Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10/28/2026

Who We Are

Thirsty and Wise (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website thirstyandwise.com (the “Site”), offering wine education products including WSET study materials, flashcards, and related digital and physical goods. Our business is operated by Thirsty and Wise LLC.

We also run the Thirsty and Wise Championship (the “Championship”), a free online knowledge game about wine and other beverages, and its paid Special tournaments.

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at: Email: info@thirstyandwise.com

What Personal Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

Account and order data When you make a purchase or create an account, we collect your name, email address, billing and shipping address, phone number (if provided), and order history, including items purchased and payment status.

Payment information Payment details (such as card numbers) are collected and processed directly by our payment processor Stripe. We do not store full payment card details on our servers. 

Communications and marketing data If you sign up for our email list, contact us via a form, or interact with a marketing offer, we collect your email address and any other information you provide, so we can respond to you or send you marketing communications (only with your consent, where required).

Comments If you leave a comment on the Site, we collect the content of the comment, your IP address, and browser user agent string to help with spam detection. An anonymized hash of your email address may be shared with Gravatar to check if you have a Gravatar profile — see Gravatar’s privacy policy.

Automatically collected data (cookies and tracking technologies) When you browse the Site, we and our third-party partners automatically collect technical and behavioral data via cookies and similar technologies, including your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, and referring URLs. See “Cookies and Tracking Technologies” below for details on the specific tools we use.

The Thirsty and Wise Championship

When you join or play in the Championship, we collect:

  • Sign-up data: your first name, last name (if you give it) and email address. We create a learner account for you so you can take the quizzes.
  • Game data: your quiz answers, scores, points, the time you take, the tournaments you join, and prizes you win.
  • Leaderboard data: our public leaderboards show your first name, the first letter of your last name, your points, and your profile photo if you have set one. Anyone who visits the Championship page can see this. You can ask us to hide or remove your entry at any time by emailing info@thirstyandwise.com.
  • Email data: we record which Championship emails we send you, and whether you confirmed and subscribed or unsubscribed.
  • Prize data: if you win, we create a personal coupon code tied to your email address and send it to you by email.
  • Anti-cheating data: we may check account, IP address and timing information to find multiple accounts and cheating, as described in the Official Rules.

The Championship is for people aged 18 and older. We do not sell your personal data, and we never publish your email address.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following tools, which may set cookies or collect data about your visit:

  • Google Analytics (GA4) — helps us understand how visitors use the Site (pages visited, time on site, general location).
  • Google Tag Manager (GTM) — manages the deployment of tracking tags on the Site, including those listed here.
  • Google Ads — used to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and to show you relevant ads on Google’s network.
  • Google Merchant Center — used to list our products in Google Shopping and related surfaces; product and, where applicable, order data may be shared with Google for this purpose.
  • Meta Pixel (Facebook/Instagram) — helps us measure the effectiveness of our advertising on Meta platforms and show you relevant ads based on your activity on our Site.
  • Email platforms – Kit and Mailchimp for newsletters and marketing, and Brevo for the confirmation, tournament and prize emails of the Championship.

These tools may set their own cookies and collect data independently, governed by their own privacy policies:

Standard WordPress cookies:

  • If you log in, we set cookies to keep you logged in and remember your display preferences (login cookies last 2 days, or 2 weeks with “Remember Me”; screen option cookies last 1 year).
  • If you leave a comment, you may opt in to having your name, email, and website saved in a cookie for convenience on future comments (lasts 1 year).

Why We Collect and Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

  • Process and fulfill your orders, including payment, shipping (if applicable), and customer support
  • Communicate with you about your orders, account, or inquiries
  • Send you marketing communications, where you have opted in, and which you may unsubscribe from at any time
  • Improve our Site, products, and services through analytics
  • Show you relevant advertising and measure the performance of our ad campaigns on Google and Meta platforms
  • Detect and prevent fraud, spam, and abuse
  • Comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax and accounting records)
  • Run the Championship: create your account, enroll you in tournaments, score your quizzes and publish leaderboards
  • Send you the emails needed to run the Championship: confirmation, welcome, results and prize emails
  • Deliver prizes and detect cheating, multiple accounts and abuse

Legal Basis for Processing (for visitors in the EU/EEA/UK)

Where GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

  • Contract — to process your orders and provide the products/services you purchase
  • Consent — for marketing communications and non-essential cookies (analytics, advertising)
  • Legitimate interests — for fraud prevention, Site security, and improving our services
  • Legal obligation — for tax, accounting, and other regulatory requirements
  • Contract — to run the Championship you join, score your quizzes and deliver prizes
  • Consent — for Championship updates and promotional emails, which you confirm by email (double opt-in) and can withdraw at any time with the unsubscribe link
  • Legitimate interests — to show public leaderboards, prevent cheating and multiple accounts, and keep the game fair

Who We Share Your Data With

We share personal data with the following categories of third parties, only as needed to operate our business:

  • Payment processors — to process transactions: Stripe
  • Shipping/fulfillment providers — if applicable, to deliver physical products
  • Google (Analytics, Ads, Tag Manager, Merchant Center) — for analytics, advertising, and product listings, as described above
  • Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — for advertising and Shop functionality, as described above
  • Website hosting and technical service providers — including our WordPress/WooCommerce hosting provider and, where necessary for troubleshooting or support, WooCommerce/plugin support teams, who may be granted temporary, limited administrative access to our Site to resolve technical issues. Such access is time-limited and revoked once the issue is resolved.
  • Email/marketing platform, if used — Kit and Mailchimp
  • Legal and regulatory authorities — where required by law
  • Brevo — our email delivery provider for Championship emails. Brevo receives your name, email address and the content of the emails we send you.
  • Social networks, only if you choose — if you click a Facebook, X or LinkedIn share button, you share your result with that network. We do not send them your data.

We do not sell your personal data.

How Long We Retain Your Data

  • Order and account data is retained for as long as necessary to fulfill orders, meet legal/tax obligations, and resolve disputes, and is typically kept for 7 years for financial records.
  • Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.
  • Marketing data (e.g., email list) is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
  • Analytics and advertising cookie data is retained according to the retention settings of the respective third-party tool (e.g., Google Analytics’ default retention periods).

  • Championship data (account, scores, points and leaderboard entries) is kept for as long as you have an account, so rankings and the Lifetime leaderboard stay accurate. You can ask us to delete or anonymize it at any time. Prize and coupon records are kept for up to 7 years for our accounting records.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Delete your personal data (subject to legal/administrative exceptions)
  • Export your data in a portable format
  • Object to or restrict certain processing (e.g., marketing)
  • Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent

  • You can also ask us to hide or remove your name or photo from the public leaderboards at any time. 

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@thirstyandwise.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

If you are in the EU/EEA/UK and believe we have not addressed your concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Where Your Data Is Sent

Some of the third-party tools listed above (Google, Meta, and our hosting/payment providers) may process or store data outside your country of residence, including in the United States. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) for such transfers.

Children’s Privacy

Our Site and products are not directed to children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. The Championship is only for people aged 18 and older. If you believe a child has given us personal data, email info@thirstyandwise.com and we will delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent changes. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, contact us at: info@thirstyandwise.com

Thirsty and Wise LLC

66 W Flagler St Suite 900, 33130 Miami, FL