At The Urban Grape, we use a 1-10 weighting system that measures the body of the wine. 1 is the lightest-bodied wine we carry, our “skim milk.” Things progressively build in body to 5, our “whole milk.” We cap everything off at 10, our “heavy cream.” We do this twice: 1W to 10W for white wines, and 1R to 10R for red wines.
We can’t take credit for that one! The milk analogy was developed by world-renowned wine educator Kevin Zraly. All of us know the difference between skim milk, whole milk, and heavy cream, so using this reference point makes it easier for our customers to understand differing wine weights as well.
The Progressive Scale helps you, the wine buyer and drinker, find wines that are best suited to your palate, and can help you demystify food and wine pairings. Browse through the boxes below to see the general characteristics of each section of the Progressive Scale!
From White to Red, Light to Full-bodied, A Bold New Way to Pair Wine with Food!
Written by Urban Grape Founders, TJ and Hadley Douglas, Drink Progressively is a best-selling wine education and food pairing book that has revolutionized the way people think about, buy, and enjoy wine.
In twenty sections, Drink Progressively lays out our proprietary Progressive Scale, a system of organizing wine by its body instead of varietal or region. Each section includes typicalities, suggested bottles to try, and food pairings - including recipes from renowned chef Gabriel Frasca and the Douglas' home kitchen.
This book is appropriate for both wine novices and wine experts who want to reinvigorate the way they consider their wine buying and pairing.