In short: you only give me your details when you fill in a form, subscribe or leave a comment. I use them to reply and to send you what you asked for. I don’t sell them and I don’t hand them to anyone for advertising.
Last updated: October 2026
Who is responsible for your data
The data controller is Viorel Chelba, a private individual and the author of winetertainer.com. For any question about your data, write to me at viorel.chelba@gmail.com.
What I collect and why
The contact form
Your name, email address and message, so I can reply. Legal basis: your consent, given when you send the message (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).
Tasting or training requests
Your name, email, phone number (if you choose to give it) and the event details: the occasion, how many of you, the date and the city. I use them to send you a proposal and organise the tasting. Legal basis: steps taken at your request before an agreement (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).
Pre-ordering “Vinul pe bune”
Your name, email, phone (optional), number of copies, city and message. I use them to let you know when the book is out and what the final price is. A pre-order commits you to nothing. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.
Buying me a glass, through Revolut
There’s no form to fill in on the “Buy me a glass” page and nothing is given in return: buying me a glass is voluntary. I don’t publish names or amounts on the site.
The payment itself goes through Revolut, not through this site. Revolut handles payment data under its own privacy policy. In the app I see the display name and the amount. Separately, I only note the date and the amount, with no name, to know how much has come in.
Subscribing to new posts
Your email address, so you receive new posts. Subscriptions and emails are handled by WordPress.com. You can unsubscribe at any time from the link in every email. Legal basis: your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).
Comments
When you comment, your name, email, website (if you add one), the comment and your IP address are saved. Your name and comment are public; your email is not shown. Comments go through an automatic spam filter (Akismet, by Automattic). If your email has a Gravatar account, your profile picture appears next to the comment. Legal basis: your consent and my legitimate interest in keeping the site free of spam (Art. 6(1)(a) and (f) GDPR).
Visitor statistics
WordPress.com shows me aggregated statistics: how many visits each page had, from which countries and which sites you came from. I can’t see who exactly visited. Legal basis: my legitimate interest in knowing which posts you find useful (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
Who else has access
- Automattic Inc. (WordPress.com, Jetpack, Akismet, Gravatar): hosts the site, the forms, subscriptions and comments.
- Google (Gmail): form messages arrive in my inbox.
- Revolut: only if you choose to buy me a glass.
Automattic and Google may store data outside the European Economic Area, including in the US. These transfers rely on the safeguards set out in the GDPR: the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses.
I don’t sell or rent your data and I don’t use it for advertising. I make no automated decisions about you based on it.
How long I keep it
- Messages and tasting requests: for as long as we’re talking and organising, then at most 2 years after our last contact.
- Book pre-orders: until the launch and 6 months after.
- “Buy me a glass”: I keep no names outside the Revolut app; anything sent through the older forms on that page, until you ask me to delete it.
- Subscriptions: until you unsubscribe.
- Comments: for as long as they are published.
Cookies
The site uses cookies set by WordPress.com: some are needed for the site to work (for example, the one that remembers the Club Corner password), others are used for visitor statistics. You can delete or block them at any time in your browser settings.
Your rights
You can ask me at any time:
- what data I hold about you, and for a copy (right of access);
- to correct it (right to rectification);
- to delete it (right to erasure);
- to stop using it for a while (right to restriction);
- to give it to you in a format you can take elsewhere (right to data portability);
- to stop processing it on the basis of legitimate interest (right to object);
- to withdraw your consent. Anything done before that stays lawful.
Write to me at viorel.chelba@gmail.com and I’ll reply within one month. If you’re not happy with my answer, you can complain to the Romanian data protection authority (ANSPDCP), B-dul G-ral. Gheorghe Magheru 28-30, sector 1, Bucharest, www.dataprotection.ro, or to the authority in the EU country where you live.
Age
This site is about wine, so it is meant for people aged 18 and over. I don’t knowingly collect data from minors.
Changes
If I change anything in this policy, I’ll update this page and the date at the top. If the change is significant, I’ll also let subscribers know.