Stuck in a wine rut?

As it’s time to move on, you’ll need space in your wine rack. Dig out any ageing wines that should have been used up way before now. Older, faded rosés, light whites and cheap sparklers need to be quaffed quickly or even chucked out.

It’s always hard to throw away unopened wine, so perhaps use slightly tired white and pink wines for spritzers, and leftover bottles of cheap party bubbly to make bucks fizz.

While you’re at it, get rid of any ancient, nearly-finished bottles of spirits and liqueurs, too – these can grow dull with age, losing some of their flavour and aroma.

Now’s the time to bring a fresh sparkle to your glasses by going through the lot and giving each one a really good clean under very hot water, with a tiny amount of washing-up liquid. (Avoid any sort of soap on Champagne glasses, as the slightest trace of residue can turn the bubbles flat.) Dry your glasses with a clean linen tea towel until they shine. There, that’s better!


Instead of always going to the same supermarket to buy wine, make a resolution to track down a more inspiring source.

Using an independent merchant from time to time means (or should) that you get personal service. Independents often have more unusual wines, mostly from smaller wineries, so there should be a wider range of flavours than with the big brands.

And if you develop a special interest in a wine country or region, there’s bound to be a merchant who has a particular focus on it. Get surfing – many of the best merchants let you buy online.

• Adnams Wines, Suffolk Tel: 01502 727222; Adnams
  
• Armit, London Tel: 020 7908 0600; Armit
  
• Averys of Bristol Tel: 0845 863 0995; Averys
• Berry Bros & Rudd, London and Basingstoke Tel: 0870 900 4300; BBR
  
• Great Western Wine, Bath Tel: 01225 322800; Great Western
  
• Tanners, Shrewsbury Tel: 01743 234500; Tanners 
• Vintage Roots, Berkshire Tel: 0800 980 4992; Vintage Roots
  
• Yapp Brothers, Wiltshire Tel: 01747 860423; Yapp
  

The best way to sample wine is in the place where it’s made. Most of England’s best wineries are in the south, but some are further afield – English Wine Producers has regional guides, contact details for wineries and local wine events. Go between May and September when you can see the vines growing and there’s a buzz in the winery.

There’s still more choice to be had abroad. Arblaster & Clarke offers guided trips to almost every corner of the wine-making globe, with eminent wine experts such as Robert Joseph.


Prefer to plan your own trip to France? Take a look at Wine Travel Guides, an impressive new internet service. Subscribers can download in-depth information on French regions, including vineyard listings and maps. It’s bang up-to-date and costs from £7.50 to download one region. delicious. readers can benefit from a 20 per cent discount; click here for details.


No, you don’t have to train to be a Master of Wine – a little knowledge goes a long way and many wine courses are informal and fun. Leiths School of Food and Wine has evening classes on subjects including whisky, beer and wine, starting from £40 per evening in London. See Leiths to find out more.


Chris and Jane Scott’s ThirtyFifty wine courses in London and Bristol have a fresh, youthful feel. They specialise in tutored tastings at your home, so rope in a bunch of friends and book a session, from £25 per head. Call 020 8288 0314 or click here for details.


Get stuck into an inspiring wine book. Anyone keen on Portuguese wine, or planning a trip there, should grab The Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal by Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter (£16.95, Inn House Publishing). It’s crammed with facts on where to taste wine, where to eat and what to explore in each glorious region.


Cook España, Drink España by John Radford and Mario Sandoval (£20, Mitchell Beazley) may be a bit heavy to lug around Spain, but its blend of regional wine facts and recipes make it a must for lovers of Spanish cuisine.
If you’ve resolved to take a heavyweight course in wine, embark on the Wine & Spirit Education Trust lectures. The certificate courses will get you up to speed quickly. Click here or call 020 7089 3800.


Above all else, get out there and try some different styles of wine, especially if you’re stuck in a bit of a wine rut. Start by sampling other wines from your favourite winery or region.

Or, if you really love just one grape, ring the changes by tasting a diverse range made in far-flung corners of the globe. That means drinking Chardonnay from Burgundy as well as the Barossa, for example.

This year give Austria’s white wines a go – the Austrian grape variety Grüner Veltliner is highly fashionable among wine buffs at the moment for its dry, refreshing, unoaked style and unusual flavours of grapefruit and white pepper. It’s the perfect aperitif. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Grüner Veltliner 2005/6 (£6.99) is a good introduction, with a classic GV pepperiness and a mouthwatering quality.

English wines continue to wow with their new quality and availability. If you’re not up to date on the joys of aromatic whites and sparklers from England’s vineyards, catch up before spring by sampling the juicy and crisp Chapel Down Bacchus 2006 from Kent (£8.99, Waitrose).

As for reds, try out the new raft of premium reserve reds now coming over from Chile, while New Zealand’s top Pinot Noirs continue to be a 21st-century success story.

Don’t miss the new generation of pink fizzes arriving from just about everywhere, including Spain and Australia. A hip, sparkling rosé should come in handy on one particular day in February…try our wine of the month, below.