Here’s a quick translation table for a few common words you’ll undoubtedly see while cruising the international wine racks at your local bodega

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Regardless of the wine you’re serving, the temperature should be warm enough to allow the natural flavours and aromas to shine, yet cold enough to be refreshing and subdue some overly eager tannins and perceived heat from a wine with a higher alcohol content.

Read on to find out the ideal serving temperature for your favourite wine.

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From reading industry magazines and trolling the wine shelves, one will notice a few bottles with a new designation, “Organic Wine” or “Made from Organic Grapes”. What does this really mean? Is the wine better for it? Is ‘regular’ wine unhealthy? Read on…

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The big guys are very protective of their brands and the big dollars they command for a bottle that come along with it. That’s in its self isn’t really news, just ask anyone at BMW, Prada or Armani. But here is a little gem about the wine industry big boys. It’s not unusual for them to press too much juice, or press a second lot of juice.

There could be any number of reasons why they decide not to use the juice. But some have speculated they don’t want to flood the market with too much premium product so not to devalue their brand. We don’t know about this for sure, but here is what we do know. The excess juice is sometimes sold to another winery in secret or wine is made by the winery and marketed under a different label. Here’s where it gets interesting.

These wines are often nearly identical to their much more premium relatives, but can cost up to half the price. It’s hard to know when this will happen, or where grapes come from. But sometimes the rumors are just so strong that word gets out, and sometimes the writing is on the wall.

And we found one (kinda)!

In the case of Tangley Oaks and Rutherford Hill it’s not a big secret that they are owned by the same company. The Tangley Oaks Merlot from 2003 is exceptionally good stuff. It shares a lot of characteristics from it’s big brother Rutherford Hill 2003 Merlot which is $10 more a bottle. This is likely a second pressing from the same vineyard, or a blend. But who cares! At $17.95 a bottle this is simply too good to pass bye. See the Review here.

So you have a couple of special bottles you’ve been hiding for that perfect dinner. Dinner is served and you break out this gem you’ve been so patiently waiting for. The wine was great, but went really fast. People are enjoying the food, coversation and the wine. Next your guests shout “Grab another bottle, that first one was great!”.

This is a critical moment for your little collection you’ve been selectively building for the last couple of months. Go ahead and grab something good, but not your best. After having a meal and the first bottle of wine most people can’t differentiate between good and great wine.

Every collection, no matter the size should have Back of the Door bottles. These are the bottles that are the 3rd and 4th soldiers in line after the first great bottle of wine. You don’t want to wake up the next morning and realize your 4 bottles down and $80 went with it.

In the end, no one really remembered the great subsequent bottles. Just make sure the first one really counts.

Here’s a suggestion that is sure to please for that first bottle, and of course it’s under $20.00