How to select the right wine

Choosing a good wine can be a nightmare, especially when you’re trying to impress someone. You’re having a dinner party – you’ve planned the menu thoroughly, dusted off your best crockery and wine glasses, and got everything prepared – except for the wine selection. There’s just too much to think about, and everyone else always seems to know so much more about it than you do. You stand there for ages looking at the endless shelves of different bottles, and the more you think about it the harder it gets. That’s why we’ve put together a few tips of what to look for and how to choose the perfect wine.

Firstl, you should match the wine to the meal you will be eating. Everyone has different opinions of which wine will taste good with different foods, but there are a few basic guidelines that you can follow if you’re not sure. The easiest way is to simply match the colour of the wine to the meat. So if you’re eating red meat choose a dark red like Cabernet or Syrah. For lamb or pork a medium bodied red like a Merlot will be less heavy whilst still supplying a rich flavour. Chicken and fish dishes are often overpowered by reds so it’s best to go for a crisp white instead, perhaps a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. If it’s a special occasion or celebration, you might be better off with a sparkling wine, served in fancy Champagne flutes.

Once you know what kind of wine you are looking for, look at where it was made. Wines from different regions are very different in quality, so it’s best to do a bit of research into the best regions. If you’re not sure, France is always a good choice and has been producing fine wines for hundreds of years. Italy is another one, and Chilean wines are also very popular at the moment, particularly reds.

Another thing you should check is the vintage of the wines you are choosing from, or the year they were bottled. A real wine buff will know the best vintages for each region, and will buy only vintages which they know came from a particularly good crop. For the rest of us, it can seem like a lot of guesswork, but if you know a few of the basics you’ll be on the right track at least. A common misconception is that the older a wine is, the better it will taste. It’s true that most red wines improve with a little aging, but most wineries won’t distribute these reds for a couple of years after bottling, which gives them time to mature. This means by the time they become available to buy they are ready to drink and will taste good. Most white or sparkling wines don’t need aging, and are good to drink straight away.