Festive wine wisdom

Wisdom Gabrielle Fagan picks up some tips from Matt Skinner, the 'Jamie Oliver' of wine.

"Wine rocks," says Matt Skinner with a huge grin as he proceeds to cheerfully demolish all the jargon, snobbery and confusion that makes it impossible for most of us to distinguish our Chardonnay from our Chablis.

A bright and breezy Australian - one of Jamie Oliver's great "mates" and the man in charge of wine for the famous Fifteen restaurant - this boy knows his grapes. His welcome crusade is to save people from "pretentious wine waiters" who smirk condescendingly when you give an order, and make that choice at the off-licence less random and more successful.

"I'm so passionate about wine and wine making that I'd love everyone to share my enthusiasm and knowledge," says the 30-year-old bubbling with enthusiasm and shaking his fashionably shaggy locks. "I've tried to uncork the wisdom of wine so people have the confidence to buy what they want and enjoy it more."

To that end he'she's distilled his knowledge into Thirsty Work, a down-to-earth guide which explains the nuts and bolts of wine making and easy ways to identify wine types. "Just like people, there are hundreds of different varieties of grape, each one with its own personality. Some are delicate and pretty, others full-bodied and intense." He's broken the whole process down and grouped the wines into three user-friendly categories. "I thought 'like 'em light', or 'not too heavy, not too light - just right' and 'definitely not for the faint-hearted' was easiest," he explains.

As Matt explains: "I couldn't fathom how something so normal as drinking wine ended up being intellectualised to the point of mass confusion. Why should everyone be doomed to boring 'house wine' because they don't feel confident about anything else?

"Wine's for everybody and as long as you know enough to know what it is like, what else matters? Trust me, pay very little attention to the language of wine and most importantly never let it put you off."

And he believes possession of just a few key facts can instantly improve wine skills: "Just remember there's more to life than house wine, Chardonnay is not evil, and screwcaps are not an indication of cheap wine. Drinking organic wine will not save you from a hangover, more alcohol does not mean better wine, some red wines do go with fish and most importantly, you generally get what you pay for."

"I've tried to uncork the wisdom of wine so people have the confidence to buy what they want and enjoy it more."

He urges people to ignore point scores awarded to wines. "They aren't helpful, nor rarely are the labels on the back. Really it's more about trying to be a bit more adventurous - so many people stick for life to buying the wines of one country.

"What a waste. There's so many exciting wines to drink out there, and you needn't spend more than £7 to get a great bottle if you know what to look for. Frankly I've discovered that the best thing about wine is that it's so personal, there's no right or wrong. It's like art or music, it's all down to personal preference."

If you're looking for the right bottle for Christmas Day, Matt says: "Turkey, goose and chicken - the big three bird combo - scream out for something light and red. As a rule, stay clear of wines that are big on both fruit and oak, as these will just swamp the flavours of your food." His suggestion for a Christmas lunch wine is Allegrini Valpolicella 2003 (£7.99 - Philglas & Swiggot/www.philglas-swiggot.co.uk) Nut roast is a popular alternative to the traditional Christmas lunch, and for this Matt suggests a fruity/juicy new world wine to accompany it: Veramonte Primus (Carmenere /Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot, 2002) from Chile, £9.49 at Sainsbury's.

His wine of the year is Zonte's Footstep Shiraz/Viognier 2003. An Australian wine available from Sainsbury's, priced £7.50.

Thirsty Work by Matt Skinner is published by Mitchell Beazley, priced £17.99.

Food & Drink News

Who's for tea?
Whether you are in need of a pick me up or looking for a herbal tea to help you relax and unwind, then the new Twinings Blended For You range is just the answer. Expertly blended and packed full of natural herbal goodness, choose from the four different drinks - Cleanse, Digestif, Tranquillity and Revitalise - to give you a lift at any time throughout the day.

All the new Blended For You teas are made from 100% natural ingredients and the individual teabags are wrapped in handy sachets enabling you to pop them in your handbag for when you need them most.

Available from Tesco and Waitrose immediately and from the end of January in Sainsburys, priced at £1.49 for 20 tea bags.

An essential ingredient
Good cooking often boils down to the quality of the ingredients we use. To cook well, we need to understand the ingredients we using. Taste, texture and aroma can all affect the end result and many cooks often begin the process of creating food and dishes by experimenting with the ingredients they have to hand – understanding that each ingredient can take on a different flavour, depending on how they re used or combined.

The Cook's Bible of Ingredients by Margaret Brooker is a new visual encyclopaedia of more than 1,000 ingredients from all over the world, and an invaluable companion for anyone who loves to cook.

It will be published in hardback priced £24.99 on January 12, by New Holland, and available from all good bookshops and by mail order from 01903 828503.

In Brief....
It could be the perfect Christmas present for a wine lover - their own portion of a vineyard in France or Italy. 'Rent A Row Of Vines' allows the recipient to drink the wine from their vines with their own name on the label.

Visit www.wineshare.co.uk or call 01306 742 164.