Wine

By definition, wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice – but in cultural terms, it is so much more than that.

Made and enjoyed by humankind for 1,000s of years, wine has been celebrated in art and literature, has formed a central part in religious rituals (from ancient times to the modern day) and has been a social catalyst at dinner parties and gathering of all kinds.  

It’s hard to define, but there’s something special about wine that makes it stand apart from other drinks. A glass of wine adds a little magic to special meal, a romantic occasion, or a well-earned moment of relaxation at the end of the week.  

And perhaps most importantly, wine is about people. The joy of discovering a new wine style, a new grape, or a must-taste bottle and sharing it with those that matter most.  

We hope you’ll find something special on our website today.

The process of making wine from grapes can be broken down into five simple stages:

• Harvesting – to make good wine it’s essential to harvest the grapes at the peak of ripeness. Quality producers then carefully sort the grapes, using only the healthiest fruit to make their wines.

• Pressing – next the grapes are pressed to extract the juice. For white and rosé grapes, pressing is done very gently, to ensure only the purest juice is extracted.

• Fermentation – the grape juice is then fermented to turn the sugars into alcohol. Red wines are fermented on the grape skins to extract colour and tannins (which give the wine structure). Rosé wines are fermented briefly on their skins, to extract just a little colour. Fermentation may take place in stainless steel tanks, oak barrels or even concrete ‘eggs’ – depending on the required style.

• Maturation – once the wine has finished fermenting it will be left to clear, and then either bottled or put into barrel for maturation. Oak ageing allows wines to mature and take on secondary flavours such as cigar box notes or vanilla.

• Bottling – the final stage is bottling. Once it has been bottled, the wine may be released almost immediately (if it’s a fresh Sauvignon Blanc for example) or cellared for years until it is perfectly matured (like a Reserva Rioja).

This is just a snapshot of how wine is made. Individual styles – such as white Burgundy, Champagne or Cru Classé Bordeaux – all have their own unique processes. And that, of course, is all part of what makes wine such a magical beverage to explore.

At first sight, it may seem that there is a dizzying array of wine styles to choose from. Even just looking at the world’s biggest wine producing countries (including France, Italy, Spain, Chile, and Australia) there are 100s of winemaking regions, each with their own unique winemaking traditions – and 1,000s of grape varieties.
Thankfully, wine types can be understood by looking at a small number of categories. The three main still wine styles are:

Red wines

Red wines are made from red grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and Tempranillo. They get their colour from the grape skins, and as a result have more tannin than whites – giving them more structure and in some cases enabling them to age. Famous red wines include Chianti (Italy), Rioja (Spain) and Bordeaux (France). 

White wines

White wines are made from white grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. White wines tend to be fermented without skin contact and tend to be fresh, zippy and often aromatic. There are exceptions of course (see below). Famous white wines include Soave (Italy), Albariño (Spain) and Chablis (France). 

Rosé wines

Rosé or pink wines are usually made from red grapes such as Grenache, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Most rosés are fermented with minimal skin contact – just enough to give them that lovely pink hue. France’s Provence is one of the most famous regions for rosé but they are made in almost every wine producing region.

Other styles of wine include sweet wines (or dessert wines), fortified wines (such as Port and Sherry) and sparkling wines (such as Champagne, Cava and Prosecco).

Although there are 1,000s of white wine styles to choose from, a small number enjoy huge popularity among wine fans. The top white wines among our customers are:

Sauvignon Blanc  – originally from France, this zippy aromatic white is now made in nearly every winegrowing country. Some of the most popular Sauvignons in our range come from New Zealand, France and South Africa ·     

Pinot Grigio – with its easy-going pear and apple fruit, Pinot Grigio is a wonderfully social white wine. It’s originally from northern Italy, but it’s also grown in France and New Zealand, where it’s known as Pinot Gris. ·     

Chardonnay – one of the world’s most versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay originates from Burgundy, home to highly sought-after fine whites. Delicious and well-priced examples can be found in Australia, Southern France and South Africa. 

With so many red wines to choose from, it can be tricky knowing where to start. Here are the most popular red wines:

• Merlot – loved for its soft, juicy, easy-going fruit, Merlot is one of the world’s best loved red grapes. It’s originally from France, where it’s found in the fine reds of Bordeaux. But great value examples can be found in Chile, Australia, Southern France and beyond.     
• Shiraz – also known as Syrah, this popular red grape makes juicy, spicy bramble fruit reds. It’s originally from the Rhône, but has been widely adopted by Australia as its flagship red. You’ll find it as part of the blend in our No.1 bestselling red of all time – The Black Stump.   
• Malbec – this popular red grape was practically unheard of until the world woke up to the fantastic quality coming out of Argentina. It’s big, rich, smoky flavours make it the perfect barbecue red. Our biggest selling Malbec, Opi, has been a firm customer favourite for years..

If you’re planning a dinner party you’ll want to make sure you have enough wine for your guests. And for that you’ll need to know how many glasses you’ll get per bottle. Here’s the answer. A standard bottle of wine contains 750 ml of wine, so that makes:     

• Six small glasses (125ml)   
• Four medium glasses (175ml)
• Three large glasses (250ml)

For a magnum – simply double the number of glasses. We hope that helps!

We get it – it happens. You don’t always finish a bottle of wine the same day it’s opened. So how long will a bottle of wine last once you’ve removed the screwcap or uncorked it?

How long does red wine last once opened?

A red wine will keep well for about five days if properly stored. For best results replace the cork or screwcap as soon as possible and keep it in a cool place, away from light. You can also store red wine in the fridge. This way, it’ll keep for up to seven days. But remember – let it warm up a little before drinking.

How long does white wine last once opened?

As a general rule, white wine doesn’t keep quite as long as red – about three to four days. Replace the cork (or screwcap) and keep it the fridge for best results.