Wine can be pretty, pretty stuff. It only takes a few minutes on Instagram to realize that. Beautifully colored liquid, photogenic reflections, bottles staged elegantly before exotic backdrops, a festive group toast — like a perfectly sabered bottle of Champagne, it’s the stuff of envy.
Naturally, some wine-related threads are better than others. In addition to armchair travel (and the jealousy that tends to serve as a chaser), you can also learn a thing or two about a lesser-known style, region, personality, or establishment. Here are a few labels, organizations, and personalities worth following on Instagram to keep your wine IQ healthy.
Guild Somm
https://www.instagram.com/p/By6MjqWpu2b/
Guild Somm is a non-profit dedicated to wine education. More than anything it inspires, showcasing everything from beautiful artwork and vineyard finds to gorgeous wine country landscapes and cool wine history that appeals to more than just wine pros. For great, often visual storytelling, chase all the links to wine writer Kelli White’s wonderfully penned long-form tales.
Have & Meyer
Among New York’s finest wine bars, Have & Meyer also has an excellent social media presence. You can nerd out on unusual bottles and the natural wine movement or just enjoy thoughtfully curated food and wine imagery. Their Williamsburg location is reason enough to follow, a gorgeous bar stacked to the ceiling with great bottles, old Polaroids, and lovely Italian fare.
Kermit Lynch
The visual stories famed importer Kermit Lynch tells are informative and far-reaching, often detailing distant and intriguing wine zones. It’s one of the better ways to tour the many intriguing wine zones of planet Earth, if your wallet or schedule won’t quite allow the real thing. It’s also a great way to stumble into some delicious, reasonably priced wines with solid distribution.
Tank Garage
Based in the Napa Valley, Tank Garage is about as hip as modern wine culture gets. The Calistoga winery boasts a beautifully restored gas station for a tasting room and creates cool concept wines that serve as an homage to everything from AC/DC tracks to … other things. Their Instagram page is unsurprisingly catchy, with glossy imagery and the many pretty faces we like to associate with wine.
Willamette Valley Wineries Association
Plainly put, the Willamette Valley is one of the most breathtaking wine regions in the New World. The feed from the appellation’s leading trade organization is mouthwatering, fit with stunning vineyard views, interesting pours, winemaking tidbits, and well-appointed tasting rooms. The feed functions as a nice reminder that while the region has exploded as of late, it’s still a somewhat rugged, dog-friendly landscape where winemakers are accessible and the atmosphere, generally, is very relaxed.
Pascaline Lepeltier
Lepeltier is a master sommelier as well as the first female Meilleur Ouvrier de France. In other words, her palate is incredible and she’s helping to shake up a male-dominated industry. Her Instagram page follows her frequent travels to incredible cellars, treks through old vineyards, and the many joys of French gastronomy. You can feel her sense of genuine wonder and wine exploration as you swipe through her journeys.
