I never set out to become a wine content creator. But I’ve always been online. I had a personal blog for over 13 years, posted on Fotolog, and spent hours in forums back when we still called them that. Creating content was part of how I made sense of the world.

Wine came later and somewhat by accident. As I started studying wine, my personal Instagram became less about my life and more about what I was drinking and learning. I eventually changed my handle and decided to focus more on wine and my work, rather than personal content.

Getting in front of the camera

My background is in marketing strategy so I usually work behind the scenes, helping brands. But during the pandemic, a Spanish wine club and distributor, Wine is Social, asked if I’d try making short videos about wines they’d send me. I said I’d never done video before, that I was more of a strategist than a presenter. But they’d seen me speak at an event and thought I’d be a good fit.

So I gave it a try. And, surprisingly, I enjoyed it. A lot, actually. So it became a regular thing. I ended up as their brand ambassador for the wine club. Then in early 2024, I decided to invest more time in building content under my own name.

What I say yes to and why

This isn’t my full-time job. It’s something I do because I enjoy it, in the hours I carve out alongside my main work. That’s why I can be selective. I turn down many collaborations and focus on long-term relationships with wineries or projects I truly believe in.

I need to have tasted the wines. I need to connect with the people behind the project. I need creative freedom. I won’t be micromanaged or used as a mouthpiece. I’ve learned that mutual trust is everything.

My audience and my approach

My audience is niche: mostly people between 35 and 45, with a majority of men (around 65%), based in Spain, the U.S., and Latin America. Some work in the wine trade, while others are curious consumers looking to deepen their knowledge.

My content is educational — no fluff, but with rigour. I don’t believe in making wine more complicated than it already is. My goal is to offer clear, useful content that builds confidence while still respecting the rich cultural context behind wine.

Yes, humour works if you’re chasing engagement. But I’m not aiming to go viral. I want to connect meaningfully with the right people, not reach everyone. I’m also careful about how I talk about alcohol. It’s still a drug, and I avoid anything that could trivialise its impact or promote excess.

On authenticity and being paid

Most of what I share isn’t sponsored. But when it is, I don’t work with brands I don’t believe in, and I never promote something I wouldn’t genuinely recommend. Being paid doesn’t make it less authentic, it makes it sustainable.

There’s still education needed, on both sides. Audiences sometimes assume money compromises integrity. In my view, it’s what allows us to do this work consistently.

Helping wineries tell their story

What I enjoy most is helping wineries tell their story in a way that feels human and resonant. I love when someone writes to me saying they discovered a new wine or finally understood a style or a concept because of something I shared.

Success isn’t always measurable. Branding and storytelling take time, and the impact often happens quietly, off the radar of metrics.

What needs to change

There’s still work to be done. Some wineries expect creators to work for free, or assume that sending a bottle counts as fair compensation. I don’t say this with bitterness, just clarity. I already buy the wines I want to drink. But I can’t pay my bills in bottles.

These days, I only work with wineries that understand the value of what I do and approach collaborations with respect and a clear brief. Communication matters, but so does having a real understanding of what content creation actually involves.

The future of wine content

Influencer marketing has a huge potential in the wine world, but it needs to be treated as a real collaboration. That means:

• Clear goals
• Creative freedom
• Long-term thinking

Less chasing numbers. More trust, more quality and more context.

If we want to make the wine world more accessible, we need to change the way we talk about it, and the way we value those who help tell its stories.

If you’ve been thinking about this too, I’d love to hear your perspective.