We started learning about wine only recently—no more than three or so years ago. At first it was a bit intimidating. You know how people say that there are no stupid questions? Well, sometimes there are stupid questions, and we didn’t want to be the idiots asking them. Especially to those snotty wine experts, who have a reputation for being exclusive, supercilious, and in possession of laughably insipid vocabularies (bouquet, anyone?).

But how can you gain knowledge without asking questions? You really can’t. And with that, we learned our first big lesson:

Get over any fears you might have, and ask whatever you want of whomever you want! Whether it’s a salesperson in a wine store, somebody pouring in a tasting room, or a sommelier in a restaurant, most everybody will be excited and eager to engage with you in conversation about wine. Wine professionals tend to be very passionate about the product they purvey, and more often than not, they enjoy including—not excluding—others in their passion. And if on occasion you meet with somebody who turns up his or her nose at you? It’s their issue, not yours.

Second, we discovered that most experts in the field are not snobby, but pretty down to earth and humble, usually stating that they, too, are still in the “learning phase” of their wine education. Which means we’re all on an even playing field (well, kind of). In essence, we’re all just learning, and there is always something new to discover. Like, did you know that they make wine in China? The quality may be iffy at best, but they do indeed make it (and it will soon be on the shelves of duty free shops the world over, according to recent press).

Lesson number three came after a few months of intensive reading about wine. We read Jancis Robinson, The Wine Spectator, The Wine Bible. The information tended to go through our brains like water through a sieve. Then we attended a tasting event or two, and we discovered that you can read all you want, but things really start to click when you combine a little bit of liquid with all of that book learning. So try as much as possible to put things in context; if you taste a wine and happen to have some information about it at your disposal, you’re much more likely to remember both the wine as well as the facts and circumstances surrounding it, and it makes for a much more rewarding experience.

Finally, we came to realize that wine offers a terrific means for traveling the world. Not in the traditional sense, mind you, but in a modern, newfangled, and virtual sense. Sure, you can physically visit wineries on six continents, 70 countries, and an almost uncountable number of cities, towns, and villages. But sometimes you don’t have the time, or you don’t have the money (in our case, we’re a little short on both). But at some point it dawned on us that wine was actually bringing the world to us, right to our doorstep, to our dining room, and to our mouths— by way of the history, local culture, cuisine, science, and so much else captured in each 750 ml bottle.

All of these discoveries led to our recent decision to create Domaine 547, a new wine club and retailer for a new kind of wine drinker.

what's all this, then?

Domaine 547 is a community meant for people who want to come along with us on our journey, as we learn about the world of wine.

It’s a point of view, that says wine need not be put on a pedestal or saved for special occasions, but should instead be a part of everyday life—because life is just that much better with a glass of wine in your hand (unless, of course, you are an alcoholic or under the age of 21).

Domaine 547 is a virtual tour guide, a way for all of us to travel the globe, even when our wallets and schedules might not permit physically doing so.

Mostly, it’s a place without pretensions, where we can drink, learn, communicate, and probably drink some more. And of course, there is no snobbery or attitude allowed.

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