Fortified vs Unfortified Wine: What’s the Difference?

You’ve heard of fortified wines before, but just how are they different from regular table wines? Fortified wines have distilled spirits added during the winemaking process and are higher in alcohol than unfortified wines, often 17%+ versus 11%-15% abv for traditional wine. No additional alcohol is added to unfortified wines. Both fortified and unfortified wines […]
Is Rose Wine Sweet?

Rose Wine Sweetness Chart Ah! A lazy summer afternoon picnic and a bottle of chilled rosé wine. Maybe a little chevre cheese and a baguette. What more could you ask for? Before you head to the local wine shop, it’s helpful to know the style of rosé you’re getting. Is your rosé wine sweet or […]
Sparkling Rose Wine

Sparkling rosé is many things, but above all, it’s just plain fun. Sparkling rose is a category of pink wine. Prosecco, Champagne, and Moscato can all be made in a sparkling rose style. Sparkling rose wines can be sweet or dry. Rose sparkling wines make excellent mimosas and great pairing partners for light summer foods. […]
What Is a Good Sweet Wine for Beginners?

New wine drinkers figure out pretty quickly that the liquid in their wine glass doesn’t taste anything like grape juice. Good sweet wines for beginners include: Moscato d’Asti, White Zinfandel, Cabernet d’Anjou, off-dry Riesling, Vin Doux Naturel, Demi-Sec and Doux Champagne, Port, and Sauternes. Wines come in a range of sweetness levels, so you have […]
What Wine Tastes Like Strawberries?

One of the most fascinating things about wine is that they come in so many different flavors, including strawberry. Fruit wines made from strawberries will always taste like strawberries, but other wines made from grapes taste like strawberries, too. Look for wines made from Grenache or Garnacha, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Tempranillo. Chianti, Rioja, and […]
Unlocking Taste: A Quick Guide to Wine Structure

Every wine can be broken down into components – acid, alcohol, tannins, sugar – here’s a quick guide to get you tasting like a pro.