Why Do So Many Winery Websites Suck?

Easy fixes, people

When I started writing about wine, in July 1984, wineries, importers and marketing people got in touch with me via two outlets: the mail and the telephone. Technical sheets either came in the mail or were enclosed in boxes of sample wines. Once the internet was inaugurated and email systems were launched, communication shifted radically. Wineries began creating websites as sources of information and online shopping. Eventually, the tech sheet disappeared; the assumption is that all the information journalists and other people require — historical, biographical, geographical, technical — will be on the winery’s website.