Frequently Asked Questions
We are a small, independent wine publication trying something new: a subscription-based magazine with monthly live events and virtual tastings. It's an ambitious project for what is (essentially) one full-time employee. But we're confident it is going to work.
Have a question about our virtual tastings? Subscriptions? How to best clean your decanter? We'll do our best to provide answers here. If we didn't answer a question, please reach us via our contact page.
How do I decide whether an individual or professional subscription is right for me?
Our individual subscription is good for a single log-in to the site, while the professional subscription allows for up to five different users with their own distinct password as long as they are all on the same private domain (e.g. @openingabottle.com, not @gmail.com). If you are a professional in the wine trade, but only need one log in, your best bet is to purchase an individual subscription, however, professional subscribers are allowed to republish our review content (up to 250 words) for promotional purposes.
I'd like to register for a professional subscription for my company. How do I define the five user names for our account?
Once you subscribe, an email will be sent to your account with a link to a page where you invite specific colleagues to join. They in turn will get an email to configure their account, and with that, your team is up and running.
As a professional subscriber, can my team join in the virtual tastings?
As participants, yes. We realize that many of our professional subscribers are members of the wine industry, and may even represent brands (or produce wine) within the category of a particular virtual wine tasting topic. That's cool. We welcome all perspectives, and love it when robust discussion of the wines occurs.
As an individual subscriber, can I share the Zoom log-in to a virtual tasting with my friends?
At this time, we ask that you urge them to either subscribe to Opening a Bottle, purchase a ticket for that event through Eventbrite, or just join you in person for the tasting.
How do I access the virtual tastings?
As a subscriber, you just need to log-in to the site and then navigate to Taste With Us from the main menu, and select Our Next Virtual Tasting from the drop-down menu. This will automatically load that tasting's Study Guide. Scroll down a few paragraphs in the article and you will see the Zoom link and password. These are live events, so please only access the link at the appointed starting time, or join us midstream.
If I cannot make a virtual tasting, will you repeat the topic?
Yes, eventually. As our subscription base grows, we look forward to adding more than monthly seminars, which — if that happens — we will certainly repeat a few topics.
But we also record the live sessions and make them available for subscribers via a password-protected Vimeo link for 14 days after the tasting.
How come most of the articles are about Italian and French wine? You got something against American wine?
Absolutely not. We love America, and we love American wine. In fact, it is a welcome break from what we normally cover. Know this: our intent is to build the resources necessary to cover America (and other international wine regions) more fully in the future.
But rule No. 1 of writing is to write what you know. Our team is mostly focused on European wines — particularly those from Italy and France — because that's where our passion has taken us. We know these places and wines intimately. By working within our niche, we can do our best work.
