What Our Wine Icons Mean
a.k.a. "What Matters Most to Us in Wine"
With our opinion-based content, we want to give you a sense for what these wines and wineries are all about at a single glance. Sometimes the most noteworthy features of a wine — its origin, its unlikely existence, its place in history — are not disclosed on the label.
To showcase these traits at a glance, we use the following icons throughout Opening a Bottle, which were designed by Hailey Day of HeyDay Creative.
In the Vineyard
Practicing Organic
The winery or winemaker uses organic practices in most if not all of their winemaking, but has not pursued third-party certification.
Certified Organic
The winery or winemaker has gone through third-party certification to verify organic practices.
Practicing Biodynamic
The winery or winemaker uses some biodynamic practices, but has not pursued third-party certification.
Certified Biodynamic
The winery or winemaker has gone through third-party certification to verify biodynamic practices.
Biodiversity
The winery fosters and even enhances biodiversity in the local ecosystem through the planting of other edible foods, beekeeping, encouraging cover crop, and/or preserving surrounding ecosystems to the benefit of viticulture.
Features a video with Mateja Gravner of Friuli-Venezia Giulia's Gravner.
Polyculture
This icon was previously used to earmark wineries that also produce olive oil, but we have now expanded it to call out those that embrace polyculture of numerous crops and agricultural products, often to the benefit of their wines.
Old Vines
A significant portion of a wine or a winery's reputation stems from their work with old vines (relative to their respective variety).
Heroic Viticulture
Extreme winemaking defined by either very steep slopes, high altitude, remote locations (particularly islands) or a combination of these factors.
Features a video with Francesco Mulinari of Montalcino's L'Aietta.
Volcanic Soils
Certain (if not all) of the wines from this winemaker have the signatures of volcanic soil: intense aromas, piercing acidity, prickly texture, etc.
At the Winery
Traditional Winemaking
Indicates that the winery uses a variety of winemaking techniques favored by previous generations to produce a desired outcome.
Features a video with Federico Giuntini of Chianti Rufina's Fattoria Selvapiana.
Clay Vessel Winemaking
The winemaker has used any type of clay vessel (e.g. amphora, tinaja, etc.) for the wine's fermentation, aging or a combination of both.
Family-Operated Winery
The winery and its vineyard holdings are managed by a multi-generational family — either currently, or which has been passed down.
Features a video with Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti of Chianti Classico's Badia a Coltibuono.
Historic Winery
Not all historic wineries are grand chateaux. For this icon, we are indicating a winery that has been in continuous production for more than a century.
Cooperative Wineries
A business model in which a collective of winegrowers contributes grapes to a single community winery, which produces the product.
Features a video with Nazzerano Milita of Lazio's Cincinnato Winery.
Négociant
A term used in France but applicable worldwide, this business model implies that the winemaker purchases grapes from winegrowers and makes the wine in their own facility.
Stay at the Winery
Why not wake up with the vines around you? This icon indicates a winery that offers hospitality in the form of an inn or small hotel onsite.
Buyer Insights
Collectible & Age-Worthy Wines
If you see this icon, it means the wine (or some of the wines from this producer) are conducive to long-term aging and/or will increase in value over time.
Features a video with Elisabetta Fagiuoli of San Gimignano's Montenidoli.
High-Value Wines
Whether you call them pricey, expensive or high value, the wines indicated by this icon are in high demand and — if we're writing about them — we feel their worth the splurge.
Requires Some Searching
An indicator of low-volume and small production, these wines require a bit of a hunting on Google, but are absolutely worth it.
