If you are considering taking up red wine for the first time it can be an acquired taste, but it is a taste well worth acquiring. As with many foods and drinks, it can take a while for your palate to become accustomed to the new flavours you will encounter. Remember the first time you tried an olive? In general red wines have more alcohol than white, and also have dry tannins that make them difficult to drink, in particular without food.

I would suggest starting off with lighter wines, lower in alcohol and less tannic too. The percentage alcohol will be printed on the label, although producers are allowed a measure of 0.5 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume) error either way. Lower alcohol with red wines means 12 per cent to a maximum of 13.5 per cent. Wines with less tannin and usually lower alcohol include pinot noir, Beaujolais and Valpolicella. Some larger companies have started producing red wines at 10-11 per cent to fit in with our new laws on minimum pricing. These would be worth trying too. You will find them in most supermarkets and they are not expensive.

Many red wines taste far better when drunk with a meal. Try richer reds with firm cheeses, red and white meat, and fuller-flavoured vegetables. To start off you could try a glass of a lighter red with some firm cheeses, crackers and charcuterie. Take a sip before you start and then see how the wine changes with food. Then maybe have a glass with dinner, preferably plain meats, firm cheeses, mushrooms and red peppers.

If you find you still don’t like red wine, don’t worry. Lots of people don’t like wine, red or white. Life is too short to pretend you enjoy something you don’t.