A wine for all reasons

by Nicola Shepherd

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CHOOSING wine�is a tricky affair. So, which wine do you take to a party or a dinner How can you use wine to impress a new boss or a first date �Which wine goes with dessert

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The AnswerBank�guides you through the bin ends and barrels�of the wine list and makes suggestions for that:

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First date

You need something cool and classic that shows you don't want either of you to get too drunk. A glass of champagne to start, then a bottle of crisp Chablis - no more than 25 quid or you'll look too flash.

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Dinner with the boss

If he or she asks you to choose the wine, be under no illusions, this is a test. Choose a wine you have had before and like, so you can relate something about it. If it comes from a country you can show some knowledge of so much the better. An Australian Semillon Chardonnay is a good�safe bet and if it's not too expensive - �30 max. You're spending the boss's money remember.

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Dinner with friends

If you take a very good bottle of wine, experience says this will be squirreled away for another day and you will drink with dinner what your hosts have decided you will drink. Best to just take a good quaffing red wine (red is still more popular than white according to Tesco's wine buyers) that you won't mind not sampling, and that everyone will enjoy if it does get opened.� A Spanish Rioja, an Italian Chianti Classico or a good Bulgarian Cabernet Suavignon can all be bought for under �6 and everyone will be happy.

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Party wine

There are some really good Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons and Soaves available in boxes -�so much easier than bottles as people can, and will, help themselves. Mulled wine (red wine, sugar, water and spices) is great for a� winter indoor party as you dilute the wine with water and just keep adding, so you never run out. Sangria (red wine, lemonade and fruit) has the same advantages for outdoor summer parties.

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To drink with dessert

The place for sweet wine is with dessert. A really good dessert or pudding wine, such as Chateau d'Yquem or a vintage Sauternes, is expensive, but you only need order it by the single glass. You can buy half bottles, however, and this is where you could take a good wine to a dinner party. A quality dessert wine is very likely to be opened and drunk. Everyone will love it and you can bask in the glory of connoisseurship. Viognier is a new grape�variety from France that is designed to take on the might of the New World wines - French wines having been caught napping smugly in Bordeaux while the rest of the world started drinking Australian. It will be, according to those wine experts at Tesco, the new Chardonnay.