Australian Wine | Giggly Grapes

Off-Dry Wine: What It Means and How Sweet It Is

04/10/2024

Three glasses of white wine in a row from pale to deep gold

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.

What Is a Fifth Growth Wine? The 1855 Bordeaux Ranking Explained

04/10/2024

Three unlabelled Bordeaux bottles beside a glass of red wine on a timber table

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.

Miso and Wine: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)

23/08/2024

Bowl of miso soup beside a glass of white wine on a timber table

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.

Stroganoff and Wine: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)

25/07/2024

Pan of creamy stroganoff beside a glass of light red wine on a timber table

Sour cream and mushrooms run this dish, not the beef, and both punish tannin. Why Pinot Noir wins, what to avoid, and one bottle for both versions.

Best Cheese With Red Wine (and the Best Red for Each)

22/07/2024

Cheeseboard with aged cheeses and a glass of red wine

Red wine and cheese works about half the time. Here is which cheese to buy for the bottle you have opened, which reds fight back, and why tannin is the whole story.

Can You Freeze Vermouth? What Really Happens

28/06/2024

Chilled bottle of vermouth and a small glass on a timber table

Yes, your freezer will freeze vermouth, at about minus 7C. Here is what that does to the taste, and how long an open bottle really lasts in the fridge.

Prosecco vs Cava: The Difference, and Which to Buy

27/06/2024

Two glasses of sparkling wine beside a bottle and olives on a timber table

One is made in a tank, the other in the bottle. The grapes, the method, the sugar levels, the taste and which one to pour for which occasion.

Riedel Cabernet Decanter Review: Is It Worth the Hype?

10/06/2024

Wide crystal decanter half filled with red wine on a timber table

About $73, machine-made crystal, dishwasher safe and built around one bottle. What the Riedel Cabernet Decanter does well, and what it does not.

Coravin Timeless Three+ Review: Worth It in Australia?

05/06/2024

Black wine preservation device beside a corked red wine bottle and a glass on a timber table

The Coravin Timeless Three+ costs $449.95 and works beautifully on natural cork. In Australia, that is the catch worth knowing before you buy.

Bucks Fizz vs Mimosa: What Is the Difference?

27/05/2024

Two flutes side by side, one pale gold and one orange, with halved oranges on a timber table

Same two ingredients, different ratio. A Bucks Fizz is champagne-forward, a Mimosa is equal parts. Here is the history, the taste and what to pour.

12 Next