When you’re matching food and wine you need to consider the following:

Spicy food makes white wine taste more zingy, and red wine more tangy, sometimes even bitter. You need fruity wines, so consider Pink Elephant Rosé 2007 (£6.99, Tesco) which is a Portuguese blend designed especially for spicy foods such as curry. Avoid very tannic wines such as Barolo from Italy, and experiment with wines that have a touch of sweetness such as German Rieslings – Leitz is an excellent young modern winemaker to look out for.

Chunky food such as steak requires a chunky wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon. And, yes, in general whites are good with lighter textures, such as fish. But meatier fish, such as tuna and swordfish, work with lighter reds, such as Pinot Noir. If in doubt, email me and sign up to my free wine and food bulletins at hotbottle.co.uk.

Creamy sauces work better with white wines with body, think about Viognier, Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc with a touch of oak. Conversely, zingy dishes with citrus flavours, for example, or super-fresh salads call for wines with more acidity, like Sauvignon Blanc.

Oaked wines work with toasty and oaky flavoured foods like roasts and pan-fried food, while unoaked wines work better with fresher flavours. For example, pan-fried fish works better with a touch of oak, sushi works better with unoaked wine.