issue 20·
How the Same Grape from Two Climates Creates Two Completely Different Wines
Cool or warm, the vineyard's climate sets a wine's sugar, acid, and alcohol before fermentation starts.
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issue 20·June 20, 2026
How the Same Grape from Two Climates Creates Two Completely Different Wines
Cool or warm, the vineyard's climate sets a wine's sugar, acid, and alcohol before fermentation starts.
issue 19·June 17, 2026
How the Mondavi Family Built (and Lost) the Most Valuable Name in American Wine
A $1.36 billion sale ended the family's claim to the label. What they kept couldn't be sold.
issue 18·June 13, 2026
What 3 Months Inside the Cellar Taught You About Wine
One quarter, eleven issues, one shift: you started tasting choices where you used to taste magic.
issue 17·June 10, 2026
I'm a Certified Sommelier. The Wine Industry Has a Drinking Problem We Don't Talk About
The business rewards volume and penalizes moderation. That's finally starting to crack.
issue 16·June 6, 2026
What's Actually in Your Wine, and Why Almost None of It is on the Label
Cultured yeast, fining agents, added sugar, and sulfur all go in. Here's how to taste the difference.
issue 15·June 3, 2026
The 100-Point Score, Explained By Someone Who Stopped Trusting It
The scale promised objectivity. The economics and the science tell a stranger story.
issue 14·May 30, 2026
How to Know What a Wine Tastes Like Before You Open It (in 3 Weekend Tastings)
Vessel, method, and blend: one Saturday afternoon each.
issue 13·May 27, 2026
Napa Valley's History in 7 Wines: From Mondavi to the Lost Vintage
Before Netflix's Uncorked, the wines that made and unmade Napa's mythology.
issue 12·May 23, 2026
Why Some Wines Taste Like Brioche (and It isn't Oak)
The hidden role of lees: bread, cream, and texture explained.
issue 11·May 20, 2026
Sideways moved Pinot 170%. Uncorked is coming for Napa.
What 2004's wine moment can teach us about the one coming next year.
issue 10·May 16, 2026
What To Do Next After a Wine Resonates
Vertical, horizontal, axial: a working method for the wines that actually move you.
issue 09·May 9, 2026
What Gets Cut from a Bordeaux Matters More Than What Stays In
The most important Bordeaux you'll never drink is the one the winemaker rejected at the bench
issue 08·May 2, 2026
Why Oaked vs. Unoaked is the Wrong Question (and the 3 Vessels You're Missing)
Concrete, clay, and large-format oak each solve a different problem.
issue 07·April 25, 2026
Terroir Gets the Credit, Fermentation Shapes the Style
Three variables explain most of what's in your glass.
issue 06·April 18, 2026
How Wine Education Gets the Order Wrong (and How to Flip It)
Memorizing regions and grapes never built confidence. Here's what does.
issue 05·April 11, 2026
Why Great Wine is Built on a Fight Between Acid, Tannin, and Fruit
And the one question that tells you instantly whether a wine has it.
issue 04·April 4, 2026
Minerality Doesn't Come from Minerals. Here's What You're Actually Tasting.
That flinty, stony quality in wine? It's not coming from the soil. Here's the real science.
issue 03·April 1, 2026
Special Report: Taste in the Age of AI
Sam Parr just told 1.5 million people that taste is a moat. The New Yorker, New York Times, and Silicon Valley also weighed in this week. Here's what they're missing.
issue 02·March 28, 2026
The Oak Question: How Aging Shapes Flavor (and Divides Drinkers)
Understanding how oak works is the first step to knowing what you're drawn to and why
issue 01·March 21, 2026
The Complete Guide to Developing Your Palate
What 11 weeks taught me about how taste actually develops
