THE FIELD GUIDE VOL. IV

148 Wines, Decoded

Filter by wine color, recommended serving temperature, and decanting/breathing duration.

THE FIELD BOARD

Terroir, Grapes & Cellar Arts

Wine Types Explained

01

Red Wine

Fermented on the Skins

Colour, tannin and structure all come from extended contact with the grape skins during fermentation.

  • Tannic
  • Dark fruit
  • Structured
  • Ages well

GrapesCabernet Sauvignon • Pinot Noir • Syrah • Sangiovese

Serve at14–18 °C, lighter reds cooler

02

White Wine

Pressed Off the Skins

Juice is separated from skins before fermentation, keeping the wine pale, fresh and driven by acidity.

  • Crisp
  • Citrus
  • Low tannin
  • Aromatic

GrapesChardonnay • Sauvignon Blanc • Riesling • Chenin Blanc

Serve at8–12 °C

03

Rosé

Brief Skin Contact

Black grapes given only hours on the skins, either by direct pressing or by bleeding off juice from a red fermentation.

  • Red berry
  • Dry to off-dry
  • Light
  • Refreshing

RegionsProvence • Tavel • Navarra • Bardolino

Serve at8–10 °C

04

Orange / Skin Contact

White Grapes, Red Method

White grapes fermented on their skins, sometimes in buried clay qvevri, giving colour, grip and tannin.

  • Tannic white
  • Dried apricot
  • Savoury
  • Textural

RegionsGeorgia • Friuli • Slovenia

Serve at10–14 °C

05

Sparkling Wine

Second Fermentation

Bubbles come from a second fermentation, either in the bottle for traditional method or in tank for Prosecco.

  • High acid
  • Brioche or fruit
  • Bubbles
  • Aperitif

RegionsChampagne • Crémant • Cava • Prosecco • Franciacorta

Serve at6–9 °C

06

Pét-Nat

Méthode Ancestrale

Bottled before the first fermentation finishes, so the wine traps its own carbon dioxide. Usually sealed with a crown cap and often cloudy.

  • Cloudy
  • Soft fizz
  • Yeasty
  • Unpredictable

RegionsLoire • Jura • Austria • Australia

Serve at6–10 °C, open carefully

07

Sweet & Dessert Wine

Concentrated Sugar

Sweetness comes from late harvest, noble rot, drying the grapes or freezing them on the vine.

  • Honey
  • Marmalade
  • High acid
  • Long lived

RegionsSauternes • Tokaji • Eiswein • Vin Santo

Serve at6–9 °C, small pours

08

Fortified Wine

Wine Plus Grape Spirit

Neutral grape spirit is added during or after fermentation, raising strength and, when added early, leaving residual sugar.

  • 17–22% ABV
  • Rich
  • Nutty or sweet
  • Keeps once open

StylesPort • Sherry • Madeira • Marsala • Vermouth base

Serve atFino chilled, tawny and ruby lightly cool

09

Natural & Low Intervention

Minimal Additions

Wild yeast fermentation with little or no fining, filtration or added sulphur. Not a single legal definition, so practice varies widely by producer.

  • Cloudy
  • Wild
  • Unfiltered
  • Variable

RegionsLoire • Jura • Beaujolais • Sicily

Serve atCool, and store cold

Quick Comparison

TypeSkin ContactBodyServe
RedDays to weeksMedium to full14–18 °C
WhiteNoneLight to medium8–12 °C
RoséHoursLight8–10 °C
OrangeDays to monthsMedium, tannic10–14 °C
SparklingUsually noneLight6–9 °C
Pét-natVariesLight6–10 °C
SweetVariesRich6–9 °C
FortifiedVariesFull, 17–22%Style dependent

Myth vs Fact

MythRed wine should be served at room temperature.

FactThat advice comes from unheated European cellars. In a modern heated room most reds show better after twenty minutes in the fridge.

Did You Know

Almost all wine grapes have clear juice. Colour lives in the skins, which is why black grapes such as Pinot Noir and Meunier can produce a completely white Champagne.

Behind the Bar

Bottle shape is a shorthand for style: high shoulders point to Bordeaux blends, sloping shoulders to Burgundy and Rhône, tall slim flutes to aromatic whites from Alsace and Germany.