A ‘Complete Beginners’ Guide To Wine…

So, you’re thinking of buying some wine to go with a romantic meal or a night in with some takeaway and a film, but you’re not sure what the difference is between red and white? Or perhaps you’re not even aware that champagne is, in fact, a type of wine? Well, allow me to try and help you.

It can seem difficult to learn about wine as there is so much to know. It’s true that the masters have been learning for decades and continue to learn for the years to come, but it’s simple enough to pick up a few wine basics. I’ll give you a few facts and tips to help out and prevent you from seeming like you don’t know a Chardonnay from vinegar!

First of all, it’s worth learning the difference between the common types of wine: red, white, rosè, sparkling and fortified. Red can actually be made with white or dark grapes, its distinct colour comes from the amount of time the skins stay in contact with the grape juice prior to fermentation. Red wine is usually served at room temperature, often with meat. White wine is lighter, usually served cool and tends to match lighter foods. Pink wine is known by the more common name of rosè (pronounced roe-say), and the colour is due to the wine being in contact with the skins for less time than with red wine.

Sparkling wine is what it says on the tin – wine with a fizzy kick to it, and the most renowned sparkling wine comes from the French region of Champagne. Meanwhile, dessert wine is a sweet wine that tends to match most desserts, it often has had alcohol added to it.

Within those broad categories, there are a lot of varieties which usually involve the different types of grapes used in the wine. There are a few hundred different varieties of grape used in wine production – Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot being two famous examples. In Europe wine makers tend to blend different grapes to get the right mix of flavours, while in non-European wine producing countries single variety wines are much more common.

It’s also worth noting which wine tends to match what you are eating – table wine is a great category to start with, as its self-explanatory title means you’re generally safe serving it with a meal, even if it’s not perfectly matched to the many flavours in the dishes you’re serving. The aforementioned red wine and meat combination is a good start, and white wine goes well with lighter pasta dishes, fish or salads. Learning the ‘body’ or ‘weight’ (flavour strength) of a wine is a crucial part of deciding what to serve it with – weak wines are wasted on strong-tasted food and vice versa.

Last of all, consider using the web or just experimenting! Pick up a few bottles from Marks & Spencer wine section or your local mart. Wine tastes great if you go for flavours you’d enjoy in other culinary disciplines, and there’s nothing wrong with a good bottle while you’re testing, so enjoy your education!