Get the Book
Opening a Bottle: Italy
Opening a Bottle’s founder and creator, Kevin Day, has just published his first book: Opening a Bottle: Italy — a loving ode to the world of Italian wine.
Available worldwide.
Ways to Get the Book
Hardcover Book 
Order print-on-demand via BookBaby.com and use promo code WINELOVER10 to get $10 off. Ships from the U.S. to anywhere in the world. Currently the best option for EU readers.
Hardcover Book 
Printed and shipped locally in the UK via IngramSpark for faster delivery and use of local currency.
Digital E-Book 
For a worldwide audience, order a digital e-book exclusively through openingabottle.com.
For a Limited Time: Order a Signed Copy from the Author
Kevin is issuing 50 signed copies of Opening a Bottle: Italy for U.S. customers. Includes flat rate shipping ($10) and added packaging to protect the book in transit.
Don’t miss your chance to own this special edition.
About the Book
With his vivid storytelling and captivating photography, Kevin Day chronicles the story of 24 groundbreaking wineries that have come to redefine our understanding of Italian terroir and craft. From Sicily’s ash-spewing Mount Etna to the brisk and improbable terraces of Valtellina high in the Alps of Lombardy, this visually rich journey will take you deeper into the world’s most layered and complex wine nation.
Faced with climate change, these winemakers are looking to the past for answers—reviving polyculture, nurturing biodiversity in and around the vineyards, and embracing the physical demands of exceptional sites. In doing so, they are redefining what fine wine means today.
This book features:
18 chapters of immersive storytelling spanning from Sicily to Friuli, Piedmont to Lazio. (See producer list below)
100 Wines to Admire offering a dual perspective for “beginners” and “wine obsessives” on each one.
169 photographs spanning Kevin’s 20-year career photographing Italy.
Foreword by Anthony Giglio, Contributing Editor at Food & Wine Magazine.
“Kevin speaks fluent Italian soul. He gets it — not just the technical stuff (though he’s got that, too), but the feeling that Italian wine inspires: the pride, the struggle, the reverence for legacy, and the cheeky rebellion that says, ‘We can do it our way.’” Anthony Giglio
Contributing Editor at Food & Wine Magazine
(from the book’s Foreword)
Look Inside the Book
“Elegant, modest, heartfelt and insightful, Kevin Day’s Opening a Bottle: Italy takes us to what matters about wine: its stories, its creators, its power to illuminate.” Andrew Jefford
Acclaimed Author and Columnist for Decanter and The World of Fine Wine
“At once serious yet whimsical, informative but a delight to relish, Day’s unique perspective (and stunning photography) gives us access to producers both iconic and emerging.” Ashley Hausman MW
Founder of SoWhatWine.com
“In prose that is at once effortlessly elegant and sneakily informative, Kevin Day has captured the stories that unlock Italian wine’s countless facets. Consider this your concise, companionable key.” Valerie Kathawala
Editor, TRINK Magazine
Wineries Featured in This Book
Wineries Featured in This Book
Abbazia di Novacella
ARPEPE
Azienda Agricola Biondi
Benanti
Caparsa
Cascina delle Rose
Cascina Penna Currado
Castello di Monsanto
Castello di Volpaia
Damiano Ciolli
Donnafugata
Emidio Pepe
Foradori
Francesco Mulinari
Gravner
I Custodi delle Vigne dell’Etna
I Fabbri
Il Marroneto
Istine
Monteleone
Montenidoli
Radikon
Ronchi di Cialla
Venissa
Plus nearly 100 others in the list of 100 Wines to Admire
This Book is a Family Affair
About the Author
Kevin Day is a wine writer and photojournalist who has covered Italian wine extensively since 2014, when he established an online wine publication called openingabottle.com.
As Opening a Bottle’s Editor-in-Chief, he annually files reports on Barolo, Barbaresco, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Etna, and regularly hosts online wine classes for the site’s paid subscribers. Based in Denver, Colorado, he consults on private wine collections and speaks at wine events, using his photos and unique storytelling ability to engage with audiences. Kevin has passed the Wine Scholar Guild’s Italian Wine Scholar™ and French Wine Scholar™ exams, both with Highest Honors.
You can follow him on Instagram @openingabottle.
About the Graphic Designer
Hailey Day is Denver-based designer and developer who founded her solopreneur studio, Heyday Creative, in 2008. Over the years, Hailey has established a signature approach that blends artistic sensibility, technical expertise, and a refreshingly straightforward work ethic. She is the designer and architect behind openingabottle.com and is responsible for the design, layout and execution of Opening a Bottle: Italy. She and Kevin have been married for more than 20 years.
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Book FAQ
Why did you self-publish this book?
Since the beginning of openingabottle.com, my photography has been as essential element to telling the story of wine. It was something I wanted to prioritize with my first book.
However, producing a full-color photography book with stories of this scope can be an expensive endeavor — one that a lot of publishers found too risky for a “first-time author.” So we took on all of the risk to produce this book, and in turn, have found the freedom to create a book the way we wanted to: visually rich, approachable for readers of all levels, and free from the commercialization and elitism that often dominates wine discourse.
Is the book available on Amazon?
Yes. Yes, in fact, the book is showing up on book retail sites worldwide thanks to IngramSpark’s global distribution. If you order from one these sites, the book will be printed and shipped from the closest digital printer facility within the network.
However, in some markets, the listed price well exceeds my suggested retail, including on Amazon.it and Amazon.de where it has been listed at 133€. This is apparently the action of resellers marking the price up due to low inventory. I don’t see anything extra from these purchases, and sadly, I cannot fix this.
However, in a few weeks, the price should reset to my suggested retail (e.g. 59€). Know that, in terms of income per book, buying directly from BookBaby yields the most for the author.
Contact us to inquire about public speaking events and private functions.
How does BookBaby work?
BookBaby is our official print-on-demand publisher for individual fulfillment. When you place an order with them, the book will be printed and shipped directly to you within a matter of 5 to 6 business days.
The books are printed in New Jersey and shipped from there to individuals. We have found that the print quality at BookBaby is to the highest standards, and we have enjoyed great customer service with them.
They can ship internationally as well. For larger orders (domestic and international) consider creating an account with IngramSpark to place an order (see below).
Can BookBaby fulfill international orders?
Yes. At checkout enter your address to see the costs associated with shipping to your country. Please contact us if you have any special requests.
How does IngramSpark work?
IngramSpark is similar to BookBaby, except their print-on-demand facilities are a global network. Wholesalers can place orders through IngramSpark (e.g. “I want 12 copies to sell at my wine shop in Berlin”) and have them fulfilled from the closest printing facility to save on shipping costs. Retailers can use the system to list my book (e.g. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Booktopia), and once an order is placed through their site, the book is printed and fulfilled from the closest printing facility to the person placing the order.
Readers in the United States and United Kingdom can buy directly from IngramSpark as well. This cuts out the middleman, and removes any wholesale discount I’ve had to apply, which severely limits my earnings per book. If you live in the U.S. or U.K., please consider buying from IngramSpark.
I am a retailer. How can I sell this book in my store?
The book is available for such orders via IngramSpark.
