A taste of heaven on earth

The supermarket chains are not always blameworthy. Their missionary efforts have helped to ensure that wine drinking in Britain is much less bedevilled by social anxiety than it used to be. There was a time when Mateus rosé, God help us, exploited that in its TV ads. The boss invited home for dinner: how could the husband navigate the social minefield of serving wine? Answer, Mateus rosé. How sad. If I am ever asked about wine by someone who professes to know nothing, I always make three points. First, trust your taste buds and your nose. If the wine smells like a car engine, there is something wrong — and not with your olfactory system. Second, if you are so inclined, there is a lot of enjoyment to be had from wine lore. Third, and above all, wine drinking is fun: nunc est bibendum. Solemnity and concentration should always be mingled with sensuality and revelry.