Body 101

How To Assess The Body Of A Wine

Wines that are full-bodied tend to be round, mouth-filling and intense. They will be powerful wines, with more impact. Light-bodied wines on the other hand will be quite delicate and often fresher. Think of light-bodied wines like skim milk, medium like regular 2% milk, full-bodied wines like full or homogenised milk.

Food Pairing

Pairing foods to the body of a wine is all about congruency. So in general light foods go best with light wines whereas bigger, heavier foods go better with fuller-bodied wines. If you pair a full-bodied wine to a delicate and light dish, the wine will take over and mute the foods flavours. Whereas if you pair a light-bodied wine with a heavier dish, the food will take over and the wine will become even thinner and drizzle away into a bland, boring drop. It's better to match the light with light and full with full so they can share the stage to bring out the best in one another!

Light, Medium and Full Bodied Reds

1. Quick Dip Pinot Noir 2024 (Light bodied) Meet your new poolside crush. With the colour of moonlit violet, 'Quick Dip' is a bright, fresh scented red with top notes of pink musk sticks and spice, and a chewy juicy core of raspberry pastille - or as the French say - 'framboise'. Bursting with Pinot Noir energy, this is the kind of Pinot made for picnics in the park, classed-up tableside with duck confit, or enjoyed on those laid back summer days with a slight chill to keep you sane in the heat. 2. Domaine Gayda 'T'Air D'Oc' Syrah 2024 (Medium Bodied) Domaine Gayda has a lovely balance between old world and new world and the T’Air D’Oc Syrah is the perfect example. This is medium-bodied Syrah with a nice amount of brightness and floral lift balanced by blue plums and blueberries, pepper and cocoa with juicy tannins. 3. Hither & Yon Aglianico 2019 (Full Bodied) Aglianico famously makes some of the most brooding and savoury of the southern Italian red wines, and this McLaren Vale red is such a hearty black wine. Powerful, a bit rustic, and seriously intense, it's a red wine of grip and grunt, tarry black liquorice and then a palate that goes for days, with the extra year or so of ageing really softening the edges. All you need is a hearty dish to match!