Decanter World Wine AwardsJames Suckling: Quebec payments were 'not for tastings'
- Tuesday 24 April 2012
It was suggested last week by bloggers and on social media that the former Wine Spectator staffer had been paid around CAN$24,000 for tasting sessions at Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) – after both he and SAQ had explicitly denied he had any financial relationship with the state-controlled alcohol distributor.
Suckling now says he was indeed paid CAN$18,000 and his business received a further CAN$5,950 in subscriptions to his website – but this was payment for videos which he made for the SAQ.
On his blog Suckling had written 'there is no financial relationship', but he says that was an entry from February 2011, before he had any agreement to supply videos to SAQ.
The videos were shot in December 2011, under a different deal, he says. His contract with the SAQ will end in November 2013.
‘I was not paid for any tastings or promotions,’ he told Decanter.com. ‘I was paid for videos. I am a film-maker as well as a wine journalist.’
He added, ‘I am not a charity,’ insisting there was no impropriety in the SAQ paying him for his work.
SAQ's Renaud Dugas told Decanter.com, ‘Suckling was not paid and was never paid to taste and rate wines. It was strictly for the production, the animation, and the creation of these videos’ during the second year of the contract. Dugas added that Suckling paid all associated travel and accommodation expenses.
He also confirmed it was common practice for SAQ to buy other guides and magazines for staff.
Suckling noted that Quebecois commentators had been vocal in their criticism of the fact a Canadian tasting role had been given to an American.
Suckling went to Montreal in early 2011 to do a series of blind tastings for SAQ, in order that his top-scoring wines would run as his selection in SAQ outlets.
The Montreal journal La Presse published the original story using information it had obtained from SAQ under freedom of information laws.
La Presse has now published a clarification.
Have your say!
Marc Robillard
January 03 17:18
Blah! Blah Blah! Once again the insecure Québecois whine about a world renowned taster and critic with actual relevance infringing on their market. What a joke, get over yourselves...The LCBO prints all critics scores for their new releases yet no one complains...Why, because it's what the consumer wants!
Jong
April 28 03:50
Who cares what capital JS has to say? Video or subscription. My condolences my Canadien friends.
L Chesterman
April 27 12:47
Interesting to note there is no written contract between the SAQ and Suckling for producing these videos, just an invoice from Suckling and a so-called "verbal agreement." Also interesting to note that a Montreal advertising agency was also paid thousands of $$ to produce these videos.
Hervé Lalau
April 24 18:52
Comments from Québécois are understandable if you know how different the wine scene there is from that of the US and also the fact that there is no lack of good tasters and winewriters there.
A posteriori, they may have been right if you take a look at the videos made by Mr Suckling.