Wine
Wine is fermented grape juice. Its color isn’t in the juice; it comes from the skin. On this page, you’ll learn what’s in the bottle, how white, rosé, and red wines can come from the same grape, and which glass to choose.
Wine by type
Do you already know which direction you want to go? We have a dedicated page for each type, covering the grapes, flavor, temperature, and the glass to serve it in.
Red wine
Merlot, cabernet sauvignon and the rest, what oak does to the wine, and how warm to serve it.
Go to red wine →Rosé
Wine made from red grapes whose skins are left to steep only briefly. Serve it chilled, at 8 to 10 degrees.
Go to rosé →
Champagne
Only sparkling wines from the Champagne region may be called champagne. Here you can also read what brut and demi-sec mean.
Go to champagne →
Prosecco
What prosecco is, how dry or sweet it can be, and which glass it tastes best in.
Go to prosecco →
Cider
Made from apples, not grapes. That’s why it has its own page, with its own glasses.
Go to cider →On our drinks page, you’ll find every type and brand we cover, from wine to whisky.
The color is in the skin, not the juice
Grape juice is always colorless, even when it comes from a red grape. Wine gets its color from the skin. So whether you get white, rosé, or red depends not on the grape, but on how long the skins remain in the must. For red wine, that's 24 hours; for rosé, 8 to 14 hours; and for white wine, the skins are usually removed before fermentation. The longer the contact, the darker the wine. So the difference between rosé and white wine is simply the skin. Rosé is made from red grapes, not a mix of white and red wine. Mixing white and red wine is not even allowed in the EU. Rosé Champagne is the only exception.
It starts with the harvest. Those who pick by hand leave unripe and bad bunches on the vine. A machine can't do that. The grapes are then crushed and usually destemmed. This releases the flavor compounds found in and beneath the skin. The must ferments slowly, and the sugars turn into alcohol. Wines with lots of malic acid, such as a full-bodied Chardonnay, undergo a second fermentation. The malic acid then softens into lactic acid. After filtering, some of the wine is aged in oak barrels. This doesn't work for every wine. It gives Chardonnay a rich, warm character, with vanilla, butter, and even caramel. The same grape stays fresh and crisp when aged in a stainless steel tank.
In brief
Five bottles that show the variety on the shelf
A dry white, a sweet sparkling wine, and a bottle without alcohol, with two more in between. Together, they show just how different wines can be.
Dry white wine
Light and fresh Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire. You can taste citrus, cut grass, and gooseberries, and it's very easy to drink.
Red wine
Made from Tempranillo, Graciano, and Garnacha, with a robust feel in the glass. Crianza means this Rioja has spent a year in oak barrels. You can taste it in the black fruit, cigar boxes, and leather.
Rosé
Salmon-pink rosé made from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Carignan. Full-bodied yet silky smooth, with peach and light red summer fruit.
Sweet sparkling wine
Sweet sparkling wine made from muscat grapes. It smells of white flowers, table grapes and pears. It contains 12.5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters, so this is the sweet end of the selection. At 5%, it’s also the lightest.
Alcohol-free wine
Alcohol-free Chardonnay from the Palatinate, smooth and full-bodied. A little sweet, with citrus, carambola and vanilla.
Each variety has its own page, with information about the grapes, flavor, temperature and glass.
From crisp and fresh to full-bodied and spicy
Citrus, apple and sometimes vanilla
Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and fresh, with citrus, cut grass and gooseberries. Pinot Grigio stays light, with green apple, pear and citrus. Is Chardonnay white or red? White, and that grape can go in two directions. Fresh and mineral from a stainless steel tank, or rich and creamy with vanilla and butter after oak aging.
Peach and red summer fruits
The skins macerate for just 8 to 14 hours, so the blue grapes contribute mainly fruit flavors. Peach and light red summer fruits, soft and fruity.
From red fruit to firm tannins
Pinot Noir is on the lighter side. Fresh and fruity, with redcurrants, cherries and raspberries and soft tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon is at the other end of the spectrum. Blackcurrants, cedarwood and lots of tannin, which softens in oak barrels.
This is an average across the entire selection. Moscato is much higher in sweetness, Sauvignon Blanc higher in freshness, and Cabernet Sauvignon higher in intensity.
How to pour wine
Temperature matters more than you might think when it comes to wine. Beyond that, it comes down to pouring gently and putting the bottle away in time.
At the right temperature
Serve fresh, very fruity white wine at 8 to 10 degrees. Full-bodied, aromatic white wine at 10 to 12, and rosé chilled to 8 to 10. Fruity red wine tastes best at 14 to 16 degrees, and powerful, full-bodied red at 18. Too warm? The fruit fades and you mainly smell alcohol. Too cold? You smell less and the acidity becomes more dominant.
To the glass →To decant or not
Decanting literally means pouring the wine into another vessel. The wine gets more oxygen, which brings out its aroma and flavor. Young, firm red wines really need this. Older wines don’t; they develop too quickly. Decant the wine half an hour to three hours beforehand. Stand an old bottle with a lot of sediment upright a day in advance.
Decanters →Pouring and storing
A 75 cl bottle holds about six glasses. Pour red wine to just below the widest part of the glass so you can swirl it without spilling. White wine and rosé can be poured just above that. Store an open bottle in a dark place that’s a little warmer than your fridge.
More about storage →Wine cocktails
Wine cocktails almost never use still wine. Usually, sparkling wine is the base. Open a bottle of dry sparkling wine for these four classics.
Kir Royal
Crème de cassis at the bottom of the glass, then slowly topped up with a dry sparkling wine.
Bellini
Peach purée at the bottom, topped up with dry sparkling wine.
Mimosa
Half orange juice, half bubbles. That’s all you need.
Alcohol-free spritz
Made like a spritz, but with an alcohol-free sparkling wine.The right glass for wine
A wine glass has a base, a stem, and a bowl, from bottom to top. Aromas collect in the bowl. You hold the glass by the stem so your hand doesn’t warm the wine. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Wine questions
Can’t find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or send us a message.
Go to the cocktail recipes →What is wine, and what percentage of alcohol does it contain?
What’s the difference between rosé, white, and red wine?
Is rosé a blend of red and white wine?
At what temperature should you serve wine?
How many glasses are in one bottle of wine?
How long does an opened bottle of wine keep?
Which wine glass do you need?
Buy wine
Want the bottle delivered straight to your door? Order wine online at Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 1,780 wines, 2 of which are on sale.
Howard's Folly Sonhador Tinto
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