Starting from scratch — with sources, no fuss
No-Fuss Guide
Every article cites the real sources — legislation, Embrapa, the WHO. It's the house standard: you check everything yourself, no taking our word on faith.
The study path
Three steps, one stage at a time
Read a little, answer five questions and come back the next day to remember. Start wherever you like: the order is only a suggestion.
Today on your path
Pick up where you left off
Today's review and the next stage are waiting on the path.
Continue- Step 1 · suggested to startThe wordsStart with the words: 5 questions, about 3 minutes.The word stages, and what you've doneStart →
- Step 2The grapes and the regionsOne stage per grape and region page: read, one question and the quiz. A finished region earns a stamp.The grape and region stages, and your stampsSee the stages →
- Step 3The game of the dayWhich has the higher rating? Five pairs a day, and the Label of the Day.Five pairs a day, and the Label of the DayPlay →
To read · the basics, in 28 parts
Read in order, or jump to what interests you
28 short articles, from the label to the glass. Each one stands on its own; together, they're the course nobody ever gave you.
A map of the 4 pieces of information that matter.
Nº 2Table wine, fine wine, frizzanteWhat each category means by law in Brazil.
Nº 3DOC, DOCG, Grand CruThe wine’s ID card, decoded country by country.
Nº 4“Wine is good for the heart”?The honest answer wine sites avoid.
Nº 5Pairing is a suggestionThe manifesto: nobody here says “you can't”.
Nº 6Alcohol-free wine: the forbidden nameThe category that's growing worldwide, and the Brazilian law that keeps the label from saying the obvious.
Nº 7Dry or sweet wine?The difference is sugar, and Brazilian law says how much. Brut, demi-sec and nature in the same basket.
Nº 8How long does open wine last?From 1 day to 3 weeks. What really helps and what’s a myth (the spoon in the neck of the bottle).
Nº 9Wine temperatureRed in the fridge, yes, for 20 minutes. The table type by type, and the rule for when there’s no thermometer.
Nº 10What is tannin?That strong black tea feeling: where it comes from, why it softens with barbecue and how to spot it on the label.
Nº 11Reserva, Gran Reserva, ReservadoWhat each word is worth, country by country. In Brazil the bar exists, but it’s low.
Nº 12What is perlage?The sparkling wine bubble and what it tells you. Champagne, prosecco, cava and the Brazilian one, no fuss.
Nº 13Does wine make you fat? The caloriesA glass has 120 kcal, and the alcohol is where they come from. Just numbers, no health promises.
Nº 14How to choose wine at the supermarketSeven steps, from the dish to the price, with the house search in your pocket.
Nº 15How to open the bottle (and the sparkling one)The waiter's corkscrew in four moves, the cork that broke, no corkscrew at hand, and sparkling wine without the pop.
Nº 16How to chill wine fastWater, ice and salt: 15 to 20 minutes. The freezer takes twice as long, and the times were measured.
Nº 17How many glasses in a bottle?Five of 150 ml; sparkling stretches to six. The half bottle, the magnum and how full to pour.
Nº 18Sweet sparkling wineMoscatel, Asti, Moscato d’Asti and Brachetto, and the sugar scale: is brut sweet?
Nº 19Port, style by styleTawny, Ruby, LBV, Vintage and white: what each name tells you, the temperature and how long it keeps once open.
Nº 20Malbec, Merlot or Cabernet?Three French relatives, three personalities in the glass: where each one comes from, and which to pick.
Nº 21Why does wine give you a headache?Sulfites, histamine, alcohol: what science knows, and what's a conversation for your doctor.
Nº 22Wine with soda: can you?You can. Sangria, kalimotxo, tinto de verano, spritz and each country's mixes.
Nº 23Wine for beginnersWhere to start, without fear: the wines that open the door, and how to taste.
Nº 24Reading a wine list abroadWhat each word on a wine list abroad means, in English, Spanish, French and Italian.
Nº 25How to tell if wine has gone badThe smells that give a fault away, heat and light, and what only looks spoiled.
Nº 26Sparkling wine, Champagne, Prosecco or frizzante?Sparkling wine is the category; the others are places, and frizzante has less fizz.
Nº 27Is Vinho Verde a white wine? Color, grape and originIt's a region of Portugal, not a color: it makes white, rosé and red.
Nº 28The best-rated Brazilian winesRed, sparkling, Moscatel, white and rosé: the ones people who drank them rated highest, and the math explained.
Swipe sideways →
At the table · the wine for each dish
Churrasco, pizza, bacalhau, cheese and pasta
The why behind each pairing, with sources, and house wines by price range. A suggestion, never a rule.
Tannic reds for fatty meat, and what works in the heat: rosé, sparkling and chilled red.
PizzaWine for pizzaAcidity for the tomato: Sangiovese, Barbera, Lambrusco. Pizza by pizza, from margherita to calabresa.
BacalhauWine for bacalhauRed or white? In Portugal, plenty of people go for red. Recipe by recipe.
CheeseWine for cheese and charcuterieWhen in doubt, white. Port with blue cheese, sparkling with brie, and the charcuterie.
PastaWine for pastaThe sauce decides: tomato, bolognese, white sauce, pesto and seafood.
To read · each page is a Step 2 stage
The grapes and the regions
Every grape and every region with its own page: where it comes from, what it's like in the glass, what it goes with, and the house's labels for each one, with the price range.
Cabernet, Malbec, Merlot, Chardonnay, Touriga: the 27 that explain almost every shelf.
30 regionsThe wine regionsSerra Gaúcha, Mendoza, Vale do Maipo, Douro, Alentejo: where it is, what grapes it grows, what wine it makes.
Beyond the Guide
102 terms, searchable, with the fuss crossed out and the translation right beside it.
To take alongPocket GuideThe 20 terms that get you through almost any shelf, on a single page: read it here, print it or keep it on your phone →
MonthlyContrarrótulo, the magazineThe house magazine, one issue a month, on the 20th. Read No. 1 here (No. 0 is still up) and get the next ones by e-mail →
No beating around the bushThe Inconvenient TruthWhat wine does to your body, no marketing: hangovers, limits, and when it's time to stop →
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