Instagram and Wine: 15 Accounts to Explore

I think I love Instragram more than anything (social media-wise), so I was tickled to be included among the “15 Best Instagram Wine Accounts” by the Italian winery, Cecchi.

Counter-clockwise from upper left: office fridge life, Manhattan at Cure, Gnocchi Bar, not a Champagne flute, fizzy gamay, SAVEUR awards, OR melon

And what a delight to see a few folks on the list I’ve come across in real life. Like Nannette Eaton aka Wine Harlots. We met while on a barnstorming (and dreamy) trip from Beaujolais to the Northern Rhone (Hermitage!) to the Southern Rhone (Chateauneuf-du-Pape!). And speaking of Beaujolais, that’s where you’ll find Miss Vicky Wine.

Being included on this best-of list had me perusing some of my recent photos. (BTW, please follow me on Instagram.) Let’s look at a couple wine-centric ones and one that nourished my nerd-centric soul. (Also, stay tuned for a list of my favorite Instagram accounts for food and wine. I’m also hoping to get around to one for food blogs as well.)

This is the 2014 Fossil & Fawn Pinot Gris. It’s made by a couple in Portland, Oregon, Jenny and Jim, who are doing very cool things within uncertain, probably chaotic, parameters as far as space and location for wine production are concerned.

I have to say I am mildly obsessed with the label. What’s up with this man cradling a baby elephant within the confines of a cracking eggshell? And the curious onlooker taking it all in?

The wine, BTW, is orangish/pinkish in color due to the clear juice being in contact with the Pinot Gris skins, the latter lending color and texture. The wine is also a bit cloudy; I actually store it upright and then decant it out.

The Fossil & Fawn Pinot Gris is kind of like a white wine that drinks like a red wine. Or a red wine that drinks like a white wine. Wait, it constantly oscillates back-and-forth between the two. Yup, that’s what it does. Wild stuff, keeps you guessing. You could enjoy it as a porch-pounder–though a contemplative one–or serve it with some serious grilled/charred foods, from vegetables to slabs of meat. It’s under $20 and only 98 cases were produced. (FEAR OF LOSS!)

Sadly, a few years have passed since I last drank it. I was prepared for it to be sweeter than it actually was; this bottle was a lot drier than I remember. I’d say the FRV100 has a kiss of sweetness. And who doesn’t like sweet kisses? Seriously. Regardless, I guarantee it will disappear quickly, and rightly so. Unlike sweet kisses. Which linger. Anyway…

The label is amazing. Disco! Even cooler, FRV100 is a play on the French alphabet and the (French) word for one hundred. (Spell out “F-R-V” and say “100”–again, in French–and it ends up being “effervescent”.)

Verdict: Probably the greatest wine in the history of the world for day-drinking.

Finally, I went to Fantagraphics in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood, where Daniel Clowes was signing The Complete Eightball, his hardcover anthology containing some of the most meaningful prose and images I’ve encountered.

Throughout Eightball 1-18 Clowes is clever, cynical, and caustic as an artist and writer. There’s a lot of anxiety about human interactions where seemingly insignificant moments are imbued with great portent. And a fair amount of insufferable mouth-breathing goons and drones getting their comeuppance.

Each issue also has mystical, otherworldly, and highly sexual moments. (Sometimes all at once.) And Clowes is not without sentiment, especially for the socially awkward. It’s also often really funny.

There is an integrity and truth in Eightball that comes from both fear and fearlessness, along with an unwavering belief in the medium of comics. The intimate relationship between author and reader is explored as well. (BTW, do head to my Instagram account where there’s a short retelling of meeting Clowes.)

If you recall the movie “Ghost World” with Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson, the story was originally serialized in Eightball. The last few panels are sad, beautiful, and moving. I am not ashamed to say they made me cry.

And on that note, let’s all have some wine!

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