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How Wine is Made
Wine is essentially liquid, fermented fruit. After grapes are gathered from a vineyard's grapevines and crushed, yeasts(tiny one-celled organisms that exist naturally in vineyards) come into contact with [more…]
Why Color Matters with Wine
It’s okay to like some wine colors more than others. You may prefer white, red, or rosé (blush) wines. The winemaking process and the color of the grape determine whether a wine will be white, red, or [more…]
Understanding How Wines are Named
Most of the wine names that you find in your wine shop or on restaurant wine lists are named in one of two basic ways: [more…]
How to Pronounce Wine Names
Nothing will set a wine snob on your case more quickly than a mispronounced name of a famous wine or wine region. The pronunciations of dozens of wines and wine regions appear in the table below, for easy [more…]
Understanding Wine Descriptors
Wine descriptors are common terms that you can use to describe a particular wine. Descriptors can help you put words to the wine you’re tasting. Unless you want to drink the same wine for the rest of your [more…]
How to Taste and Savor Wine
Tasting and savoring wine is a slower, more deliberate and more thoughtful process than simply drinking wine. Wine is a complex beverage, and when you simply drink it as you would any other beverage, you [more…]
How to Discern Wine Quality
Wine producers constantly brag about the quality ratings that their wines receive from critics, because a high wine rating — implying high quality — translates into increased sales for a wine. But quality [more…]
Understanding How Grapes Used in Wine Vary
Many attributes distinguish each grape variety from the next. The attributes of grape varieties fall into two categories: personality traits and performance factors. [more…]
The Most Popular White Grape Varieties
Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio are the most important and popular white grape varieties today. The wines made from these grapes can be varietal wines, or place-name [more…]
The Most Popular Red Grape Varieties
The most popular red grape varieties today are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, and Zinfandel. You’ll encounter these grapes in varietal wines and place-name wines. These red grape [more…]
How to Uncork a Wine Bottle
Removing the cork from a wine bottle is the first challenge that faces you in your quest to enjoy wine. Uncorking a wine bottle is relatively simple once you get the hang of it. First you must remove the [more…]
How to Open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine
Opening a bottle of sparkling wine or Champagne is usually an exciting occasion. But the method of opening a bottle of sparkling wine or Champagne is a completely different technique than you’d use to [more…]
Which Wines Need Aerating?
The process of aerating wine — exposing it to air — is called breathing. Sometimes the aroma and flavor of a very young wine improves with aeration. But just pulling the cork out of the bottle and letting [more…]
Knowing Which Wine Glasses to Use
You can appreciate a wine’s aroma and flavor complexities much more out of a fine wine glass. Wine glasses come in all shapes and sizes. If you’re just drinking wine as refreshment with your meal, the [more…]
The Best Serving Temperatures for Wines
Serving wine at the ideal temperature is a vital factor in your enjoyment of wine. If you try tasting the same wine at different temperatures, you may find that you love it at one temperature and dislike [more…]
Entertaining with Wine at a Dinner Party
When hosting a dinner party, you probably serve more wines than you would during a normal dinner. Instead of just one wine throughout the meal, you may want to serve a different wine with every course. [more…]
How to Preserve Leftover Wine
How can you preserve leftover wine if you don't finish the bottle? The best method of preserving wine varies depending on the type of wine and how much is left in the bottle. [more…]
How to Store Wine for the Long Term
If you’ve decided to collect and store wines over the long term, remember that poorly stored wines make disappointment inevitable. To keep wines indefinitely, you really need a wine storage facility with [more…]
Less Common Red Grape Varieties Used in Wine
Some less common red grape varieties used in many wine regions today include Aglianico, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Grenache, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Tempranillo. These red grape varieties may not [more…]
Less Common White Grape Varieties Used in Wine
Some less common white grape varieties used in many wine regions today include Albariño, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Sémillon, and Viognier. Although these white [more…]
Quick Guide to Wine Pronunciation
Correctly pronouncing wine names is one way to keep from irritating a wine snob. In these wine pronunciations the capitalized letters are stressed, and if not, all syllables carry equal weight. [more…]
Useful Terms for Describing Wine
Bridging the gap between knowing how to taste wine and drinking what you like is putting taste into words. Using these words for describing wine will help you find wine you like without always taking the [more…]
Easy Wine Identifier
Most wines you find in shops and restaurants are named in two basic ways: the place the grapes are grown or the variety of the grape. This instant guide gives you common wine names, where the name comes [more…]
