Food News, with Christine Rutter

WHY do we make such a drama about wine?

We drink spirits without a second thought and down beer without any bother, selecting it by the pub rather than by than the pint. But wine?

The art of wine picking abounds with doubts and deliberations. Red or white? French or New Zealand? Served chilled or at room temperature ?

It seems as though it should be simple. Wine comes in three colours - red, white and rose and two conditions - still and sparkling.

But the reality is different. There are great wines, fine wines, everyday wines. Red wine comes in shades from brown to purple. White includes every colour except white - straw, yellow, golden, amber. Rose can be dark pink to onion-skin brown.

And to make it doubly difficult, many supermarkets now stock a bewildering 200 different styles, blend and vintages from countless countries.

It is much easier these days to buy an unpretentious bottle which proclaims in simple terms what it is and what it can be useful for.

It is the range of medium-priced , unassuming wine that is hard to understand. Tim Banks, an expert for the wine producing region of Cotes du Roussillon, said it doesn't really matter what you drink with your food as long as you like the wine.

He said: "People worry too much about what wine to put with food. Wine is very subjective. It is your own personal preference. You can even drink red wine with fish as long as you enjoy it."

But would that be quite honest?

I suspect it is a common courtesy by those who take great care in choosing their food and drink to assure others that such care isn't really that important.

I joined a group of Lancashire Evening Telegraph competition winners on a crash course in matching food with wine using reds and whites from the Cotes du Roussillon and Cotes du Roussillon Villages in France.

Our host Tim did admit that the addition of wine raises food to its highest level.

From salads to fish and roast meat to puddings, food texture and character should be matched by the wine - light to full-bodied, dry to sweet, weak to strong.

In future, don't worry too much about marrying food and wine. Wine-drinking is supposed to be an occasion for relaxation.

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