Wine
Wine is fermented grape juice. The color isn't in the juice; it comes from the skin. On this page, you'll learn what's in the bottle, how white, rosé, and red wine can come from the same grape, and which glass to choose.
Wine by type
Already know which direction you want to go? Each type has its own page. You'll find the grapes, flavor, temperature, and the right glass for it there.
Red wine
Merlot, cabernet sauvignon and the rest, what oak does to wine, and how warm to serve it.
Go to red wine →Rosé
Wine made from red grapes, whose skins are left to steep only briefly. Serve it chilled, at 8 to 10 degrees.
Go to rosé →
Champagne
Only sparkling wine from the Champagne region may be called champagne. Here you'll also learn what brut and demi-sec mean.
Go to champagne →
Prosecco
What prosecco is, how dry or sweet it can be, and which glass brings out its best flavor.
Go to prosecco →
Cider
Made from apples, not grapes. That's why it has its own page and its own glasses.
Go to cider →On our drinks page, you'll find every type and brand we cover, from wine to whisky.
The color is in the skin, not the juice
Grapes always produce colorless juice, even when they’re blue. Wine gets its color from the skin. So whether you get white, rosé, or red depends not on the grape, but on how long the skins stay in the must. For red wine, that’s 24 hours; for rosé, 8 to 14 hours; and for white wine, the skins are usually left out. The longer the contact, the darker the wine. So the difference between rosé and white wine is simply the skin. Rosé is made from blue grapes, not a mix of white and red. Mixing white and red wine isn’t even allowed in the EU. Rosé Champagne is the only exception.
It starts with the harvest. Hand-picking means unripe or bad bunches can be left behind straight away. A machine can’t do that. The grapes are then crushed and usually destemmed. This releases the flavor compounds found in and beneath the skins. The must ferments slowly, and the sugars turn into alcohol. Wines with lots of malic acid, such as a full-bodied Chardonnay, then undergo a second fermentation. The malic acid softens into lactic acid. After filtering, some of the wine is aged in oak barrels. That doesn’t work for every wine. It makes Chardonnay rich and warm, with vanilla, butter, and even caramel notes. In a steel tank, the same grape stays fresh and crisp.
In brief
Five bottles that show how broad the selection is
A dry white, a sweet sparkling wine, and a bottle without alcohol, with two more in between. Together, they show just how far apart wines can be.
Dry white wine
Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, light and fresh. You can taste citrus, mown grass, and gooseberries, and it’s very easy to drink.
Red wine
Made from Tempranillo, Graciano, and Garnacha, this wine is full-bodied in the glass. Crianza means this Rioja has spent a year in oak barrels. You can taste it in the black fruit, cigar boxes, and leather.
Rosé
Salmon-pink rosé made from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Carignan. Full-bodied yet silky, with peach and light red summer fruit.
Sweet sparkling wine
Sweet sparkling wine made from Muscat grapes. It smells of white flowers, table grapes and pears. It contains 12.5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters, making it one of the sweeter options on the shelf. At 5%, it’s also the lightest.
Alcohol-free wine
Alcohol-free Chardonnay from the Pfalz, smooth and full-bodied. Slightly sweet, with citrus, star fruit and vanilla.
Each type has its own page, with the grapes, flavor, temperature and glass.
From crisp and fresh to bold and spicy
Citrus, apple and sometimes vanilla
Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and fresh, with citrus, freshly cut grass and gooseberries. Pinot Grigio stays light, with green apple, pear and citrus. Is Chardonnay white or red? White, and this grape can go in two directions. Fresh and mineral from a stainless steel tank, or rich and creamy after oak aging, with vanilla and butter.
Peach and red summer fruit
The skins are left in for just 8 to 14 hours, so the blue grape mostly contributes its fruit. Peach and light red summer fruit, soft and fruity.
From red fruit to firm tannins
Pinot Noir is on the lighter side. Fresh and fruity, with red currants, cherries and raspberries, and soft tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon is at the other end. Blackcurrants, cedarwood and plenty of tannin, softened by aging in oak barrels.
This is an average across the whole selection. Moscato is much sweeter, Sauvignon Blanc is fresher, and Cabernet Sauvignon is more powerful.
How to pour wine
Temperature matters more than you might think when it comes to wine. Beyond that, it’s about pouring gently and putting the bottle away in time.
At the right temperature
Serve crisp, very fruity white wine at 8 to 10 degrees. Full-bodied, aromatic white wine at 10 to 12, and rosé chilled to 8 to 10. Fruity red wine tastes best at 14 to 16 degrees, and powerful, full-bodied red at 18. Too warm? The fruit disappears and you mostly smell alcohol. Too cold? You smell less and the acidity takes over.
To the glass →To decant or not
Decanting literally means pouring wine from one vessel into another. The wine gets more oxygen, bringing out its aromas and flavors. Young, tightly structured red wine really needs this. Old wine doesn’t; it develops too quickly. Decant it half an hour to three hours beforehand. Stand an old bottle with lots of sediment upright a day in advance.
Decanters →Pouring and storing
A 75 cl bottle holds about six glasses. Pour red wine to just below the widest part of the glass so you can swirl it without spilling. White wine and rosé can be poured slightly above that. Store an opened bottle in a dark place that’s a little warmer than your fridge.
More about storing →Wine cocktails
A wine cocktail almost never uses still wine. Usually, sparkling wine is the base. For these four classics, open a bottle of dry sparkling wine.
Kir Royal
Crème de cassis at the bottom of the glass, then slowly topped up with a dry sparkling wine.
Bellini
Peach purée at the bottom, topped up with dry sparkling wine.
Mimosa
Half orange juice, half bubbles. That’s all you need.
Non-alcoholic spritz
Made like a spritz, but with a non-alcoholic sparkling wine.The right glass for wine
A wine glass has a base, a stem, and a bowl, from bottom to top. The aromas linger in the bowl. Hold the glass by the stem so your hand doesn’t warm the wine. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Questions about wine
Can’t find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or send us a message.
To the cocktail recipes →What is wine, and what percentage of alcohol does it contain?
What’s the difference between rosé, white, and red wine?
Is rosé a mixture of red and white wine?
At what temperature should you serve wine?
How many glasses are in one bottle of wine?
How long does an opened bottle of wine keep?
Which wine glass do you need?
Buy wine
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