Chablis is Chardonnay with its surroundings turned up. The grape that can produce a broad, tropical, heavily oaked white elsewhere often gives lem
Continue ReadingBordeaux White and Sweet Wines Explained: Graves, Pessac-Léognan, and Sauternes
Bordeaux white and sweet wines ask growers to make two very different appointments with the same grapes. For a fresh dry white, the aim is healthy
Continue ReadingBordeaux Red Wines Explained: Left Bank, Right Bank, and Blending
Bordeaux red wines make more sense when you stop treating the river as a line between two recipes. The Left Bank favours Cabernet Sauvignon; the R
Continue ReadingWine Maturation and Finishing Explained: Oak, Lees, Blending, Stabilization, and Ageing
A wine can finish alcoholic fermentation and still be a long way from the bottle. It may need time, a different vessel, a carefully chosen blend o
Continue ReadingSweet Winemaking Explained: Noble Rot, Dried Grapes, Frozen Grapes, and Fermentation
A sweet wine can begin with a shrivelled berry, a frozen bunch or perfectly ordinary grape juice. The crucial question is what happens to the suga
Continue ReadingRed Winemaking Explained: Extraction, Fermentation, and Maceration
A red ferment contains both liquid and the grape solids that can change its character. The winemaker has to decide how much to extract, when to ex
Continue ReadingWhite and Rosé Winemaking Explained: From Harvest to Bottle
A black grape can yield pale juice, and a very ripe grape can produce dry wine. Those two facts explain why white and rosé winemaking needs more
Continue ReadingVineyard Management Explained: Pruning, Training, Yields, and Hazards
The easiest vineyard to photograph is not necessarily the easiest vineyard to farm. Neat rows can hide disease pressure, uneven ripening or a shor
Continue ReadingHow Grapevines Grow: The Annual Cycle, Ripening, and Grape Composition
A grapevine has to finance a new growing season before it has a working canopy of leaves. It draws on reserves, builds shoots, produces flowers an
Continue ReadingHow Climate, Soil, and Vineyard Location Shape Wine
Two vineyards can sit a short walk apart and deliver surprisingly different grapes. One catches the morning sun; the other waits behind a ridge. O
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