WINE SHOP & BAR

Red wine belongs at room temperature. Sure—if your room is a chilly European cellar and not an Australian kitchen in January.

The better rule is simpler: some reds are absolutely delicious with a bit of fridge time. A good chillable red wine is bright, light on its feet and wonderfully easy to drink. It brings the juicy pleasure of red fruit with the refreshment usually assigned to white or rosé. Less ceremony. More “shall we open another?” energy.

Choosing wine can be intimidating.

Perhaps you are standing in a wine shop looking at several hundred labels, none of which are giving much away. Perhaps you are in a restaurant, everyone has handed you the wine list, and a server is waiting while you pretend to understand the difference between two villages in Burgundy.

We have all been there.

Wine has its own language, and that language is not always particularly helpful. People start talking about red apples, green apples, ruby plums, black plums, graphite, forest floors and pencil shavings. Before long, the wine sounds less like a drink and more like a fruit salad served inside a stationery cupboard.

The good news is that you do not need to know the right wine words to choose something delicious.

You just need to know how you want the wine to feel.

Someone has invited you to dinner.

You've been told not to bring anything.

You're obviously bringing something.

But what? Choosing a bottle for someone else's dinner can be surprisingly stressful. You don't know exactly what's being served, whether they're a red or white person, what they've already bought, or whether your host is secretly judging your wine choices.

Don't worry Claret family. We've got you.