The Hour

With the huge selection of wine available in the shops, it’s a tricky business knowing exactly what wine is a good buy, and what to steer clear from.

Resident wine expert, Tom Cannavan, gives us some top tips on how to separate the rubbish from the good stuff – and explains why paying £1 more gets you a lot more for your money.

1. Take a moment to get your bearings and find out how the shelves are organised to find what you’re looking for
2. Most people choose wines according to budget. If you normally spend £5 on your wine, you’ll get a really good everyday bottle
3. If you can stretch to between £5 and £10 it’s a really happy hunting ground for wine. Here the winemaker has the chance to pick the
best grapes and make his best bottles
4. Over £10 and you’re into the world of fine wines for special occasions or at posh dinner parties
5. Beware of tempting offers – like everything else, you get what you pay for
6. An important thing to remember is the tax man takes a big chunk of every bottle of win. £1.61 goes on duty and 16% goes on VAT. If you spend less than £4.25 you’re spending more on the tax than the stuff in the bottle
7. Supermarkets are a great place to buy wine – there’s lots of choice and some really good prices too
8. You can also pop into your local merchant where you’ll get good advice and some really interesting wines
9. There’s a whole world of choice on the internet
10. Wherever you buy your wine, make sure you buy what you like and enjoy it