Wine 101

Most reds and whites stay good for 3–5 days if you re-cork them and keep them in the fridge. Sparkling wine fades in 1–2 days, while fortified wines like Port can last for weeks.

Yes, briefly. Most rooms are warmer than "room temperature" should be, so 15–20 minutes in the fridge brings a red down to its ideal 60–65°F before serving.

As a rule of thumb: full-bodied reds 60–65°F, light reds around 55°F, whites 45–50°F, and sparkling 40–45°F. Most reds are served too warm and most whites too cold.

A standard 750ml bottle holds about five 5-ounce glasses.

A 5-ounce glass of dry wine has roughly 120–130 calories. Sweeter wines and higher-alcohol wines run higher.

Yes — from oxidation, heat, or simply age. Most wine is made to be drunk young, and once opened a bottle starts fading within a few days.

Dry means the wine has little or no residual sugar. It is the opposite of sweet — not the opposite of fruity, which is what trips most people up.

Usually it is not the sulfites. The more likely culprits are dehydration, histamines, tannins, or simply the amount you drank.

For the vast majority of people, no. True sulfite sensitivity is rare, and white wine usually contains more sulfites than red.

Cork-sealed bottles, yes — lying them down keeps the cork moist so it does not dry out and let air in. Screwcap bottles can stand upright.

Champagne comes from France and is made by the traditional method, giving it a toasty, complex character. Prosecco comes from Italy and is tank-made, making it fruitier, lighter, and less expensive.

Up to a point. The jump from cheap to mid-priced wine is huge, but above about $50 you are mostly paying for scarcity and prestige rather than proportionally better taste.

Start with approachable, crowd-pleasing styles: Pinot Noir, Malbec, dry rosé, off-dry Riesling, or Prosecco.

Look to Portugal, Spain, the Côtes du Rhône, and Crémant — regions that overdeliver because they lack the marketing premium of bigger names.

By the stem, not the bowl. Cupping the bowl warms the wine with your hand and smudges the glass.

Young, tannic reds soften nicely with 30–60 minutes in a decanter. Most everyday wine does not need it — a vigorous swirl in the glass does enough.

A corked wine is tainted by a compound called TCA and smells like wet cardboard or a damp basement. It is harmless but unpleasant, and it has nothing to do with bits of cork floating in your glass.

Yes, if the bottle is faulty — corked or oxidized. No, if you simply changed your mind or do not love the style. Faulty is returnable; buyer’s remorse is not.

Chicken is versatile. Unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, dry rosé, and Riesling all work well depending on how it is prepared.

Crisp, high-acid whites like Sauvignon Blanc or Albariño. Meatier fish such as salmon can also handle a light red like Pinot Noir.

Match the sauce, not the noodle: tomato sauce wants Chianti or Sangiovese, cream sauce wants Chardonnay, and pesto loves a Vermentino.

Choose a wine sweeter than the dessert — Port, Banyuls, or a late-harvest red. A dry wine next to chocolate tastes thin and sour.

Off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer. A touch of sweetness and bright acidity cool the heat, whereas a tannic red only makes spicy food burn more.

No. Rosé is made from red grapes with only brief skin contact, which gives it the pink color. Blending red and white is only allowed for some Champagne.

The vintage is simply the year the grapes were harvested.

Merlot is softer, rounder, and more plummy. Cabernet Sauvignon is firmer, more tannic, and more structured.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular red wine worldwide, followed by Merlot and Pinot Noir.

Young, tannic reds benefit from air — pour into a decanter or swirl the glass. Older and lighter wines need little or no breathing time.

Tannin is the compound from grape skins, seeds, and oak barrels that makes your mouth feel dry and grippy. It is most noticeable in bold red wines.

Yes, but not ice-cold. Over-chilling mutes the flavor and aromatics — aim for 45–50°F.

Restaurants typically mark wine up two to four times retail to cover the room, glassware, and service. The best value usually sits in the middle of the list, not at the very bottom.

Yes. Wine is made from grapes and is naturally gluten-free.

A glass of dry wine has roughly 3–4 grams of carbohydrates. Sweet and dessert wines have considerably more.

They are the same grape. "Pinot Grigio" is the lighter, crisper Italian style; "Pinot Gris" is the richer, rounder Alsatian style.

A crowd-pleasing safe bet is a dry sparkling wine, a Côtes du Rhône, or a good Malbec. Bubbles in particular work before almost any meal.

No. Riesling ranges from bone dry to lusciously sweet, and a great deal of it — especially from Alsace and Australia — is completely dry.

Old World wines (from Europe) tend to be earthier and higher in acidity, while New World wines (from the US, Australia, and elsewhere) tend to be riper and more fruit-forward.