Monthly Archives: March 2025

Grape Collective speaks to winemaker Benedetto Alessandro about his experiences on Etna. In addition to his involvement with Generazione Alessandro, he co-owns a winery, Monteleone, on Etna with his wife Giulia Monteleone. 

To many people, the wines from Sancerre are almost synonymous with the word ‘wine’. Sancerre, for all intents and purposes, is the answer: It’s Friday night and you want to relax? Sancerre. Your friend is hosting a dinner party? Sancerre. Your partner is cooking tonight? Sancerre. 

Part of the popularity may be attributable to the easy-to-pronounce name, but it is the generations of families’ and vignerons’ collective experiences that have accumulated to what people enjoy so much from their glasses today. And that is exactly what the Cherrier family are.

Since the 1800s, the Cherrier family has been tending to their land and vines in Sancerre. The entire family, now in its fourth generation, are all involved in wine. Through the knowledge and values learnt from their parents, grandparents, and so forth, they have established a philosophy of applying only the appropriate levels of intervention in the vineyard and cellars. They don’t adhere to any specific regulatory labels, wishing to freely apply techniques that they believe to be in harmony with nature. Even today, they are still growing and changing, adapting to the uncertainties of winemaking. 

Grape Collective talks to Delphine Cherrier about her family’s history, vineyards, and philosophy of winemaking.  

We’ve all had those moments during our wine journeys. Whether we’re new to wine or ...

The contrasting approaches to wine in Athens and Sparta offer a metaphor for their broader cultural differences and ultimate historical trajectories. Athens' balanced approach to wine consumption - enjoying its pleasures while tempering them with moderation and using them as a catalyst for intellectual exchange - created a legacy that transcended its political decline. Sparta's rigid control of wine consumption paralleled a societal inflexibility that brought short-term military success but long-term cultural stagnation.

In the world of wine, few names carry the weight of Biondi-Santi. The estate gave birth to Brunello in 1888, setting the standard for the wines of Montalcino. For over a century, generations of the Biondi-Santi family produced austere, long-lived...

We sat down with Vasso Ligdopoulos and winemaker Panayiotis Papagiannopoulos to explore their family's wine journey.

When we invented Open That Bottle Night in 1999, to persuade people to finally uncork the wine they’ve been saving forever for a special occasion, we had no idea we’d create a worldwide community. Every year, OTBN, on the last Saturday of February, is wonderful. But this year touched people more deeply. For whatever reason, wine lovers truly embraced the concept: There’s no better day than today to celebrate.

As March arrives and winter prepares its reluctant retreat (taking its sweet time like a dinner guest who can't take a hint), there's still time for a last hurrah with rich, warming red wines. These final weeks offer a perfect opportunity to drain those bottles that have kept us sane through months of thermal underwear and astronomical heating bills.

The most satisfying winter reds deserve a proper send-off before they're banished to the cellar until next November. Cabernet Sauvignon from California's Napa Valley has been your loyal friend through the darkest days—like that dependable buddy who helped you shovel the driveway without complaining (much). Australian Shiraz, with its bold blackberry and chocolate notes, deserves one final evening by the fire—a wine so warming it should come with its own caution label: "May cause spontaneous removal of sweaters."

Before bidding winter adieu, raise a glass of Argentine Malbec from Mendoza, whose velvety plum flavors have made Netflix-and-blanket nights bearable. Italian Primitivo, meanwhile, offers such comforting warmth that it's essentially a liquid space heater with tasting notes. Both have earned their place in the winter wine hall of fame—a pantheon of bottles that don't judge you for wearing the same sweatpants four days straight.

For those looking to bridge the seasonal transition, medium-bodied Pinot Noir serves as the perfect diplomat between winter's heavy hitters and spring's lighter fare. Oregon Pinots deliver earthy mushroom notes balanced with bright cherry—sophisticated enough for your first dinner party of spring, but still substantial enough for those surprise March snowstorms that arrive like uninvited relatives. Think of Pinot as winter wine with training wheels for the warmer days ahead.

As we prepare to welcome spring, give these cold-weather companions one last pour. In these final chilly evenings, serve them around 60-65°F—warm enough to fully appreciate their complexity but cool enough to remind them that their season is ending. After all, breaking up with winter wines isn'...

“...