The world of wine is fascinating but can often be intimidating. From the basics of winemaking to the correct temperature for storing and serving, our top tips will help you navigate it with ease.

Put simply, grapes are grown on vines, harvested and crushed. The juice is fermented to convert the sugars into alcohol, and the finished wine is bottled and sold. There are a lot of variations within that process, but essentially wine is pretty simple to make.

Broadly speaking, yes. Red wine is made from red grapes and white wine is made from white grapes, but there are a few exceptions. The main one is Champagne, where two of the three grapes used are red, believe it or not. The colour of a wine comes from the grape skin, not the grape flesh or juice. So if grapes are only lightly pressed before fermentation, little to no red colour will be imparted to the final wine.

Think of rosé as a midpoint between red and white wine, bearing some of the characteristics of both. It is generally made from red grapes, with the juice allowed to linger on the skins just briefly during fermentation to create a light pink tinge. Typical flavours include strawberries, rose, a little melon and bright citrus.

Various production methods can be used for sparkling wines. The Champagne method – a two-step process which includes a secondary fermentation in the bottle – is used worldwide and sets apart the finest fizz, including French Champagne, Spanish cava and sparkling wines from England, the US, Australia and New Zealand. Prosecco, meanwhile, is fermented in pressurised steel tanks. Note that within the EU, Champagne may only be labelled as such if made in the Champagne region of France; in the US domestic wines may also carry this label.

Fortified wines are a group of wines including port, madeira and sherry. They're united by the fact that they all have had a higher-strength spirit (often brandy) added to them to bring them above 15% ABV (30 proof). Due to their stronger flavours and alcohol content, they tend to be enjoyed as aperitifs before eating or with dessert and cheese, rather than with a main meal.

A wine's vintage is simply the year in which the grapes were picked. Its impact on how the wine tastes can be significant if the weather in that specific wine-growing region was particularly good or bad that year, or minor, in the case of blended wines or wines from large regions. Not all wines attribute a year and may be labelled 'NV' ('non-vintage'), most notably fortified and sparkling wine, including Champagne. This is because they're usually made from wines blended from multiple-year harvests. Although if there's an exceptional year's harvest, vintage Champagne and port will be made. 

'Varietal' is another way of saying 'grape variety'. Each one – such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or malbec – has a unique appearance, structure and taste profile. They can be used alone to create single-varietal wines, showcasing one grape's characteristics, or combined in blends. In the latter case, each varietal should bring something different to the party, working in harmony to create a wine greater than the sum of its parts.

Organic wine is made with organic grapes which have been grown without the use of chemicals like pesticides and artificial fertilizers. But, as with many foods, an organic label doesn't guarantee superior taste and quality. There are good and bad organic wines, just as there are good and bad non-organic wines. Much better indicators are that the bottle comes from a small or medium-sized winemaker and that sustainable agricultural and labour practices have been used in its production. Above all, it's important to choose a wine you personally want to drink, organic or not.

This is one of the wine industry's biggest debates. Statistically speaking, fewer screwcap wines result in faults than those sealed with cork closures. Corks tend to work better for wines that will be aged for significant periods of time (five years or more), while screwcaps keep young wines fresh.

It's true that some wines can improve with age, building character and complexity over time. Fine wines, such as the best bottles from Bordeaux, need years to develop. Other wines are specifically made to be enjoyed young and fresh, such as crisp sauvignon blancs from New Zealand.

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This varies between red and white wines, but generally speaking it’s warmer than you would think for whites and cooler than you would expect for reds. Most white wines should be served between 7°C and 13°C (45°F and 55°F), with sparkling wines the exception since they’re best enjoyed between 8°C and 10°C (46°F and 50°F). Reds should be served between 13°C and 18°C (55°F and 64°F), which is usually significantly cooler than room temperature.

While different wines often benefit from glasses specifically designed to accentuate their flavours, helping to ‘launch’ the wine onto different parts of your tongue, fancy glassware isn't necessary. What’s more important is you use a glass large enough, and leave it empty enough, to allow all the aromas to develop so you can explore them as you taste. However, a tulip glass or flute is definitely best for sparkling wine, so it's tall enough to allow the bubbles and aroma to fully develop.

Corked wines are simply wines that have faults. They aren’t wines that don’t taste good or aren’t to your liking. You’re pretty unlikely to find faulty wines with screwcaps; faults are much more common in wines with corks. If you pick out any 'off' notes when you smell the wine, such as a vinegar-like sourness or an extreme musty or woody smell, return it to where it was bought or let your waiter know.

More often than not a restaurant’s house wine is a reliable balance of price versus flavour. Buying in bulk ensures a good price point, while respectable restaurants wish to stand by their choice of house wine. There will almost certainly be better wines on the list, but for value it's often the best bet.

The first rule: be guided by your budget. There’s nothing wrong with ordering the house white. Both chain restaurants and Michelin-star restaurants put effort into choosing theirs carefully. If you’re splashing out on wine, check the vintage. It’s only worth spending money on wine that has had years to mature its flavours. The second rule: think about whether it will complement what you’re eating. Some people like to pair food and wine from the same region, spicy foods work well with sweeter wines, and light fresh reds and rich white wines are good all-rounders.

Sommeliers can help you understand whether you are likely to enjoy a certain wine and whether it will match well with the food you've ordered. They may also reveal wines that aren’t on the list that might be worth trying, or point you in the direction of more unusual bottles you might have overlooked. Of course, a bad sommelier that pushes a certain wine, doesn't listen to you or belittles your wine knowledge is worth ignoring.

The fridge is the best place to chill white wine, but leave it in there for less time than you think. Most white wines are best served between 7°C and 13°C (45°F and 55°F) – cold enough to be crisp but warm enough for the aromas and textures to come through. Around 30 minutes in the fridge will usually achieve this; don’t leave bottles in there for days.

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This is all down to your room temperature but generally speaking, many red wines will benefit from a brief spell (15 minutes or so) in the fridge, unless they've come up from a cellar. Reds are best served between 13°C and 18°C (55°F and 64°F), significantly colder than most drinking environments. This range is warm enough for spicy characters and tannins to be apparent and cool enough to be enjoyable. Lighter reds such as beaujolais can be chilled even further.

This is entirely down to the closure on the bottle. Screwcaps can be stored upright, whereas corks need to be horizontal to ensure the inside of the cork stays wet and doesn’t dry out.

Wines love consistent, moderate temperatures which is why storing wine next to an oven or dishwasher isn’t recommended. If you have a cellar, lucky you! If not, a cool, dark place with a steady temperature as close to around 13°C (55°F) as possible is ideal.

All wine will start degrading once the bottle is opened, with quality deteriorating as time passes. But most wines are still good to enjoy up to three or four days later. The key is to ensure that the wine has as little contact with air as possible, so invest in a high-quality stopper.

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These terms are used to refer to wines produced in different parts of the world. Old World generally means wines produced in Europe and the Middle East, whereas New World means almost anywhere else, but particularly North and South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Some wine experts think so, although they certainly don't all agree. In fact, one of the most controversial moments in wine history was the 1976 Judgement of Paris, at which American wines beat French for the first time. It's true that many French wine regions have been used as a blueprint for winemaking around the world, yet the same is true for many Old World countries. Equally, many New World wine regions today are producing some of the world's most innovative and refined wines. Essentially, it's all a matter of taste. 

Huge progress has been made in English vineyards in the last 10 years, and some excellent wines (mostly white and sparkling) are now on the market. Look out for the grapes like bacchus, madeleine angevine and pinot noir, which have been grown widely with great success. With the impact of climate change, parts of southern England are also producing award-winning wines in a very similar style to those from Champagne; some have even beaten French Champagnes in blind tastings.

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American wines have long been considered among the world’s best, particularly the sophisticated, complex reds from Napa and Sonoma in California. Other regions such as Washington State and Oregon's Willamette Valley are growing an excellent international reputation, with newer winemaking areas including New York State's Finger Lakes and Texas Hill Country hot on their heels.

In all honesty, only you can know that. By trying different wines and different examples within each style, you’ll get a better sense of what you like. Many restaurants and shops will be able to advise you via an ‘if you like that wine, you may like this wine’ process. You can then start to pair styles together. For example, those who like aromatic grapes such as riesling and gewurztraminer (both white) will often like the gutsier, fruity notes of shiraz (a red grape, also known as syrah).

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