A wealth of new ‘natural’ ‘organic’, or ‘biodynamic’ wines is sprawling around us and defining the buzz words of the decade. But how can we know what we are getting into?  The important differences between the three are debunked in this blog post and we also have some great suggestions of wines easily available near you that you can try to see the difference for yourself.   (1) Natural Wines Let's start with ‘natural wine’: although there is a big ‘buzz’ surrounding them at the moment, in reality wines like these have been around for thousands of years. In fact, back in the day they ..read more

Finally the answer to one of the questions on wine most searched online: What’s the difference between Champagne, Prosecco and Cava? Which one is better? The most important ones are laid bare in this blog post. And if you want to spot the difference first hand, we also suggest wines widely available for you to try and see the difference for yourself.      First things first. Only sparkling wine made in the French region of Champagne can be called Champagne. Not that want to be picky about it, but the French are highly protective of the very valuable brand they have de ..read more

Some 15 years ago a new type of wine hit the tables - orange wine. But it's only in the past couple of years that it has become popular, yet still maintaining its aura of mystery. It's time to see together what orange wine is, where it comes from and whether it can fit your unique personal taste!  Orange Wine Explained Orange wine is white wine made the way red is made. You may have heard this line already, but what does it really mean? Well, making red and white wines involves different techniques: With reds, grapes are crushed and the skins are left to macerate with the juice for some ..read more

Oaking adds flavours and aromas and changes a wine into something completely new. But does it make it better? Not necessarily. There is a typical flavour of oaked wine that you can taste and whether you like this taste is what we at Pulp will help you define. With unoaked wines you taste the pure grape. However, oaking doesn’t necessarily mean hiding the grape as it often is the winemaker's attempt at making something better. Do you wanna spot the difference first hand? In this post we suggest wines widely available for you to try and see the difference for yourself.   Why does it ma ..read more

Body levels are how the wine ‘feels’ inside your mouth. Does it feel light and refreshing or heavy and smooth, coating the inside of your cheeks? If in doubt, the looks of the wine can give you some cues, but it’s really by tasting that you can nail it.  Why does it matter? A wine's body level has nothing to do with the wine’s quality. Still, it's important to figure out if we like our wine full, medium or light bodied if we want to start building the ID of our perfect wine.  It's the combination of body, oaking, ageing and many other factors, that brought together can resu ..read more

As the winter finally tips towards spring we’re now hoping for a generous amount of warmer weather hitting our shores. Who can beat a bottle of good wine outside on a balmy night? Light red wines are perfect for drinking, tasting and sharing, don’t need to cost a fortune and it’s quite easy to find great examples. As a rule of thumb we need to head to cold climates to find light reds, as opposed to warmer climates on the other side of the world. Let’s have a look together!  What are They? These are wines made to feel light-bodied (see our blog post on ‘What’s a Wine Body') and refreshing ..read more

Are you in love with big, bold, red wines? Then Shiraz is definitely on your radar! But what about Syrah? Are these two the same wine or are they different? Let's discover together what sets one apart from the other and which one is the right match for your taste.  Do you wanna spot the difference first hand? In this post we also suggest wines widely available for you to try and see the difference for yourself.   A Renaissance If Sauvignon Blanc's fame can be attributed to New Zealand, then we must surely raise a glass to Australia for its role in putting Shiraz/Syrah on the win ..read more

We've all been puzzled when drinking wine on airplane: we don't know why, but it always tastes different from what we're used to. But does the wine change when on-board?  Scientifically speaking, no. Rather, it's us changing on a plane and not the wine itself. In this week's blog we look at how this happens and how we can address the problem so to able to enjoy a nice glass of wine while taking off to our next holiday destination.   Why Does Wine Taste Different on a Plane? Recently in the news the people in charge of selecting the wines to be served on Cathay Pacific flights decided ..read more

It’s happened to all of us to get some nasty headache, even after drinking some amazing wine. It’s true that, when we have a proper fun night out, we don’t notice how much we may have drunk, but there are more reasons that can lead to a hangover the day after. Let’s have a look together.  Myths Debunked Some believe that post-wine headaches are caused by sulphites but this myth has been revealed by experts a while ago: only a very small portion of us have an allergy for sulphites, with allergy and asthma symptoms as an indication. So what are the culprits then? For most of us, the cause o ..read more

The most well-known region of Spain takes its name from the Oja River (Rio Oja) that crosses the region. But what does make the Rioja style different from other wines? In a nutshell, two concepts: (1) the blending of different grapes (most importantly Tempranillo and Garnacha); and (2) the long ageing in oak barrels. In this post we break down Rioja wines in their components and characteristics and, as usual, suggest wines widely available for you to try and see for yourself.    The Blending of the Grapes   Winemaking in Rioja borrowed a lot from the wine mas ..read more