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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Courtney Pochin

Alcohol expert urges people to look out for little-known details on wine bottle labels

Regardless of whether you only enjoy the occasional tipple, or you consider yourself to be somewhat of an expert on alcoholic beverages, there's always something new to learn about different drinks.

For instance, did you know that there are a couple of details you should be keeping an eye out for on bottles in the shop or on wine lists at restaurants?

Well according to a pro, there are a few particular signs that a bottle of wine is good quality - and good value for money.

Carlos Santos, the Wine and Operations Manager for Humble Grape, explained some little-known facts about wine labels to The Mirror, sharing how it's crucial you look closely at them to see which region the wine came from.

Carlos has been sharing his top wine tips (Courtney Pochin/ Daily Mirror)

He said: "So regions of wines to look for... I would initially skip the famous regions if you don't know them really well, such as Bordeaux or Burgundy, but I would definitely look out for up-and-coming regions, such as Eastern Europe.

"It's also worth looking at wines made a little closer to home, in places such as Portugal.

"Portuguese red wines, especially those from central Portugal, tend to be absolutely delicious and are often great value for money because the region isn't so famous that they don't have to command a higher price."

The expert also warned people not to be taken in by 'celebrity wines', assuming they are better because they have a big name behind the drink.

"Celebrities getting their own wine brands is fun and if you get the chance to drink a wine made by one of your favourite celebrities, that's great - but is it better?

"It doesn't really matter, because the best one is the one that you like, so if you have fun drinking those wines, please go ahead and do that. But having a celebrity name behind wine is not necessarily a sign of quality."

He adds: "It's what's in the bottle that's really important, not what's surrounding it or behind it."

This comes after the expert shared his top tips for what to do when you've ordered a drink you don't like at a restaurant.

"If you try a wine and you don't really like the wine, have a frank conversation with the sommelier and explain why you didn't like it," Carlos explained.

"In most cases, unless you have requested that the restaurant open a very expensive bottle of wine, they will simply take the bottle back and sell it by the glass to other customers and let you choose a different bottle of wine."

Do you have a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email courtney.pochin@mirror.co.uk

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