A glass of good champagne is a the perfect drink before Christmas lunch

My wife Nina and I tend to keep our Christmas lunch very simple as we have it on Boxing Day because of working in our hotel/restaurant TerraVina in the New Forest on the day. However, simple does not mean boring or ordinary. To start with we will have a plate of top quality smoked salmon with some very tasty prawns, followed by a juicy and moist roast turkey that Nina cooks to perfection, some creamy Stilton and of course a great Christmas pudding that I like to flambé to amuse our ten-year-old son Romané, and myself!
For lunch I’ll open a bottle of zesty and beautifully limey Australian Riesling from Peter Lehmann 2002 to go with the smoked salmon and the prawns. With the turkey, I’ll opt for a delicious and silky Pinot Noir from Burgundy, most probably a Nuits St Georges 2002 from Michel Gros (£33.26). A very small glass of LBV Port from Taylor 2003 (£14.29) will go beautifully with the Stilton to keep it British and for the Christmas pudding I’ll enjoy one of my all time favourite dessert wines; a Non Vintage Liqueur Muscat from Stanton & Killeen of the Rutherglen region of Victoria State in Australia (£8.95). It is just magical with fabulous raisin and treacle aromas melted into a gloriously rich and luscious body, a pure delight. Then I’ll fall asleep on the sofa to escape clearing the table and doing the dishes.

Of course, a glass of good Champagne can be the perfect drink in anticipation of the traditional Christmas lunch. However, a cocktail can be just as good and fun to prepare. I have many favorite cocktails such as the Caipirinha but at Christmas I would go for the classic Negroni. It’s strong and slightly bitter, but delicious and very Christmassy both in its colour and flavour.

Five steps to effective tasting
1. Concentrate on the key elements
Direct your attention to the important aspects, especially if you taste comparable wines at the same time. For instance describing the appearance of five young Sauvignon Blanc wines is not going to prove very useful as they are most likely going to look very similar. Instead, focus on the intensity, style and condition of the aromas, the harmony between the different components such as the acidity and the alcohol, (for dessert wines also pay attention to the level of sweetness and for red wine the ripeness of the tannin) and finally the quality of the finish (how long the flavours last when the wine has been swallowed or spat and are these flavours agreeable or not?).

2. Rate every wine
Look at the overall picture of the wine using the key elements (see above) as your guide. Is it elegant, well balanced and overall enjoyable? Based on your assessment give a mark out of five.
0 = faulty
1 = Poor
2 = Ordinary
3 = Average
4 = Above average
5 = Exceptional
“Faulty” such as corked wines (0) should evidently be rejected. “Poor” (1) and “Ordinary” (2) should be ignored. A wine rated of “Average” quality (3) certainly can be purchased. However, as it is perhaps not the most exciting wine it is important that it has other attributes such as a keen price and that it is destined for simple occasions (such as during a barbecue) where perhaps it will be drunk more for its quaffing quality and not under analysis. Nevertheless, the main aim is to purchase wine that you will rate as of an “Above average” (4) quality or even better “Exceptional” (5). Some of them could be quite pricey but if you look hard and read informed columns you’ll find some great wines at affordable prices.

3. Understand the taste character of the principal grape varieties
Anyone who has an interest in wine should build a mental image of the principal grape varieties. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling for the white grapes and Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz/Syrah and Pinot Noir for the red grapes would be the ones to start with before moving to slightly lesser known ones. Building your own bank of the taste profile of the main grapes can be quickly achieved by setting up regular tasting sessions where a handful of samples of one grape can be tasted at the same time. Forming a small group of tasters with friends will greatly diminish the cost and there will be a synergy of idea between the group members. Once you have finished the session read about the grape and compare your findings with the wine experts’.

4. Trust your palate
Although it is extremely useful to listen to what experienced tasters have to say about a wine or read the opinions of those in the know, do not just accept everything as the definitive truth. Wine tasting is not an exact science and even top tasters occasionally get it wrong; therefore it is crucial that you learn to develop your own palate and opinion and become able to separate the great from the good.

5. Have fun!
Wine tasting should be pleasurable. Taste wine with like-minded people and stay away from wine snobs and wine bores. The more wines you taste, taking care to evaluate the characteristics and quality of each bottle, the more you will be able to pick up the fine nuances and thus the more enjoyable it will become. 

The secrets of a good palate
Tasting wine regularly is crucial to maintain a discerning palate. Like any activities wine tasting requires you to be committed and to frequently dedicate some time to it.
Taste blind as often as you can in order to avoid being influenced by the label. It’s a humbling exercise and is the best way to improve your tasting capability.
Taste the best wines you can afford. Of course, price is not always a guarantee of quality but great wines are rarely inexpensive. Therefore, if you only taste cheap wines, you will never experience the exciting sensations of tasting an amazing wine and your palate could become stale. You don’t need to take out a second mortgage, but simply look for great value high quality wines and share the cost with friends. 
Do not participate in a wine tasting if you are tired. You will miss the fine nuances and will not do justice to the wines.