Editorial Standards
Grand Cru and Etiquette is an independent French media outlet devoted to wine, culture and society, published since 2025. This charter sets out our editorial principles, our working methods and our commitments to our readers.
Who we are
Grand Cru and Etiquette is founded and run by Maria Kumessa, publisher. Legal information about the publication is available on the “Legal notice” page of our website. We are funded by subscriptions, magazine sales and partnerships with wine and hospitality professionals. These partnerships give no partner any say over our content or our editorial choices.
Our editorial line
We see French wine as a gateway to culture, society and the codes, sometimes unspoken, that govern social relations and power. Our content explores wine and terroir, heritage, culture, social codes, table manners and etiquette, as well as the economic issues facing the wine sector. Across these subjects, we seek to shed light on what wine reveals about our times, our practices and our society.
Our tastings
Every wine we review is bought by us and tasted in a private, independent setting. We do not accept samples sent by producers or distributors. Our tasting notes contain no affiliate or merchant links. No producer or distributor pays for the publication of a tasting note. The professionals concerned do not see our texts before publication.
Our interviews
Our interviews are conducted in person or by telephone. Interviewees may review their own words before publication in order to make factual corrections or clarifications. This review does not give them the right to approve the article as a whole. The final editorial decision rests with the editorial team of Grand Cru and Etiquette.
Our sources
Our long-form articles draw on identifiable sources, cited in the text and linked whenever they are available online. Figures are dated and attributed to their source. We take care to distinguish established facts, analysis and opinion. We never publish invented quotes or anecdotes. Documentary rigour and fact-checking are integral to our editorial work.
Use of artificial intelligence
We use artificial intelligence tools only to create some illustrations and for occasional proofreading. Research, interviews, tastings and the writing of articles are carried out by our team.
Corrections
If you spot an error in any of our content, please write to us at contact@grandcruandetiquette.com. We review every request within five working days. When a correction is made, a dated note at the end of the article states what has been changed.
Contributions and partnerships
Article proposals. We consider proposals in line with our editorial line. To pitch a subject, write to contact@grandcruandetiquette.com with the subject line “Article proposal”, sending a short synopsis setting out the angle, the sources you plan to use and the format, together with a brief note on your background. Any proposal we accept is developed with our editorial team and is subject to this charter. The editorial team alone decides on publication, the headline and the editing of the text. If you have not heard from us within one month, your proposal has not been accepted. We do not publish texts written on behalf of a brand, producer or distributor.
Partnerships. We work with wine, food and hospitality professionals in two ways: sponsorship of our videos, and branded video content published on our YouTube channel. Such content is always clearly labelled as a partnership. Our articles remain entirely editorial: a partnership does not buy a tasting note, an article, or any say over the rest of our content. No one pays to be interviewed.
Responsible drinking
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Please drink responsibly. Grand Cru and Etiquette content is intended for adults of legal drinking age.