Wine - All You Ever Wanted to Know

Here is all the information you need before you buy wine online. All there is to know about food and wine, wine storage, wine tasting and more.

Wine has been a source of pleasure to mankind since the beginning of civilization. Studies carried out by fossil hunters show that wild vines existed in Europe from the tertiary era. It is thought that the present varieties propagated in Europe during the last interglacial period. No one knows who made the first wines or enjoyed their effects, but wines are woven through the tapestry of human history like few other products. Few regions of the world remain untouched by its many virtues.

Wine has played many roles. It is used in religious ceremonies. It is used as medicine, an antiseptic and a water purifier. It can transform meals into feasts. Wine can comfort and give you courage. What is wine? Simply put, wine is the naturally fermented juice of fresh fruit or berries. Wine is primarily an agricultural product. With little assistance from humans, nature converts grapes by a chemical process, into an alcoholic beverage. Using a few skilled techniques, wines of immense variety are bottled and transported around the world.

Today, we know more about wines than ever before. We have learned how to cultivate the highest quality grapes to produce the finest wines, and how to pair them with foods to show both at their very best. Over time, we have learned or perhaps rediscovered, wine as a principle source of nourishment and the benefits it can bring when consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet. In enjoying wine, we connect with history and with those before us who have participated in one of mankind's earliest and simplest pleasures. Educating ourselves about wine and its proper use can only help us to enjoy it to the fullest, and to make it part of a gracious way of life.

Wine Tasting

Tips on appreciating and tasting wine. Different techniques for wine tasting - look, swirl, color, taste, aroma. Decanting wine - Is it necessary to decant a bottle of wine? What is the best temperature for wine when it is served?

Food and Wine

Get help and suggestions on matching wine and food.

Wine Glossary. Wine Tasting Terminology

Our glossary of wine terminology will help you feel confident around even the most sophisticated wine lovers.

Wine Facts

Read some fun and interesting wine facts. How many wine grape varieties are there? Where is the oldest wine cellar in the world? Lots more.

Wine Quotes

Wine has been a topic of conversation throughout the ages. Read our large collection, from the famous to the anonymous.

Wine in Our Culture

References to wine are found throughout our culture - in TV shows, movies, books, plays and poetry.

Describing Wine

There are hundreds of terms used to describe wine. Learn to develop your own set of terms to describe your wine tasting experiences.

Buying and Rating Wine

Learn some tips on how to buy wine, online or at your neighborhood store. Find out how the professional tasters and wine editors do their wine rating or scoring. Read about wine auction houses.

Wine Grapes

Description of over 40 different wine grape varieties, both red wine grapes and white wine grapes.

Wine Making

Making wine is a process perfected over the centuries. It involves harvesting at just the right time, crushing, separating the juice, fermenting and aging.

Wine Storage

How to store wine. What are the things you should consider about wine storage? What methods work best for storing open wine bottles?

Wine Bottles

From the Half-Bottle to the Nebuchadnezzar, from Split to Bottle Sickness. This table will explain terms associated with the wine bottle.

The Wine Label

It has become fairly simple to create your own personalized wine label with wine label software and graphics now available. Also learn how to decipher commercial wine labels.

Wine Glasses

There is a great variety of wine glasses to choose from. The shape, weight, size and other factors can influence your experience.

Old World Wine vs New World Wine

Italy, Spain and France, the three largest wine producing countries, developed the traditional basis for wine grape growing and wine making. Wines produced there are known as Old World Wines. New World Wines, those produced in the southern hemisphere, and in the United States, have challenged these traditional methods. New World Wines tends to be more fruity.

Wine Classifications

There are two classifications of wine - table and fortified.

Champagne

The history of champagne is a little different than most people think. It was not invented by Dom Perignon, just perfected by him. Champagne has been enjoyed from the mid 1600's until today.

Beaujolais Wine

Find out what all the fuss is about.

Vintage Wine Chart

Vintage wine chart including Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Rhone Red, Port Wine and Sauntern.

Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855

In 1855, Napoleon requested that a classification be developed for Bordeaux wine (France's best) which was to be displayed at the Exposition Universelle de Paris. What was developed is not referred to as The Classification of 1855.

Wine Countries

Wine is produced all over the world. Each country's wine has different qualities and characteristics.

The Wine Pact

In 1998 a group of countries producing New World Wine met in Zurich to balance the overwhelming influence of Europe on international wine issues. In 2002, the Wine Pact was formed, developing regulatory and enforcement systems to assure countries comply with standards in wine production.