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Try a Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley of France and you'll taste its lively aroma of fresh raspberries, red-fruit flavour, and interesting hints of green pepper. The 'third' grape of Bordeaux wines, Cabernet Franc is often used as a minor part in a blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to produce Claret. Northern Italian Cabernet Franc is light, fresh and slightly grassy, and tastes better for a short spell in the fridge. A handful of decent Cabernet Francs have been made in Australia, California and New Zealand.

Choose a red wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, and you are on pretty safe ground. Cabernet excels all over the world, and it is rare to come across a really poor wine made from this grape. At its best it makes some of the finest reds of all, with a distinctive blackcurrant flavour, with a good tannic bite. Everyone seems to like it.

Cabernet plays a very important role as one of the great grapes of Bordeaux, where Claret is made. It is blended with Merlot to make wines that will keep for years. It has flavours of blackcurrant, complemented by smoky aromas, similar to cedar wood, and even lead pencils! Clarets are firm and food-friendly, complex and magnificent. In Spain, Portugal, parts of Italy and the south of France, Cabernet is made in an increasingly modern style, with bags of ripe blackcurrant fruit. Bulgarian Cabernet offers some of the best Eastern European bargains around.

In the New World, Cabernet excels in Australia, where it is made in a typically big and powerful style with smooth, rich fruit. Try Argentinian, South African and Californian Cabernet too, and New Zealand examples from the Hawkes Bay region. Some of the very best Cabernets are made in Chile, however, where the brightness and purity of the blackcurrant flavour is stunning. Cabernet needs food that can stand up to its firm structure, so try it with steak, lamb or mature cheeses.

The Chardonnay grape must be the world's most popular variety because it is so versatile. Winemakers can easily put their stamp on it, making wine in a style that suits them. So there are a myriad different interpretations of Chardonnay on the shelves. If you think you have tried Chardonnay and you didn't like it, then try a totally different one - you are bound to find a style you like.

One of the reasons winemakers love this easy-going variety is that it complements the flavour of oak so well. When Chardonnay is fermented and aged in an oak barrel, it takes on a lovely rich, toasty character. Look out for hints of cream, vanilla and spice in these wines too. It was oaked Chardonnay that helped put New World wine countries like Australia, California and Chile on the map. Some of the Chardonnays from these countries are really powerful and exotic, with tropical fruit flavours such as pineapple and peach.

Other examples are unoaked and crisper, with fresh citrus flavours. Many wine drinkers believe the best Chardonnays come from Burgundy in France, where Chablis, Meursault and others are made in an interesting style, with subtle layers of fruit flavour and a soft smooth texture. And some of the best-value Chardonnays come from the south of France, and Eastern Europe. Lastly, did you know that elegant, creamy blanc de blancs Champagnes are made from 100% Chardonnay grapes?

Without a doubt France is the greatest wine producing country in the world. Ranging from the best quality vintages down to a humble vin de pays (local wine) there are about 700 wines. The wines are basically made the same way, but how they turn out depends on the choice and colour of the grape and how long they are allowed to remain in the fermenting vats. As a general rule rosé wines do not keep very well, white wines have a relatively short life, and it is the heavier reds that you buy to lay down for years to come.