Recommends
The review policy: independence, honest verdicts, and a mark that cannot be bought.
The rules, in plain language. They protect the reader, and they protect us.
We buy most of what we review. When a maker sends a product, the verdict does not change. No maker sees a review before it publishes, and no maker edits one after.
A product sent for review buys consideration only. Most submissions are not featured. We say no often, and we say it plainly.
Speakers get weeks in a real room. Objects get daily use. We do not review from press releases or photographs.
If it earns the mark, it gets it. If it does not, we say so, or we return it quietly. A disappointing review is still a review.
Every review states how the product reached us. Provided items are labeled as provided, on the page. Preview pages use maker-supplied photography with credit until our own photography publishes.
Napa Curator Recommended is never for sale. Makers may license the mark only for products that earned it, and only after the review publishes.
Paid placements are marked as partners. They never carry the Recommended mark and never appear in the guide.
A maker may request return shipping at any time. Unclaimed samples are kept for our shoots or donated.
Makers: read how to work with us.