Liquid Library
Everything starts with a question. Why does this wine taste so different? What is pét-nat anyway? Look it up here. Knowledge without pretension.
Regenerative Viticulture: Soil, Climate, Claims
Regenerative viticulture promises living soils and climate gains. What holds up, what is greenwashing, and who really does it: Torres, Telmont, Tablas Creek.
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Vino de Pasto: unfortified sherry since 2022
Vino de pasto is unfortified sherry: what the 2022 reform legally changed, how it tastes, and which bodegas led the way.
Rosé Champagne: saignée versus assemblage explained
Rosé Champagne comes from two fundamentally different methods: saignée (maceration) or assemblage (blending red and white). What each one does.
Sparkling Sherry: Bubbles from Jerez
Sparkling sherry blends a palomino base with flor influence and bottle fermentation. An educational guide to the youngest, legally grey category from Jerez.
Cream sherry, Pale Cream and Medium explained
Cream sherry, Pale Cream and Medium explained. Production, residual sugar per category, British heritage, quality renaissance, pairing and serving.
Moscatel sherry: the aromatic underdog of Jerez
Moscatel sherry is the smallest sherry category: aromatic, floral, concentrated. Grape, terroir Chipiona, production, flavour profile and pairing.
Côte des Blancs: the Chardonnay heart of Champagne
The Côte des Blancs is the sub-region south of Épernay where Chardonnay finds its classical expression on pure chalk. Geography, villages and style.
Pedro Ximénez Sherry: Sun-Dried and Black
Pedro Ximenez sherry: how sun-dried grapes and oxidative solera aging produce the blackest, sweetest dessert wine in the world.
Palo Cortado: Rarest Sherry, Real Story
Palo Cortado is the rarest sherry style: Amontillado on the nose, Oloroso on the palate. What it is, how it happens and which bottles you must try.
Oloroso: the dry oxidative sherry, not a sweet wine
Oloroso sherry is dry by origin. Learn how to tell dry oloroso from cream, recognise its flavour profile and pick the right bottle.
Blanc de Blancs: Champagne from white grapes alone
Blanc de Blancs Champagne is made from white grapes only, almost always 100 percent Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. The style, villages and icons.
Amontillado: the fino that lost its flor
Amontillado sherry starts as fino under flor and ends oxidative. Profile, production, VOS and VORS, iconic bodegas and food pairing.
Brut Nature and Extra Brut: Champagne without a mask
Brut Nature and Extra Brut Champagne carry little to no dosage. What the numbers mean, which houses lead the style, and how it tastes.
Champagne vs Prosecco, Cava and other sparkling
Champagne, Crémant, Cava, Prosecco, Franciacorta, English sparkling. Method, grapes and price-quality laid out side by side.
Manzanilla Sherry: Salt, Flor and Sanlúcar
Manzanilla sherry comes only from Sanlúcar. Why the sea keeps the flor active year-round, how en rama tastes, and which bodegas to know.
Champagne Grand Cru: What the Label Really Means
What Grand Cru and Premier Cru really mean in Champagne. The échelle des crus, its 2010 abolition, and what the terms are worth today.
Côte des Bar: Champagne's southern outsider
The Côte des Bar in the Aube sits 100 km south of Reims on Kimmeridgian marl. Pinot Noir-driven and the epicentre of grower Champagne.
Fino Sherry: Dry, Saline, Aged Under Flor
Fino sherry is pale, bone dry and nothing like the sweet sherry of decades past. How Palomino, flor and 15% alcohol make the most refreshing sherry there is.
Vallée de la Marne: the Meunier bastion of Champagne
The Vallée de la Marne follows the river west from Épernay. Meunier dominates on clay and marl, with the grower revolution as a constant thread.
Champagne blending and reserve wines
Blending with reserve wines is the technique that makes Champagne consistent year after year. How houses keep their style, and which solera systems work.
Champagne Riddling and Disgorgement Explained
Riddling collects the yeast deposit in the neck, disgorgement ejects it. Manual on pupitres or by giropalette, à la glace or à la volée.
What Is Biodynamic Wine? Beyond Organic
Biodynamic wine goes further than organic. Cow horn preparations, lunar calendars, and why the world's best domaines all practice it.
What Is Orange Wine? Everything You Need to Know
The colour is real. The name is misleading. Here's what's actually in the glass.
The Champagne AOC cahier des charges explained
What the Champagne AOC actually requires: area, grapes, pruning, yield, press quota, second fermentation, ageing, alcohol and dosage.
Demi-Sec and Doux Champagne: the forgotten sweet
Demi-Sec and Doux Champagne were once the standard. What they are, why they fell out of fashion, and where they still pair brilliantly.
Biological vs oxidative aging in sherry
How biological aging sherry stays pale and saline, while oxidative aging produces mahogany walnut wines. Chemistry, chalk marks and the capataz.
Champagne dosage and the liqueur d'expédition
Dosage sets the taste of Champagne after disgorgement. What the liqueur d'expédition is, how much sugar sits where, and why modern houses go lower.
Arbane and the forgotten Champagne grapes
Four forgotten Champagne grapes together cover 0.3 percent of the area. What they do, where they survive, and why growers are replanting them.
Pinot Meunier: from peasant grape to grower icon
Pinot Meunier was long the underrated third grape of Champagne. Today growers build mono-cuvées on it that have given the variety its due.
Pinot Noir in Champagne: power, flesh and structure
Pinot Noir is the largest grape variety in Champagne at 38 percent. On the Montagne and in the Aube it brings body, red fruit and great ageing capacity.
Flor: the yeast that makes fino and manzanilla
Flor sherry yeast lives as a white veil on fino and manzanilla. How this biofilm works, why it dies above 17% ABV, and what it does to flavour.
Chardonnay in Champagne: the white backbone
Chardonnay in Champagne is more than a blend partner. On chalk it brings chalky tension, length of finish and the base of every Blanc de Blancs.
Blanc de Noirs: white Champagne from black grapes
Blanc de Noirs is white Champagne made only from Pinot Noir and/or Meunier. How white comes from black grapes, and where the style is strongest.
The nine grapes of Champagne (not three)
Champagne now allows nine grape varieties. Eight vinifera plus Voltis as an experimental hybrid. What they do, where they grow, and why it matters.
Wine Restaurants Amsterdam: Six Honest Picks
Guide to wine restaurants in Amsterdam: Italian, French, natural wine and bistronomy. Wine list focus, price range and atmosphere per address.
The Solera System: How Sherry Ages in Jerez
How the solera system in Jerez gives sherry its signature consistency, with criaderas, saca, rocío, the angels' share and VOS/VORS certification explained.
Champagne history: Dom Pérignon to the grower
How Champagne emerged, how the big houses shaped its image and how the grower movement has reopened the region since the 1980s. Four centuries on one page.
Champagne region and terroir: four subregions, one AOC
Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Bar. The four subregions of Champagne, their soils and what Grand Cru means.
Champagne styles: from Brut Nature to Rosé
The eight Champagne styles explained: from Brut Nature to Demi-Sec, plus Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Rosé and Prestige Cuvée. What dosage means.
Méthode champenoise: step by step
How Champagne is made: from pressing and first fermentation through tirage, autolysis and remuage to dégorgement and dosage. Every step explained.
The Consejo Regulador and sherry's DOP rules
What does the consejo regulador sherry actually do? Three DOPs, grapes, age categories and the 2022 reform explained.
Sherry grapes: Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel
The three sherry grapes Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel, their role in Marco de Jerez and which style each one makes.
The Sherry Triangle: Jerez, Sanlúcar, Albariza
The sherry triangle between Jerez, Sanlúcar and El Puerto. Marco de Jerez DOP, white albariza chalk and Atlantic winds, in one guide.
What is sherry: a wine, not a separate category
What is sherry? A white wine from Andalusia, made from Palomino, Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel. Not a separate category. Just wine.
Why Is Sherry Fortified? History and Chemistry
Why is sherry fortified? Mitad y mitad, ABV targets per style, the British sea trade and the chemistry. Plus: is unfortified sherry still sherry?
Pét-Nat: The Mother of All Sparkling Wine
The oldest sparkling wine method explained. What sets pét-nat apart from champagne and prosecco, how it's made, and why it's having a moment.
Natural Wine: No Rules, Real Trade-offs
No protected term, but a clear philosophy. What makes a wine natural, what are the trade-offs, and how do you taste the difference?
About Jeroen Vonk
Jeroen Vonk is a wine journalist, educator and podcast host of Sparks by VinoVonk. His background, approach and mission.
What Is Pét-Nat? Pétillant Naturel Explained
Pét-nat is sparkling wine's oldest method, and natural wine's favourite style. What pétillant naturel is, how it works, and why it's worth the hype.
Champagne: Grapes, Region and Styles
Complete guide to Champagne wine: grapes, appellations, styles from blanc de blancs to rosé, grower champagne versus the grandes maisons, and what cuvées mean.
Crémant vs Champagne: What's the Difference?
Crémant vs champagne compared: production method, lees aging, grapes, and price. Find out which sparkling wine to choose and when.
Chablis: Grape, Region and Flavour Profile
Everything about Chablis wine: Chardonnay from northern Burgundy. Grand cru vs premier cru, how it compares to other Burgundies, and practical buying tips.
Pouilly-Fumé: Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire
Everything about Pouilly-Fumé wine: Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. Flavour profile, Sancerre comparison, top producers and why it is not Burgundy.
Loire Valley: Wines, Regions and Grape Varieties
Everything about the Loire Valley wine region: from Muscadet to Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet Franc. A guide to the white, red and sparkling wines.
Saint-Véran: Appellation, Flavour and Buying Tips
Everything about Saint-Véran wine: Chardonnay appellation next to Pouilly-Fuissé. Flavour profile, best producers and why this wine deserves more attention.
Mâconnais: Region, Wines and Appellations
Everything about the Mâconnais wine region: Chardonnay appellations from Mâcon-Villages to Pouilly-Fuissé, key producers and what to buy.
Bourgogne Blanc: What It Is and What to Buy
Everything about Bourgogne Blanc wine: Burgundy's generic white appellation explained. What the label tells you, which producers matter, and when to buy it.
Pouilly-Fuissé: Grape, Region and Flavour
Everything about the Pouilly-Fuissé grape: Chardonnay from the Mâconnais. Flavour profile, how it compares to other Burgundies, and buying tips.
Chardonnay: Everything About the Grape
The Chardonnay grape explained: flavour profile, styles from Chablis to the Mâconnais, and what oak and climate actually do to it. For wine lovers.
Les Riceys: Champagne's Best-Kept Secret
Les Riceys lies at the southern edge of Champagne, near Burgundy. This village legally produces three different AOC wines, including the rare Rosé des Riceys.
Pouilly-Fuissé Expert Guide: 14 Top Wines Tasted
Pouilly-Fuissé in depth: terroir, climats, winemaker styles, and tasting notes of 14 top bottles from southern Burgundy.
Pouilly-Fuissé Guide: Mâconnais Chardonnay Explained
Pouilly-Fuissé in five minutes: grape, terroir, flavor profile, and how this White Burgundy compares to its neighbors. With affordable alternatives.
Viñedo Singular: Spain's Single-Vineyard Category
Spain's Viñedo Singular classification for single-vineyard wines: requirements, top producers, and how it differs from DOCa Rioja.
Rioja Wine: Tempranillo, Oak and DOCa Rules
Dive into the heart of Rioja, where centuries-old traditions meet modern winemaking. Everything you need to know about Spain's most iconic wines.