DRINK DIFFERENT - AVOID THE HYPE – HEAD FOR SANCERRE

Forget all the PR spin about Beaujolais Nouveau which has given this region of France a bad name, because the Gamay-based light red wines made here are ideal spring wines – low in tannin, fresh, and benefitting from 20 minutes in the fridge before serving.

If you are worried about your dinner guests thinking you are fobbing them off with over-hyped Nouveau, you can achieve the same level of refreshing lightness by looking a little further north, to Sancerre, in the upper Loire valley.

This is a region best known for its grassy, minerally Sauvignon Blanc-based white wines, but around 20 per cent of the Sancerre vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir, which makes both rosé and light red wines – the latter an ideal alternative to Beaujolais.

Not only will you be serving the same kind of light, easy-drinking red that you will find in Beaujolais, you will also in all likelihood be giving your guests a new drinking experience, and certainly not one which has the gloss of the PR man’s art associated with it.