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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.
March 17, 2025In 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...
March 15, 2025We sat down with Vasso Ligdopoulos and winemaker Panayiotis Papagiannopoulos to explore their family's wine journey.
March 07, 2025When 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.
March 01, 2025“...
Let's break down the wine scene in Piedmont, where Italy keeps some of its most epic bottles. Fair warning: once you get into these wines, your Two-Buck Chuck days are officially numbered.
February 21, 2025What is it like to taste 149 wines in two days, taking notes on each one, with Waffle House in-between?
In January, we were judges for the Virginia Governor’s Cup, which is hosted by the Virginia Wineries Association in partnership with the Virginia Wine Board and the Virginia Vineyards Association. We have been enjoying and writing about Virginia’s wines for decades. Horton Vineyards Viognier and Norton were early favorites going back to the ’90s, about the time we visited the now-sold Swedenburg Estate Vineyard in Middleburg. We discovered the fine, Champagne-method sparklers from Thibaut-Janisson Winery more than a decade ago. But this is the first time we participated in the judging.
February 14, 2025"Cab Franc is an immigrant success story," says John Leo of Onabay Vineyards, describing how this classic European variety has found a proper home in New York State. A new coalition, Cab Franc Forward NY, agrees and is championing it as the state's signature red variety. Their inaugural Grand Tasting in Manhattan on February 4, 2025, brought together thirty-five wineries and over 500 attendees, including 280 wine professionals. The unprecedented gathering displayed Cabernet Franc's growing prominence—it's now New York's most planted red vinifera grape, with 638 acres under vine.
February 12, 2025Grape Collective talks with winemaker Saïd Ouhmad and agronomist Yassine Dahouri of Domaine de Baccari about winemaking in Morocco.
