Grappa is a fragrant grape-based spirit of between 40% and 60% alcohol, of Italian origin. Literally a word for 'grape stalk', grappa is made by distilling …

Languedoc has a very long history and colourful history with grapes and wine. The Greeks planted there probably the first vine in France. It was 500 years …

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is the most widely used and controversial additive in winemaking. Its main functions are to inhibit or kill unwanted yeasts and …

Ice wine (or in German, Eiswein) is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. Unlike the grapes from …

The French term or phrase: 'remontage' - (pumping over) is the drawing off of the grape juice or must from the bottom of a tank or open fermenters and …

Veraison (vay-ray-zon) is a French term that has been adopted into the English literature on viticulture/ grape growing. One simple definition of veraison …

Argentina lays between latitude 22 to 55 south. With an area four times bigger than that of France, and with approx 39 million people. Argentina is one of …

Wine engages all the senses: sight, smell, taste, mouth feel - even sound when glasses touch in a toast. To fully enjoy fine wine, don't be afraid to savour …

The process of wine production has remained much the same throughout the ages, but new sophisticated machinery and technology have helped streamline and …

Researchers believe that Merlot is an offspring of Cabernet Franc and is a sibling of Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is lower in tannins and makes …

Pinot Gris is white wine grape variety. The best-known 'white' variant-clone of the Pinot Noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue hue to the skin, …

Hundreds of books have been written on Bordeaux; its history (temporarily ruled by the English), its wines (one of the biggest wine regions in the world, …

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. This is the grape of the world's greatest and most expensive dry white wines. It is …

The process of making wine (in theory) is quite simple. Single cell plants of the genus 'Saccharomyces' consume sugar in grapes and transform it into …

Gewurztraminer is a variation of the Traminer grape meaning 'of the village of Tramin', 'Termeno' in the Alto Adige in the far north of Italy where it was …

There are certain types of light red wines that lend themselves particularly well to being slightly chilled when matched with food, especially with fish …

The Muscat family of grapes is widely grown for wine, raisins and table grapes. Their colour ranges from white to near black. Muscat wines almost always …

Metodo Italiano - Charmat process, in which the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in large stainless tanks rather than individual bottles, and is …

Cork that is used in wine bottles is made from the bark that grows on the Cork Oak tree; a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree that is native to southwest …

The original garage wine is Le Pin, and its grapes grow on a tiny, 5 acre plot in Pomerol, which is near St. Emilion in Bordeaux, France. The first vintage, …