Craft & Cork Guide/Journal
The Journal
Plain-language guides to beer and wine styles, labels, pairing, regions and tasting. Written to help you choose with confidence, whatever you already know.
For producers: how to prepare for a tasting festival
A practical checklist for breweries and wineries pouring at a tasting festival: choosing products, staffing, product information, logistics and following up.
Sep 22, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 16Texas wine: High Plains vineyards and Hill Country tasting rooms
Why so many Texas wines are grown on the High Plains and poured in the Hill Country, which grapes thrive in Texas heat, and how to read Texas wine labels.
Sep 14, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 15Sparkling wine methods explained: traditional, tank and pét-nat
How sparkling wine gets its bubbles: the traditional method, the tank (Charmat) method and pétillant naturel, with sweetness terms like brut and extra dry.
Sep 4, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 14Muscadine, fruit wines and a broader definition of local wine in the South
Muscadine grapes, fruit wines and fruit–grape blends across Florida, the Carolinas and Georgia: what they are, how they taste and how to read the labels.
Aug 25, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 13ABV, IBU and SRM: what the numbers on a beer tell you
ABV, IBU and SRM explained in plain language: what each measures, typical ranges by style, and why the numbers do not tell the whole story.
Aug 11, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 12A first-timer’s guide to beer and wine tasting festivals
How to enjoy a beer and wine tasting festival: what to bring, how to pace yourself, what to ask producers and how to remember what you liked.
Jul 28, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 11How independent judging works, and how the Crown will work in 2027
What makes a beer or wine competition credible: blind tasting, qualified category panels, recusal and published standards, and how Craft & Cork Crown Recognition will work.
Jul 14, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 10Serving temperature and glassware: small changes that matter
Practical serving temperatures for beer and wine styles, why “ice-cold” hides flavor, and which glasses actually make a difference at home.
Jun 30, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 09Food pairing principles that work for both beer and wine
Five pairing principles that work for beer and wine alike, with examples: match intensity, use acidity, mind bitterness and spice, echo flavors and trust your own taste.
Jun 16, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 08How to read a wine label: vintage, appellation, NV and more
What the words on an American wine label mean: producer, grape, vintage, NV, appellation and AVA, alcohol, “reserve” and “estate,” and what they do not tell you.
Jun 2, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 07Hazy IPA vs. West Coast IPA: what is actually different
The real differences between hazy (New England) IPAs and West Coast IPAs: bitterness, body, hop timing, haze and how to choose the one you will enjoy.
May 19, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 06How to plan a tasting outing for a group with different tastes
A practical guide to planning a brewery, winery or festival outing for a mixed group: choosing where to go, pacing, food, transport and keeping everyone included.
May 5, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 05Cold-climate grapes and the rise of Midwest wine
Marquette, La Crescent, Frontenac, Brianna and other cold-hardy hybrid grapes explained, and why they changed winemaking across the Upper Midwest and New England.
Apr 21, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 04Where wine is made isn’t always where the grapes grow
Why a winery’s location and its grapes’ origin can differ, what “estate,” state and AVA labels mean in the U.S., and how to read the clues on a bottle.
Apr 7, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 03Lager is not boring: a field guide to helles, pilsner and dark lager
Helles, German pilsner, Czech pilsner and dark lager explained: what makes each style different, what to look for when you taste and why lager takes patience.
Mar 24, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 02How to taste beer and wine without the jargon
A simple, five-step way to taste beer and wine with confidence: look, smell, sip, notice the finish and decide what you like. No special vocabulary required.
Mar 10, 2026 · 3 min readNo. 01