Michael Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton, owners of Relic Wine Cellars in Napa, which makes complex small-batch wines using old-school methods, have a lot to celebrate this year. “It’s our 25th harvest. It’s our 10th year in our winery and it’s our 20th wedding anniversary,” Throckmorton told us when we called the other day to interview them.
Every January, we smile at the first sightings, regular as clockwork: people in new running outfits, determined this year—after perhaps other false starts—to finally get into the habit of running. We nod at each other, recognizing the new class of hopeful souls, and silently wish them success.
New Year’s resolutions can be difficult to honor. Committing to the gear can only get you so far.
If your new interest is wine, you’ve selected a challenging time to dive in. Some beverage alcohol drinkers are embracing Dry January, a pause from imbibing that’s intended as self-care. We say, good for them if that’s what they want to do. They’re adults. In all things, one should act responsibly. Personally, we are more aligned with the Gentle January view of Hadley Douglas, who with her husband T.J. Douglas owns the Drink Progressively Group and The Urban Grape wine shops in Boston and Washington D.C. We’ve written about their annual Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color. “Gentle January is all about embracing what makes you feel complete, satisfied and happy. Punishment-based resets are not allowed,” she writes in the newsletter “Hadley’s Guide to Gentle January.” Throughout January, she enjoys sparkling wine, she writes.
“I worry about Westernization of January -- do more, be better and never rest all in the name of guilt, punishment and regret. I don’t want to pick up a new routine in January, or set rules that can’t be broken.”
The wine world right now is awash in controversies, from the excavation of the colonial underpinnings of historic wine regions to the classist remnants that still haunt the enjoyment of our favorite libation today. And concerns abound. If you’re worried about wine and its effect on your health, it probably hasn’t helped that you likely feel some whiplash from the competing research on that question. Just last week, the surgeon general proposed that wine labels carry new health warnings about cancer, and camps for and against that idea have been at it.
Along with other industries, the wine industry is nervous about President Trump’s campaign promise to impose tariffs on foreign goods. During his first term, he slapped tariffs on some European goods including wine, which caused higher prices. President Biden rescinded those tariffs. Trump’s aim with tariffs, he says, is to create jobs and boost home-grown manufacturing. However, once again there’s concern about rising prices not only on imported wines but also on domestic wines as distributors and others in the chain of the domestic wine industry, including restaurants and wine shops, increase their prices to make up for the losses in the imported wine segment.
We have enjoyed wine almost daily since 1973. It enriches our lives. It encourages us to slow down, to see and hear each other more clearly, to delight in the food before us or the way the setting sun plays on nearby trees and buildings. It transports us to where the wine was made, to the rich history of the place and the people responsible for it. Friendships, our understanding and appreciation of others, have been forged with it.
But back to the issue of gear and what you truly might need for your enjoyment of wine. If anything is so complicated that it staves off enjoyment of it, it’s our experience that folks will just walk away from it. Yep, shoes need to be comfortable and supportive if you are going to run in them, but you don’t need a different glass for every type of wine you drink. Dottie collects vintage glasses and china. Name the shape and we’ve got it, probably multiples of it. Remember when Champagne coupes, said to have been shaped like Marie Antoinette’s breasts, were out and flutes were in and then tulips? Enjoying wine is a multi-sensory experience. Treat your eyes to it, too. In other words, choose what feels special and appropriate to your mood and the mood of the wine. We acknowledge that a lot of time and money have been spent designing wine glasses to enhance the taste of wine, but we also believe that enjoying wine should not be stressful. John did require pliers to open a bottle of Cristal to propose to Dottie in 1978. But usually when it comes to stress and wine, the grape grower and winemaker have done the heavy lifting.
We have had a few wonderful wine experiences with clunky hotel glasses. And for the holidays, Zoë gave us John and Dottie Bobble Heads made by an artist with Etsy and it features us holding Styrofoam glasses. In fact, what Dottie was really holding was a clear plastic cup of some nondescript white wine that was poured at the world premiere of Colette Robert’s Off-Broadway play “The Harriet Holland Social Club Presents the 84th Annual Star-burst Cotillion in the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel.” Zoë was part of the three-person band that played on stage throughout the riveting production. Needless to say, the wine and the after-show nibbles were enjoyed.
For the record, we believe that all wine vessels should be clear glass, free of any sort of adornment, and for most types of wine, everyday glasses should hold at least 20 ounces, not that you’re going to fill them to the rim. (We use some of Dottie’s small, delicate vintage glasses for sweet and dessert wines.) Everyday glasses should have long stems so that you can swirl and your hands won’t be so close to the bowl that they warm the wine, unless you want to warm the wine. And they should be dishwasher safe and affordable so that you don’t worry about breaking them. (These are great gifts for the w...
Salvino Benanti talks to Grape Collective about the challenges and rewards of winemaking on an active volcano. He shares the stories behind Benanti Winery’s origins, discusses the region’s unique winemaking history, and reflects on the emotional connection between the winemaker and the volcano.
We paid $7.25 for a 1978 Château Meyney in 1981. That same year, we spent $12.99 – the equivalent about $45 in today’s dollars – to buy a 1979 Ste. Chapelle Chardonnay from Idaho. Why in the world did we do that? Because we’d never seen a wine from Idaho before.
Parés Baltà is a family-owned winery located in the Penedès region of Catalonia, Spain, with a winemaking history dating back to 1790. The winery is currently managed by the third generation of the Cusiné family, specifically Joan and Josep Cusiné, along with their wives, Elena Jiménez and Marta Casas, who serve as the lead winemakers.
Around this time of year, we cheer “Out with the old and in with the new!” If that’s a sentiment we truly embrace, why do we celebrate with the same old Champagne? Look, we understand: The holidays don’t seem like a good time to take a risk. So too often for our special bubbly -- the one we share and care about -- we end up spending around $70 on a reliable, well-known label. Sometimes sameness can be comforting.
Time, in the right hands, can do remarkable things.
That magic is especially evident in Port, where extensive aging in barrel or bottle (depending on the type of Port) helps integrate the layers of flavors, tannins, and alcohol. Port is a unique category of wine where the tradition of fortifying the aggressively extracted wine with grape spirits requires the necessary time to rest and develop. Port is also a complicated wine with different labeling indications that reflect the different styles and flavor profiles. But most unfortunately, Port is often misunderstood as merely a dessert wine due to its sweetness and alcohol level (20%). Port should really be seen as a time capsule that has the ability to transport flavors of previous generations in a bottle.
At Kopke, one of the oldest Port houses in Portugal, they continue the legacy of producing traditional Port. They have an extensive inventory of aged Tawny Port (especially White Tawny Port, a very niche category of Port wine) dating back to the 1930s that are still maturing in their cellars, only being bottled and released when specifically requested. These wines are truly from another time, and have been handed down to the following generations to maintain and care for.
As Carla Tiago, winemaker at Kopke, puts it, “…we are bottling wines that were made several generations ago. Our job is to take care of these wines made by the people that came before us, make sure they are maintained in proper conditions, and make new wines for the next generation.”
Grape Collective talks to Carla Tiago about Kopke’s tradition, the different categories of Port, and her thoughts on the future of Port.
Sometimes, expensive wines are worth the money. We have always said that price alone is no indication of quality and that price and value are different things. We have tasted many wines under $20 that were thoughtful, lovely and true. We have also tried many astonishingly expensive wines that tasted like anvils. Those often came in heavy bottles with elegant labels and higher alcohol than we would like. We thought that, in a way, their high price alone probably gave them cachet with some people.
When you pick up a bottle of wine, do you ever stop to consider the values of the people behind the label? For most of us, it’s all about the taste—but there’s often a deeper story to discover. At Argentina’s Bodega Santa Julia, the Zuccardi family goes above and beyond, creating eco-friendly wines while making a meaningful impact on their community.
The Zuccardi family's wine story is deeply rooted in Argentina's Mendoza region. They own over 800 hectares of vineyards and two well-known wineries: Bodega Zuccardi in the Uco Valley and Bodega Santa Julia in Maipú. Over three generations, they have built a strong reputation for quality wines and respectful winemaking traditions.
It all began in 1968 when Alberto Zuccardi, an engineer, bought land in Maipú to test an irrigation system. This technical project unexpectedly turned into a family passion for winemaking. By the 1980s, Alberto's son José Alberto took the reins, naming the winery after his daughter Julia and steering it towards sustainable production and organic farming.
Caring for Land and People
But the Zuccardi family’s vision reaches far beyond environmental concerns—it’s also rooted in social and cultural responsibility, a commitment championed by the late Emma Zuccardi and carried forward today by her granddaughter.
“My grandparents were very focused on caring for the land and the people,” said Julia Zuccardi. “My grandfather was very connected to nature. He believed our responsibility was to take care of the land and give future generations the same or better than we have.”
While Alberto’s work in organic and regenerative farming laid the foundation for environmental stewardship, Emma pioneered the winery’s social mission.
“My grandmother was very connected to people,” Zuccardi explained. “She believed in caring for our community and always wanted to provide our workers and their families with the tools to improve their quality of life.”
During a recent visit to Mendoza, Julia Zuccardi welcomed our group of writers for a leisurely lunch at Pan y Oliva, a cozy restaurant in Santa Julia's Visitor’s Center. Over plates of burrata with roasted tomatoes, honey-glazed salmon, and homemade pasta, Zuccardi shared family stories, many about her grandmother Emma, whose community-focused vision shaped the winery's social sustainability. Afterward, she took us on a tour of the facilities, including a daycare, sewing center, and adult school—each stop showing how dedicated the Zuccardis are to improving the lives of their workers, their families, and the broader community.
Education and Empowerment
Social equity may be a common focus for companies today, often supported by Human Resources departments, but Emma Zuccardi was ahead of her time. "Fifty years ago, my grandmother didn’t know anything about corporate social responsibility," Zuccardi explained. "But she was very active and passionate, creating what we now call cultural centers."
The two cultural centers, one at the Maipú vineyards and the other in Santa Rosa, offer adult education programs that let workers complete their studies without compromising their incomes. Each center also provide various facilities, including a gym, library, and computer access, benefiting employees and the local community.
“In the beginning, my grandmother faced challenges with the adult school,” Zuccardi recounted. “Classes were held after work, and people often quit school to care for their families. So, she revised the program. Now, classes are held during work hours twice a week, and we pay workers to attend. We believe that if they have a better quality of life and improve their education, it’s better for our company, too. It’s like a circle.”
Today, more than 100 people graduate from these programs annually, both Santa Julia employees and those from the surrounding community. “The idea is to impact not only the people who work with us but the whole community,” Zuccardi said.
The cultural center isn’t just about education either—it’s a place for economic empowerment, especially for women in the community. Emma saw a need for women to have financial independence and professional skills, so she launched a sewing workshop where they could learn a trade and earn an income to support their families by making and selling shirts, pants, uniforms, aprons, and more.
“Many of these women used to stay home, but now they have jobs and can contribute financially to their families,” Zuccardi told us. “At first, my grandmother had to educate them on the importance of their work. When the women said they needed to stop at 11 to make lunch for their husbands, she would laugh and tell them, ‘No, you don’t. You have a job, and your husband can make his own lunch.’”
This commitment to people and the community was formally recognized in 2001 when Bodega Santa Julia became the first winery in Argentina to receive Fair for Life certification. This distinction acknowledges their efforts to combat unsafe working conditions, child labor, and other injustices while promoting fair working conditions.
A New Vision for Parenting
The daycare program at Santa Julia was another of Emma’s groundbreaking initiatives. It supports both parents’ professional lives, especially women, who often have to choose between motherhood and working outside the home. With facilities that range from infant care to after-school programs, the daycare gives women freedom and equality in a supportive environment.
“My grandmother was a visionary,” Julia says. “She started the daycare many years ago so parents could work, knowing their children were well cared for. We have about 60 children here, and it’s open to the community, so children from all backgrounds mix. This diversity is important to us, and we are proud because it reduces social distinctions among the kids.”
“The kids are being taken care of during working hours, yet their parents can still come by and see them. And mothers can breastfeed their infants in the middle of the day since we have a special room for that,” said Zuccardi.
Importantly, all programs are operated in partnership with the government which contributes to some of the salaries. However, the Zuccardis cover the rest and take on the costs of construction, equipment, and materials. “We feel it’s the right thing to do,” Zuccardi shared.
Wine as Culture
As our tour wound down, Julia told us about the winery’s art gallery, another passion project of her grandmother’s: “She loved art and wanted a place to showcase local artists because, as we always say, wine is culture. When you talk about wine, you talk about culture.”
The gallery includes pieces by local artists, including colorful works by Emili...
Villa Volubilia owner and winemaker Christophe Gribelin shares insights into the challenges and rewards of winemaking in Morocco, a land of striking contrasts where the Mediterranean climate and mineral-rich soils create ideal conditions for vineyards to thrive.
