Alcohol’s Influence on Wine Aging Potential

You’re right to think that alcohol has something to do with a wine’s aging potential. Wines with higher alcohol levels (+14%) can usually age longer than lower-alcohol wines (under 14%). Alcohol acts as a natural preservative and antioxidant in wine. Examples include Amarone, Port, Madeira, and Shiraz. Some lower-alcohol wines can also age, though, like […]

How Old Does Wine Have to Be to Be a Vintage?

One of the biggest challenges the wine industry has is its web of complicated terms. Like the term “vintage”, which has nothing to do with a wine’s age. This is unhelpful. A vintage wine isn’t a certain age. A “Vintage Wine” is a wine where the grapes used to make it all came from the […]

16 Wine Label Terms (You Must Know)

Navigating wine bottle labels can be as confusing as navigating the wine aisle. Some terms are regulated, and some aren’t. Knowing what different wine label terms mean can help you choose a wine that you’ll enjoy.  Check out this quick and easy wine label terminology glossary of 16 common wine label terms that you’ll run […]

Touriga Nacional: Quick Guide

Pronounced: tore-ee-gah naw-see-oh-nahl If you’re holding a bottle of Touriga Nacional right now, please invite me over. Seriously.  Touriga Nacional is a black wine grape native to Northern Portugal. Winemakers use Touriga Nacional as a main blending grape in age-worthy sweet fortified Port wines, as well as fine dry red table wines. Touriga Nacional wines […]

What Does Vintage Mean on Wine?

If you hang around wine people long enough, you’re bound to hear a wide range of strange new vocabulary bandied about: sur lee, grippy tannins, and legs. One noteworthy word is vintage, which technically refers to a number. While numerically expressed as a year, the vintage actually refers to the growing conditions over an entire […]