you actually do have a shot at bribing me with free wine: Domaine Romanee-Conti, Latour, Petrus, Le Pin, Ausone, Cheval Blanc, Margaux, Mouton, Lafite, Screaming Eagle, Scarecrow, Araujo, Sine Qua Non, and Penfolds (but only if it’s Grange). Your odds significantly increase if you send a case. Just kidding… kinda.