Raising glasses for the masses

Wine mag takes populist approach

BOSTON. While some wine connoisseurs prefer to swirl, sniff and sip hundred dollar wines, the experts at The Second Glass magazine say the key to enjoying great wine is getting to the bottom of the bottle.

Recommending hundreds of wines for less than $15, uncovering the best ways to uncork each bottle and investigating which champagnes spray the farthest, The Second Glass editor and publisher Tyler Balliet uses the magazine to show his readers how to drink like Dionysus on a mortal budget.

“Our whole goal is we just want people to drink more wine,” said Balliet, 27, who works part-time at Bauer Wine & Spirits on Newbury Street in Boston, “and a small amount of information can really drastically increase your wine drinking experience.”

Balliet said he realized the need for what he calls  a “magazine for the new era of wine drinkers,” while flipping through an issue of a popular wine magazine last summer.

“I either don’t care, or don’t understand half of these articles,” said Balliet, who said The Second Glass makes information accessible to all consumers, even novice wine drinkers.

Just five months later, Balliet and the eight staff members he marshaled through advertisements on Craigslist had constructed, published and distributed the first issue of The Second Glass. The fifth issue will be available in 90 Boston area wine stores next month.

The pages of his premiere issue included an introduction to champagne and its sparkling alternatives, a how-to guide on buying wine for the in-laws and an explanation of the indentation found on the bottom of wine bottles.

Although Balliet said he poured all his financial resources into The Second Glass, he said he still has not profited from the magazine. But, he said, the job comes with perks, such as regular wine tastings, free bottles of wine and a great staff who are willing to work for free.

While Balliet, who had no prior publishing experience, intends to make The Second Glass a national magazine, he said his personal goal is to take the snobbism out of wine drinking. To that end, The Second Glass team is working on an experiment to determine which wine leaves you hangover free after a night of drinking.

“We are going to put our livers on the line for our readers,” he said.