Guides
Guides to choosing, serving and understanding wine, built on the grape profiles.
- BeginnerSep 1, 20269 min read
How to read a wine label
Old World labels name a place, New World labels name a grape. Once you know which you are holding, everything else follows.
- BeginnerSep 1, 202610 min read
Wine for beginners: the six things that actually matter
Sweetness, acidity, tannin, body, alcohol and oak. Every wine you will ever drink is a combination of those six, and you can taste all of them.
- ServingSep 1, 20267 min read
Serving temperature: the cheapest way to improve a bottle
Most red is served too warm and most white too cold. Fixing that changes the wine more than decanting, glassware or anything else you can do at home.
- BuyingSep 1, 20268 min read
How much to spend, and where the money goes
The steepest quality gain is between the cheapest bottle and about twice its price. After that the curve flattens fast.
- FoodSep 1, 20269 min read
Food and wine pairing without the rules
Match weight, use acidity as a tool, and treat the three difficult ingredients with respect. Everything else is preference.
- ReferenceSep 1, 20268 min read
Is my wine faulty, or do I just not like it?
Cork taint, oxidation, reduction and heat damage each have a specific smell. Everything else is a matter of taste, and you are allowed to send neither back.
- ReferenceSep 1, 20268 min read
Storing wine, and which bottles actually improve
Most wine is made to drink now. The small share that ages needs acidity, tannin or sugar, and a cellar's job is mainly to be boring.