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Chicken is wine's most versatile partner. A white Burgundy (Chardonnay) is perfect with roast chicken. A light red (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais) works with sauced preparations. The golden rule: it's the sauce and cooking method that dictate the wine, not the chicken itself.
A Savoie white (Chignin-Bergeron, Roussette de Savoie) is the natural match — alpine freshness balances the rich melted Reblochon. A dry Alsatian Riesling or Pinot Blanc are great alternatives. Tartiflette's combo of cheese, bacon, and potatoes needs a wine with real acidity to lighten things up.
A white Burgundy (Chardonnay) or Alsatian Pinot Gris is ideal with salmon, their richness matches the fish's natural oils. For grilled salmon, a Condrieu (Viognier) or full-bodied rose works too. A light Pinot Noir is the best red option. Salmon is one of the few fish that welcomes a wide range of wines.
Red wine contains ferrous ions (Fe2+) that react with the unsaturated fatty acids in fish, creating an unpleasant metallic aftertaste. A 2009 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry proved that the more iron a wine contains, the stronger the metallic taste. Tannins make it worse by drying out your palate.
A generous, fruity red, Cotes-du-Rhone, Argentine Malbec, California Zinfandel, or Italian Primitivo, pairs perfectly with BBQ meats. The smoky, spicy notes in these wines echo the charcoal flavours. For grilled fish or veggies, a chilled Provence rose is the ultimate summer pairing.
A crisp, dry white from Savoie (Apremont, Chignin) or a Swiss Chasselas is the perfect match — their acidity lightens the richness of melted cheese. Dry Riesling from Alsace or Sylvaner are excellent alternatives. Fun fact: the wine's acidity actually helps you digest the cheese better.
Plot twist: white wine is often better with cheese than red. A dry white with good acidity (Sancerre, Riesling) cleanses your palate between bites. For hard cheeses, a full-bodied white; for blue cheeses, a sweet wine (Sauternes, Port). Sommeliers recommend white in about 70% of cheese pairings.
A dry white wine with good acidity is fish's natural partner, Chablis, Muscadet, Sancerre, or dry Riesling. The acidity works like a squeeze of lemon, cleansing your palate. For oily fish (salmon, tuna), a richer Burgundy white works well. Around 80% of fish pairings rely on dry whites.
A crisp, dry white from Savoie (Apremont, Chignin) or a Swiss Chasselas is the classic pick — their acidity cuts right through all that melted cheese. A dry Alsatian Riesling or Sylvaner also works beautifully. About 65% of raclette fans in Belgium reach for a dry white with this cozy winter dish.
The golden rule is matching intensity: light dishes love light wines, bold dishes need bold wines. Dry whites (Chablis, Riesling) shine with fish and seafood, medium reds (Pinot Noir, Merlot) elevate poultry and white meats, and tannic reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah) stand up to red meats and rich sauces. Studies show about 73% of successful pairings come down to this intensity balance.
The 75 cl bottle became the global standard thanks to 19th-century trade between France and Britain. 75 cl equals one-sixth of an imperial gallon, which meant a Bordeaux barrel of 225 litres divided perfectly into 300 bottles (50 gallons). The EU formalised the format in 1977.
A standard case of wine contains 12 bottles of 750 ml, totalling 9 litres. This convention dates back to 19th-century maritime trade, where 12 bottles roughly equalled 2 imperial gallons — the dominant British unit of measure at the time.
A standard 75 cl bottle holds about 6 glasses of wine at the recommended 125 ml serving. In professional tastings, where pours are 50–70 ml, one bottle can yield 10–12 tastes. At a generous restaurant pour, expect closer to 4–5 glasses.
A non-vintage brut champagne keeps for 3–5 years after purchase. Vintage champagne can age 7–15 years, and prestige cuvées may last 20–30 years. Champagne does evolve in the bottle, but unlike red wine, it eventually loses its fizz — so there's a ceiling to the ageing.
Proper wine service follows five steps: bring the bottle to the right temperature (8–18 °C depending on type), cut the foil below the lip, pour to one-third of the glass, present the label facing the guest, and — in classic etiquette — serve women and guests of honour first.
The fastest way to chill a bottle of wine is an ice-water-salt bath: fill a bucket with half ice, half water, add a tablespoon of salt, and your bottle goes from 22 °C to 8 °C in just 15 minutes, versus 2 hours in the fridge or a risky 7 minutes in the freezer.
To check if wine is still good, look at three things: colour (brown-tinged red or amber white signals advanced oxidation), smell (vinegar, wet cardboard, or bruised apple means trouble), and taste (no fruit and a flat finish confirm decline). A wine past its prime isn't harmful, just not enjoyable.
How far ahead to open red wine depends on its age and body. A young, tannic red benefits from 1–2 hours of air (ideally in a decanter), a 5–10-year-old red needs 30 minutes to 1 hour, and an old wine over 15 years should be opened just before serving to protect its delicate aromas.
The right glass genuinely changes how wine tastes. A tulip-shaped glass concentrates aromas for complex reds, a wider bowl releases freshness in whites, and a flute preserves champagne's bubbles. For most situations, a single all-purpose ISO tasting glass covers about 80 % of your needs.
No corkscrew? You have options. Push the cork in with a wooden spoon handle, pull it out using a screw and pliers, or tap the bottle base inside a shoe against a wall. The safest DIY method is a long screw (5 cm) threaded into the cork and pulled out with pliers.