How Volary Works

Volary only works if you can trust the verdict. This page explains how wines get reviewed, how they are paid for, and how I tell you which is which. The short version: samples are accepted, every review says how the wine was obtained, and a free bottle never buys a better write-up.

How wines are obtained

Wines reviewed on Volary come from two places.

Bottles I buy. Many are simply purchased, at the cellar door, online, or off the shelf, like any other drinker.

Samples. Producers may also send wines for review, or pour them for me to taste. This is normal practice in wine writing, and for a publication covering small Queensland producers it is often the only practical way to taste widely. Accepting a sample comes with no promises attached.

Every review states which of these applies. You will always know whether I paid for the wine or the producer provided it.

What a sample does and does not buy

A sample buys a fair tasting on the same terms as everything else. It does not buy anything else.

To be specific:

• A sample does not guarantee coverage. Wines that do not reach the Grounded tier are not written about, whether I bought them or they were sent to me.
• A sample does not change the rating. Every wine is judged on the same terrain-led terms across four tiers: Grounded, Solid, Striking and Exceptional.
• A producer never sees a review before it goes live, and never has approval over what is written or the rating given.
• There is no payment, in either direction, for a review. Coverage cannot be bought.

The rating scale is the contract. The same standard applies every time, so the tiers mean something, and a sampled wine is held to it exactly like a purchased one.

Visits, hospitality and travel

When I visit a cellar door or a producer hosts me, I take the hospitality and tell you it happened. The same rule covers tastings, meals, events, and any travel or accommodation a producer or region provides. If it could reasonably look like it shaped the verdict, it gets disclosed. The verdict is always mine.

How disclosure appears

Each piece carries a short, plain line so you are never left guessing. The standard wording is:

• Purchased. "I bought this bottle."
• Sample. "This wine was provided by the producer for review."
• Hospitality. "I tasted this as a guest of [producer / region]." Added when a visit, event, or travel was involved.

Where more than one applies, they are combined, for example: "This wine was tasted as a guest of the winery during a cellar door visit."

Advertising and commercial relationships

Volary does not currently run advertising or sponsored content. If that ever changes, sponsored material will be clearly labelled as such and kept separate from reviews, and no advertiser will get a say in editorial coverage or ratings. Any future commercial activity will be held behind the same wall: it will never decide what gets reviewed or how it scores.

Getting it wrong

If I make a factual error, I will correct it and note that the piece was updated. If you think a review has been influenced by something I have not disclosed, tell me at hello@volary.com.au. Independence only means something if it is accountable.