Sipping Through My Top Articles: 600 Days into My Second Act
- shades of grape by the numbers!
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About 600 days ago I wrote my first Substack article. I had recently passed my final WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) diploma exam, making me one of fewer than 14,000 WSET diploma graduates worldwide. This officially kickstarted my second career, leaving in my wake a twenty plus year engineering career in the energy sector.
You sound nostalgic…
I am! Spring is finally in the air in Western Canada and new beginnings always bring me to reflection.
I sense a lookback coming my way!
On my Shades of Grape page, the Substack platform highlights top articles based on number of views. I was surprised that the Chenin article did so well - currently at #6.
I did not realize how well it was doing! It’s ironic, as while writing it I thought it was too nerdy and technical.
Just couldn’t help yourself, eh?
Many wine writers recommend avoiding wine production topics because readers find it dull. But perhaps it is the way the information is presented. My audience is intended to be anyone and everyone, which is why I present information in a bite size approachable way.
Ultimately, this concept is what led me to write my Wine Wonderland article, one of my first:
#2 Wine Wonderland: Breaking Down the Intimidation Barrier - the evolution of wine tastes.
Despite only having a few handfuls of subscribers at the time, I am not surprised that this article has done so well! People do want to understand wine! Wine writers also forget that most people know very very little about wine - so they make assumptions - making certain articles hard for most people to understand. This is where I hope to break down barriers.
I am curious, what other articles have done well?
Four out of my top 10 viewed articles are focused on Italy!
#1. The Original Super Tuscan: The Sassicaia Story –Tuscany's rebel wines broke the mold
#10. Winnipeg’s Hidden Tie to Italy’s Fine Wines - the inspiring story of Tolaini wines
This does not surprise me. The world clearly loves Italian wines! The Italian articles always get great responses - despite Italian wines being hard to understand!
Why is that?
Italy has so many grape varieties and their labels only include regions (no grapes mentioned). This makes it difficult for consumers to know what they are buying.
On the other hand, the Italian wine industry does a great job educating wine industry people. This benefits both Italian wine producers and consumers alike.
Case in point, about a third of my WSET diploma class time was spent in Tuscany, Italy. This gave me great exposure to - and a much greater understanding of - Italian wines! Again, wine producers are clever in aligning themselves with the Austrian Wine Academy (Weinakademie Österreich), the school I enrolled in.
Viva Italia! Do you have a fav Italian article?
Probably the Tolaini article! I still get goose bumps when I share this story at the store. I am glad you have all enjoyed it too!
On that note – a shameless plug. Please continue to share the articles you like – it helps people to discover Shades of Grape!
And then they tell 2 friends, and so on, and so on, and so on…
Every lookback deserves data analytics! How is Shades of Grape’s growth?
I have readers in 41 countries. Canada makes up just under 50% of my audience, while readers from 28 U.S. states account for a little over 25%.
Impressive!
Those stats DO always surprise me. Mentally, I imagine only my 4 friends and 93 (ish) cousins reading Shades of Grape. In reality however, I have 760 followers, some of whom are also paid subscribers. I launched the paid option about a year ago. These are readers who:
1) enjoy my writing in general,
2) like wine recommendations featured in the articles,
3) value my personal services:
private wine curation – where I put together a wine order based on your palate and budget,
private shop time – where I open the Cork store on weekends just for you (No commitment or minimum purchase required.)
4) want my eternal gratitude! LOL!
Does that mean some articles will eventually be behind a paywall for paid subscribers only?
A colleague recently encouraged me to do just that. Other colleagues assume that I get paid by Substack or by the Cork wine store. However, I pay for all wine and administrative costs to maintain Shades of Grape. My official photographer (and husband) volunteers his services thank goodness! 😊
Nothing comes for free darling!
Well, for the moment Shades of Grape is free. However if you wish to become a paid subscriber there are buttons at the beginning and the end of each article! This is what Substack is all about – and where the name comes from – “subscription stack”. It allows for reader-based subscriptions and income generation for writers while still maintaining content ownership.
All this nostalgia is making me feel celebratory – let’s wrap it up girl!
Yes, let’s end with a pop and lucky number 7!
Honestly my favorite wine category!
Mine too.
People like a myth buster, particularly when it comes to celebrating better!
Agreed! Cheers to myth busters!
Enjoying my recommendations? Consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
If you're in Alberta and want a one-on-one wine curation experience, please reach out! I am also booking private shop appointments. No commitment or minimum purchase required. You will have Calgary’s Cork Fine Wine store in Bow Valley Square to yourself! Interested? Please reach out!
A huge thank you to my paid subscribers—your support helps cover the costs of creating these weekly articles.
Love my wine recommendations? Enjoy my personal wine curation service? If you find value in my writing, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help me keep sharing the world of wine with you!
I have compiled all my wine recommendations in one place. I will do my best to keep this up to date. I also include the link(s) to the article in which the wine was featured.
Appreciate this perspective!
Love this! I had no idea when I started my Substack, just had to look- August 11, 2022. Woah. I think you have a unique writing style that can make a boring wine nerd topic more interesting for just someone who stumbles upon it!