The Restaurant That Opens in Winter
A visit to Le Pradet and Clos Cibonne becomes a reflection on Provence rosé, Tibouren, summer performance, and the bottles worth returning to.
Wine Explorer
How to Fail at Tourism
La Ciotat, France We chose La Ciotat because it was close to Cassis. A few days later, that logic had reversed. Cassis was the destination. It already existed in our heads as a postcard: the harbor, the cliffs and the…
A French Wine Has An Accent
A walk through Provence becomes a lesson in French wine labels, regional identity, appellations, and why every French bottle has an accent.
Some Summer Jobs Pay Later
A summer reflection on first jobs, family projects, and the bottles rediscovered during Bonner Private Wines’ seasonal cellar count.
A Wedding, a Diamond, and a Bottle of Wine
What makes a memorable wine? Sometimes it isn’t perfection, but character. Diego Samper explores what diamonds, marriage, and small wineries reveal about the bottles worth sharing.
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.
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.