John Wilson’s seven foolproof tips for choosing a bottle of wine
How to Drink Better: Keep this advice in mind next time you’re heading to your local wine shop
Wine
Articles related to wine
Sunshine and sea breezes in your wine glass: four Sicilian whites to try
John Wilson: Sicily’s production stretches from good but inexpensive wines to some very high-quality options
Affordable wines: a New Zealand white and a Burgundy from Lidl
Wines for the Weekend: Try the red with autumnal dishes, while the white will work for sipping on its own
What’s the best way to cool wine? Are ice buckets better than ice cubes?
How to Drink Better: At this time of year, you could try leaving the bottle outside the back door or on the balcony overnight
I don’t enjoy autumn much, but I do like these warm, rich seasonal wines
John Wilson: I drink more red wine over cooler months and seek out more textured whites
Affordable wines: A French white to enjoy on its own and an Italian red for pasta
Wines for the Weekend: Both of these bottles will allow you to stay within a €10 budget
Opinion on ‘reasonable’ wine prices puts reviewer in a parallel universe
Costs are hard to swallow for most of us
I tasted 21 affordable malbecs and the results were surprising
John Wilson: I just don’t think this grape was meant to be turned into lower-alcohol wine
Affordable wines: a sauvignon blanc and a malbec, both discounted
Wines for the Weekend: This French white would be great as an aperitif, while the Argentinian red would match perfectly with steak
Cotes Drone? Robotics are being deployed in wine production with impressive results
How to Drink Better: Viticulture is adapting to new technological developments along with the rest of us
Maverick Languedoc wines: ‘The French AOC rules don’t suit us’
John Wilson: Jean-Claude Mas is a fourth-generation grower but the first in his family to make wine
Affordable wines: a Greek bottle to bid farewell to summer and a French red to greet autumn
Wines for the Weekend: The assyrtiko here might just remind you of a Greek holiday, but with better wine
Bordeaux basics: four red wines that epitomise this classic region
I had expected to find a huge range of inexpensive Bordeaux when I looked in Irish supermarkets, but no
Is wine really going out of fashion?
How to Drink Better: There is a slump, particularly in red wine, but not necessarily in this market
Affordable wines: A red and white from Bordeaux, both discounted
Wines for the Weekend: This bone-dry white and easy-drinking red come from the same producer
Make mine a malbec: four ways to try this seductive grape, starting at €8
Malbec thrives around the Argentinian city of Mendoza, but came originally from France
Affordable wines: an Italian white and an Argentinian red from Dunnes
Wines for the Weekend: The Gavi would go well with lighter fish dishes while a steak would be the obvious match for the malbe
Do you love good French sauvignon blanc? Try a white Bordeaux
Bordeaux tends to be known for its reds, but wine insiders have been admiring its whites for years
Ranelagh off-licence Redmonds to close: ‘I’ve never worked because it’s such great fun’
A family business and local institution since 1943, Redmonds off-licence started out as a grocer with ‘sherry out the back’
Budget wines: two bottles from Lidl for less than €8 each
Wines for the Weekend: These two simple options are very drinkable and will be kind to your late September wallet
Four great wines made from a mix of grapes
John Wilson: It’s worth branching out to try wines made from more than one grape variety
Wine on tap – is it the way forward for restaurants and bars?
How to Drink Better: At least one Irish company is betting that it is, which makes a lot of sense
Affordable wines: a Spanish alternative to sauvignon blanc and a red wine to drink with lamb
Verdejo makes aromatic wines with fresh green fruits and good acidity – sound familiar?
Not a Rioja or albariño in sight: How to pick a more unusual Spanish wine
John Wilson: From light whites to robust reds, there’s plenty more to Spain’s wine offering than the most popular options
Two autumn wines to taste, including one from Romania
This French white tastes like a sauvignon blanc while the Romanian red is soft and earthy
Wines from Georgia and Armenia: four great bottles to try
This region was where wine was (probably) born, so they know what they’re talking about
Affordable wines: Two French reds now on sale at a big discount
Wines for the Weekend: The SuperValu French wine sale offers very good value on a range of both whites and reds
I tried 19 affordable New Zealand sauvignon blancs and these four were the best
We love the aromatic freshness of Marlborough white wine in Ireland
A light white and a tasty sparkling wine from Aldi to mark the close of summer
Wines for the Weekend: Not all pinot grigios are created equal, but this one is consistently good
John Wilson tried a TikTok-inspired Spicy Sauvy B – here’s his verdict
How to Drink Better: People have been adding ingredients to wine for thousands of years, so is this any different?
I hunted for the best value in Beaujolais Crus and here are the results
John Wilson: The four wines I’ve featured here include one of my personal favourites
A ‘fantastic for the money’ white wine and a red to enjoy with tapas
Wines for the Weekend: These two inexpensive Spanish options come from one of the largest family-owned wine producers in the world
Make this lesser-known French wine region your next big discovery
John Wilson: Vines in the Ventoux benefit from the combination of sunny days and cooler mountain air
John Wilson: Pay a little more for these two wines and get great value for money
Wines for the Weekend: Both of these French bottles are available at lower prices at the moment
‘Maybe we made a mistake’: The Louth vineyard facing questions over how much of its wine is from Irish grapes
Bernard Lacile invested more than €1m in business because of belief that ‘there is a future for Irish wine’
Drinks distributor drops ‘Irish’ wine over concern about accuracy of label
Owner of Fairy Trees Winery in Co Louth says ‘maybe we made a mistake’ over labelling of blend with 25% French grapes
Summer wines: four alternatives to your usual sunny fizz
John Wilson: A glass of sparkling wine makes for the perfect drink in warmer weather
These two €13 South African wines pair perfectly with grilled food
Wines for the Weekend: These two €13 bottles are from a large family farm in Paarl, South Africa
John Wilson’s easy guide to reading a French wine label
How to Drink Better: Do you know where the name Languedoc came from? Read on
Your new favourite white wine might come from this lesser-known French region
John Wilson: Luberon is most associated with rich reds, but these whites prove its winemakers have many skills
Two €10 wines from an innovative Languedoc maker
Wines for the Weekend: This white would go well with lighter summer salads while the red would work with firm cheeses
Four lower-alcohol reds perfect for summer drinking
John Wilson: It can be difficult to find decent lighter reds but these four stand out
Traces: Two lighter ‘lifestyle’ wines to try
Wines for the Weekend: This brand aims to offer cleaner, naturally crafted wines
A pinot noir for every budget including one of my favourites
John Wilson: Pinot noir is known for being tricky to grow but it’s now thriving in several different parts of the world
Wedding wines: how to buy and serve them, while keeping the costs down
How to Drink Better: You need crowd-pleasers and plenty of them, while keeping an eye on alcohol content
Two Spanish wines to try from the O’Briens sale
Wines for the Weekend: The red here is lighter in alcohol than many others produced in the Jumilla region
‘We’re aiming for 90,000 bottles by 2029’: Meet the Dutchman betting €4m on Slane vineyard
Paulus Willem Heemskerk has planted 36,000 vines in recent weeks on his estate at Fennor House in Meath
Four great wines from Languedoc to pick up for Bastille Day
Languedoc is the largest wine-producing region in the world and has an offering to suit every price point
Two wines new to Dunnes, including a Sicilian grillo for €10
Wines for the Weekend: Grillo is one of the most widely planted indigenous white grape varieties in Sicily
John Wilson’s guide to making the ultimate summer wine spritzer
How to Drink Better: Spritzers make for the perfect summer drink and they can help to limit alcohol intake
John Wilson: I think this might just be the perfect summer wine
It’s time for the Beaujolais of Italy to shine in its own right
Two Italian wines from Dunnes, one with a less familiar grape
Wines for the Weekend: Both of these wines come from local Abruzzo grape varieties
Rosé wines: will a lighter shade mean a better taste?
How to Drink Better: It helps to understand what leads to the colour of the wine in your glass
Summer wine: three rosés worth a splurge plus one for all budgets
Provence rosé has somehow bucked the trend of falling wine consumption in recent decades
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