How to... Drink Wine

1. Choosing:

When choosing a wine it is important to choose something which goes with what you're eating, if you're not eating it might be a good idea to choose something which has a lighter palate. There are not set rules to matching a wine but there are guidelines:

Generally white wine goes with fish dishes, seafood, chicken and red with red meats- beef, lamb, sausages etc.

More specifically- choose a Muscadet or Chablis with Seafood, or a New Zealand Sauvignon with mussels.

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume go well with goat's cheese and an Australian Chardonnay with garlic mushrooms.

A white Burgundy would go well with white fish or chicken, for a BBQ try an Australian Shiraz.

If you're going for roast beef a red Bordeaux would be nice and Rioja with roast lamb.

Champagne goes well with strawberries and with smoked salmon.

Spicy foods are tough to match but try a big rich red or a good Chardonnay.

If you fancy a Chinese try a German Riesling. If you're not eating then opt for an easy going rose, especially if you're new to the whole wine thing, try a White Zinfandel or a Pinot Grigio blush.

There are not set rules to matching a wine but there are guidelines

Alice Richardson

2. Tasting:

Once you've chosen your wine you need to taste it, while you may want to get stuck right in a take a big gulp you'll be able to appreciate the wine and look like you know what you're talking about if you look at and smell the wine first.

Check out the appearance. It isn't just a case or being red, white or rose.

Really look at the colour, the concentration of the wine can indicate how strong it is going to taste.

This next thing is to smell it, you need to see if the wine "has a good nose".

Wine can smell of all sorts of things so don't be embarrassed to say whatever comes into mind, be it red berries, apples, smoke, grass or tyres.

This is where you may pick up if the wine has been "corked", once you are used to what your favourite wine should smell like you'll become more confident when you think there's something wrong.

Finally, you now get to taste it, this is called the "palate" of the wine.

You take a sip and then take in a few breaths; the air should enhance the flavours in your mouth. The palate should reflect the nose.

3. Cheating:

Don't be afraid to ask the waiter or the shop assistant for advice, although it depends where you shop!

The staff in Oddbins and Majestic know what they're talking about but shelf stackers down the Londis probably won't!

For more advice check out Majestic or Oddbins.

Good Luck and Enjoy!