Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Thirsty? Here Are Some of the Best Accounts of Wine Instagram

Mark Stock
By

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.

Recommended Videos

Guild Somm

Related

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Stock
Mark Stock
Contributor
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
We know the most popular cocktails — Try these underrated drinks instead
Try some alternatives to the most popular cocktails
Cocktails

Recently, we wrote an article about the 10 most popular cocktails in the US. Not surprisingly, it was littered with classic drinks like the Mojito, Margarita, Old Fashioned, and Moscow Mule. But drinking cocktails isn’t a popularity contest. Just because many people seem to enjoy Espresso Martinis doesn’t mean you have to stop drinking your classic Dirty Martini.

But, if you take a moment to peruse the list of the 10 most popular drinks, you might see a few you like and others you aren’t sure about. That’s okay. Lucky for you, we’re here to help. That’s why today we’re all about the underdogs.

Read more
How to start your own home bar: the tools and mixers
the best home bar glassware version 1612854960 for your 2021

So you're building up your home bar. You've got the essential spirits in. You've added a selection of liqueurs and bitters to combine them with. Now, it's time to add the finishing touches. From mixers to tools to glasswear, we're rounding up everything else you'll need to turn a corner of your kitchen into a great home bar.
Speaking of the kitchen – this is, in my experience, the absolute best place for a home bar. While I love a good bar cart for a living room (or even an office, if you have that kind of job!) these are really more decorative than a practical place to mix drinks. The problem with using bar carts for serious cocktail making is twofold: One, the surfaces are usually too low, at below hip height, so you'll be bending over uncomfortably while you try to make your drinks. That's not chic, and it's hard on your back too. Instead you want something that's counter level, hence opting for the kitchen. The second issue is access to ice and a sink. Mixing serious cocktails requires a large amount of ice and frequent washing of glasses and tools. Sure, you can get an attractive ice bucket for your bar cart, and that certainly makes a fun decorative accessory. But you'll still be running back and forth to the kitchen to use the sink all the time anyway.
If you love the style of a bar cart, I certainly wouldn't want to stop you having one. They are great fun, and stylish to boot. I have a bar cart myself in my living room, which I love and use for very simple mixed drinks like negronis (though even then, you still have to go and fetch ice every time you want a drink). It's a great place for occasional special bottles, particularly beautiful glasswear, cocktail books, and other decorative accessories.
But for serious cocktail making, you want an area of clear counter space, near to a sink and to a freezer full of ice, and with easy access to all your bottles and tools. I find a small kitchen island perfect for this purpose, tucked into a corner of the kitchen near the appliances. Store bottles and equipment on the lower shelves of the island or on wall-mounted shelves to save space, and make sure you have a lamp or decent overhead lighting so you can see what you're doing while you mix. You'll want a small chopping board as well for slicing citrus and other fruit, and a small, sharp knife that you can borrow from your kitchen equipment.
Then it's time to turn your attention to home bar tools.

Essential home bar tools

Read more
Big Green Egg brings back a fan-favorite item for a limited time
However spend your evenings outdoors, the Big Green Egg Chiminea is there to help keep things warm
The Big Green Egg Chiminea.

Love good times by the fire on a chilly night? Want to enjoy a few drinks in a toasty spot after a long day at work? Of course, we all do. But throwing some logs in a pit in the ground doesn't quite do it. If you want a cozy evening, Big Green Egg brings the wow with the release of a special Chiminea to celebrate 50 years in business, and it will take your gathering around the fire to a whole new level.
The Big Green Egg update

Big Green Egg has been the go-to for outdoor grillers and smokers looking for an outdoor cooker for decades. But if you want to hang out in the fresh air without cooking, the Chiminea is what you need. Freestanding fireplaces aren't new, and Big Green Egg isn't trying to reinvent them. The vintage version from 1999 is the starting point, with upgrades worthy of a 50th anniversary.
What's cracking with this egg
If it's not broken, don't fix it, right? But even the littlest changes will make something feel fresh. For those who aren't the best at starting a fire and keeping it going, the Chiminea comes with Lava Rocks to keep the flames roaring more evenly and for longer. Made from NASA-grade ceramic, the quality isn't something to worry about, either. And, yes, it's still in that gorgeous, signature deep green color. 

Read more