Your questions answered   

A. Alcohol is produced during fermentation when yeast converts the natural sugars in grapes into alcohol. It contributes to a wine's body, texture and overall balance.

Think of alcohol as the weight of a wine. Lower alcohol wines tend to feel lighter and fresher, while higher alcohol wines often feel fuller and richer.

Alcohol levels are influenced by grape variety, climate and harvest timing. As grapes ripen, sugar levels increase and acidity decreases, resulting in wines with higher alcohol and lower acidity.

Climate plays a particularly important role. Grapes grown in warmer regions tend to ripen more fully and accumulate more sugar, leading to higher alcohol wines. Cooler regions often produce wines with lower alcohol levels and higher acidity.

Higher alcohol does not necessarily mean higher quality. What matters is balance. When alcohol is well integrated, it adds warmth and richness; when it dominates, it can make a wine feel heavy, hot or out of harmony.

A. Tannins are naturally occurring compounds found in grape skins, seeds and stems. They are one of the key structural elements of wine, contributing to its texture, complexity and ageing potential. Tannins are found in red and wood aged wines.

Think of the drying sensation you experience when drinking strong black tea. Tannins are not a flavour, but a texture.

The level of tannins varies depending on the grape variety, winemaking techniques and ageing process. Varieties such as Nebbiolo, Sagrantino and Aglianico are naturally high in tannins, while Pinot Noir and Frappato tend to be softer and less tannic.

Tannins provide structure, balance and longevity to wine, but like acidity and alcohol, they must be balanced. Too much can make a wine seem harsh and aggressive, while too little can leave it lacking depth and character. Tannic grapes or young aged wines require longer bottle ageing before being drunk.

A. Acidity is what gives wine its freshness, crispness and energy. It occurs naturally in grapes and is influenced by grape variety, climate, vineyard location and harvest timing. In general, grapes harvested before reaching full ripeness retain higher levels of acidity, while acidity naturally decreases as grapes continue to ripen.

Think of the mouth-watering sensation you get when biting into a lemon or a green apple.

Acidity is not a fault and is essential to a wine's balance and ageing potential. Too little can make a wine seem flat and dull, while too much can make it feel sharp and aggressive.

Acidity is one of the key elements that brings freshness, structure and life to a wine.

A. Tartrate crystals or wine diamonds inside a bottle, or lining the inside of a cork, are a normal byproduct of wine as it ages or if the wine is exposed to very low temperatures, and are no cause for alarm.

Most wines will undergo tartrate stabilisation to avoid the unpredictable formation of crystals, and the most common process is cold stabilisation: the wine is refrigerated for several days before bottling which causes the tartrate crystals to precipitate. These are then filtered out and the wine is brought back to cellar temperature.

Some winemaker though is against the stabilisation, to preserve the wine’s full characteristics, so their wines, if exposed to low temperatures will form tartrates or crystals. If you find them, you can either decant the wine before serving or filter it through a muslin cloth.

A. Sediment in a glass of red wine is a natural result of the winemaking and aging process. It usually consists of small particles like grape skins, seeds, and tartrates (tartaric acid crystals) that gradually settle at the bottom of the bottle. Sediment is more common in older or unfiltered wines, where minimal processing helps preserve the wine's natural characteristics.

Though harmless, sediment can give the wine a slightly gritty texture if it ends up in your glass. This is why decanting is recommended for these wines—to separate the wine from the sediment - ensuring a smoother drinking experience. It also highlights the wine’s natural character.

A. In the last few years wine drinkers got used to read on wine labels, mainly Italian, the word “appassimento”, but what is appassimento?

Appassimento is nothing new, Amarone della Valpolicella and Sforzato della Valtellina are two Italian appellations that dry (appassire, hence appassimento) the grapes before fermenting them to concentrate the sugar by letting the water evaporate to produce fruiter, bolder wines. The same process is also used for sweet wines (passiti) where the fermentation is stopped to have higher residual sugar.

There are different techniques to dry the grapes, the main ones are:
On the vine, harvesting the grapes later
Natural, after the harvesting, putting the grapes to dry naturally

A. Sulphites are organic compounds that occur naturally in grapes and many other fruits and vegetables. Sulphur dioxide is also added to wine as an anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial agent to help preserve freshness and prevent the wine from spoiling.

The levels used in wine are extremely low and often much lower than those found in many processed foods and soft drinks and are without a doubt, essential to wine making, the problem is with added sulphites. Unfortunately, the lower the quality of the grapes, the higher the amount of sulphites needed. Healthy grapes require very little added sulphites.

Some winemakers are now trying to avoid adding extra sulphur dioxide altogether, although this can increase the risk of the wine oxidising or spoiling more quickly.

Generally speaking, red wine has the lowest level of sulphites as well as wine made from organic grapes. White and sparkling wine on the other hand, requires a higher level of sulphites as they are more delicate. From a health perspective, sulphites are recognised allergens and can cause adverse reactions in a small number of individuals, particularly those with sulphite sensitivity or severe asthma.

A. European law classifies sparkling wines according to the residual sugar, that is the amount of sugar added after the secondary fermentation has taken place.

If the amount of sugar is less than 3 grams/litre, the sparkling wine is called Pas Dosè, Zero Dosage or Brut Nature. In these wines after the disgorgement (the removal of sediments from the bottle), more wine of the same type, not the liqueur d'expedition, is added.

The liqueur d’expédition is a sweet liquid, each winemaker has it own secret recipe, used to define the final level of sweetness in the finished sparkling wine. Immediately after disgorging, the wine is topped up, and a measured amount of a refined sugar mixture is added (also known as dosage). As the sugar already in the wine was consumed during the secondary fermentation, a sweet dosage is added to balance the high natural acidity, rather than to produce a sweet wine.

If the sugar is between 3 and 6 grams/litre, the wine is said to be “Extra brut”.

Between 6 and 12 grams/litre the wine is considered “Brut”, this category include most classic method sparkling wines.

Wines with between 12 and 17 grams/litre are considered “Extra dry” or “Extra sec”.

Between 17 and 32 grams/litre are called “Dry”, “Sec”, or “Asciutto”.

Between 32 and 50 grams/litre we find “demi-sec” or “Medium dry” wines.

Finally, if the sugar is more than 50 grams/litre, the wine is considered to be “Doux” or “Dolce”.

A. Italians love pasta and wine, but what are the rules when pairing pasta with wine? There are no strict rules, often pasta is paired with the local wine, red wine for tomato or meat based sauces, and white for the others. However, there are some general principle, lets look at them.

Egg based pasta, eg tagliatelle or pasta alla chitarra, they pair perfectly with sparkling wines such as prosecco or “vini mossi”, semi sparkling wines, whether red or white.
Oven baked pasta, eg lasagne or cannelloni, pair with medium bodied wine such as Sangiovese or Syrah.
Soups, it varies based on their ingredients, but generally are paired with medium bodied, low acidity white wines, sometime a red wine.
Filled pasta, such as tortellini or ravioli, with important, structured red or white wines, aged.
Tomato based sauces, again it depends on the ingredients, but generally pair well with delicate red wines such as Valpolicella or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or white wines such as Soave and Pinot Bianco.
For fish based pasta, a lively white wines such as Verdicchio or for more richer dishes a rose’ wine
Lastly, for Pasta with vegetables, a smooth, delicate white wine.

A. There are no easy tips when choosing a wine from a restaurant's list. Best advice is talk to the sommelier or server and always taste the wine you are being offered. Only buy expensive wines, eg Barolo or Amarone, if you know the producer, if you dont, be careful, dont buy the name. When it looks to good to be true, it probably is, check with the sommelier why the price is so good.
House wine, could be either really good or really bad, ask to taste it, it wont be a problem since it is likely to be offered by the glass as well. For the bubbles, more than the actual wine, find out whether it is a classic method, similar to champagne, or Martinotti, prosecco type, sparkling wine, the first tend to be more expensive and is of better quality. Lastly, wine pairing or wine preference? It is your call, I guess it all depends on the food you will be eating, if it is a gourmet evening, top food, I would suggest to go for the pairing wine, it can open a new world, if a pizza or pasta or quick meal, it is entirely up to you, I would go with your favourite wine, whether it pair the food or not.