Introducing the WSG Producer Guide 

For the past 12 months, I have been hard at work bringing to life our new Producer Guide, the brainchild of our Founder and President, Julien Camus. As the project neared completion, I sat down with Julien to reflect on his motivations and vision for creating this groundbreaking initiative.

-Justin Martindale MW, WSG Membership & Community Manager 

Justin Martindale: Julien, what is the WSG Producer Guide?  

Julien Camus: The Producer Guide is an interactive resource available to WSG members. This easy-to-use digital tool covers over 50 wine regions of France, Spain and Italy and currently features over 2,500 producers and counting! The guide provides key names of the “need-to-know” iconic producers in each region to frame your educational journey. Most importantly, it also includes the inspirational and up-and-coming winemakers crafting genuinely incredible, authentic, terroir-driven wines of place. It’s not designed to be a comprehensive compendium of every wine producer in a particular region, but rather a hand-picked, curated selection of those winemakers that truly inspire us.  

Each region is broken down into iconic producers and notable producers, sometimes also including important négociants or cooperatives. Some wines receive special tags to show they’re made sustainably or with minimal intervention in the cellar. Certain ones are also called out as ones to watch, denoted as rising stars: the ones we think have potential to become the icons of tomorrow. You might even come across the odd unicorn in there too! 

Our WSG Favorites and Iconic Producers receive a special writeup, giving you the ethos of the estate and what the wines are like. In addition, you can also see where all the wineries are located on our interactive maps.  

JM: Why did you feel it was necessary to create the Producer Guide?  

JC: Learning about producers is such an important aspect of wine education. Traditional textbook learning is incredibly valuable of course, but it can only ever take you so far. 

Ultimately, the reason we invest in learning about wine is because we love to drink it. It is for the emotions and lasting memories certain wines bring. Our Producer Guide saves you time, money and disappointment and takes you straight to the wines you need to know for maximum enjoyment of that region. The guide brings that hedonistic pleasure, allows you to stay "in the know" and ahead of the curve, all in one single place, easily accessible from your phone. Justin and his team of regional experts have done all the work for you, giving you a one-stop to fast-track your tasting experience. It could take decades and a lot of money to develop the producer knowledge it contains!   

But there is another key reason we developed the guide. At WSG, we believe in championing small-scale, artisan producers who lovingly create wines of authenticity: wines that emanate a sense of place and that tell a story. Far too much of the conversation around wine and wine education, is focused on the lowest common denominator: mass-market, commodity wines that don’t stray far from the textbook “typicity” of that particular region. Personally, I’m finding it increasingly tiresome and I think many wine enthusiasts are too. Contrary to traditional educational approaches and increasingly today, you just can’t put all wines of a region in a neat box and file that flavor profile away for safe keeping. Regions are constantly evolving, changing with climate, trends and increasingly, producers are on a quest for authenticity and diversity. Let’s focus on the wines that really move us and remind us why we devote our lives to this industry! That’s what the Producer Guide does – particularly with our “WSG Favorite” tagged wines.  

JM: What makes your Producer Guide different?  

JC: We’re unaware of anyone else in the wine education space that has made such an investment. Other educational bodies publish lists of recommended producers, but they’re usually just the same old stereotypical names that don’t always reflect the constant evolution. Additionally, we’re not looking for vindication or financial support from a region or producer: these opinions are uniquely ours, but we think you’ll agree with us on many of them! There are plenty of other specialised sources that offer good information, but you usually have to subscribe to each one, or they’re involved in the trade trying to sell wine and therefore not really impartial. Our Producer Guide offers a detailed breakdown of the very finest and most exciting producers across France, Spain and Italy today. It’s really groundbreaking stuff.  

Additionally, each region has been developed in consultation with the world’s very best authorities from each individual region.  

JM: How do you decide on which producers are included?  

JC: Essentially, each wine needs to fulfil the criteria set out earlier. They also need to be wines we want to drink! But of course, putting lists like this together is a subjective exercise and we welcome differences in opinion and different perspectives. Here’s the thing though: not all opinions are born equal and we are working with the finest regional experts, often residing in-situ, therefore we can make sure we bring the most current and informed knowledge. Afterall, if you’re not going to believe Matt Walls' recommendations on the Rhône, Wink Lorch on Jura, or Natasha Hughes MW on Beaujolais, then whose are you? Having said that though, we’re always open to new ideas and WSG members are invited to contribute - there have already been some lively discussions on our community forums!  

The wine world is always evolving and so will the Producer Guide. We’ll be constantly adding and updating producers as well as new features and interactivity in future versions.  

JM: When will it be finished?  

JC: Our primary lists for every region are already available. This valuable resource already includes more than 2,500 producers listed. Now each region is being honed, refined and finalised by our team of regional experts and more detailed content will launch month by month, region by region.   

This month is devoted to Galicia, next month (March 2025) will be Bordeaux - Left Bank and then it’s on to the Northern Rhône in April 2025. You’ll be taking WSG Members on a really exciting journey over the course of the years to come. There will be related live and recorded content, including our interactive Wine Club tasting, to accompany the Producer Guide.   

JM: How can people get access to the Producer Guide?  

JC: The Producer Guide is free and open to all for a 10-minute preview. Just click here for immediate access. If you like what you see, you’ll need to become a WSG member to keep exploring. Both monthly and yearly memberships include unlimited access to the Producer Guide.  

Now you can take your knowledge to the next level, enjoying exclusive wine content that’s really designed to develop your understanding beyond the textbook with interviews, videos, tastings, new interactive features like Wine Lists and, of course, access to our wonderful community of fellow wine lovers.   

I hope to see you there!