Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: 9 Legendary Wines in the Making
File Under: Expensive But Worth It
Access Opening a Bottle
For People Who Want to Drink Better Wine
Most wine coverage tells you what to buy. Very little of it tells you why it matters, where it fits into your life, or what to drink next. That’s the gap Opening a Bottle was built to fill.
I'm Kevin Day — a Denver-based wine writer, photographer and certified travel advisor who has spent the better part of two decades traveling through Italy and Europe, tasting with winemakers, and translating what I find into writing that is honest, specific and built for people who take wine seriously (without taking themselves too seriously).
Readers have told me they drink better wines because of this site. I cannot imagine a better compliment.
What Membership Gets You
The Insights
Behind the paywall is where the buyer intelligence lives. I only write about exceptional wines, because life is too short for anything less. This includes tasting reports, wine reviews, the Essential Winemakers of Italy and France, and Top Wines of the Year. The content is written with context, and the opinions are formed through first-hand experience. All of it is complemented with my professional photography.
The Savings
Membership pays for itself when you use it. Current member benefits include:
$100 credit toward wine travel planning. As a Certified Travel Advisor with Fora, I design fully customized wine itineraries for clients who want to travel with more purpose and less guesswork. No two plans are the same. Monthly subscribers must be active for 1 year to redeem.
10% off Wine Scholar Guild enrollment. WSG offers some of the most rigorous remote-learning programs available on Italian, French, Spanish and German wines, including masters programs on Bourgogne, Champagne and Bordeaux.
Additional partner discounts throughout the year — currently including a specialty wine club, a wine school, and products to enhance your table at home. All savings and perks are listed clearly under the My Account link in the navigation when you log in.
Choose Your Access Level
For Wine Lovers
$79/year or $9/month
Ideal for readers, connoisseurs, collectors, students and wine professionals.
Full access to everything on Opening a Bottle — all Tasting Reports, Essential Winemakers profiles, Wines to Admire reviews, and recorded video classes — plus exclusive member discounts and offers from my partners in wine education, travel and e-commerce.
For Wineries
$99/year
Ideal for wineries featured on Opening a Bottle, or those who want full access to the site while supporting independent wine writing and photojournalism.
Full site access for one account
Branded Opening a Bottle promotional graphics, shareable across your channels when your wines are featured
Ability to unlock 1 paywall review per year for public reading;*
Access to exclusive discounts, including photo licensing.
For Wine Industry Organizations
$199/year
Ideal for consortiums, importers, PR firms and other organizations in the trade.
Full site access for up to 5 staff accounts
A custom brand page profiling your organization alongside relevant content
Rotating logo on the Opening a Bottle homepage
The ability to unlock 1 paywall article per year for public reading*
Rights to republish content
Access to exclusive discounts for group members, including photo licensing
Wine Lovers (Individual)
Ideal for: Students, connoisseurs, collectors and individual wine pros.
Benefits:
Access the entire site including all Tasting Reports, Essential Winemakers, Wines to Admire reviews, and recorded video classes;
Exclusive discounts and early access to events and wine consulting services.
Winery Subscription (Individual)
Ideal for: Wineries featured on openingabottle.com as well as those looking for access to the site.
Benefits:
Complete access for one account to all content to help keep you in-touch and inspired;
Branded Opening a Bottle promotional graphics you can share across channels when your wines are featured;
A meaningful way to support independent photojournalism and wine writing.
Wine Industry (Group)
Ideal for: Organizations in the wine industry such as consortiums, importers, PR firms and others.
Benefits:
Enjoy the same benefits of access, but for up to 5 different staff log-ins;
A custom brand page to profile your organization as well as relevant content;
Rotating logo on the home page thanking your organization;
The ability to unlock 1 paywall article per year for public reading;*
Rights to republish content.
How the Magazine Paywall Works
Most articles under Stories & Guides are free to read, though viewing more than one per month will prompt you to create a free account. Free accounts also receive email updates when new content is published.
Articles under Wine Intel — Tasting Reports, Wines to Admire, Essential Winemakers, and Top Wines of the Year — are behind the paywall. This is where the buying intelligence lives: which producers are worth your money, which vintages reward patience, and which wines belong in your cellar right now.
Once you're a member, My Account becomes your hub for managing access, group members (if applicable), and unlocking partner offers.
What My Subscribers Are Saying ...
“The content on your site is the best out there. Perfect balance between subjective reviews and opinions along with the educational content. This is such a gift you have.”
Adam H. – Franklin, Tennessee
“Once I started reading your site and attending your classes, I started drinking much better wines.”
Alan S. – Morrison, Colorado
“Generating content that is meaningful and unique is a true challenge — no matter the topic. Wine is certainly no exception. A friend of mine turned me on to your site a few years ago, and it’s definitely played a role in developing the wine list at our restaurant.”
Salvatore Deluca, Owner of MVD Restaurant & Bar – Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Testimonials from Winemakers
Few things are more rewarding for us as writers than to get genuine praise and acknowledgement from winemakers themselves. They see a lot of fluff copy, and have to deal with meaningless and reductive critical evaluations constantly. That's why within winemaking circles, Opening a Bottle has developed a following all its own.
"I honestly believe that your understanding of Etna and its wines is very, very good. Your article on Etna Rosso is a must read." –Antonio, Sicily
"I love how your reviews are focused not so much on giving arid point-based marks but actually talking about the wine, which is in my opinion something fundamental." –Mattia, Northern Italy
"I can feel how you take care of your articles and that’s also why you have so much success ... It’s the same to make a top wine, you need patience!" –Sophie, Northern France
Support from the Wine Industry
From consortiums to restaurant groups, importers to wine education providers, the wine industry sees value in the content we're doing ... and the audience we've cultivated. The following are just four of the many organizations who have established a group subscription and have their own page.
*This feature for Winery Subscriptions is limited to individual wine reviews or estate tasting reports and excludes appellation/regional Tasting Reports. Wines to Admire reviews can be unlocked 21 days after publication, and Estate Tasting Reports are eligible for unlocking 45 days after their publication date.