My heartfelt disclaimer:
As a professional with three decades in the wine and spirits industry, consulting with wineries, distilleries, restaurants and retailers, I have often received free samples, and occasionally I've taken trips to wine regions that were organized or even paid for by regional winery associations. For instance, I went to New Zealand in July: my expenses were covered by the New Zealand Winegrowers Association in compensation for writing and delivering several talks to the industry during that trip. Based upon what I've written since, they might have spent their money better. But I know there are some people who will not always trust what people like me think, say or write as a result of taking these sorts of trips, or because we are tasting wines that are provided free of charge to us. Sorry. But I believe that I only go nuts over wines that I think are delicious. That's a tiny fraction of the wines I taste, whether they are purchased bottles or whether they are provided to me by some winery, PR agency or regional association.
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