Sparkling 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.

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.

Wine Pairing With Salad: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)

15/07/2024

Glass of white wine beside a green salad and a jug of vinaigrette

Salad is not hard to match, the dressing just gets in the way. Here is what to pour, what to avoid, and why no wine can out-acid a vinaigrette.

French Kiss Cocktail Recipe: Raspberry, Vodka and Bubbles

02/07/2024

French Kiss cocktail: pink sparkling wine in a champagne flute with fresh raspberries floating on top

How to make a French Kiss cocktail: vodka, Chambord and dry sparkling wine, one glass or a six-glass party batch, plus the bottle to buy and how many standard drinks you are holding.

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.

What Is Champagne and Shackles? The Party Theme Explained

29/05/2024

Two flutes of sparkling wine, a bottle, gold confetti and novelty handcuffs on a party table

Handcuffed to your date until the bottle is empty: what Champagne and Shackles is, where it came from, the usual rules, what to wear, the bubbly to bring and how to do it safely.

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.

Clam Chowder and Wine: What to Pour (and What to Avoid)

24/05/2024

Bowl of creamy clam chowder beside a glass of white wine on a timber table

Crisp unoaked whites for the creamy New England bowl, something sharper for Manhattan. The three chowder styles and the wine each one wants.

What Is a Riddling Rack? The Champagne Tool Explained

21/05/2024

Wooden riddling rack holding sparkling wine bottles neck-down in a cellar

A riddling rack holds 120 bottles neck-down so the yeast slides into the neck. Here is how it works, who invented it, and why machines replaced it.

Moët vs Veuve Clicquot: Which Champagne Is Better?

17/05/2024

Two Champagne bottles and two glasses side by side on a timber table

Same region, same method, same parent company, two different personalities. The grapes, the history, the taste and which one to buy for which night.

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