What Is Port Wine? Sweetness, Styles and Why It Is So Strong

A glass of tawny port beside blue cheese and walnuts on a slate board
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.
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Does Vermouth Have Sugar? The Numbers, by Style

A pale vermouth and a deep red vermouth in two glasses on a marble bar
Every vermouth has sugar, but the amount is set by law. The five label terms, what they mean in grams, and how much lands in a Negroni or a Martini.
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Can You Freeze Vermouth? What Really Happens

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.
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What Is Vermouth? Wine, Wormwood and Why Yours Tastes Flat

Two bottles of vermouth on a dark bar with an orange slice and dried botanicals
Vermouth is wine flavoured with herbs, sweetened and fortified, and it must contain wormwood. Here are the styles, the history, and the storage mistake ruining your Martini.
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Best Wine for French Onion Soup: Why Sweetness Is the Problem

A glass of light red wine beside a bowl of French onion soup with melted cheese
A light, high acid red like Gamay is the best wine for French onion soup. The problem is not the beef stock, it is the sugar in all those onions.
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