What Is Port Wine? Sweetness, Styles and Why It Is So Strong
Port is a sweet fortified red from the Douro Valley in Portugal. Here is why it is sweet, what the styles mean, whether French port exists, and why Australian port is now tawny.
Read moreThe 5 S’s of Wine Tasting: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Savour
See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Savour, with the physical reason behind each step, plus the two myths the ritual carries and one cheap bottle to practise on.
Read moreBest Wine With Raclette: What Cuts Through Melted Cheese
Dry Riesling, Chasselas or a chilled light red are the best wines for raclette. Here is what melted cheese does to a bottle, what to avoid, and one stock checked pick.
Read moreOff-Dry Wine: What It Means and How Sweet It Is
Off-dry means 4 to 12 grams of sugar a litre. Here is the full sweetness scale in numbers, why off-dry often tastes dry, and why Extra Dry sparkling is sweeter than Brut.
Read moreWhat Is a Fifth Growth Wine? The 1855 Bordeaux Ranking Explained
A fifth growth is a Bordeaux château in the bottom band of the 1855 classification. There are 18, twelve of them in Pauillac, and the label says more about 1855 prices than today’s wine.
Read moreChicken Shawarma Wine Pairing: Garlic, Pickles and Spice
The chicken is the easy part. Garlic sauce, pickled turnip and the spice rub decide the bottle. Dry rose first, chilled Grenache second, plus one stocked pick.
Read moreBest Red Wine for Mushroom Bourguignon: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)
The best red wine for mushroom bourguignon is Pinot Noir, with Gamay and Grenache close behind. Why the meat-free version needs softer wine than the beef one, and what to avoid.
Read moreMiso and Wine: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)
Miso is salty, sweet and full of umami, which is hard on red wine. What to pour with miso soup, miso black cod and miso ramen, and the reds to keep off the table.
Read morePinot Gris vs Pinot Grigio: What Is the Difference?
Same grape, two names, two styles. Grigio is crisp and citrusy, Gris is fuller and rounder. How to tell which is in the bottle before you buy it.
Read moreMushroom Ravioli and Wine: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)
Mushroom ravioli flattens big reds. Here is why, plus the wines that actually work, what to avoid and one stock-checked bottle to try tonight.
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