Wine guides
Every wine guide in one place — 104 in all, plus a 98-term terminology A–Z. Read the overviews for free; the deeper material comes with a subscription.
Grape Growing
Anatomy of the Vine
A study guide to the grapevine — its parts and what each one does, why the vine fruits only on one-year-old wood, cane vs spur winter pruning, and the hidden work of the roots.
Read guide →Climate & Weather
A study guide to wine climate — the difference between climate and weather, the cool-to-hot temperature bands, and the three great climate types (continental, maritime, Mediterranean).
Read guide →Crossings & Hybrids
A study guide to how new grapes are born — crossing two varieties of the same species vs hybridising across species, the famous examples from Cabernet Sauvignon to Vidal, and why so few succeed.
Read guide →Heat & Temperature
A study guide to warmth in the vineyard — why temperature decides what grows where, the factors (latitude, altitude, currents, aspect, diurnal range) that shift a site hotter or cooler, and the hazards of frost and heat.
Read guide →Pests & Disease
A study guide to the vineyard's above-ground threats — birds, mammals, mites and moths, and the fungal diseases downy mildew, powdery mildew and grey rot, plus IPM, spraying and canopy defence.
Read guide →Phylloxera & Nematodes
A study guide to the vine's deadliest enemies — the root louse phylloxera that nearly ended European wine, the nematodes that spread its viruses, and why the cure was American roots.
Read guide →Rootstocks & Grafting
A study guide to the graft that saved wine — why nearly every vine is a fruiting top joined to American-derived roots, how rootstocks solve phylloxera, nematodes and drought, and bench vs head grafting.
Read guide →Soil
A study guide to vineyard soil — the terroir idea, the layers under the vine, how sand, clay and loam store water, and why poor, low-nutrient soils make the best wine.
Read guide →Species, Propagation & Clones
A study guide to where vines come from — the one wine species Vitis vinifera, the American species behind rootstocks, why vines are cloned not seeded, and how mutation gives clones like the Pinot family.
Read guide →Sunlight
A study guide to sunlight in the vineyard — why light powers the photosynthesis that ripens grapes, how latitude, aspect, cloud and reflection change it, and the sunburn hazard of too much.
Read guide →The Growing Cycle
A study guide to the vine's year — dormancy, budburst, flowering and fruit set, véraison and ripening, and harvest, the hazards at each stage, and how a vintage is made one turn of the clock at a time.
Read guide →Viticultural Practices
A study guide to how growers farm — the spectrum from conventional through sustainable and organic to biodynamic, what each allows, and how it connects to natural wine.
Read guide →Water & Irrigation
A study guide to water in the vineyard — why the vine needs it and how much, rainfall vs the three irrigation methods, the harm of drought and of excess water, and the hail hazard.
Read guide →Winemaking & Styles
Fortified Wine
A study guide to fortified wine — how grape spirit stops fermentation, and the two great examples in depth — Sherry (flor, the solera, Fino to Oloroso) and Port (the Douro, foot-treading, Ruby to Vintage).
Read guide →Natural Wine
A study guide to natural wine — the philosophy of subtraction, the Gang of Four, why "natty" tastes funky, and how to tell a feature from a fault in the glass.
Read guide →Non-Alcoholic Wine
A study guide to non-alcoholic (zero-proof) wine — why you can't just ferment less, the three dealcoholisation methods, and how the alcohol's job gets replaced.
Read guide →Red Wine
A study guide to red winemaking — extraction as the whole game, cap management, fermentation on skins, oak and controlled oxidation, malolactic, and carbonic maceration explained.
Read guide →Rosé
A study guide to rosé winemaking — colour as a contact clock, the three methods (direct press, short maceration, saignée), why blending is banned, and the pale-Provence style decoded.
Read guide →Sparkling Wine
A study guide to sparkling winemaking — the six methods from traditional to pét-nat, the sweetness scale decoded, autolysis, riddling and dosage, and the world beyond Champagne.
Read guide →The Grape
A study guide to the grape as winemaking's raw material — what the pulp, skins, seeds, stems and bloom each contribute, where sugar, acid, colour and tannin live, and how red and white winemaking use them differently.
Read guide →White Wine
A study guide to white winemaking — protecting delicate aromas from oxygen, pressing before fermentation, cool ferments, lees and bâtonnage, malolactic, sweet-wine methods, and wine faults.
Read guide →Countries
Argentina
A study guide to Argentina — the world of high-altitude wine in the Andes' rain shadow, its Malbec and Torrontés, the parral, summer hail, and a north-to-south tour from Salta to Patagonia.
Read guide →Armenia
A study guide to Armenian wine — the world's oldest known winery at Areni-1, the karas tradition, high-altitude volcanic vineyards, Areni Noir and Voskehat, and the rebirth after a century of brandy.
Read guide →Australia
A study guide to Australia — a continent of wine climates from hot irrigated inland to cool Tasmania, its Shiraz, Coonawarra Cabernet, Hunter Semillon, and the oceans and altitude that temper it.
Read guide →Austria
A study guide to Austria — Grüner Veltliner and the Danube trio, the DAC system, Ausbruch and Strohwein, and the Zweigelt–Blaufränkisch–St Laurent red family.
Read guide →Canada
A study guide to Canada — Icewine and the VQA rules behind it, Niagara's lake-warmed peninsula, Vidal and the approved hybrids, and the Okanagan Valley out west.
Read guide →Chile
A study guide to Chile — a phylloxera-free strip walled by desert, Andes and ocean, cooled by the Humboldt current, and home to Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, and its lost-and-found signature, Carménère.
Read guide →France
A study guide to France — the birthplace of the AOC system and terroir, its cool-north-to-Mediterranean-south spread, and a tour of all eleven classic wine regions.
Read guide →Georgia
A study guide to Georgian wine — eight thousand unbroken vintages, the buried qvevri and the amber wines it makes, Saperavi and Rkatsiteli, and Kakheti's Alazani Valley.
Read guide →Germany
A study guide to Germany — the river valleys that ripen Riesling at the margin, the Prädikat ladder decoded word by word, Eiswein, and the regions beyond the Mosel spotlight.
Read guide →Greece
A study guide to Greece through three grapes — volcanic Assyrtiko from Santorini, silky Agiorgitiko from Nemea, and tannic, age-worthy Xinomavro from Naoussa.
Read guide →Hungary
A study guide to Hungary through Tokaj — where two rivers, volcanic hills and noble rot make the world's original great sweet wine, from bone-dry Furmint to golden Aszú.
Read guide →Italy
A study guide to Italy — the boot from Alps to Etna, its DOCG–DOC–IGT wine law, and the North/Centre/South tour through Piemonte, Veneto, Tuscany and beyond.
Read guide →Moldova
A study guide to Moldovan wine — the world's largest wine cellars, the Purcari legend, Fetească and Rară Neagră, and a small country that lives and breathes wine.
Read guide →New Zealand
A study guide to New Zealand — a cool, maritime nation defined by two grapes, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Central Otago Pinot Noir, and the sunshine, wind, and rain that shape them.
Read guide →Portugal
A study guide to Portugal — an Atlantic country of native grapes, from spritzy Vinho Verde to the terraced Douro, granite Dão, tannic Bairrada Baga, and warm Alentejo.
Read guide →Romania
A study guide to Romanian wine — Europe's quiet sixth-largest producer, the Fetească family, Grasă de Cotnari's golden sweetness, and Dealu Mare's reds.
Read guide →South Africa
A study guide to South Africa — the Cape's Old World–New World bridge, cooled by the cold Benguela Current and the Cape Doctor wind, home to Chenin Blanc and Pinotage.
Read guide →Spain
A study guide to Spain — the world's largest vineyard, its four climate zones from green Galicia to sun-baked Jerez, the DO/DOCa ladder, and a gentle intro to sherry.
Read guide →Türkiye
A study guide to Turkish wine — eight thousand years of Anatolian winemaking, the native grapes (Öküzgözü, Boğazkere, Kalecik Karası, Narince, Emir), and why its best bottles stay a secret.
Read guide →USA
A study guide to American wine — the AVA system, California in brief, the Cascades rain shadow behind Washington, Oregon's Willamette Pinot, and the deep glacial lakes that make Finger Lakes Riesling possible.
Read guide →Regions
Alsace
A study guide to Alsace — the four noble grapes, the label system from Edelzwicker to Grand Cru, Vendanges Tardives and SGN, and Crémant, behind the Vosges rain shadow.
Read guide →Beaujolais
A study guide to Beaujolais — Gamay, the ten crus, carbonic maceration, and how Nouveau, Villages, and cru wines differ in the glass.
Read guide →Bierzo
A study guide to Bierzo — a mountain-ringed basin in north-west Spain, its slate slopes and old-vine Mencía, Godello whites, and its transitional Atlantic-meets-Castilian climate.
Read guide →Bordeaux
A study guide to Bordeaux — Left Bank vs Right Bank, the key grapes, the 1855 classification, and how it all shows up in WSET exams.
Read guide →Burgundy
A study guide to Burgundy — the four-tier appellation ladder, the Côte d'Or villages, Chablis, and the climat idea, with maps of the key vineyards.
Read guide →California
A study guide to California — Napa and Sonoma, the fog that decides everything, the Central Valley workhorse, the transverse valleys of the Central Coast, and the natural-wine new wave.
Read guide →Champagne
A study guide to Champagne — the traditional method step by step, the history behind the bubbles, and how to taste it against Prosecco and Cava.
Read guide →Etna
A study guide to Etna — Nerello Mascalese on the slopes of a live volcano, the contrade, high-altitude black-soil viticulture, and where Nero d'Avola fits in Sicily's bigger picture.
Read guide →Friuli-Venezia Giulia
A study guide to Friuli-Venezia Giulia — Italy's benchmark white-wine region, where cool Alpine air meets the warm Adriatic across the Collio, Colli Orientali and Grave.
Read guide →Loire Valley
A study guide to the Loire — one river, three climates, four vineyard clusters, from Muscadet's sea-salt whites through Chenin and Cabernet Franc country to Sancerre.
Read guide →Mosel
A study guide to the Mosel — slate slopes, the river that makes ripening possible at 50°N, the Middle Mosel villages, and the world's lightest great white wines.
Read guide →Northern Rhône
A study guide to the Northern Rhône — Syrah on granite, Viognier in Condrieu, and the six AOCs from Côte-Rôtie to Cornas, hill by hill.
Read guide →Piemonte
A study guide to Piemonte — Nebbiolo's kingdom in the Langhe, where Barolo and Barbaresco, limestone hills and autumn fog make Italy's most age-worthy reds.
Read guide →Priorat
A study guide to Priorat — Catalonia's steep-sloped DOQ of black llicorella slate, old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena, tiny yields, and some of Spain's most prized reds.
Read guide →Rías Baixas
A study guide to Rías Baixas — Galicia's cool, wet Atlantic home of Albariño, its granite pergolas, five subzones, and the cold-ferment-and-lees winemaking that gives the wines texture.
Read guide →Rioja
A study guide to Rioja — the three zones along the Ebro, the Crianza–Reserva–Gran Reserva ageing ladder, Tempranillo, Viura whites, and the mountains that shape it all.
Read guide →Southern France
A study guide to Southern France — the Languedoc-Roussillon arc and Bandol, two winds, the IGP-to-cru ladder, old-vine Carignan, Picpoul, and Mourvèdre by the sea.
Read guide →Southern Rhône
A study guide to the Southern Rhône — Grenache blends, galets and the mistral, the Côtes du Rhône pyramid, and the crus from Châteauneuf-du-Pape to Tavel.
Read guide →Southwest France
A study guide to Southwest France — Cahors's black wine, Madiran's Tannat, Bergerac and Monbazillac on the Dordogne, Jurançon, and the two roads to sweet wine.
Read guide →Trentino-Alto Adige
A study guide to Trentino-Alto Adige — Italy's Alpine north, where Alto Adige's cool terraced whites meet warmer Trentino's valley-floor reds and Trento sparkling.
Read guide →Tuscany
A study guide to Tuscany (Toscana) — Sangiovese's homeland across three landscapes, the Chianti hierarchy and Black Rooster, Brunello, Bolgheri and the Super Tuscans.
Read guide →Veneto
A study guide to the Veneto — Italy's engine room of everyday wine, from Lake Garda across the plains, with Pinot Grigio in the spotlight and Soave, Valpolicella and Amarone in the hills.
Read guide →Varietals
Albariño
A study guide to Albariño (Alvarinho) — Green Spain's thick-skinned, high-acid, saline white from Rías Baixas and Vinho Verde, and how lees ageing gives it texture.
Read guide →Aligoté
A study guide to Aligoté — Burgundy's "other" white grape, its razor of acidity, the Kir cocktail, and its rehabilitation from vin ordinaire to serious Bouzeron.
Read guide →Barbera
A study guide to Barbera — Piedmont's juicy, high-acid, low-tannin everyday red, the foil to Nebbiolo, from fresh Barbera d'Asti to oak-aged Nizza.
Read guide →Cabernet Franc
A study guide to Cabernet Franc — the aromatic parent of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, its leafy-and-raspberry core, and how it tastes in the Loire, Bordeaux, and California.
Read guide →Cabernet Sauvignon
A study guide to Cabernet Sauvignon — its accidental Bordeaux parentage, the cassis-and-cedar core, and how it tastes across Bordeaux, California, Australia, and South Africa.
Read guide →Carignan
A study guide to Carignan/Cariñena/Mazuelo — from the engine of Europe's wine lake to the Languedoc's old-vine cult grape, and how carbonic maceration redeemed it.
Read guide →Carménère
A study guide to Carménère — the lost grape of Bordeaux reborn in Chile, grown for a century as "Merlot", its late-ripening green-pepper problem, and its plush, savoury profile.
Read guide →Chardonnay
A study guide to Chardonnay — the winemaker's white grape, its Burgundy home, and how oak, malolactic and place drive it from steely Chablis to buttery Meursault.
Read guide →Chenin Blanc
A study guide to Chenin Blanc — the high-acid shape-shifter behind Vouvray, Savennières and the Layon, and South Africa's old-vine treasure.
Read guide →Cinsault
A study guide to Cinsault — the drought-proof grape behind the world's rosé, Pinotage's parent, and the pale, perfumed red rediscovered from Lebanon to South Africa.
Read guide →Cortese
A study guide to Cortese — the crisp, mineral white grape of Piedmont behind Gavi, all lemon, almond and searing acidity, and the region's answer to a serious dry white.
Read guide →Corvina
A study guide to Corvina — the sour-cherry grape of Verona behind Valpolicella, Ripasso and mighty Amarone, and how drying the grapes builds a whole ladder of styles.
Read guide →Fiano
A study guide to Fiano — southern Italy's ancient, age-worthy white from Campania's Fiano di Avellino, all honey, toasted hazelnut and waxy texture over fresh acidity.
Read guide →Furmint
A study guide to Furmint — Hungary's great white, the grape of Tokaj's golden Aszú and, increasingly, of bone-dry, smoky, high-acid whites from volcanic soils.
Read guide →Gamay
A study guide to Gamay — its exile from Burgundy, the granite-and-carbonic Beaujolais style, and how it tastes as cru, Nouveau, in the Loire, and in Oregon.
Read guide →Garganega
A study guide to Garganega — the grape of Soave, unfairly tarred by cheap industrial wine but, on the volcanic Classico hills, a mineral, almond-scented serious white.
Read guide →Gewurztraminer
A study guide to Gewurztraminer — lychee and rose in a golden, low-acid frame; the pink-skinned Savagnin mutation that found its true home in Alsace.
Read guide →Grenache
A study guide to Grenache/Garnacha — the Mediterranean's warm-climate engine, from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Priorat to Rioja, old-vine Australia, and Banyuls.
Read guide →Malbec
A study guide to Malbec — the black wine of Cahors, its rebirth at altitude in Mendoza, and how the French and Argentine styles differ in the glass.
Read guide →Mencía
A study guide to Mencía — north-west Spain's fresh, floral, slate-mineral red from Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra, identical to Portugal's Jaen, and why altitude and soil define it.
Read guide →Merlot
A study guide to Merlot — its Cabernet Franc parentage, the plush plum-and-chocolate core, and how it tastes across Bordeaux, California, Chile, and Washington.
Read guide →Montepulciano
A study guide to Montepulciano — Abruzzo's deeply coloured, soft, great-value red (not the Tuscan town), all black cherry and gentle tannin, plus the Cerasuolo rosé.
Read guide →Mourvèdre
A study guide to Mourvèdre/Monastrell/Mataro — the sun-worshipping, tannic heart of Bandol and the structural spine of GSM blends worldwide.
Read guide →Muscat
A study guide to the Muscat family — the only wine that smells of the grape itself, from bone-dry Alsace to Asti's froth and the fortified sweets of Beaumes-de-Venise and Rutherglen.
Read guide →Nebbiolo
A study guide to Nebbiolo — the "tar and roses" grape of Barolo and Barbaresco, pale in colour but ferocious in tannin and acid, and one of the world's greatest age-worthy reds.
Read guide →Nero d'Avola
A study guide to Nero d'Avola — Sicily's flagship red, from easy-drinking Sicilia DOC bottles to serious Noto and Pachino wines and the island's only DOCG blend.
Read guide →Petit Verdot
A study guide to Petit Verdot — Bordeaux's late-ripening "seasoning" grape of colour, tannin and violet perfume, and how it tastes solo in warm regions.
Read guide →Pinotage
A study guide to Pinotage — South Africa's own crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, its four signature styles from light varietal to coffee-and-chocolate, and the banana pitfall.
Read guide →Pinot Gris
A study guide to Pinot Gris/Grigio — one grape, two personalities; the grey-skinned Pinot Noir mutation behind Italy's crisp Grigio and Alsace's smoky, honeyed Gris.
Read guide →Pinot Meunier
A study guide to Pinot Meunier — Champagne's quiet workhorse, the floury-leafed Pinot mutation that keeps non-vintage blends fruity, supple, and safe.
Read guide →Pinot Noir
A study guide to Pinot Noir — the thin-skinned "heartbreak grape," its ancient Burgundy roots, and how it tastes from the Côte d'Or to Oregon, Sonoma, and Central Otago.
Read guide →Riesling
A study guide to Riesling — the world's most terroir-transparent white, from bone-dry Alsace and Australia to the Prädikat ladder of the Mosel, plus the petrol question.
Read guide →Sangiovese
A study guide to Sangiovese — Tuscany's high-acid, savoury red behind Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile, all sour cherry, tomato leaf and tea, and Italy's ultimate food wine.
Read guide →Sauvignon Blanc
A study guide to Sauvignon Blanc — the aroma chemistry of pyrazines and thiols, Sancerre vs Marlborough, and how one grape became the world's freshest white.
Read guide →Semillon
A study guide to Semillon — Bordeaux's waxy white workhorse and Sauternes grape, and the ageless, low-alcohol Hunter Valley original, plus Barossa, Margaret River and botrytis styles.
Read guide →Syrah
A study guide to Syrah/Shiraz — its Rhône parentage, the black-pepper signature, and how one grape splits into two styles across the world's climates.
Read guide →Tempranillo
A study guide to Tempranillo — Spain's noble black grape, the soul of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, its red-fruit-and-leather core, and its lifelong love affair with oak.
Read guide →Torrontés
A study guide to Torrontés — Argentina's aromatic white that smells sweet but tastes dry, its Muscat parentage, and why high-altitude Cafayate makes the best of it.
Read guide →Verdicchio
A study guide to Verdicchio — the Marche's finest white, all lemon, almond and fennel over searing acidity, with a surprising gift for ageing, and secretly Trebbiano di Soave.
Read guide →Viognier
A study guide to Viognier — apricot-and-honeysuckle perfume, famously low acidity, Condrieu at its heart, and a near-extinction story with a happy ending.
Read guide →Zinfandel
A study guide to Zinfandel — California's jammy, high-alcohol red that turned out to be Italy's Primitivo and Croatia's Tribidrag, plus the uneven-ripening quirk and White Zin.
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