The Journal · Wine education

Learn to love wine,not just to buy it

Plain-spoken guides, real estate stories and pairings you'll actually use — the same knowledge we use to choose every bottle we sell.

Written & curated by The Wine Monk · Singapore, since 2014

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Guides, regions and pairings — written to be read, designed to help you choose.

Featured  ·  Red WineTwo Chateauneuf du Pape bottles — Marcoux 1998 and Beaucastel 2005

Red Wine  ·  1 min read

A Wonderful Wine Evening

An evening with two great Châteauneuf-du-Pape — Marcoux 1998 and Beaucastel 2005. Notes on decanting old vintages and letting aged wine breathe on its own terms.

Read the guide
Red WineLa Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904

Rioja  ·  1 min

Rioja Gem

Inside La Rioja Alta's Gran Reserva 904 — a benchmark Tempranillo blend and a masterclass in patient, elega...

Read more
Red WineFattoria dei Barbi Rosso di Montalcino

Tuscan  ·  1 min

Great Value Montalcino Heritage

Why Rosso di Montalcino — the 'baby Brunello' — is one of Tuscany's smartest-value reds, and what makes Fat...

Read more
Natural WinesArianna Occhipinti Siccagno Nero d'Avola — personal photo from @iwoodwoodu tasting

Red Wine  ·  1 min

Occhipinti Wines — An Absolutely Inspired Effort

Arianna Occhipinti's Siccagno Nero d'Avola is an absolutely inspired effort from Vittoria, Sicily — a Sicil...

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Red WineAurelio Settimo Brunello di Montalcino 2007 — the bottle that started our Brunello journey

Tuscan  ·  1 min

The Bottle that Started Our Brunello Journey

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino that started The Wine Monk's own Brunello journey — a revelation after an h...

Read more
Natural WinesArianna Occhipinti — organic winemaking in Sicily with Frappato and Nero d'Avola

new-to-wine  ·  1 min

"It's stupid not to be organic in Sicily"

How Arianna Occhipinti — who started with one hectare of abandoned vines — became the defining voice of Sic...

Read more
pairingMorellino di Scansano 2016 from Fattoria dei Barbi — Maremma, Southern Tuscany

Red Wine  ·  1 min

Morellino di Scansano from Fattoria dei Barbi

Fattoria dei Barbi's Morellino di Scansano 2016 — a Sangiovese from Maremma that combines refinement with r...

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Wine CurationFattoria dei Barbi — one of The Wine Monk's most treasured producers

Wine Delivery  ·  1 min

Wine Curation — Yet another pleasure of our work

A curated delivery of six bottles — Barco Reale, Morellino, Rosso di Montalcino, Barbera d'Alba and more — ...

Read more
cellarBrunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015 Magnum, Fattoria dei Barbi

Double Magnum  ·  1 min

All About Magnums & Double Magnums — Does bottle size matter?

Does bottle size matter? Why magnums and double magnums age wine more gracefully — and why The Wine Monk st...

Read more
CapezzanaTenuta di Capezzana estate — Barco Reale di Carmignano, Tuscany

Red Wine  ·  1 min

Barco Reale from Capezzana — a Tuscan Star on the Rise

Why Barco Reale di Carmignano from Tenuta di Capezzana rewards patience — an entry-level Tuscan that blosso...

Read more

All articles

The full cellar notebook

Red WineTwo Chateauneuf du Pape bottles — Marcoux 1998 and Beaucastel 2005

 ·  1 min read

A Wonderful Wine Evening

An evening with two great Châteauneuf-du-Pape — Marcoux 1998 and Beaucastel 2005. Notes on decanting old vintage...

Read more
Red WineLa Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904

 ·  1 min read

Rioja Gem

Inside La Rioja Alta's Gran Reserva 904 — a benchmark Tempranillo blend and a masterclass in patient, elegant wi...

Read more
Red WineFattoria dei Barbi Rosso di Montalcino

 ·  1 min read

Great Value Montalcino Heritage

Why Rosso di Montalcino — the 'baby Brunello' — is one of Tuscany's smartest-value reds, and what makes Fattoria...

Read more
Natural WinesArianna Occhipinti Siccagno Nero d'Avola — personal photo from @iwoodwoodu tasting

 ·  1 min read

Occhipinti Wines — An Absolutely Inspired Effort

Arianna Occhipinti's Siccagno Nero d'Avola is an absolutely inspired effort from Vittoria, Sicily — a Sicilian w...

Read more
Red WineAurelio Settimo Brunello di Montalcino 2007 — the bottle that started our Brunello journey

 ·  1 min read

The Bottle that Started Our Brunello Journey

The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino that started The Wine Monk's own Brunello journey — a revelation after an hour a...

Read more
Natural WinesArianna Occhipinti — organic winemaking in Sicily with Frappato and Nero d'Avola

 ·  1 min read

"It's stupid not to be organic in Sicily"

How Arianna Occhipinti — who started with one hectare of abandoned vines — became the defining voice of Sicilian...

Read more
pairingMorellino di Scansano 2016 from Fattoria dei Barbi — Maremma, Southern Tuscany

 ·  1 min read

Morellino di Scansano from Fattoria dei Barbi

Fattoria dei Barbi's Morellino di Scansano 2016 — a Sangiovese from Maremma that combines refinement with remark...

Read more
Wine CurationFattoria dei Barbi — one of The Wine Monk's most treasured producers

 ·  1 min read

Wine Curation — Yet another pleasure of our work

A curated delivery of six bottles — Barco Reale, Morellino, Rosso di Montalcino, Barbera d'Alba and more — all u...

Read more
cellarBrunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015 Magnum, Fattoria dei Barbi

 ·  1 min read

All About Magnums & Double Magnums — Does bottle size matter?

Does bottle size matter? Why magnums and double magnums age wine more gracefully — and why The Wine Monk started...

Read more
CapezzanaTenuta di Capezzana estate — Barco Reale di Carmignano, Tuscany

 ·  1 min read

Barco Reale from Capezzana — a Tuscan Star on the Rise

Why Barco Reale di Carmignano from Tenuta di Capezzana rewards patience — an entry-level Tuscan that blossoms be...

Read more
Super TuscanTignanello and Meghan Duchess of Sussex

 ·  1 min read

Tignanello — a favourite of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

The wine that started the Super Tuscan movement — and why Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, named her lifestyle site af...

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Wine CurationMusings on the Judgment of Paris — wine critics, blind tasting and wine ratings

 ·  1 min read

Musings on the 44th anniversary of #judgmentofparis

A wine lover's wishlist — penned on the 44th anniversary of the legendary 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting that ch...

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