Matching Food & Wine | Wine Basics

How to pair wine with fish

Fiona Beckett — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 08:53:00 +0100

Advertisement feature Fish can be cooked so many different ways these days that you may wonder what kind of wine you should pair with it.

How long does wine keep?

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 10:17:00 +0000

The question I get asked most often as a wine writer is how long you should keep a bottle of wine. It’s one of those ‘How long is a piece of string?’ questions: it depends both on the bottle and the drinker.

Should you buy wine in the sales?

Fiona Beckett — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 08:28:00 +0000

Just as with every other kind of store, specialist wine shops have sales at this time of year largely to clear stocks that have been slow to sell through and make way for new vintages they've ordered. But is wine the sort of product you should be buying in a sale? Well it depends . . .

How to taste wine like a pro

Natalie Agyapong — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 16:23:00 +0000

Being a young wine student, I’ve found myself in the fascinating world of wine and had to learn how to taste wine in a way that allowed me to be aware all the different flavours and textures that may be present.

What is the best serving temperature for wine?

Fiona Beckett — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 08:31:00 +0000

The mistake most people make when they’re serving wine is to pour whites too cold and reds too warm. Assuming you haven’t got a handy wine thermometer here’s a quick guide to the ideal temperature for different styles of wine:

How to pick a good wine from a wine list

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 07:04:00 +0000

Former sommelier Zeren Wilson of Bitten & Written reveals the tricks of the trade when it comes to choosing a good value wine and how to handle the somm.

When and how to decant wine

Fiona Beckett — Fri, 27 Dec 2019 09:04:00 +0000

There’s still a general idea that red wines - especially traditional red wines like Bordeaux - need to be decanted but that’s rarely the case these days. Most wines are made to be drunk straightaway. It’s only when one of the following conditions applies that you need to get out a decanter

How to create a modest wine cellar on a budget

Peter Pharos — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 07:51:00 +0100

You don't have to have a luxury apartment to have a wine cellar argues Peter Pharos. Here's how he did it on a budget.

What sort of wine glasses should you buy?

Fiona Beckett — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 09:35:00 +0000

Much play has been made over the last few years of having different shaped glasses for different wines but for those of us with limited storage space (and a limited budget) that’s simply not practical. So what are the best type of glasses to buy and what should you expect to pay for them?

A beginner's guide to pairing food and wine

Fiona Beckett — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 14:30:00 +0000

You know your interest in wine has entered the next level when you start to wonder what food goes with the wine you’re drinking. So I thought it might be helpful to put together this beginner's guide, covering the basics of pairing wine with food.