By Tim Morgan, Sommelier & Contributing Editor
This guide is for the person who stands in a wine shop and feels lost. The person who opens a restaurant wine list and panics. The person who has been drinking wine for years but secretly suspects they’ve been doing it wrong. The person who has never drunk wine at all and wants to start.
You are not alone. Wine can feel intimidating — thousands of grape varieties, hundreds of regions, labels in languages you don’t speak, prices ranging from €3 to €30,000, and an entire culture of experts who seem to communicate in a private language of terroir, tannin, and malolactic fermentation.
Forget all of that. For now, forget all of it.
Wine is one of the simplest, oldest, most natural things on earth. Humans have been making it for at least eight thousand years. For most of that time, it was made by farmers with no technology, no science degrees, and no Instagram accounts. It was — and still is — fermented grape juice. That’s it.
Everything else is detail. Important detail, fascinating detail, lifelong-obsession detail — but detail. The foundation is simple. Let’s build it.
WHAT IS WINE?
Wine is the fermented juice of grapes.
That’s the entire definition. Grapes are harvested. They are crushed. The juice comes into contact with yeast — either wild yeast that lives naturally on the grape skins and in the cellar, or commercial yeast added by the winemaker. The yeast eats the sugar in the grape juice and converts it into two things: alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2
When this process — called fermentation — is complete, you have wine. The carbon dioxide escapes into the air (unless you trap it, in which case you get sparkling wine). The alcohol remains. The residual flavours of the grape — its acidity, its fruit character, its aromatic compounds — remain. And those flavours are shaped by everything that happened before fermentation (where the grape grew, what the weather was like, when it was picked) and everything that happens after (how long the wine ages, in what kind of vessel, and for how long).
That is wine. Fermented grape juice, shaped by nature and human decisions.
HOW WINE IS MADE: THE SHORT VERSION
There are thousands of variations in winemaking technique, but every wine in the world follows the same basic sequence.
Step 1: Growing. Grapes grow on vines, in vineyards. The vine takes about three years from planting to produce usable fruit, and most fine wine comes from vines that are 10, 20, 50, or even 100+ years old. Older vines generally produce less fruit but with more concentration and complexity. The growing season runs roughly from spring (bud break) to autumn (harvest), though the exact timing depends on the climate and the hemisphere.
Step 2: Harvesting. Grapes are picked when the winemaker decides they are ripe — which is a far more complex decision than it sounds. Pick too early, and the grapes are sour and unripe. Pick too late, and they are overripe, overly sweet, and lacking in freshness. The moment of harvest is one of the most important decisions in winemaking. Grapes can be harvested by hand (more careful, more expensive) or by machine (faster, cheaper).
Step 3: Crushing. The grapes are crushed to release their juice. In white winemaking, the juice is usually separated from the skins immediately — you press the grapes and ferment only the clear juice. In red winemaking, the juice stays in contact with the skins during fermentation — this is where red wine gets its colour, its tannin, and much of its flavour. The skins are the secret. Without skin contact, all wine would be white (or very pale), because grape juice — even from red grapes — is essentially clear.
Step 4: Fermentation. Yeast converts sugar into alcohol. This can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks. The temperature, the type of yeast, and the vessel (stainless steel tank, oak barrel, concrete vat, clay amphora) all influence the flavour of the finished wine.
Step 5: Ageing. After fermentation, the wine may be aged before bottling. Some wines are aged in stainless steel to preserve freshness and fruit (most Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Muscadet). Some are aged in oak barrels, which add flavours like vanilla, toast, spice, and cedar, and also allow a slow, controlled exposure to oxygen that softens the wine and adds complexity (many Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo). Some wines are aged in bottle before release. Some are not aged at all.
Step 6: Bottling. The wine is bottled, sealed with a cork or screw cap, labelled, and sent out into the world to be enjoyed.
That is the process. Every wine you have ever drunk followed this sequence, with variations in detail at each stage.
THE MAIN TYPES OF WINE
Wine is divided into several broad categories. Here they are, in plain language.
Still Wine
This is wine without bubbles — the vast majority of wine produced in the world. It comes in three colours.
White wine is made from white (green-skinned) grapes, or occasionally from red grapes where the juice is separated from the skins immediately so no colour is extracted. White wine ranges from bone-dry and razor-sharp (Chablis, Sancerre, Riesling) to rich, creamy, and oak-influenced (Meursault, oaked Chardonnay) to sweet (Sauternes, Tokaji). It is generally served chilled, at 8–12°C.
Red wine is made from red (dark-skinned) grapes, with the juice fermented in contact with the skins. The skins give the wine its colour (from pale garnet to nearly black), its tannin (the drying, gripping sensation in your mouth), and much of its flavour. Red wine ranges from light, fruity, and easy-drinking (Beaujolais, Pinot Noir) to dense, powerful, and age-worthy (Barolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah). It is generally served at cool room temperature, 14–18°C — not warm.
Rosé wine is made from red grapes, but the juice spends only a short time in contact with the skins — enough to pick up a pink colour but not the full depth of a red wine. Rosé ranges from very pale, almost salmon pink (Provence style) to deeper, more intensely coloured (some Spanish and Italian rosés). Most rosé is dry, fresh, and meant to be drunk young and chilled. It is not a “lesser” wine — great rosé is a legitimate and delicious category.
Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine is wine with bubbles — carbon dioxide trapped in the liquid during a secondary fermentation.
Champagne is sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of northern France, using a specific method (méthode traditionnelle) and specific grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier). Only sparkling wine from Champagne can be called Champagne. Everything else is sparkling wine.
Crémant is sparkling wine made using the same method as Champagne but in other French regions — Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Loire. Often outstanding value.
Cava is Spanish sparkling wine, primarily from Catalonia, made using the traditional method.
Prosecco is Italian sparkling wine from the Veneto region, made using a different method (tank method or Charmat method), which produces a lighter, fruitier, less complex style. Generally more affordable and more immediately approachable than Champagne.
English sparkling wine is made in England (primarily Kent, Sussex, Hampshire) using the same method and same grapes as Champagne, on similar chalk soils. It has improved dramatically in recent years and now rivals Champagne in quality. Seriously.
Pét-nat (pétillant naturel) is a lightly sparkling wine made by bottling the wine before fermentation is complete, so the remaining CO2 is trapped in the bottle. The result is gentler, more rustic bubbles — often cloudy, sometimes funky, always interesting. A favourite of the natural wine movement.
Fortified Wine
Fortified wine is wine to which grape spirit (brandy) has been added during or after fermentation, raising the alcohol level to 15–22%.
Port is fortified wine from the Douro Valley in Portugal. It comes in many styles: Ruby (young, fruity, sweet), Tawny (aged in barrel, nutty, caramel), Vintage or Vintage Port (from a single great year, powerful, built to age decades), and White Port (yes, it exists — try it with tonic).
Sherry is fortified wine from Jerez in southern Spain. The styles range from bone-dry and razor-sharp (Fino, Manzanilla) to nutty and medium (Amontillado, Palo Cortado) to rich, dark, and dry (Oloroso) to intensely sweet (Pedro Ximénez, known as PX). Sherry is one of the most undervalued and misunderstood wines in the world. If you think you don’t like Sherry, you probably haven’t tasted good Sherry.
Madeira is fortified wine from the island of Madeira, Portugal. Made using a unique heating process, it is virtually indestructible — bottles from the 1800s are still drinking beautifully. Styles range from dry (Sercial) to sweet (Malmsey).
Marsala is fortified wine from Sicily. Mostly used in cooking, but the finest examples (Vergine, Soleras) are extraordinary wines in their own right.
Fondillón, from Alicante in Spain, deserves special mention here because it is often grouped with fortified wines — but it is not fortified. It is a naturally sweet, high-alcohol wine made from overripe Monastrell grapes, aged for decades in a solera system, reaching 16%+ alcohol without any spirit addition. It is one of the rarest and most extraordinary wines on earth.
Dessert Wine
Dessert wine is sweet wine, typically served with or after dessert. The sweetness comes from residual sugar — grape sugar that the yeast didn’t fully convert to alcohol.
There are several ways to achieve this sweetness.
Late harvest — Grapes are left on the vine longer than normal, concentrating sugar. Examples: German Spätlese and Auslese, Alsace Vendange Tardive.
Noble rot (botrytis cinerea) — A beneficial fungus attacks the grapes, dehydrating them and concentrating their sugars and flavours to extraordinary intensity. The result is wine of honeyed, apricot-scented, golden complexity. Examples: Sauternes (Bordeaux), Tokaji Aszú (Hungary), Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese (Germany).
Dried grapes (passito method) — Grapes are dried after harvest, on mats or hanging, before fermentation. Examples: Vin Santo (Tuscany), Amarone della Valpolicella (Veneto — technically dry, but made from dried grapes), Recioto della Valpolicella (sweet).
Ice wine (Eiswein) — Grapes are left on the vine until they freeze, then pressed while frozen. The water stays behind as ice, and only the concentrated, sugar-rich juice flows out. Extremely sweet, extremely rare, extremely expensive. Made primarily in Germany, Austria, and Canada.
Orange Wine
Orange wine is white wine made like red wine — with extended skin contact. The white grape juice is fermented with its skins for days, weeks, or even months, extracting colour, tannin, and a spectrum of savoury, textural flavours. The resulting wine ranges from pale gold to deep amber. It is not made from oranges. It is the oldest winemaking method in the world — practised in Georgia for 8,000 years — and it is currently one of the most exciting and fastest-growing categories in wine.
THE MAJOR GRAPE VARIETIES
There are over 10,000 grape varieties in the world, but you only need to know a handful to navigate the vast majority of wines you will encounter.
The Big White Grapes
Chardonnay — The most planted white grape in the world. Grows everywhere. Incredibly versatile. Can be lean, mineral, and unoaked (Chablis) or rich, buttery, and barrel-fermented (Meursault, Napa). The grape of white Burgundy and a key component of Champagne. If you think you don’t like Chardonnay, you’ve probably only tried one style. Try the other.
Sauvignon Blanc — Aromatic, zesty, herbaceous. Aromas of gooseberry, citrus, grass, and sometimes tropical fruit. The grape of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (Loire Valley, France) and Marlborough (New Zealand). Typically unoaked, high-acid, and refreshingly dry. The world’s most popular “easy-drinking” white grape.
Riesling — The sommelier’s grape. Produces wines of extraordinary purity, complexity, and ageing potential. Ranges from bone-dry to lusciously sweet. High acidity is the hallmark. The grape of Germany (Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz), Alsace (France), and Australia (Clare Valley, Eden Valley). Criminally underappreciated by the general public.
Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris — Two names, one grape. As Pinot Grigio (Italy), it tends to be light, neutral, and inoffensive — the world’s most popular “nothing wine.” As Pinot Gris (Alsace), it can be rich, smoky, and genuinely interesting. Same grape, wildly different results.
Gewürztraminer — Intensely aromatic. Lychee, rose petal, ginger, Turkish delight. The most perfumed of all white grapes. The grape of Alsace. Love-it-or-hate-it. Incredible with spicy food.
Moscato / Muscat — The most ancient of all grape families. Intensely floral and grapey — Muscat is the only grape that actually smells like grapes. Best known as Moscato d’Asti (lightly fizzy, low-alcohol, sweet, from Piedmont) but also makes bone-dry wines of stunning quality — including the extraordinary dry Moscato from Amerio Vincenzo in Piedmont, one of Italy’s most original whites.
Chenin Blanc — Incredibly versatile. Can be dry, off-dry, or sweet. Can be still or sparkling. The grape of the Loire Valley (Vouvray, Savennières) and South Africa. At its best, Chenin produces wines of honeyed complexity and extraordinary ageing potential.
Albariño — Spain’s great white grape, from Galicia in the northwest. Citric, saline, bright, with a seaside minerality. Perfect with seafood. The wine you drink on a terrace overlooking the Atlantic.
The Big Red Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon — The king. The most planted red grape in the world. Dark, tannic, structured, age-worthy. Aromas of blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, tobacco. The backbone of Bordeaux (Left Bank) and the star of Napa Valley, Chile, Coonawarra, and Margaret River. Needs warm climates to ripen fully. Often blended with Merlot for softness.
Merlot — Cabernet’s softer, rounder partner. Plum, dark cherry, chocolate, velvety tannins. The dominant grape of Bordeaux’s Right Bank (Pomerol, Saint-Émilion) and planted widely around the world. Unfairly dismissed after the film Sideways. Great Merlot — Pétrus, Le Pin, Masseto — is among the finest wine on earth.
Pinot Noir — The heartbreak grape. Pale, perfumed, ethereal, impossibly difficult to grow. Cherry, raspberry, rose, mushroom, truffle. The grape of Burgundy, and the grape that drives winemakers to madness trying to replicate Burgundy’s greatness elsewhere. Also a key Champagne grape. Also stunning in Oregon, New Zealand, and Germany.
Syrah / Shiraz — Two names, one grape. As Syrah (France — Rhône Valley), it tends to be peppery, savoury, structured, and elegant. As Shiraz (Australia), it tends to be richer, riper, more fruit-forward, and more powerful. Dark fruit, black pepper, smoke, meat, leather. One of the world’s great food grapes.
Nebbiolo — Italy’s noblest grape. Pale as rosé, tannic as iron, perfumed as a rose garden. The grape of Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont. Tar and roses. Extraordinarily complex, extraordinarily age-worthy, extraordinarily difficult outside its homeland.
Sangiovese — The soul of Tuscany. Cherry, dried herbs, leather, earth. The grape of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Medium-bodied, high-acid, supremely food-friendly. The grape that was born for Italian cooking.
Tempranillo — Spain’s great red grape. The backbone of Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Cherry, leather, tobacco, vanilla (from oak ageing). Elegant, age-worthy, versatile. At its best, it combines the structure of Bordeaux with the warmth of the Mediterranean.
Grenache / Garnacha — The grape of the southern Rhône (Châteauneuf-du-Pape) and Spain (Priorat, Garnacha from Aragón). Strawberry, raspberry, white pepper, dried herbs. Full-bodied, warm, generous, low in tannin. Often blended with Syrah and Mourvèdre in the classic GSM blend.
Malbec — Argentina’s adopted grape (originally from Cahors, France). Dark, plush, velvety. Plum, blackberry, violet, chocolate. The grape of Mendoza. Crowd-pleasing, approachable, and at its best, genuinely excellent.
Gamay — The grape of Beaujolais. Light, juicy, bursting with cherry and berry fruit, with low tannin and high drinkability. Best served slightly chilled. The most joyful grape in the world. Beaujolais Cru wines (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent) are among the best values in French wine.
Monastrell / Mourvèdre — The unsung hero of Spanish and southern French wine. Dark, powerful, wild, earthy. Blackberry, black pepper, leather, garrigue herbs. The grape of Alicante, Jumilla, and Bandol. Heat-loving, drought-resistant, and increasingly important as the climate warms. Also the grape behind Fondillón — Alicante’s mythical 500-year-old wine.
UNDERSTANDING WINE LABELS
Wine labels can be bewildering, because different countries follow completely different labelling conventions. Here is the essential decoder.
Old World Labels (Europe)
European wines are traditionally labelled by place, not by grape. The assumption is that if you know the place, you know the grape — because European wine law dictates which grapes can be grown where.
This means that a bottle of Chablis does not say “Chardonnay” on the label. It just says “Chablis.” You are expected to know that Chablis is made from Chardonnay. A bottle of Barolo does not say “Nebbiolo.” It just says “Barolo.” A bottle of Sancerre does not say “Sauvignon Blanc.” It just says “Sancerre.”
This is, admittedly, intimidating for beginners. But here is a cheat sheet of the most important European wines and their grapes.
France —
Chablis is Chardonnay.
Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet are Chardonnay.
Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Volnay, and all red Burgundy are Pinot Noir.
Champagne is Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier (blended or individually).
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are Sauvignon Blanc.
Vouvray and Savennières are Chenin Blanc.
Bordeaux red (Left Bank) is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot.
Bordeaux red (Right Bank) is primarily Merlot with Cabernet Franc.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape red is primarily Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie are Syrah.
Alsace labels do list the grape variety — Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, etc. Alsace is the exception to the French rule.
Italy —
Barolo and Barbaresco are Nebbiolo.
Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino are Sangiovese.
Amarone and Valpolicella are Corvina (primarily), with Rondinella and Molinara.
Soave is Garganega.
Barbera d’Alba and Barbera d’Asti are Barbera.
Moscato d’Asti is Moscato Bianco.
Etna Rosso is Nerello Mascalese.
Spain —
Rioja and Ribera del Duero are Tempranillo (called Tinto Fino in Ribera).
Rías Baixas is Albariño.
Priorat is Garnacha and Cariñena (Carignan).
Cava is Macabeo, Xarel·lo, and Parellada.
Jumilla and Alicante are primarily Monastrell.
Germany —
German labels typically do list the grape variety — Riesling, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Silvaner, etc. Germany is beginner-friendly in this respect.
New World Labels (Americas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa)
New World wines are almost always labelled by grape variety. A bottle will say “Chardonnay” or “Cabernet Sauvignon” or “Pinot Noir” right on the front label. The region may also be listed, but the grape is the primary identifier.
This makes New World wine labels much easier for beginners to navigate. If you see “Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc” on a bottle, you know exactly what you’re getting — Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. No decoder ring required.
HOW TO CHOOSE A BOTTLE IN A SHOP
You are standing in a wine shop. There are 500 bottles in front of you. You have no idea what to buy. Here is a simple system.
Step 1: Decide on colour. Do you want white, red, rosé, or sparkling? Start there. Narrow the field.
Step 2: Think about the occasion. Is this for a casual Tuesday dinner? A birthday celebration? A gift? A dinner party? Match the ambition (and budget) of the wine to the occasion. Not every meal needs a Grand Cru. Not every birthday deserves a supermarket plonk.
Step 3: Think about food. If you’re eating, think about what you’re eating. Rich, fatty food (steak, lamb, hard cheese) tends to pair well with full-bodied reds. Light food (fish, salad, chicken) tends to pair well with white wine or light reds. Spicy food pairs well with off-dry or aromatic whites (Riesling, Gewürztraminer). If you’re not sure, Champagne and dry rosé go with almost everything.
Step 4: Set a budget. Be honest about what you want to spend. Great wine exists at every price point. The sweet spot for quality-to-value ratio is typically €10–20 — this is where you can find genuinely excellent wine without paying for a famous name or a classified label.
Step 5: Ask for help. This is the most important step, and the one most people skip because they feel embarrassed. Don’t be. Walk up to the shop assistant or the sommelier and say: “I’m looking for a [colour] wine, around [price], to go with [food/occasion]. What would you recommend?” Any good wine professional will be delighted to help. It is literally their job, and most of them are passionate about it.
Step 6: If no one is available to help, look for these value regions. These are regions and styles that consistently overdeliver at their price point.
For white wine under €15 — Muscadet (Loire Valley), Picpoul de Pinet (Languedoc), Vinho Verde (Portugal), Grüner Veltliner (Austria), Albariño (Spain), Vermentino (Sardinia or Languedoc), Soave (Italy).
For red wine under €15 — Côtes du Rhône (France), Beaujolais Cru — Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent (France), Monastrell from Jumilla or Alicante (Spain), Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Italy), Portuguese reds (Douro, Dão, Alentejo), Malbec (Argentina — entry level), Nero d’Avola (Sicily).
For sparkling under €20 — Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Loire (all France), Cava (Spain), Franciacorta (Italy, slightly above €20 but worth it).
HOW TO ORDER WINE IN A RESTAURANT
This is where most people feel the most anxiety. Here is exactly what happens, step by step, and exactly what to do.
The wine list arrives. Don’t panic. Take a moment. If the list is enormous and intimidating, do not try to read the whole thing. Instead, look for two things: the grape varieties or regions you already know, and the wines that are priced in the middle of the range. The cheapest wine on the list is often the worst value (high markup, chosen to hit a price point). The second or third cheapest is usually a much better bet.
If there is a sommelier, use them. This is not a sign of ignorance. It is a sign of intelligence. Say something like: “We’re having the lamb and the fish. We’d like a red and a white, around €40–50 each. What would you suggest?” A good sommelier will ask you a couple of follow-up questions (do you prefer lighter or fuller styles? any grapes you particularly like or dislike?) and then make a recommendation. Trust them. It is their job, and they taste every wine on the list.
If there is no sommelier, and you’re unsure, default to these safe choices. For white: Chablis, Sancerre, or Albariño — all are food-friendly, crowd-pleasing, and almost always well-made. For red: Côtes du Rhône, Chianti Classico, or Rioja Crianza — all are versatile, medium-bodied, and pair with a wide range of food.
The bottle arrives. The server will show you the bottle and pour a small taste. This is not an invitation to judge whether you like the wine. It is a chance to check whether the wine is faulty — specifically, whether it is corked (smells of wet cardboard or damp basement). If the wine smells clean and normal, nod and say “that’s fine.” If it smells musty, mouldy, or like wet cardboard, say so. Any good restaurant will replace a corked bottle without question.
Temperature. If your white wine arrives too cold (you can’t smell anything), cup the bowl of the glass in your hands for a moment to warm it. If your red wine arrives too warm (it tastes soupy and alcoholic), ask for an ice bucket for a few minutes. There is no shame in this. You are optimising your experience.
By the glass versus by the bottle. By-the-glass wines are convenient but offer less value — you typically pay the equivalent of a full bottle for about three glasses. If there are two or more of you drinking the same colour, a bottle is almost always better value and more fun.
HOW TO STORE WINE AT HOME
Most wine is made to be drunk within one to three years of purchase. You do not need a cellar. You do not need a wine fridge. You just need to follow a few simple rules.
Keep it cool. The ideal storage temperature is 10–15°C. If you don’t have a dedicated space, find the coolest, most stable spot in your home — not the kitchen (too warm), not next to a radiator, not in direct sunlight. A cupboard in a hallway, a basement, or an unheated spare room all work well.
Keep it dark. Light — especially sunlight and fluorescent light — degrades wine over time. This is why most wine bottles are coloured glass.
Keep it still. Vibrations disturb the ageing process. Don’t store wine on top of the washing machine or the fridge.
Keep it on its side (for cork-sealed bottles). This keeps the cork moist, which prevents it from drying out and letting air in. Screw-cap bottles can be stored upright.
Keep the temperature stable. Fluctuations are worse than a slightly-too-warm constant temperature. A stable 18°C is better than a temperature that swings between 10°C and 25°C.
If you want to age wine seriously, invest in a wine fridge (starting from around €200 for a small one) or rent space in a professional storage facility. But for everyday wine — the bottles you plan to drink within a few months — the cupboard-under-the-stairs method works just fine.
HOW TO OPEN A BOTTLE
There are many types of corkscrew. The best — the one used by every sommelier in the world — is the waiter’s friend (also called a sommelier knife or wine key). It is small, portable, elegant, and costs about €10–20 for a good one. Here is how to use it.
Cut the foil. Use the small blade on the waiter’s friend to cut around the foil capsule just below the lip of the bottle. Remove the top of the foil cleanly. Some people cut above the lip, some below. Below is the traditional sommelier method — it looks cleaner and prevents wine from touching the foil when you pour.
Insert the worm (the spiral). Place the tip of the corkscrew spiral slightly off-centre on the cork and twist clockwise. Keep the spiral straight and centred — if it goes in at an angle, the cork may break. Twist until only one curl of the spiral is still visible above the cork.
Lever the cork. Place the first notch of the lever on the lip of the bottle. Hold it firmly with one hand and pull the handle up with the other. The cork should rise about halfway. Then switch to the second notch (most waiter’s friends have two) and lever the rest of the cork out gently. It should come out with a soft sigh, not a dramatic pop.
If the cork breaks — and it sometimes does, especially with older bottles — reinsert the corkscrew at an angle into the remaining piece and extract carefully. If all else fails, push the remaining cork into the bottle. It won’t hurt the wine. Just pour through a strainer.
Screw caps — twist and pour. No drama required.
SERVING TEMPERATURES
This matters more than most people think. Serving wine at the right temperature can dramatically improve the experience.
White wine — Serve at 8–12°C. Light, crisp whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Muscadet) on the colder end. Richer, fuller whites (Chardonnay, white Burgundy, Viognier) on the warmer end. If in doubt, take the bottle out of the fridge 10–15 minutes before serving.
Rosé — Serve at 8–10°C. Nice and cold.
Red wine — Serve at 14–18°C. Light reds (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Gamay) on the cooler end — don’t be afraid to put them in the fridge for 15–20 minutes before serving. Fuller reds (Cabernet, Barolo, Syrah) on the warmer end. “Room temperature” is NOT the ideal serving temperature for red wine — that advice dates from an era when rooms were much colder than modern centrally-heated homes. If your red wine tastes soupy, hot, or alcoholic, it is too warm. Chill it.
Sparkling wine — Serve at 6–8°C. Cold. The colder the temperature, the more controlled the bubbles and the more refreshing the wine. Fine Champagne can be served slightly warmer (8–10°C) to allow its complexity to show.
Fortified wine — Dry styles (Fino, Manzanilla Sherry) should be served cold, like white wine. Sweet styles (Port, Madeira, Fondillón, PX Sherry) at 12–16°C — cool but not cold.
GLASSES
You do not need a different glass for every type of wine. You need one good glass.
The ideal all-purpose wine glass is tulip-shaped — wider at the bowl, narrower at the rim. This shape concentrates the aromas and directs them toward your nose. It should be clear (not coloured), thin-lipped (not thick), and have a stem (so your hand doesn’t warm the wine).
If you want to invest in two glasses, get a standard tulip for white wine and sparkling, and a larger-bowled glass for red wine. The larger bowl gives red wine’s aromas more space to develop.
Good, affordable wine glasses — Zalto, Riedel (the Ouverture range is excellent value), Gabriel-Glas, Schott Zwiesel. You don’t need to spend €50 per glass. €10–15 per glass gets you something excellent.
Do not use small, thick, pub-style wine glasses. They muffle the aromas and make even great wine taste ordinary. The glass matters. Not as much as the wine, but more than most people think.
THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE
I have been a sommelier for many years. I have tasted tens of thousands of wines. I have studied, passed exams, earned qualifications, and spent more hours thinking about wine than is probably healthy.
And if I could give every beginner a single piece of advice, it would be this:
Drink what you like.
That’s it. There is no wrong answer. There is no wine you should like. There is no wine you should dislike. There is no grape, no region, no style, no price point that is inherently better or worse than any other. There are only wines that give you pleasure and wines that don’t.
The entire point of wine — the whole reason it has existed for eight thousand years — is enjoyment. If you enjoy a €7 Côtes du Rhône more than a €700 Burgundy, the Côtes du Rhône is the better wine — for you, in that moment. And that is the only judgment that matters.
Everything in this guide — the grapes, the regions, the labels, the serving temperatures, the food pairings — is designed to help you find more wines that give you pleasure. To expand your horizons. To help you discover things you didn’t know you loved.
But the foundation, always, is this: drink what you like. Trust your palate. It is the only one you have, and it is always right.
Welcome to wine. The journey never ends. And it only gets better.
Tim Morgan is a sommelier and wine writer based in London. He still remembers his first glass of wine. It was terrible…. He’s been chasing a better one ever since.