Wine Knowledge

Wine That Speaks of Its Land — Burgundy and Bordeaux Terroir Seen Through Yokon Wasai

Where Yokon Wasai meets terroir Japan has a phrase, wakon yosai — Japanese spirit, Western learning. Born in the Meiji era, it describes holding fast to the native soul while taking in the techni...

Pagodes de Cos vs G d'Estournel: What Is the Difference?

Pagodes de Cos and G d'Estournel, both from the illustrious Château Cos d'Estournel.Same estate, two very different pleasures.Here is a clear guide to what sets them apart.

Why Wine Is Such a Natural Partner for Kanburi, January's Great Winter Delicacy

Kanburi, January's prized winter yellowtail, is a surprisingly fine partner for wine as well as sake. Its rich, fatty flesh calls for a white with bright acidity or a light, fruit-forward red. Here...

The People Who Can't Choose a Wine Are Usually Choosing It Right

You love wine, but you don't really understand it.That is not a failing.Forget grape varieties and scores: what matters is what you plan to eat and who you are drinking with.That instinct is the mo...

How Pinot Noir Changes Across Burgundy - Reading the Regional Appellations

One grape, and yet Pinot Noir wears a startlingly different face from one corner of Burgundy to the next. Climate, soil, altitude and generations of differing thinking in the vineyard all leave the...

Wine as a Gift | How to Choose the Right Bottle for Any Occasion

Taking a bottle of wine as a gift.It sounds like the easiest thing in the world - until you are standing in front of the shelf trying to decide. You do not know what they like.You are not sure what...

Seven Wines for the Christmas Table - Pairings to Savour

At Christmas, the food takes centre stage.The ideal wine adds a little sparkle to the occasion while quietly making the food taste better. "Champagne, obviously.""Red or white? I never can decide."...

Sugar alone changes everything — the styles of dry Champagne, and how Brut Nature, Extra Brut and Brut differ

Two Champagnes with much the same label, and yet completely different in the glass — have you ever had that experience? Grape variety and ageing matter, of course, but the taste of a Champagne chan...

How to find the Champagne that suits you

Grape × dosage decides the taste We tend to choose Champagne by the look of the label, a shop's recommendation or the price. In fact, the direction of the taste is decided almost entirely by just t...

Four Southern Rhône appellations in a phrase each: Lirac, Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Cairanne

The southern Rhône is a great wine region of many appellations, led by Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Among them, Lirac, Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Cairanne differ so clearly in style that a side-by-side tasti...