What colour can tell you about wine When drinking or tasting wine most people focus only on the smell and the taste of it, ignoring what ought to be the first step – looking at the wine’s colour and its general appearance. You might think that choosing red, white or rosé is all you need […]
Vinho Verde
Vinho verde: a perfect wine for summer Portugal is perhaps best known, wine-wise at least, for its fortified wine, port (about which you can read more in my port blogposts on ruby port and tawny port) but the largest wine region in Portugal is actually Vinho Verde – and the UK is its second biggest […]
The Shiraz or Syrah grape and wines
The Shiraz / Syrah grape & wines Shiraz used to be very popular here in the UK but Syrah remained, and still remains to some extent, relatively unknown. In fact Shiraz is the same grape as Syrah. This guide to the Shiraz or Syrah grape will reveal more about this wine grape variety and the […]
Guide to the Semillon grape & wines
Guide to the Semillon grape and wines Here I take a look at the Semillon or Sémillon grape and why it is, in my opinion, hugely under-rated. What’s the big deal with Semillon? Admittedly Semillon is not going to appeal to people who prefer their white wines to be very light in colour and body […]
Grenache grapes & wine styles
Grenache grapes & wine styles There’s a whole family of Grenache grapes and consequently a wide range of different Grenache wines. So, what wines are made from Grenache grapes? Grenache can be a full-bodied wine or a lighter style, Grenache can be a dry wine or a sweet wine, a red wine, white wine or […]
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 […]
Guide to the Chardonnay grape & Chardonnay wines
Guide to the Chardonnay grape & Chardonnay wines I’ll show my hand upfront – I love a good Chardonnay but I know it is quite a divisive grape with many who don’t like it. Remember the “Anything but Chardonnay” or “ABC” era in the late 1990s? This was almost certainly in part a backlash against […]
A guide to Tawny Port
Guide to Tawny Port Ever wondered about the difference between ruby and tawny port? Ruby port seems to be more popular but tawny port is having a bit of a revival either slightly chilled or with tonic as an aperitif or as a more traditional after-dinner drink. Having written in detail about ruby ports in another blogpost, I’m now writing […]
Guide to rosé wine & the rise in premium rosé
Guide to rose wine & the rise in premium rose The ‘too pink, too girly and too sweet’ reputation that rosé wines used to have has finally been shaken off though it has taken several years. Improvements in the production of rosé wines together with a rising interest in dry, paler pink wines to be […]
All about ice wine or Eiswein
All about ice wine or Eiswein You may have heard of ice wine (also known as Eiswein or icewine) but you will be excused if you don’t know much about it because ice wine is quite rare and also expensive – but it is also a beautiful wine so if you get chance give it […]