I love reading your articles/substacks. As I expand my own wine education, zoom tastings could be interesting. I have so much to learn, and Substack has been a wealth of knowledge!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts over the last year, and in particular your appreciation for Cabernet Francs from all corners of the US and beyond. You’ve kept my shopping list growing! Looking forward to reading about your vinous discoveries in 2026.
Unfortunately, Lettie Teague and several other WSJ columnists and reporters were laid off yesterday. It's incredible! Lettie has been such an important voice about wine.
It is not just her who is laid off. I have been reporting freelance at WineBusiness.com and WineBusinessMonthly on all of the latest eco developments in wine and they have sadly had to lay off all freelancers due to a decline in ads. I have spent 15 years following the wine industry and in particular the organic and biodynamic or regenerative wineries. It's a sad day when the industry can't afford this coverage.
Thank you for the suggestion. The simplest explanation is that colored glass protects the wine from light. That's a potential problem with the current move toward clear glass for wines that are not meant to age or when wineries want to show off the wine's color (eg., rosé). Clear glass is more easily recycled, so that fits into the whole lower-carbon-footprint mindset. The choice of color in the glass may be more aesthetics, or perhaps regional tradition. Worth looking into!
Delighted you're being well received on Substack! If you try live online wine people interviews, Laura Catena, MD and 4th generation vintner in Argentina, is clear and cogent on wine and health.
I started reading your WP wine column many years ago. While the wine reviews were satisfactory, the salient information was the name of the store that sold the wine. At some point, you omitted the name of the store and replaced it with the name of the distributor. This was useless information because it required calling the distributor and getting the desired information from him/her. I tried it a few times, but it was too time-consuming. I sent you a note about it, and your response was not satisfactory. Your current blog is interesting, but it is too general. I enjoy reading the wine columns in the WSJ and the NYT, where specific wines are reviewed (not always available in DC). I would support a column that has an in-depth review and wine notes. I think the best wine column is in the NYT (Eric Asimov)
Fair enough, and I have to admit one of the reasons I was glad to leave my WaPo column was so I wouldn’t have to answer this complaint anymore. So I’m not going to waste my time explaining that decision yet again here, as it’s a moot point by now.
I’m sorry you find this too general, but I’m not going to be listing DC-area stores here, for obvious reasons. If you frequent an independent wine retailer, he/she should be able to find wines that are available in your market for you, or at least steer you to something similar. If they’re unwilling to do that, find another store. For example, if it’s not too far from you, LAX in Beltsville, Md., is very good at finding wines. I have friends who rave about their selection of wines and spirits, and their willingness to make special orders.
Dave, congratulations on a very successful first year. I followed much the same trail along different timelines - 25 years at Wine Enthusiast, a decade at Seattle Times, two separate runs as a blogger, and finally exclusively on Substack, now entering year four. I'd say your numbers are quite good given that we both are operating in a niche market. But very few Substackers disclose those numbers so it's hard to tell. A couple of thoughts - often a subscriber will disable email - not the same as cancelling a subscription. Also - there are subscribers and followers. If you combine those numbers you get a better idea of your totals. As for free vs. paid - I too give it all away for free, but still get some welcome support from paid subscribers. About 10% of the total. I tried a paywall a couple of years ago and didn't like it because it shut out the majority of readers from the best material. Do you use the Notes feature? I'd suggest putting the question up on Notes - what would you readers want as a bonus for paid subs. See what they say. I'm still wrestling with that same question with no definitive conclusions. Last but not least, many thanks for the recommendation which has sent quite a few subscribers my way. You're no Lettie Teague but.... (insert grinning emoji here...)
Video (Zoom) happy hours could be "interesting" ;>) A tasting Zoom would be cool, but of course not everyone would have access to the selected wines. I hope you are correct about more US Cabernet Francs coming to market. Finger Lakes have some very good ones such as Heron Hill. I'm fond of French Loire Valley Cabernet Francs. All the Best, Dave. Cin Cin!
I love reading your articles/substacks. As I expand my own wine education, zoom tastings could be interesting. I have so much to learn, and Substack has been a wealth of knowledge!
I am a huge fan of that wine!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts over the last year, and in particular your appreciation for Cabernet Francs from all corners of the US and beyond. You’ve kept my shopping list growing! Looking forward to reading about your vinous discoveries in 2026.
Unfortunately, Lettie Teague and several other WSJ columnists and reporters were laid off yesterday. It's incredible! Lettie has been such an important voice about wine.
It is not just her who is laid off. I have been reporting freelance at WineBusiness.com and WineBusinessMonthly on all of the latest eco developments in wine and they have sadly had to lay off all freelancers due to a decline in ads. I have spent 15 years following the wine industry and in particular the organic and biodynamic or regenerative wineries. It's a sad day when the industry can't afford this coverage.
Indeed she has!
Keep up the good work Dave. Always really enjoy your stuff even if sadly many of the wines are not available over here.
Your featured wine from NY is in a brown bottle. Any chance you could do an article on why wine bottles are different colors?
Josh
Sedona, AZ
Thank you for the suggestion. The simplest explanation is that colored glass protects the wine from light. That's a potential problem with the current move toward clear glass for wines that are not meant to age or when wineries want to show off the wine's color (eg., rosé). Clear glass is more easily recycled, so that fits into the whole lower-carbon-footprint mindset. The choice of color in the glass may be more aesthetics, or perhaps regional tradition. Worth looking into!
Delighted you're being well received on Substack! If you try live online wine people interviews, Laura Catena, MD and 4th generation vintner in Argentina, is clear and cogent on wine and health.
Laura is fantastic and would be one of the first I’d reach out to!
Thank you for the prompt response.
I’d love to see some articles and info about the wine scene in Texas.
I started reading your WP wine column many years ago. While the wine reviews were satisfactory, the salient information was the name of the store that sold the wine. At some point, you omitted the name of the store and replaced it with the name of the distributor. This was useless information because it required calling the distributor and getting the desired information from him/her. I tried it a few times, but it was too time-consuming. I sent you a note about it, and your response was not satisfactory. Your current blog is interesting, but it is too general. I enjoy reading the wine columns in the WSJ and the NYT, where specific wines are reviewed (not always available in DC). I would support a column that has an in-depth review and wine notes. I think the best wine column is in the NYT (Eric Asimov)
Fair enough, and I have to admit one of the reasons I was glad to leave my WaPo column was so I wouldn’t have to answer this complaint anymore. So I’m not going to waste my time explaining that decision yet again here, as it’s a moot point by now.
I’m sorry you find this too general, but I’m not going to be listing DC-area stores here, for obvious reasons. If you frequent an independent wine retailer, he/she should be able to find wines that are available in your market for you, or at least steer you to something similar. If they’re unwilling to do that, find another store. For example, if it’s not too far from you, LAX in Beltsville, Md., is very good at finding wines. I have friends who rave about their selection of wines and spirits, and their willingness to make special orders.
Congrats Dave! Always a good read.
Dave, congratulations on a very successful first year. I followed much the same trail along different timelines - 25 years at Wine Enthusiast, a decade at Seattle Times, two separate runs as a blogger, and finally exclusively on Substack, now entering year four. I'd say your numbers are quite good given that we both are operating in a niche market. But very few Substackers disclose those numbers so it's hard to tell. A couple of thoughts - often a subscriber will disable email - not the same as cancelling a subscription. Also - there are subscribers and followers. If you combine those numbers you get a better idea of your totals. As for free vs. paid - I too give it all away for free, but still get some welcome support from paid subscribers. About 10% of the total. I tried a paywall a couple of years ago and didn't like it because it shut out the majority of readers from the best material. Do you use the Notes feature? I'd suggest putting the question up on Notes - what would you readers want as a bonus for paid subs. See what they say. I'm still wrestling with that same question with no definitive conclusions. Last but not least, many thanks for the recommendation which has sent quite a few subscribers my way. You're no Lettie Teague but.... (insert grinning emoji here...)
Unfortunately the WSJ laid off Lettie Teague today, so maybe she’ll also be here on Substack soon as well.
I heard about that just after posting this. She confirmed it in an email, though she didn’t mention plans to join us MSM exiles here.
I was just spitballing.
I could dye my hair red! :-)
Yes, I have more followers on Notes than subscribers, and views are more than subscribers, so the reach definitely goes beyond those numbers.
Video (Zoom) happy hours could be "interesting" ;>) A tasting Zoom would be cool, but of course not everyone would have access to the selected wines. I hope you are correct about more US Cabernet Francs coming to market. Finger Lakes have some very good ones such as Heron Hill. I'm fond of French Loire Valley Cabernet Francs. All the Best, Dave. Cin Cin!
Fabulous! Congratulations, Dave.
Dave, I always greatly appreciated your tasting notes on interesting and unusual wines when you were at the WaPo. Would gladly read those again!