Wine Basics
Wine Sediment: Crystals, Grit and How to Decant
Sediment and the glassy crystals called wine diamonds are natural and harmless. Here is what they are, why they form and how to pour a wine off them.
7 min read
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Wine Basics · Page 4
Wine basics in plain English: how wine is made, how to store and serve it, how long it lasts once opened, and what is wrong when a wine tastes sour, smells off or turns brown.
Wine Basics
Can You Freeze Wine? What Happens and When It's OK
Yes, you can freeze leftover wine for cooking, but not in a full bottle. The freezing point of wine, why bottles crack and what to do with a frozen bottle.
5 min read
Wine Basics
Fortified Wine: Port, Sherry, Madeira, Marsala and More
Fortified wine has grape spirit added, which makes it stronger and longer-lasting. Here are the main types, their alcohol levels and how long each keeps open.
8 min read
Wine Basics
How to Hold a Wine Glass (and Why the Stem Matters)
Hold a stemmed wine glass by the stem or the foot, not the bowl. Here's why, plus how to hold stemless glasses and flutes, swirl, and how full to pour.
6 min read
Wine Basics
How to Make Wine at Home: A Step-by-Step Beginner Guide
How to make wine at home from a kit or fresh fruit: the equipment, sanitizing, fermentation, racking, stabilizing and bottling, plus the federal limits.
8 min read
Wine Basics
How to Read a Wine Label: US Rules and European Terms
What every line on a wine label means: US rules for grape, place, vintage and alcohol, plus how French, Italian, Spanish and German labels work.
8 min read
Wine Basics
How to Remove Red Wine Stains From Fabric and Carpet
Blot, rinse with cool water, then treat. Steps from extension services and the Carpet and Rug Institute for clothes, carpet and upholstery, plus myths to skip.
8 min read
Wine Basics
How to Taste Wine: Look, Swirl, Smell, Taste, Conclude
How to taste wine in five steps: look, swirl, smell, taste and conclude. Plus tasting words, when to spit, winery etiquette and a simple flight to try at home.
8 min read
Wine Basics
Ice Wine: How Icewine and Eiswein Are Made and Served
Ice wine is a sweet wine pressed from grapes frozen on the vine. Here are the Canadian and German rules, the grapes, why it costs so much and how to serve it.
7 min read
Wine Basics
Madeira Wine: Styles, Grapes, Age Labels and Cooking
Madeira is a heated, fortified wine from a Portuguese Atlantic island. Here are its grapes, Rainwater, age labels, how long it keeps open and cooking tips.
8 min read
Wine Basics
Marsala Wine: Styles, Labels, Cooking and Substitutes
Marsala is a fortified wine from western Sicily, made dry or sweet in gold, amber and ruby styles. Here is how to read the label, cook with it and swap it out.
8 min read
Wine Basics
Non-Alcoholic Wine: Labels, How It's Made and Taste
Most non-alcoholic wine is real wine with the alcohol taken out. What the US label terms mean, how it's made, how it tastes and how many calories it has.
7 min read