What Slow Wine does

Slow Wine USA is a private, non-profit editorial organization that promotes sustainable, organic, and biodynamic winemaking in the United States. It operates under the Slow Food international network's "Good, Clean & Fair" philosophy and publishes the annual Slow Wine Guide USA, which features approximately 400 wineries across California, Oregon, Washington, and New York with detailed profiles of farming practices (fertilizers, herbicide use, certifications, yeasts, and vinification vessels). The guide is the only U.S. wine publication that verifies herbicide-free production and awards a Snail designation to farms using no synthetic chemicals, distinguishing it from traditional point-based wine rating systems.

The organization's primary product is the Slow Wine Guide USA, sold directly through the Slow Food Americas website with a 30% bulk discount for orders of six or more copies. Its secondary product is the annual US Tour, a three-city trade and media event (San Francisco, Austin, New York) that in 2026 attracted over 750 trade and media professionals and featured educational seminars hosted by Italian wine consortia. GTM is event-driven and community-led: the organization relies on a network of field coordinators and contributing editors across U.S. wine regions to evaluate wineries in person, supplemented by college distribution (San Jose State, Cabrillo, Santa Rosa Junior College, Tompkins Cortland Community College) and press coverage in San Francisco Chronicle, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast.

Revenue derives from guide sales and event sponsorships, including US Tour sponsorships and guide page sponsorships. Pricing for individual guides is not publicly disclosed, and revenue figures are not reported. The organization is editorially led by National Editor Deborah Parker Wong and Managing Editor Pam Strayer, supported by approximately 20 field coordinators and contributing editors, with press relations handled by Colangelo PR. The company is structured as a non-profit mission-driven entity with no disclosed venture funding, private equity investment, or public ownership.

Name

Slow Wine

Legal name

Slow Wine USA

Website

https://slowwineusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Slow Wine USA is a non-profit that publishes the annual Slow Wine Guide USA and runs the US Tour, featuring approximately 400 sustainable wineries across California, Oregon, Washington, and New York for conscious consumers and trade professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Guide Publishing

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Sustainable wine guides
• Wine publishing
• Wine trade events
• Organic wine certification
• Wine educational tours

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Guide Sales: The primary revenue comes from selling the annual Slow Wine Guide USA. Guides can be purchased through the Slow Food Americas website. A 30% discount is offered for bulk orders of six or more copies.
2. Event Sponsorships: Revenue generated through sponsorships of US tour events and guide page sponsorships. Companies can partner for events or sponsor pages in the annual guide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Slow Wine publishes the annual Slow Wine Guide USA, profiling approximately 400 wineries across California, Oregon, Washington, and New York that follow sustainable 'Good, Clean & Fair' winemaking practices, including herbicide-free verification and certifications in organic, biodynamic, or regenerative farming. The organization also organizes the annual US Tour—a three-city trade and media event featuring educational seminars, tastings, and networking for sustainable wine producers and trade professionals. Guide sales and event sponsorships constitute the primary revenue streams.

Product overview

Slow Wine is an organization that publishes the annual Slow Wine Guide USA, a sustainability-focused wine guide featuring approximately 400 wineries across California, Oregon, Washington, and New York. The organization also organizes the annual US Tour, a three-city trade and media event showcasing sustainable wine producers. Together, these products promote wineries committed to 'Good, Clean & Fair' winemaking practices, providing evaluations, awards (Snail, Bottle, Coin designations), and educational resources for trade professionals and consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Slow Wine Guide USA Annual publication featuring approximately 400 sustainable wineries across California, Oregon, Washington, and New York. Evaluates wineries based on 'Good, Clean & Fair' principles, profiles producers and their vineyards, and awards Snail designations to qualifying wineries that farm without synthetic chemicals. Sold directly through the Slow Food Americas website with bulk discounts available for 6+ copies.
• US Tour Annual three-city trade and media showcase event featuring sustainable wine producers from Italy and the United States. The tour includes educational seminars, tastings, and networking opportunities for trade professionals, media, and consumers. The 2026 US Tour attracted over 750 trade and media professionals across San Francisco (March 2), Austin (March 4), and New York (March 9).

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured over 400 wineries in the 2025 guide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Consorzio Vini Asolo MontellocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Italian wine consortium that hosted educational seminars during the 2026 Slow Wine US Tour, strengthening connections between Italian and American wineries committed to sustainable wine production.
• Consorzio Tutela Vini d'AbruzzocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Italian wine consortium from Abruzzo region that participated in the 2026 US Tour educational seminars, promoting sustainable Italian wines to American trade and media.
• Slow FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlow Wine is part of the Slow Food international organization, which provides the overarching 'Good, Clean & Fair' philosophy and global network for sustainable food and wine advocacy.
• California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCOF CEO Kelly Danewood has endorsed the Slow Wine Guide as a valuable resource for highlighting organic farming practices in the wine industry.
• Napa Valley Wine AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for January 2025 launch event, expanding reach to wine education professionals and students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Decanter: International wine media outlet covering producers, regions, and tasting events globally; comparable in editorial depth and trade audience but broader in scope than Slow Wine's U.S. sustainable focus.
• Wine Spectator: The dominant U.S. wine subscription and review publication; competes for the same trade professional and serious consumer audience but uses traditional point-based scoring rather than sustainability verification.
• Robert Parker Wine Advocate: Long-established wine review publication serving a global enthusiast and trade audience; competes for the same high-engagement buyer segment Slow Wine targets, with broader geographic coverage.
• Wine & Spirits Magazine: Established wine publication covering tasting, regions, and trade buying; competes for the same trade professional audience Slow Wine serves via the U.S. tour and guide.

Direct peers

• Wine Enthusiast: Multi-channel wine media brand publishing ratings, reviews, buying guides, and trade content — the closest U.S. analog to Slow Wine's editorial mission and audience overlap.
• Vinous Media: Independent wine review platform with editorial coverage of producers and regions, founded by Antonio Galloni; directly comparable as a paid wine publication serving trade and enthusiast buyers.
• SOMM Journal: Trade wine publication edited by Deborah Parker Wong (Slow Wine's National Editor); directly comparable editorial mission and audience, with shared editorial leadership.

Emerging players

• SevenFifty Daily: Trade-facing wine and spirits publication covering the U.S. beverage industry; comparable audience overlap with Slow Wine's sommelier and buyer readership.
• GuildSomm: Non-profit wine education community for sommeliers and trade professionals; overlaps with Slow Wine's trade-focused educational events and sommelier audience.
• Wine Folly: Modern digital wine education and media brand serving millennial and Gen X consumers with accessible content; competes for the same conscious-consumer demographic Slow Wine addresses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/slowwineusa
• Instagraminstagram.com/slow_wine_usa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slow-wine-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Slow Wine