There are lots of myths and theories about how to spot “quality wine” and how to avoid the plonk. While some have a bit of merit, most of them hold very little truth. Let’s have a look at some common myths.

 
MYTH – “Good legs” means good wine
This is an oldie, but a goodie, and harks back to the days when higher alcohol wine (over 14%) was considered to be of a higher quality than lower alcohol wines. The only thing that looking at the legs tells you is whether or not the wine has considerable alcohol. As we have discovered, high alcohol does not necessarily mean high quality. In fact, as of late, there has been a shift towards wines with lower alcohol, lighter bodies and fresher, brighter flavours.
 
MYTH – Screw caps are for cheap plonk
Everyone loves a cork. There is something satisfying about carefully removing the foil and hearing the pop of a cork. However, mostly this is a nostalgic notion and bears very little on the quality of the wine. Many critically acclaimed wineries are now employing screwcaps on even their very top wines (Felton Road being a particularly premium example). The upside to screwcaps in that the wine cannot be “corked” – mainly as there isn’t one. The downside; trapped CO² can make the wine a bit “spritzy”, but a good shake of the bottle can remove this.
 
MYTH - Old wine is good wine

Yes, there are wines made to age that can be kept for a special occasion, but these are in the minority, and tend to be a bit higher up the price ladder (if you would like to find some bottles to lie down find out more). Most wine is designed to be drunk within 3-5 years. It will last a bit longer, but to get the best out of your wine, you want to drink it while the fruit is still vibrant.
If there are any other questions you might have, please feel free to contact us via shop@jnwine.com and we’ll see what we can do!