The Journal
Field notes from the margins.
Tastings, deep dives, and the occasional argument — all in service of the grapes that deserve a wider audience.
Alicante Bouschet · Alentejo, Portugal
Alicante Bouschet: The Grape That Bleeds
Most red grapes have red skin and clear juice. Alicante Bouschet is different — its flesh runs crimson too. Here's why the original underdog deserves a spot on your table.
June 16, 2026
Various · Portugal, Georgia & Armenia
The Underdogs in My Cellar: Wines You've Probably Never Tried (and Should)
The best wines I've tasted lately weren't famous — they came from Portugal, Georgia, and Armenia, cost under twenty dollars, and outscored bottles three times their price. Here are the underdogs worth chasing.
June 16, 2026
Saperavi, Aleksandrouli & Mujuretuli · Georgia (Kakheti & Racha)
Georgia: 8,000 Years of Wine, and Another Grape That Bleeds
The oldest wine country on earth makes a red grape with crimson flesh — just like Alicante Bouschet. If you've never had a Georgian wine, you've been missing 8,000 years of the story.
June 14, 2026
Various · Georgia & Armenia
In Defense of Semi-Sweet Reds (Yes, Really)
Wine snobs treat 'a touch of sweetness' like a crime. But some of the most beloved, age-worthy, prize-winning reds in history are semi-sweet — and the Caucasus has been quietly making them better than anyone.
June 12, 2026
Alicante Bouschet · Alentejo, Portugal
Alentejo: Where a French Reject Became Portugal's Star
Alicante Bouschet was bred in France as a cheap coloring grape. Portugal's hot, wide-open Alentejo turned it into a cult red — and it's still one of the best-value serious wines you can buy.
June 10, 2026
Areni & indigenous Armenian blends · Armenia
Armenia: They Were Making Wine 6,000 Years Ago. Why Aren't You Drinking It?
The oldest known winery on earth is a cave in Armenia, dated to about 4100 BC. The country is still making gorgeous, fruit-soaked reds for the price of a movie ticket — and almost nobody is paying attention.
June 8, 2026
Baga · Bairrada, Portugal
Baga: The 'Nebbiolo of Portugal' Nobody Warned You About
Baga is thin-skinned, fiercely tannic, bracingly acidic, and capable of aging for decades — so good it gets compared to Barolo's Nebbiolo. It's also one of Portugal's great overlooked reds.
June 6, 2026
Touriga Nacional · Douro & Dão, Portugal
Touriga Nacional: Portugal's Noble Grape (and It's Not Just for Port)
Touriga Nacional is the backbone of great Port — but the secret is what it does as a dry red: powerful, violet-scented, age-worthy, and still a fraction of the price of the famous names it rivals.
June 4, 2026
Teroldego · Trentino, Italy
Teroldego: The Inky Alpine Red Italy Keeps to Itself
Teroldego is a native of the Italian Alps that makes deeply colored, dark-fruited reds with real ageing potential — from a single tiny plain most wine drinkers have never heard of.
June 2, 2026
Schiava (Vernatsch) · Alto Adige, Italy
Schiava: The Pale, Easy Alpine Red With a Loaded Name
Schiava is the most-planted red in Italy's German-speaking Alps — pale, light, low-tannin, and almost absurdly easy to drink. It also has one of the most curious names in wine.
May 31, 2026
Xinomavro · Naoussa, Greece
Xinomavro: The 'Greek Barolo' That Costs a Fraction of the Price
Xinomavro is tannic, high-acid, and so ageworthy that wine pros compare it to Barolo. It's also Greek, hard to pronounce, and absurdly underpriced — which is exactly why you should be drinking it.
May 29, 2026
Nerello Mascalese · Mount Etna, Sicily
Nerello Mascalese: Wine Grown on a Living Volcano
On the slopes of Europe's most active volcano grow some of Italy's most thrilling reds — pale, perfumed, and ageworthy, often from ungrafted vines older than your grandparents. Meet Nerello Mascalese.
May 27, 2026
Mencía · Bierzo, Spain
Mencía: The Fragrant Spanish Red That Pinot Lovers Need to Meet
Mencía was nearly written off as a producer of thin, jammy plonk. Then a handful of growers found old vines on steep slate slopes — and turned it into one of Spain's most elegant, fragrant reds.
May 25, 2026
Trousseau / Bastardo · Jura, France
Trousseau: The Jura Cult Grape (That's Also Hiding in Portugal)
Trousseau is the pale, savory, light-bodied red that natural-wine lovers chase across the Jura. Here's the twist: it's the same grape Portugal has grown for centuries under the name Bastardo.
May 23, 2026
Sercial · Madeira, Portugal
Sercial: The Bone-Dry Madeira That Basically Never Dies
Most people think Madeira is sweet. Sercial is its bone-dry opposite — electric, citrusy, and so high in acidity it can age for a century or more. It might be the most ageworthy wine you've never tried.
May 21, 2026