A wine library
Encyclopedia.
Forty-nine regions, seventy-two varietals, forty-eight appellations, a 150-term glossary, a vintage chart, and a food-pairing manual — the reference shelf for the way Boulder Wine Merchant works.
This is the long-form companion to the cellar. The /cellar/ pages tell you what is on the floor right now; this section is the bookshelf behind the counter. Six sections, several hundred entries, written by the Boulder Wine Merchant team in the voice of working sommeliers. Use it to read about a region before you commit to a case, look up a term you saw on a label, settle a debate about pairing, or simply geek out on what makes Aglianico different from Sangiovese or why the slate of the Mosel produces a different Riesling than the limestone of Alsace.
Browse the library
Section · 49 entries
Regions
Long-form guides to forty-nine wine regions across France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, and the New World. Land, classification, producers, vintages.
Section · 72 entries
Varietals
Seventy-two grape varieties — the noble internationals, the great indigenous Mediterranean and Central European grapes, and the New World specialties.
Section · 48 entries
Appellations
Forty-eight named villages, crus, and specific places — Burgundy Grand Crus, Bordeaux Left Bank and Right Bank, Northern Rhône hills, Champagne Grand Cru villages, Italian DOCGs, and beyond.
Section · 150+ terms
Glossary
Plain-language definitions of 150+ wine terms you will see on labels, in lists, and in conversation about wine. Viticulture, winemaking, regional designation systems, sommelier vocabulary.
Section
Vintage chart
Year-by-year quality ratings across the regions we work with most, updated each spring after Brett’s travels.
Section
Food pairing
Five principles, the classic matches by grape and by food, the famously difficult pairings — what actually works in practice.