Child's drawing of grapes saying "Pick Me"

Get to Know Wine

Free to all readers and largely focused on educational wine content, this series of articles will help you navigate the waters of (mostly) European wine and discover what makes so many of them so special. Led by our popular First-Taste Guide series as well as in-depth profiles on winemakers and noteworthy vineyards, this content is a great introduction to our subscriber only content, found under Wine Reviews.


Illustration by my daughter, Lamorra Day.

First-Taste Guides

This popular series of articles breaks down some of Europe's most puzzling wine categories: mostly appellations where the wine is named after a place.

What the Winemaker Knows

The best educators in the wine world are the people who make it. Our regular interviews and profiles from a winemaker's perspective offer a deeper glimpse of what goes into the glass.

Vineyard Stories

Profiles on some of the most unique winegrowing terrain on earth.

Cyclists in Bernkastel-Keus ©Kevin Day/Opening a Bottle

Wine Travel

Our dedicated section to the wine destinations that launch a thousand day dreams.

View the Section

Essays on Wine

This series of essays by our writers take an aspect of wine and explore it. The nature of flaws ... the way we describe wine ... how it evolves with time. Anything is fair game.

The beginning of the Festa del Chianti Classico dinner at Tavernetta. The glasses would not be empty for long. ©Kevin Day/Opening a Bottle
Blank wine bottles that don't tell you shit ... just like real wine bottles
Summer Wines Illustration of vineyard in sun

Should I Drink This?

Our recurring column on obscure grapes and wines, where the answer to the question is always "yes ... yes, you should."

How We Rate Wine - Wine bottles for Opening a Bottle ©Kevin Day/Opening a Bottle

How We Rate Wine

Our reviews are written for beginners to wine as well as "wine obsessives." And we use icons to indicate vineyard practices, history, and other compelling details that matter m0st to understanding a wine's story.

Learn More
Wine Icons

Key to Our Wine Icons

– Practicing Organic
 – Certified Organic
 – Practicing Biodynamic
 – Certified Biodynamic
– Promotes Biodiversity
– Old Vines
– Heroic Viticulture
– Volcanic Soil
– Traditional Winemaking
– Clay Vessel Winemaking
– Family-Operated Winery
– Historic Winery
– Co-operative Winery
– Négociant
– Stay at Winery
– Olive Oil Producer
– Age-Worthy Wine
– Expensive Wine (+$100)
– Requires Some Searching

Sign Up for Emails
The best way to stay on top of our upcoming virtual tastings, new articles and wine reviews, and subscription opportunities.

Skip to content