Wine should be enjoyable, not intimidating.

We will try to give you a basic understanding of different types of wine and their tastes, you can take an everyday meal and make it extraordinary or transform an evening with friends into something truly memorable.

TANNINS

White and Red wines taste very different and the reason is the skins of the grapes and the content of tannins.

Tannins are a naturally occurring substance in grapes. The taste of tannin is often described as bitter, causing a dry sensation in your mouth. Tannins end up in your wine when the skins are allowed to sit in the grape juice as it ferments. This is also how wines get their color.

Wines that have little or no skin contact are your pink or white wines, with less tannins. Wines that ferment with the skins for a longer period end up red, with high tannin content.

Tannin is what makes a red wine, which is why you might describe a red wine as “firm” or “leathery”. Tannin also gives red wine texture, making it feel “smooth” or “rough”. A darker wine generally has a higher tannin content and a “bolder” taste.

White wine has a lower tannin content and characterized by its acidity, leading to descriptions of “crisp” or “tart”. 

Rosé gets its color from staying in contact with the red grape skins for a short time. A rosé is much closer to the light side, with relatively low tannin levels.
Red, white and rosé wines that have an alcohol by volume content of 14% or less are considered “light wines”. That excludes anything that is sparkling or fortified.

Dessert wine gets its name because it tends to be sweeter and is usually enjoyed after a meal. Alcohol is added to a dessert wine, often brandy, and the wine can retain more of its natural sugars during the fermentation process.

Sparkling wine has significant carbonation, either naturally during fermentation or via carbon dioxide injection after fermentationn.