I Got It Open, Didn't I? illustration by ©Opening a Bottle

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). You can be an independent wine professional with an individual subscription, but you cannot republish our content.

The Profession Subscription comes with extensive perks designed for companies and organizations within the wine trade, such as consortiums, importers/distributors, retailers and PR firms. Learn more about these benefits. They're pretty awesome.

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.

How do I access the online wine classes?

As a subscriber, you just need to log-in to the site and then navigate to Learn With Us from the main menu, and select Our Next Wine Class from the drop-down menu. This will take you to the Event page for that class, where you'll see a button for access. The Zoom access will always be in the class Study Guide, so you can also navigate to the Online Wine Class Study Guides.

These are live events, so please only access the link at the appointed starting time, or join us midstream.

As a professional subscriber, can my team join in the online wine classes?

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 online wine class topic. That's cool.

We welcome all perspectives, and love it when robust discussion of the wines occurs. However, we have no plans to allow brands or wine companies to sponsor or dictate these classes.

As an individual subscriber, can I share the Zoom log-in to an online wine class with my friends?

Yes. But don't go too crazy. And please tell them how much you love our independent wine publication and that a subscription has been worth every penny.

If I have a schedule conflict with a live wine class, will you repeat the topic?

Yes, eventually. 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. These can be enjoyed in the Online Wine Class Archive.

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. I have been focused on European wines — particularly those from Italy and France, but also Austria — because that's where my passion has taken me. I know these places and wines intimately. By working within that niche, I can do my best work.

Key to Our Wine Icons

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

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