Opening a Bottle

Opening a Bottle celebrates the fascinating world of wine and the innovative individuals behind it. Each week, we share stories that delve deeper than simple tasting notes or pairing suggestions. With thorough research, interviews with winemakers, striking photography, and comprehensive bottle reviews, we help readers connect on a more meaningful level with the wines they choose.

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Elevating Aglianico Even Further: Grifalco’s Damaschito – Opening a Bottle

3 weeks ago | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day |French wines. He

3 min readMany of us have said this for a long time when it comes to red wine, but it warrants repeating: bigger is not better, it is exhausting. And it is limiting. The only occasions calling for a fiercely tannic, highly extracted, potently alcoholic red typically involve proteins that are on my cardiologist’s “avoid” list. This wine feels like a new standard for excellence in the age of creeping alcohol and astringency.
The Patience of Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella – Opening a Bottle

1 month ago | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day |French wines. He

5 min readI’ve had Tenuta San Guido’s Sassacaia and Gaja’s Barbaresco and shrugged. I’ve tasted Biondi-Santi’s Brunello and Bartolo Mascarello Barolo and swooned. I don’t bring this up to brag or show some superior sense of tasting acumen, but rather to remind everyone that when it comes to Italy’s most coveted — and therefore, expensive — red wines, the cookie can crumble lots of ways.
Champagne Paul Bara and Bouzy's Bedrock of Chalk – Opening a Bottle

Dec 29, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

2 min readThe village of Bouzy in Champagne has a towering reputation. Located in the Montagne de Reims, there is a bedrock of chalk here which gives the wines great linearity on the palate: they are direct, polished and willing to wear any of the nuances of the traditional-method process with grace. If you are looking for a proper récoltants-manipulants to showcase its terroir, Champagne Paul Bara is often at the tip of the tongue.
Domaine Les Monts Fournois: A Boutique Champagne Start-Up – Opening a Bottle

Dec 29, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

3 min readI took some flack on Instagram for praising Domaine Les Monts Fournois’ 2016 “Côte,” and at first, I wasn’t entirely sure why. It is a delicious, multilayered champagne, and so I said so. But an individual who imports wine and is intimately connected with producers across the region took me to task for “not doing my research.” And in the process, I learned how opaque the origin story of certain champagne can be.
Jacques Lassaigne's Magical "Les Vignes de Montgueux" – Opening a Bottle

Dec 29, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

2 min readOne of the wines I sourced for my now-DOA First-Taste Guide on Grower Champagne (read the column on this term) was from noted Troyes “grower,” Jacques Lassaigne. Grower is in quotes because — as I found out after I opened the bottle and studied the fine print on the label — he is registered as a négociant. Given the extremely high degree of craft and personality in this wine, Lassaigne proves the larger point that the “grower” phrase only gets us so far.
Biodynamic Champagne from Franck Pascal – Opening a Bottle

Dec 29, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

2 min readTwenty-five years ago, it was unheard of to convert to biodynamics in a place as wet, cold and mass-produced as Champagne. In fact, it is still very rare, as the climatic conditions simply leave little margin for error, making the intensive discipline of biodynamics too risky for many. Yet that is just the leap of faith grower-producer Franck Pascal made at his small, Baslieux-Sous-Châtillon estate, and by 2005 he became the first Champagne vigneron to earn Biodyvin certification.
Can We Still Rely on the Term "Grower Champagne?" – Opening a Bottle

Dec 29, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

5 min readOne of the most frustrating things about wine is how it demands terminology … really esoteric terminology. Few places have demanded a more specialized vocabulary to understand what we’re buying and drinking (and how we should frame our expectations for how it’ll all taste) than Champagne. Need an example? How about Brut and Extra Brut, whose g/L of sugar ranges overlap each other.
The Delights of Citrus from Bertrand Delespierre Champagne – Opening a Bottle

Dec 29, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

2 min readBubbles or not, I love a wine that can sing with a falsetto voice. For years, I’ve been drawn back to this bottle of wine from Bertrand Delespierre for that very reason: the high notes of its citrusy vibrato complemented by an orchestra of tertiary characteristics, which are carried in perpetuity by those racy little bubbles. It is my standard champagne thanks to its presence on Annette’s wine list in my neighborhood.
How a Light Touch Brings Out the Best in Sangiovese – Opening a Bottle

Dec 26, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

4 min readFor the final Wines to Admire column of the year, I’d like to celebrate Sangiovese’s artful soul with a nod to this exceptional Toscana wine from Vecchie di Terre Montefili, for it embodies the modern tastes of its region beautifully. However, unlike most of my posts in this portion of Opening a Bottle, this story is not one predicated on multiple generations of an historic family. A Toscana Sangiovese with purity at its core.
When Hunting for Pinot Noir, Don't Forget Alto Adige – Opening a Bottle

Dec 22, 2024 | openingabottle.com | Kevin Day

3 min readSpeaking of sensibly priced Pinot Noir, when was the last time you looked for one from Alto Adige? This region, snuggled against the Austrian border in northern Italy, might not be top-of-mind for most Pinot Noir hunters, but perhaps that’s changing. In fact, if it has been 10 or 15 years since you last tasted one, you may have an impression of Tyrolean Pinot that no longer exists. Alto Adige is at the tip of the spear when it comes to wine and climate change.