He's got plenty of bottle

WINE:Our new wine writer has wines for every occasion that won't break the bank 'I love most wine, but European wine more than any, and French most of all'

THE FIRST wine I drank was in the company of my family. My dad was a French teacher and general Francophile, who had spent many summers in the country. He had grown to love wine, and adopted the very French habit of giving his children a small drop of wine, to which water was added. With four children, and a school teacher's salary, it didn't happen very often. We drank Nicolas Vieux Ceps (still available, with retro plastic cap) or Lutomer Riesling from Yugoslavia. For me, it was the start of a life-long love affair. I like to think I repaid my dad in later years with a regular supply of better wines.

Perhaps because of this early start, I have always seen wine as an integral part of eating and entertaining. A glass of simple wine drunk with family or friends over dinner is immeasurably better than a fine wine sipped alone. Wine is there to be shared. While I have no problem paying money for good quality wines, the bottles I have enjoyed most have been inexpensive wines that fitted in perfectly with a memorable occasion.

My real awakenings concerning wine occurred while I was in college; the first defining moment took place at a party. A group of gilded youths arrived, one clutching a bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild, stolen at random from his father's cellar. Having provided a grand entrance, the bottle was abandoned three-quarters full in the kitchen. I filled my plastic beaker, and had a little taste. It was very pleasant. I retired to a corner, and had a few more sips. The wine was quite different to anything I had ever tasted; I can still remember the intensity, the concentration of ripe blackcurrant fruit, as well as the sheer length. It was quite a young wine and had a very tough tannic finish, although I had yet to learn the word existed. I finished off the entire bottle, and woke with a worse than usual hangover.

A second, more sedate, wine moment took place a few months later. On my way to a dinner party with a few friends, I decided to spend a few punts more on a bottle in the local off-licence. The wine was a Moulin-à-Vent from Beaujolais. I later learnt that it was from one of the finest vintages ever in the region. Once uncorked, the wine proved extraordinary. The aromas and flavour seemed to leap out of the glass; it was an absolute joy to drink. I was completely seduced. To this day, I remain a lover of Beaujolais, although the region still continues to produce a huge amount of rubbish alongside the real gems.

We all have our prejudices. I was brought up in a house where fizzy soft drinks were frowned upon, although never quite banned. Possibly because of this, I prefer drier wines. I love most wine, but European wine more than any, and French most of all. I do not understand those who cannot find a French wine to enjoy. If you don't like French wine, you don't like wine.

The wines of France, Spain, Italy and Germany encompass a wide variety of styles, but all share a common thread, a tradition and civilisation going back centuries. Every time we drink wine, we are drinking history. Often, it is only when you visit a wine region that you fully understand the wine. Once you see the vineyards, feel the climate, meet the people and eat the food, it all makes perfect sense.

Tradition and culture are important, but they are not a justification for poor wine. We have the New World, and the Australians in particular, to thank for many of the advances in wine over the past two decades. The Aussies have a great no-nonsense approach to wine; they also make some excellent ones.

There is no longer any excuse for poor winemaking. With modern technology, over 90 per cent of wine produced today falls into the drinkable category. But all wines do not taste the same. Every now and again, you come across a wine that stops you in your tracks; a wine so different, so wonderful that you are lost for words. This is what makes wine special, and an all-consuming interest for me. I find it hard to imagine a life without it. I have worked in the trade for almost 20 years, and believe that wine is the most civilised, complex and enjoyable drink - convivial, welcoming and a stimulus for good conversation.

To begin with, here are 12 of my favourites:

Cuvée Orelie, Vin de pays des Coteaux de l'Ardèche 2007 (€8.95-9.50).Or Cuvée O'Reilly as it is known down Wicklow way. This is a perennial favourite that I have served at a number of large family gatherings. It is made from a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon - the latter provides aromas and zip, the former body and texture. Put together, it forms a delightful light fruity wine.

Stockists: Wicklow Wine Co; McHugh's Off-Licences; Red Island Wine Company; Probus Wines; Florries, Tramore; Baily Wines, Howth.

Tahbilk Marsanne 2006, Victoria, Australia (€12).This is another wine I have been happily drinking for years now. Fresh, plump pear fruits, with a distinctive mineral streak, and a lively citrus acidity. This is also a wine with a history; not only does Tahbilk have the largest planting of Marsanne in the world, but arguably the oldest Shiraz/Syrah vines in the world grow here, too. A great all-rounder that will happily partner most salads, fish seafood and white meats.

Stockists: Red Island Wines, Skerries; Bunch of Grapes, Donabate; O'Briens Fine Wines; Vintry, Rathgar; Mitchell & Sons, Rathfarnham; Carvills, Camden Street.

Pieropan Soave, 2006 (€17.95).If you are old enough to remember 1970s Soave as a mix of paint-stripper and battery acid, this wine will restore your faith in a much maligned name. Light, elegant but with no shortage of almond and pear fruits, this is the perfect start to a posh dinner party, either on its own as an aperitif or with some fairly plain seafood.

Stockists: Donnybrook Fair; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Drinkstore, Stoneybatter; Hollands of Bray; Lilac Wines, Fairview; McCabes, Blackrock; Power and Smullen, Lucan; Red Island, Skerries; 64 Wine, Glasthule; On The Grapevine, Dalkey & Booterstown; and Enowine, Monkstown and IFSC.

Tio Pepe Fino Sherry (€12.99).There are few things more civilised in life than a bowl of olives, a few toasted almonds, and a couple of thin slices of Serrano ham, served alongside a glass of well-chilled fino sherry. Forget the sweet stuff your lovable maiden aunt used to drag out of the sideboard. Fino sherry is one of the world's greatest drinks, and the mass-produced Tio Pepe is one of the very best. It is a tangy, crisp, fresh sea-breeze of a wine with hints of almonds and lemon, too. I sometimes have to have my hand prised away from the bottle.

Stockists: Very widely available from Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Supervalu, Superquinn and many independents.

Domdechant Werner Hocheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2004 (€24.50).I adore Riesling, and if you continue to read this column, you will be subjected to regular eulogies. The great dry (and off-dry) German Rieslings are a thrilling balance of elegant light fruit and piercing fresh acidity. I will never tire of them. This is the perfect example: wonderful lively pears and pineapple with a hint of honey, cut through by a rapier-like zesty acidity. A brilliant aperitif, or with crab.

Stockists: Redmond's, Ranelagh; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Sweeney's, Glasnevin.

Domaine de la Chauvinière Muscadet de Sèvre & Maine sur Lie 2006 (€8.99).The past five years has seen Muscadet make a real comeback. If your Muscadet memories are of a thin, acidic wine, drunk in over-priced restaurants, then it is time to try again. Good, modern Muscadet, such as this example, has light, plump pear and apple fruits, a twist of lemon, a subtle spritz, and a crisp finish. Perfect with seafood (mussels and oysters) but also a very satisfying sipping wine.

Stockists: O'Briens Wine Off-licences.

Crozes-Hermitage, Yann Chave 2006 (€19.99).This is not a wine for those whose preference is for the big, ripe, jammy wines of the New World. There is a cool savoury edge, more damsons than plums, and certainly no spicy new oak. But the impeccable balance, the subtle fruit, and dry finish will slowly win you over as you sip it alongside rare roast beef.

Stockists: Next Door Off Licence, Enfield; The Mill, Maynooth; Eldon's, Clonmel; Donnybrook Fair, Donnybrook; Vanilla Grape, Kenmare; The Vintry, Rathgar; Redmond's, Ranelagh; Sweeney's, Dublin 11; McCabes, Blackrock.

Brouilly Vieilles Vignes 2006 Jean-Claude Lapalu (€16.50).As I mentioned, I am a big fan of the wines of Beaujolais. Lapalu is one of a small group of really good producers who too often get overlooked amid the sea of mediocrity that is Beaujolais. This seductive, tannin-free wine has wonderful, vibrant, cherry fruits. Great drunk on its own, with cold meats and pates, or with bacon and cabbage.

Stockists: The Corkscrew, Chatham Street; French Flair, Tralee; Liston's Camden Street; Malt House, Trim; Nectar Wines, Sandyford; Partridge's Gorey; Probus, Galway; Red Island Wines, Skerries; Wicklow Wine Co, Wicklow; Wolfe's Capel Street.

Laurent Miquel Nord-Sud Syrah 2006 (€10.49).Swarthy, slightly earthy, but with lovely piquant damson fruits. Modern Languedoc, the way it should be, at a bargain price. Smooth enough to drink solo, but probably best with a medium-bodied casserole.

Stockist: Dunnes Stores.

La Vendemia Palacios Remondo 2006 (€12.99).Good Rioja is a joy and delight. Alvaro Palacios is one of the Modernist school of Rioja (the ones who like wines with fruit). This is a plump, smooth, silky wine with warming ripe plums and strawberries. Locally, a plain roast of lamb with an equally simple green salad would be the partner of choice.

Stockists: Cahills, Ballintemple, Cork; Grapevine, Glasnevin; Bannons, Cootehill, Cavan; Cellars The Wine Warehouse, Naas Road, Dublin; or online at www.coopers-wines.com.

Tim Adams The Fergus, Clare Valley 2006 (€16.99).Tim Adams is one of my all-time favourite producers. He is a great bloke, too, with a good sense of humour. I have yet to taste a bad wine from this stable. The Fergus, made from a blend of Grenache with other varieties, is a mega-mouthful of rich, ripe, strawberry and plum fruits, with a light sprinkling of spice. A rare steak or the first barbecue of the season are its matches.

Stockist: Tesco.

Secano Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, Chile 2007 (€10.99).New Zealand seems to be garnering all the praise for its Pinot these days. Yet for my money, a few producers in Chile are doing every bit as well, and usually at cheaper prices, too. Look out for names such as Cono Sur and Leyda, but in the meantime this Pinot offers delicious dark cherry fruits, with a refreshing acidity, and subtle, smoky aromas. Try it with roast duck, or maybe a baked ham. Stockist: Marks & Spencer.