31 articles published
Guides
Practical guides to buying, serving and keeping wine — without the jargon.
Wine with no added sulfites: what it actually means in the glass
You have seen the words 'no added sulfites' on a wine label and wondered whether it is a marketing claim or a real difference in the glass. The…
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French Sweet Wines: Sauternes, Monbazillac, and the Ones Worth Knowing
A well-chilled glass of Sauternes, that deep golden light in the wine. Or a Monbazillac with a wedge of roquefort on an autumn evening. French sweet…
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Collecting Wine in 2026: What to Buy, Why, and What to Pay
You want to set aside a few bottles that will be worth more in ten years than they are today, but you're not sure where to start. That's normal. The…
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Natural wine in France: what's actually going on in your glass
Slightly hazy, faintly fizzy, with that fermented edge that catches you off guard on the first sniff. Natural wine divides opinion, sparks arguments…
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Natural Wine vs Organic Wine: What's Actually Different
The two are often lumped together on the same shelf, marketed with the same values, and bought by the same crowd. But organic wine and natural wine…
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Muscadet, Chablis, or Champagne: Which One to Open with Seafood?
A seafood platter lands on the table — oysters, prawns, maybe a whole crab — and suddenly you need to decide which bottle to open. Muscadet, Chablis…
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French rosé has changed — here are the bottles that prove it
For a long time, pulling a bottle of rosé out at dinner was a way of signalling that you didn't quite know your wines. That era is over. French…
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Cabernet, Chardonnay, Grenache… The French grapes behind the wine in your glass
You pick up a bottle of French wine and the label says 'Bourgogne', 'Bordeaux', or 'Côtes du Rhône' — but there is no grape variety in sight. That is…
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Bordeaux 2010–2023: which vintages are actually worth your attention?
You're holding a bottle of Bordeaux and wondering whether now is the right moment to open it — or whether you should have reached for a different…
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Whites, rosés, bubbles: our favourite French wines when the heat is on
It's hot, the table is outside, and you're wondering what to put on ice. That's exactly the right question. Summer deserves wines you drink with real…
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The best French organic wines we actually enjoyed in 2026
Organic wine has grown so large as a category that it's easy to get lost in it. Between the AB label, Ecocert, Biodyvin, and growers who farm…
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Red wine with red meat: how to get the pairing right every time
A good piece of beef on the heat, a bottle waiting on the table — and suddenly, doubt. Bordeaux or Burgundy? Something powerful or something more…
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Organic, biodynamic, natural: what those words on a wine label actually mean
Walk down the wine aisle and the labels multiply fast: organic, biodynamic, natural, no added sulphites. It is easy to assume these are just…
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Giving a Bottle for a Birthday: What to Choose at Every Budget
You have a birthday coming up in three days, you know the person enjoys wine, and you don't want to show up with something random. Good news: you…
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Full-bodied reds for winter: our picks for the holiday table
It's cold outside, the table is set, and you need a red wine that can stand up to a slow-braised leg of lamb or a chestnut log cake. You don't need…
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Decanting Wine: the Simple Step That Changes Everything in the Glass
You open a good bottle, pour a glass, and something is missing. The wine is shut, austere, almost mute — even though it's a solid vintage from a…
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Bubbles, whites, rosés: which wines to open for aperitif hour?
Aperitif hour is the moment when everything can tip in the right direction. In France, l'apéritif is a distinct ritual: drinks and small bites served…
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Wine words explained — without the intimidation
You have read a tasting note and felt like you needed a decoder ring. Silky tannins, complex nose, 18 months in oak... These expressions are not…
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Wine and fish: what actually works in the glass
You've probably been told your whole life that fish goes with white wine. That's true, most of the time. But it's more nuanced than that blanket rule…
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Wine and cheese: stop guessing, here's what actually works
We've all been there: a beautiful cheeseboard on the table, a bottle opened with real enthusiasm, and then that odd, slightly metallic taste that…
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Which glass for which wine? A guide that genuinely changes how wine tastes
Have you ever tasted the same wine from two different glasses and felt like you were drinking two entirely different bottles? That's not your…
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What Wine to Give at Christmas? Our Best Ideas for Every Budget
A good bottle under the tree sounds simple. But standing in front of the shelves, doubt creeps in: too expensive, too safe, too risky? Here are our…
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The best champagnes between €25 and €80: what people actually drink
You don't always want to spend €150 on a bottle of champagne. And honestly, you don't need to. Between €25 and €80, there are champagnes that do…
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How to taste wine like a wine merchant, glass by glass
You've been there: glass in hand, someone says they're getting blackcurrant and forest floor, and you're getting... wine. The good news is that…
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How to store wine properly — with or without a cellar
A well-chosen bottle set aside for a special occasion, left somewhere unsuitable for six months — and then the disappointment when you open it. It…
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Good French wine under €15: our real finds for 2026
Fifteen euros. That's what a sandwich and a drink costs in Paris, and it's also the budget at which you can still find wines that make you want to…
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French White Wines Worth Your Attention in 2026
A well-chosen glass of white wine is often the thing that makes an evening: a summer night, a piece of skate pan-fried in brown butter, a platter of…
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Choosing wine at a restaurant: how to do it without the stress
The wine list arrives. It runs twenty pages. Your dining companion looks at you. And there it is — that familiar small vertigo. You're not alone…
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The French red wines we loved in 2026 — and recommend without reservation
You have an occasion coming up, you want to treat yourself, or you keep running into the same question: which French red is actually worth its price…
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How to open a bottle of wine without the drama: every method explained
Everyone has been there: a good bottle on the table, guests waiting, and the cork refusing to budge. Or worse, snapping in half. Opening a bottle of…
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Wine serving temperature: what your fridge will never tell you
Temperature does more to a wine than almost any other thing you control, and it is the variable most people never touch. The same bottle at 22 °C and…
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