I want to learn more about wine. What are the best books to buy?
How to Drink Better: Wine books allow you to improve your knowledge and learn at your own pace
How to Drink Better
Think you don’t like chardonnay? You just haven’t tried the right one yet
How to Drink Better: lots of different factors influence how a bottle of chardonnay will taste – you just need to know what they are.
French wine guide: what are the main regions and the best wines?
How to Drink Better: The regions give a good idea of how the wine from each will taste
Spice bag with Champagne? The best wines to drink with tonight’s takeaway
How to Drink Better: To celebrate the weekend in style, Champagne is a great match for deep-fried foods
How many types of wine glass do I need?
How to Drink Better: There is no real reason, other than aesthetics, to have smaller glasses for white wines and larger for red
What is the best way to store wine in the absence of a ‘cellar’?
How to Drink Better: The vast majority of wine is ready to drink the day you buy it
What to do with those exotic ‘holiday’ liqueur gifts? First, open them
How to Drink Better: Establish first whether you like the taste, if not dispose of them, otherwise they’ll sit in the drinks cabinet for years
Could climate change see wine being produced in Ireland?
We are likely to see a move to cooler regions and countries including Scandinavia, Britain and, yes, even Ireland
Why the French will rarely request a ‘Burgundy’ or ‘Claret’
How to Drink Better: These anglicised words were originally used to describe wines made in Bourgogne and Bordeaux
Is sediment in wine a bad thing? Could it be harmful?
How to Drink Better: Sediment can occur in red and white wine and is generally harmless, but you might want to remove it
When in doubt should I order the second-cheapest wine on the wine list?
How to Drink Better: Don’t think you’re outsmarting the restaurant by employing this fallback
How long does a bottle of wine keep once it has been opened?
How to Drink Better: After a day or two, most wines will start to lose their vibrancy but some last better than others
What gives red wine its colour?
How to Drink Better: The flesh of most red grapes is almost colourless. It’s the skin that brings the redness
Where to go for an overseas mini-break taking in wine tastings and good food
How to Drink Better: Prioritise cities with short direct flights from Ireland, and at most a short connecting train journey
Which wines age best, and what is the oldest you have tried?
How to Drink Better: While most wine has a shelf life of just a few years, some wines do have the ability to age for decades and still taste good
Revealed: Ireland’s favourite wine and the most popular wine origins
How to Drink Better: The Irish Wine Market Report for 2023 tells us a lot about our drinking tastes, with a few surprises thrown in
John Wilson: The ultimate gift guide for the wine-lover in your life
How to Drink Better: It is always better to buy one bottle of good wine than three or four average bottles
Three make-ahead cocktails and one mocktail that will add punch to any Christmas party
How to Drink Better: These ‘fridge door’ cocktails are perfect to make ahead of time
Some wine bottles have labels with scores. What do they mean?
How to Drink Better: Scores can be a useful aid to buying wine, but remember they are often based on the opinion of one person
Alcohol-free drinks to celebrate and that won’t seem like an afterthought
How to Drink Better: While decent alcohol-free sparkling wines are out there, there are great cider and craft beer versions worth trying too
What are the best wines to choose for a table when entertaining guests in a restaurant?
How to Drink Better: It’s a challenge ordering for a mixed group of diners, but there are versatile wines that will always work well
What is the difference between organic, biodynamic, vegan and sustainable wines?
How to Drink Better: Organic and biodynamic wines cost more to produce and are generally a little more expensive
Help! I’ve been invited to a wine tasting. What do I do?
How to Drink Better: If you’re wary of the spittoon, do pour out any wine you don’t want to finish
How can you tell if a wine is off when offered a drop to taste in a restaurant?
How to Drink Better: I have never found sniffing the cork to be of any use, but others swear by it
The cooking wine rule: if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it
How to Drink Better: It’s best not to use the cheapest bottle of plonk
I want to start drinking red wine but have no idea where to start
How to Drink Better: It is a good idea to start with lighter wines that are lower in alcohol and work your way up
John Wilson: Are half price wines really half price?
How to Drink Better: The margins for importers and retailers don’t leave room for great discounts, only the biggest retailers can make the most special offers
Are expensive wines always better than cheap ones?
How to Drink Better: Any difference after €30 is likely to be marginal
If wine vintage is so important then why isn’t it always on the label?
How to Drink Better: There are very few really bad vintages and far less variation from one year to the next
I have lovely glass decanters but never really use them. Should I? Are they not a bit pretentious?
How to Drink Better: Decanters help open up a young wine, remove sediment from older ones and look great on a dinner table
Where is the best place to buy wine – supermarkets, independents or online?
How to Drink Better: It often depends on what kind of wine you want and how much you are willing to pay
I am holding a dinner party. Should I open the wines my guests bring along as gifts?
How to Drink Better: On balance, I think this is probably not the best idea
Why are so many wines higher in alcohol than before?
How to Drink Better: A great deal of wine nowadays has 14% alcohol, when for years that figure was closer to 12.5% or 13%
Why don’t French wines put the grape variety on the label?
How to Drink Better: Traditional producers often believe the grape is just one part of creating a good wine
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