I never really liked wine before I started my job designing wine lists for a wine wholesaler. I was sent on a WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) course to learn about wine and my love developed from there. I never understood how one Sauvignon Blanc could taste of Gooseberry’s and another of tropical fruits. To be honest I never got how you got grapes to taste of anything other than grapes. However, being taught about it all and having to taste a load of different varieties of grapes from different countries, really peaked my interest and after acing that test (92% getting only 4 questions wrong) and getting a merit in a more advanced course, including a blind tasting, my love for wine was born. I want to eventually work my way to getting my diploma, then another and then I will be a master of wine. That is such an awesome name, but I would love to get better in wine tasting, and maybe turn it into a profession. However, there are only about 250 masters out there so it’s obviously going to be challenging.

Despite my initial reservations about the taste of wine, I now get what they mean when they taste of things other than grapes. It’s one of the hardest things to explain, but it’s kind of like you taste it and think yeah that reminds me of mangoes, or citrusy flavours. The variety of styles and type of wine is mind boggling, and every little thing can effect it. The soil, the weather, the location (even within one country) all has it’s part to play, and that’s not including any process they do inside like aging in oak that would affect the flavour.

My favourite wine in the world is Red Ice Wine from Canada. Made by harvesting the grapes only when they are frozen, it makes a delicously sweet dessert wine. The process means that it is more expensive than alot of wines that I buy (Cheapest I’ve seen is £45 for a half bottle), so I don’t get to drink it as often as I like. There is a white version as well, which is a fair bit cheaper (Found a bottle in Aldi for about £20-25 for a half bottle). The white ones are really nice, but the red is more fruity, rich and delicious. I’ve expensive taste I know! My favourite general wine that I can afford often is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, simply delicious, and for a red Pinot Noir from New Zealand also hits the spot, or a nice Beaujolais (Morrisons have a nice one for about £6), thankfully as this is French it’s named after the area it’s made as the grapes name is Gamay, which sounds a bit too much like Gammy for my liking!

There is a common misconception among most people that knows I have some qualifications in wine, that I am a wine snob and won’t ‘slum it’ with their picks, the most common phrase is ‘Sorry I’ve only got….’ like I wouldn’t dare been seen with a bottle of Hardy’s Shiraz and it is not true at all. I buy most of my wine from the supermarkets, and am often trying to find bargains. Unless we’re buying a really nice bottle to go with dinner, where we would spend £10-15 on a bottle, most of the time I stick to the £6-7 mark, and if it’s the end of the month I will see what a fiver can get me. I’ve found some really nice wines that way.

While I think that the Premier Crus of the world would be nicer than the £5 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon you pick up from Tesco, you have to take a wine for what it is. Premier Cru’s are going to set you back hundreds, if not thousands of pounds for a bottle, on that basis alone, they SHOULD be better than the £5 bottle. That doesn’t mean that the £5 bottle tastes horrible. It may not be as complex and full as the posh French ones, but can still taste of delicious blackberries with the hint of pepper.

The Sun In Her Eyes by Paige Toon