Art of a wine bottle taking a stress stress, Still Essential. Illustration by Margie McLain

Still Essential

Our Essential Winemakers pages are the backbone of this website: passionate, meticulous and compelling people who make some of the finest wines in the world. But once we list them, we don't forget them: we commit to regularly reviewing their wines to see how they continue to stack up. Sometimes they pass the test, sometimes they don't.

But those that keep their spot in our hearts are deemed "Still Essential," and here, we write a little ode to them and include notes on a recent vintage (or two or three).


Illustration by Margaret McLain.

Essential Winemakers – Opening a Bottle

The Essential Winemakers

Explore the world's two most prominent and densely layered wine nations through the lens of the winemakers who define them. We are regularly updating the Essential Winemakers of Italy and France lists, populating them with a mix of icons, prodigies and diamonds in the rough ... and none of them are overpriced. For subscribers only.

Italy
france

Key to Our Wine Icons

– Practicing Organic
 – Certified Organic
 – Practicing Biodynamic
 – Certified Biodynamic
– Promotes Biodiversity
– Old Vines
– Heroic Viticulture
– Volcanic Soil
– Traditional Winemaking
– Clay Vessel Winemaking
– Family-Operated Winery
– Historic Winery
– Co-operative Winery
– Négociant
– Stay at Winery
– Olive Oil Producer
– Age-Worthy Wine
– Expensive Wine (+$100)
– Requires Some Searching

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