Lowering alcohol levels in wine In the world of winemaking, the demand for lower alcohol wines and recent duty changes on alcohol in the UK are bringing a fresh challenge to the forefront: finding ways to reduce alcohol levels in wine without compromising on the flavour and quality. As consumers increasingly seek wines with lower […]
Vegan & Vegetarian Wine Guide
Vegan & Vegetarian wine guide There is a lot of talk about vegan wine these days. You may wonder what all the fuss is about. After all wine is made from grapes, a plant, so you would think it fits perfectly into a vegetarian’s or vegan’s approved list of food stuffs, wouldn’t you? This vegan […]
A guide to oaked and unoaked wine
A guide to oaked and unoaked wine Many wine drinkers have a strong preference for either oaked wines or unoaked wines; people seem to love one and hate the other. It is important to differentiate between oaky wines with a strong taste of oak that appeal to a small proportion of wine drinkers and oaked […]
Contains Sulphites on wine labels
A guide to sulphites in wine What “Contains sulphites” on wine labels means Every year I pop into RAW, the natural wine fair held in London – and other cities. There is some debate about exactly what a natural wine is and it seems to be the Marmite of the wine world at the moment (you either […]
Guide to tannins in wine
Guide to tannins in wine Tannins in wine tend to have a bad press but is it justified? This blogpost takes a look at exactly what tannin is and how you can detect it in wine, which wines are the most tannic and which the least and how levels of tannin can be altered during […]
Do old vines make better wines?
Do old vines make better wines? Chances are you will have seen the term “Old Vine” or one of its foreign equivalent terms such as “Vieilles Vignes”, “Alte Reben”, “Viñas Viejas”, “Vinhas Velhas” or “Antico Vitigno” on some wine labels. There is no requirement under any wine regulations that I know to mention the age […]
Biodynamic wine: is it better for you?
Biodynamic wine: is it better for you? Biodynamic wine remains an enigma to many people and not therefore a priority for most people when shopping for wine. This guide to biodynamic wine explains what biodynamics mean in terms of wine, how you can tell if a wine is biodynamic or not, what the differences are […]
All about terroir and how it affects wine
ALL ABOUT TERROIR & HOW IT AFFECTS WINE Terroir is a much-used and much-debated term but what exactly does it mean? Some say terroir produces better wines with more character, so-called terroir wines – but is that right? I confess I have long been a great fan of terroir and I use the expression quite […]
What does acidity in wine mean?
WHAT DOES ACIDITY IN WINE MEAN? This Wines With Attitude guide covers everything you need to know about acidity in wine – how you taste acidity in wine, what causes it, which wines have high acidity and which are low in acidity, whether high or low acidity is better plus tips on matching high acid wines with […]