A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE GOES A LONG WAY
Wine guides for the table
Practical explanations, tasting tips and answers to the questions that come up when a bottle is opened.
How to taste wine: a practical guide
Learn to taste wine with a simple routine: look, smell, taste and describe what you notice.
Read more →Wine guideHow to host a wine tasting at home
Plan a relaxed wine tasting at home, from choosing a theme to pouring, tasting notes and getting everyone home safely.
Read more →Wine guideHow to hold a wine glass
Hold a wine glass comfortably, swirl with confidence and enjoy the aromas without warming the bowl.
Read more →Wine guidePrimary, secondary and tertiary wine aromas
Understand where wine aromas come from: the grape, fermentation, winemaking and ageing.
Read more →Wine guideHow to use a wine aroma wheel
Find words for what you smell in wine with a simple approach to the wine aroma wheel.
Read more →Wine guideFrom grape to glass: how wine is made
Follow wine from the vineyard through fermentation, maturation and bottling, with the choices you can taste.
Read more →Wine guideHow to write wine tasting notes you can use
Write clear wine tasting notes that help you remember the bottle, the flavours and whether you would buy it again.
Read more →Wine guideA simple wine tasting notes template
Use this practical tasting note template to compare wines and remember your favourites.
Read more →Wine guideWine and food pairing: where to start
Choose wine for dinner by comparing weight, acidity, sweetness and the strongest flavours on the plate.
Read more →Wine guideHow to store wine at home
Keep wine away from heat, light and sudden changes, and make your bottles easy to find.
Read more →Wine guideHow to store unopened red wine
Find a suitable place for unopened red wine and decide which bottles to drink now or keep.
Read more →Wine guideHow long can you keep unopened wine?
Understand why wine storage life depends on style, producer, vintage and the way the bottle has been kept.
Read more →Wine guideWhen is a wine ready to drink?
Recognise youthful, mature and fading wine, and choose when to open the next bottle.
Read more →Wine guideWhat is a wine drinking window?
Use a wine drinking window as a guide to opening bottles, with room for storage conditions and personal taste.
Read more →Wine guideBuying an old wine collection: what to check
Look beyond old labels when assessing a wine collection: storage history, bottle condition and realistic expectations.
Read more →Wine guideHow to tell if wine is bad: cork taint and other faults
Learn to recognise cork taint, oxidation and wine past its best, and distinguish faults from harmless sediment or pieces of cork.
Read more →Want to save your tasting notes?
Keep bottles, locations and personal favourites together in CellarMemo.
Explore the wine app