Wine Basics
How Are Corks Made? From Cork Oak Bark to Bottle
Wine corks are cut from the bark of the cork oak, stripped by hand every nine years. Here is how corks are made, the main cork types and how they compare.
7 min read
Wine guides
All wine guides · Page 5
Every Wine Blue Book guide in one place: wine basics, grape varieties, wine regions, food pairings, wine ratings and research-based value picks.
Wine Basics
Is Wine Gluten Free? Grapes, Labels and Exceptions
Wine made from grapes contains no gluten ingredients, and TTB lets it say gluten-free. The exceptions are flavored wines and malt-based wine coolers.
5 min read
Food Pairings
Kir Royale: Recipe, Ratio and the Story of Canon Kir
A Kir Royale is crème de cassis topped with Champagne; a plain Kir uses dry white wine, traditionally Aligoté. Ratios, the right cassis and its Dijon story.
6 min read
Wine Regions
Loire Valley Wine: Regions, Grapes and What to Drink
Loire Valley wine runs from Muscadet near the Atlantic to Sancerre in the east. Here are the regions, grapes, styles and food matches to know.
8 min read
Wine Basics
Low Acid Wine: Softer Grapes, pH and How to Find Them
All wine is acidic, but some is softer. Here is what pH and TA mean, the lower-acid white and red grapes, and how warm climates and winemaking lower acidity.
6 min read
Wine Basics
Low Alcohol Wine: Light Styles and What the Label Means
Moscato d'Asti, German Kabinett and Vinho Verde are naturally light. The lowest-alcohol wine styles, their ABVs, and how US labels work under 7%.
6 min read
Wine Basics
Low Sugar Wine: Driest Styles and How to Read the Label
Most dry wine has very little sugar. Here is what residual sugar means, the driest styles, the label words to look for, and USDA sugar figures per glass.
6 min read
Grape Varieties
Malbec vs Merlot: Taste, Body, Regions and Food
Malbec and Merlot are related, dry, fruity reds. Malbec is darker and fuller with plum and blackberry; Merlot is rounder, with cherry and chocolate.
6 min read
Wine Basics
Malolactic Fermentation: What It Is and Why It Matters
Malolactic fermentation turns sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid. Here is how it works, where buttery Chardonnay comes from and which wines skip it.
7 min read
Food Pairings
Mimosa Recipe: Ratios, Best Sparkling Wine and Brunch Tips
A classic mimosa is equal parts chilled sparkling wine and orange juice. Ratios from named sources, which bubbly to buy, and how to serve it for brunch.
6 min read
Grape Varieties
Muscadet: The Loire's Bone-Dry White, Sur Lie Explained
Muscadet is a bone-dry white from Melon de Bourgogne grapes near Nantes. Learn what sur lie means, the seven crus and why it is made for oysters.
7 min read
Wine Regions
Napa Valley Wines: AVAs, Cabernet, History and Visiting
Napa Valley grows 4% of California's wine grapes, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, across 17 nested AVAs. Here is what to know, from labels to planning a visit.
7 min read