The United States Through the Windshield
A Fourth of July reflection on America through the windshield, World Cup hospitality, summer travel, books, and wines made for the fridge door.
Wine Explorer
Open Something Cold Before the Heat Wins
A heatwave in Paris becomes a reflection on cold white wine, bad first impressions, and why Torrontés and Chardonnay deserve a second chance.
The Night We Opened the Second Bottle
A Father’s Day reflection on jazz, wine vintages, saved bottles, and the dinner-table magic of opening a second bottle.
The World Cup, Wine, and Why the Table Matters Most
The game may be the excuse, but the table is the point. Diego Samper explores sports, wine, friendship, and the moments that matter most during the World Cup.
The Day American Wine Crashed the Party
The 1976 Judgment of Paris shocked the wine world when California wines outperformed some of France’s most celebrated bottles in a blind tasting that changed wine history forever.
In Bordeaux, They Taste the Future
A reflection on Bordeaux futures, patience, bottle aging, and why one bottle is an opinion but a case becomes a story.
The Taste Can’t Be Performed
A story about Paris bakery lines, AI, and why truly tasting wine still requires something deeply human.
Good News Has No Manners
A story about war, wine, and why the best bottles are often the ones waiting for unexpected good news.
How My Mother Taught Me to Drink Wine
A Report From Wine Explorer Diego SamperParis, France My mother never taught me about wine. She taught me about tables. How to set one. How to sit at one. How to notice who was at it. Manners are important to…
Inmortal Wine
A rare Lafite 1870 sells for $200,000, but the real story is what makes a wine worth opening.