Shanken Ratings Network FAQ

Shanken Ratings Network FAQs

What is Shanken Ratings Network?

Shanken Ratings Network (SRN) is a program brought to you by M. Shanken Communications, Inc. designed exclusively for retail members of the wine & spirits trade. As the most recognized and trusted critic in the industry, we understand that Wine Spectator and Whisky Advocate ratings and reviews are essential to your business. This is a premium program that will strengthen your customer relationships and ultimately help you sell more wines and spirits.

What benefits does SRN include?

  • Full Access and License to use Ratings and Tasting Notes in-store, online and in store advertising and promotions
  • Monthly Data Feed of Ratings & Reviews Matched to your store’s wines for sale.
  • Access to Wine Spectator Online - over 400,000+ Ratings
  • Print Shelf Talker Feature – Exclusive to SRN Members
  • Advance: preview of upcoming issue's highly rated wines & whiskies
  • Shanken News Daily: exclusive news and research on the wine, spirits and beer business ($200 value)
  • Wine Spectator’s Retailer Report: news, trends and key product announcements

What does the SRN wine matching service offer stores?

One of the most exciting features of the SRN membership is our wine matching service.  It allows you to provide us with a list of your wines for sale and we return a file with matched ratings and reviews for you to use in your marketing outreach.

How do I get my inventory listing to you?

If you already have a file feed set up, e.g. for Wine Searcher, Google, or other shopping sites, we will likely be able to utilize that url. If not, you can easily upload a file after you've logged into your SRN account.  Follow the prompts on the SRN Control Panel home screen.  Please ensure that your file format and fields are consistent each month.

What if my website is hosted by a third-party website host like CityHive or WineFetch?

SRN has formed strategic alliances with a number of third party website hosts and we may already have an easy integration set up.  Please contact us or your host to understand what is available.  

What file formats does SRN accept?

SRN can work with most file formats including files as .txt, .csv, .xml, .xlsx, and json.

How do I get my store inventory matched with ratings and reviews?  

Once you log-in to your SRN account, you can click a link to download a text file containing your sku's and descriptions along with the ratings and reviews for each matched wine.  This file will be updated monthly to reflect both your latest listing file as well as the most up-to-date Wine Spectator reviews.  To see a sample of this file, click here.

I forgot my password to access the website so how do I retrieve it?

Please visit Customer Care to reset your password. If you do not know your account number, just click on the dropdown menu and choose “Email” to look up your account by its associated email address and postal code. Or, use “Name and Address” to use your full mailing address. Once you are in, click on the “Update WineSpectator.com Login” link in the left-hand menu, and follow the steps.

How can I change my Shanken Ratings Network email or password?

Click on the Manage Account link located at the bottom of every page on WineSpectator.com. Once you've been directed to the next page, please locate your account using either your email address and zip code, your account number and zip code or your full mailing address. Once your account is located, please click on the "Update WineSpectator.com Login" in the left menu, and you will find the option to change your password or update your email address.

How do I renew my membership to Shanken Ratings Network?

If your membership is not being automatically renewed, go to Customer Care and log in using your account number, e-mail, or mailing address. A renew button will appear on the left navigation bar, after you click on your account details.

How do I cancel my Shanken Ratings Network membership?

You can cancel at any time and receive a credit on the unused portion of your service. Please notify customer service at (800-344-0763) or e-mail SRN@mshanken.com. Your access to the site will then expire rather than renew at the end of the next billing cycle.

How do I turn off auto-renewal?

You can turn off the auto-renewal feature by sending an e-mail to SRN@mshanken.com or by calling 800-344-0763.

How can I add wines to the Personal Wine List?

You may add wines by using our Wine Ratings Search to look up the desired wines, or by browsing our Value Wines lists. From the results page, you can select the wines you want to save by checking the "Select" box in the right-hand column, then go to the bottom of the page, select your desired PWL from the pulldown menu and click the button that reads "Add selected to your PWL." Alternatively, from the search results page, you may click on a wine name to see more detailed information about that wine; from that page, you can select your desired PWL from the pulldown menu and click on the "Add" button underneath it.

Can I also get shelf talkers?

Yes!  Using our state-of-the-art shelf talker utility, you can print your pre-matched shelf talkers in a variety of formats.

How do I obtain consumer access to the ratings if I am not a retailer?

A Shanken Ratings Network subscription is required to license Wine Spectator and Whisky Advocate ratings and reviews for use at retail and online. This license provides retailers access to Wine Spectator Online. Our ratings and reviews have intellectual property protections and any unauthorized use of such ratings and reviews are prohibited.