Do you feel intimidated by the way restaurants sell wine? Then follow Tom Doorley'stips to find some good deals
Too many people are frightened of wine lists. Perhaps it's a male thing. Men seem to believe that handling a wine list is similar to driving, changing a plug, being assertive with the bank manager, remaining calm in the face of danger, reading maps and all those other tests of masculinity.
I blame Ian Fleming. James Bond's ability to handle a wine list is clearly presented as akin to his attractiveness to women and his knack of winning against the odds. The wine list may stir him, but it never shakes him.
It's only the very occasional one that does the same to me. Most of them bore me to tears, but I've been involved, so to speak, with wine for a long time, and it's probably the only subject, other than growing vegetables, for which I have a capacious memory.
How to handle a wine list? Firstly, try to realise that most restaurateurs want to part you from as much money as possible. The smartest have analysed all your fears and taken into account how you are likely to behave.
Perhaps you can't face wading through the leather-bound volume that resembles a telephone directory. In which case you will settle for the house wine (or "house selection", which makes it sound a little less basic). Given that many fall into the same trap, you can be sure that this kind of wine has been chosen to be reasonably inoffensive and to deliver a hefty mark-up. In other words, it will be dull and too dear.
Perhaps you have learned this over time. In which case you will probably work by price, selecting the second- or third-cheapest on the list. Again, the restaurateur is ahead of you and knows that many customers will fall for this one. Such wines are essentially the same as the dreaded house selection, offering poor value to you and plenty of margin to the restaurant.
Perhaps you have overcome the atavistic fear of wine lists and simply want to get through the ordeal as quickly as you can. In which case you will probably opt for one of the great old reliables - and the restaurateur knows this, too.
Chablis, for example, usually offers rotten value when compared with a good white Mâcon; and, rather than Meursault, you will probably get a better deal in a St Aubin. Sancerre is much more popular than its neighbour Pouilly-Fumé, which I suspect is because it's easier to pronounce, even though it is very often poorer value.
Fleurie is easy to pronounce and sounds pretty, so it is by far the dearest of the Beaujolais crus. If you're smart you will ignore it and try , , or any of its other neighbours; Moulin-à-Vent tends to be the chunkiest.
Buying a négociant Beaujolais is safe enough, especially when it's from one of the famous houses, but the wines won't offer the same interest you're likely to get from a single producer or domaine. The same goes for Burgundy, the Rhône and Bordeaux.
Essentially, the popular wines from any country, the big sellers, are poorer value than the off-beat ones. Among the Italians you are probably better off ordering a Morellino di Scansano or a Rosso di Montepulciano than a Chianti Classico, a Barbera d'Asti rather than a Barolo, and a Valpolicella Ripasso instead of an Amarone (which will probably be too brawny for the food anyway).
There is terrific value to be had from Spain but generally not from its two most popular regions, Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Try , Jumilla, or Castilla y León instead. The whites of Rías Baixas are highly fashionable, and therefore pricey, so eschew the Albariño grape in favour of Godello, especially from , in Galicia.
Among the wines of France nothing is more overpriced than the reds of Bordeaux. I never even think of drinking claret in a restaurant. Instead I trawl the wine list for Rhône reds and avoid Châteauneuf-du-Pape in favour of stuff such as Vacqueyras and .
And, even if I could afford a Côte- Rôtie at restaurant prices, I would still look to Crozes-Hermitage or St Joseph for my Syrah. The Grenache-Syrah- Mourvèdre blends of southern France, especially from the Coteaux du Langeudoc, are often excellent, and the chunky reds of Corbières and Minervois have never been better.
Within the minefield of Burgundy the famous names are always expensive, but there are many - dozens, in fact - of less fashionable places making lovely expressions of the Pinot Noir grape. Pernand-Vergelesses and Maranges are two examples that I enjoy as often as I can. (By the way, Kelly's Resort Hotel, in Rosslare, Co Wexford, is the best place in Ireland to enjoy great Burgundies and Rhônes - at exceptional prices. If I had to nominate my favourite list in the country, I think this would be it.)
German and Austrian whites are coming back into fashion, but they are still enthusiasts' wines and not subject to extortionate pricing. Often they appear on the list as a kind of declaration of sophistication, and so a Riesling or a Grüner Veltliner will usually be a much better buy than a Chablis or a Meursault.
What of the New World? Europe is offering better value overall these days, but it is worth watching out for Australian and New Zealand Riesling - dry, fresh and lemony, and often the best buy on the list.
Always remember that fine wines are much cheaper to drink at home. Unless you're a property developer, keep Puligny-Montrachet for domestic consumption.