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Fifteen years ago DoctorWine was born. An independent project, born to tell the story of Italian wine with rigor and freedom of judgment. A tale of Italian wine that continues, with the same curiosity as then. Stefania Vinciguerra tells it from her privileged point of view.
On April 4, 2011, DoctorWine was born.
Not a personal blog, but a structured editorial project, with a specific goal: to tell the story of Italian wine with expertise and critical sense.
It came a year after Daniele Cernilli left the Gambero Rosso. Not as a nostalgic operation or a revenge. It was a choice: to build an independent space capable of uniting experience, method and freedom of judgment.
The beginning was not easy. The first version of the site was technically fragile, unintuitive. In one negative comment at the time – and it was not the only one – it read: “bad setting of the site, which does not shine in terms of ease of navigation. My grade is six and a half: average between a 9 of esteem to Cernilli and a 4 to his creature.”
It was not a triumphant reception.
But it was a test case. In September 2011, the site was completely rethought and restarted on a solid foundation.
DoctorWine was born this way: not perfect, but determined.
A secular look at wine
From the very beginning, DoctorWine – bilingual, Italian and English – has appealed not only to Italian enthusiasts but also to an international audience. Not for fashion, but for consistency: Italian wine speaks to the world.
In these fifteen years we have told territories before they became trends, indigenous grape varieties before they became buzzwords, young producers when they were still promises.
Without ideological crusades.
Without demonizing international grape varieties or barrels.
No chasing fads.
Our approach has always been secular: understand before judging, explain before simplifying.
We talked about balance and drinkability when the debate was still polarized by concentration and power. We addressed the issue of sustainability without turning it into slogans. Recounted the generational change in the winery as a cultural phenomenon, not just anagraphic.
Because wine is not just a product. It is a form of culture.
Growth and consolidation
In 2012, the collaboration with Vinitaly was born and the space that will become Vinitaly Tasting – The DoctorWine Selection.
>In 2013, registration as a newspaper.
>In 2014, the first edition of the The Essential Guide to the Wines of Italy (2015 edition), destined to become one of the pillars of the project.
In the following years: growth of the website, consolidation of the Guide, events, master classes, presentations in Italy and abroad, development of social media, until the transition in 2023 to doctorwine.wine.
Not a simple domain change, but a natural evolution of a project that has come of age, with the separation from the archive remaining on doctorwine.it.
The look ahead
Fifteen years means thousands of tastings, hundreds of territories told, countless meetings with producers and readers. But above all, they mean consistency.
We have never tried to please everyone. And tried to be credible.
We chose to study, taste, compare and then express ourselves clearly. Because credibility is not built with fads, but with time.
DoctorWine is this: a place where wine is analyzed, discussed, told. With passion, of course. But also with method.
April 4, 2011 was a beginning.
Today we do not celebrate a milestone: we renew a commitment.
For me, who has lived this journey day after day, DoctorWine is not just a publishing project. It is a way of looking at the world of wine. Of listening to it. Of respecting it.
PHOTO GALLERY.
