Choosing wine in a shop: a sommelier’s 60-second method

Before paying:

1. Affordable? Within budget without regret.
2. Credible? Region, producer and year say yes.
3. Do I really want it? Matches your taste.

Three yeses: buy. Any no: next bottle.

Example: pasta, €12 budget

1. Tomato pasta needs acidic red.
2. Italy: Chianti, Barbera or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
3. Chianti DOCG, named producer, 13%.
4. Two-year-old harvest suits the style, estate-bottled.
5. At €11, it is affordable. The DOCG and recent vintage make it credible. I like cherry flavours and acidity, so I genuinely want it. I buy it.

Year: simple white, rosé and sparkling from the last one to two years; mid-range red two to five; serious red can be older.

Alcohol:

• below 11%: light, often residual sweetness;

• 11.5–13%: fresh, medium-bodied, European classic;
• 13.5–14.5%: ripe and full, warm region or year;
• 15% or more: very full or fortified.

Three quick signals: specific region rather than country only, producer and address, mis en bouteille au domaine or au château, estate bottled.

Reading wine labels.

Watch for:

• wine displayed in bright window light: light damages wine, especially in clear bottles;

• dusty simple whites and rosés, possibly too old;
• expensive wine stored upright, potentially dried corks.

1. Eye-level shelf: look up and down.
2. Inflated-price discounts: compare shops or aggregators.
3. Two for one: useful only if you want two.
4. Sommelier’s choice: honest advice or paid placement; ask why.
5. Medals: check competition and year, no guarantee.

The simplest rule is to enter the shop with a list, even if it is only one line: the occasion, the colour of wine and your budget.

In a bottle sold for €10 in a French shop, the wine itself accounts for only €1–2. The rest pays for VAT, the retailer’s margin, glass, cork, label, transport and the winemaker’s work. Glass, cork and transport cost almost the same for a €5 wine as for a €20 wine. The cheapest bottle therefore leaves very little money for the wine itself, and moving into the middle range gives the largest quality improvement for each extra euro.

At the same time, expensive wine is not always better. The price also includes the brand, advertising, a heavy bottle and whatever happens to be fashionable.

Under €10, everyday: cava or crémant brut; Muscadet, Touraine Sauvignon or Picpoul; Languedoc rosé; Côtes du Rhône, Rioja Crianza, Beaujolais-Villages or Argentine Malbec.

€10–20, guests and weekends: crémant, Franciacorta; Chablis, Mâconnais, Alsace Riesling, Sancerre; Provence rosé or Tavel; Chianti Classico, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Beaujolais crus, Rioja Reserva.

€20+, celebrations and gifts: brut Champagne from a well-known house or a grower, Chablis Premier Cru, Meursault, recognised Bordeaux château, Châteauneuf, Barolo and dessert Sauternes.

Nothing fits? Brut or rosé is almost always safe.

• Red: fuller Bordeaux, Rhône or Rioja for meat; lighter Pinot Noir or Beaujolais for poultry and fish. Pairings.

• White: fresh Sauvignon, Chablis, Muscadet; round aged Chardonnay; aromatic Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
• Dry: almost all French still wines are dry unless moelleux, doux or demi-sec is stated. German Riesling: trocken.

• Recognisable region and producer, not flashy label.

• For enthusiasts, a wine from your travels with a story.
• For colleagues, Champagne or good classic red.
• Avoid very old wine of unknown storage.

Unsure? Brut and rosé suit almost anything.

“Best”, “special” or “selected” usually means marketing; origin, duration and bottler are facts.

Add a two-line note: “This is a Chablis from a small grower, and it would be lovely with fish.” That little note turns the bottle into a personal gift.

• Wine costs 2.5–4 times shop prices.

• Cheapest listings often carry highest margins; mid and upper ranges offer more wine for the money.
• Tell the sommelier food, preferences and budget, discreetly pointing to a price if preferred.
• The sample checks defects, not whether you like it; wet-cardboard smell justifies another bottle.

• Duty-free: not always cheaper, particularly within the EU. Producer or local wine merchant often better.

• Online: full name, real bottle photo and vintage, delivery conditions, summer heat in vehicles and price comparisons.

• Give it time: open red half an hour early or decant; young wines often open in air.

• Change temperature: twenty minutes’ chilling for warm red, let icy white warm.
• Serve it with food. An acidic or astringent wine often improves alongside a dish: fatty food softens tannins and salty food softens acidity.
• Cook: sauce, risotto or braising.
• Note why in your wine diary for next time.

1. Pretty label alone, rather than region and producer.
2. Always cheapest, little money left for wine.
3. Trusting medals and recommendations unchecked.
4. Dusty whites and rosés, meant for young drinking.
5. No plan, when one line suffices.

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