I support the fruit, flowers and vegetable method of comparison, simply because the same aromatic chemical compounds occur both in wine and vegetation. Sauvignon blanc and green peppers or nettles, cabernet and cassis, gamay and strawberries; they're all there.

But there's tasting and then there's en primeur tasting. In top Burgundies and Bordeaux, en primeur tasting means sampling the youngish wine, either from cask or lately bottled and looking for emerging qualities which will not flower fully for years.

This in turn means that the taster should have an in-depth knowledge of the vineyard and winemaker's style, as well as considerable experience of vintages down the years. Very much an expensive specialism.

At the 2006 En Primeur tasting of Louis Jadot Burgundy in London recently, the general consensus was that the 2006 vintage overall could not match the superb 2005, largely because of the weather. A hot July, rainy August and thunderstorms in early September meant difficult wine-making.

But sampling glorious Burgundy such as Montrachet Grand Cru and Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru was for me a sublime experience. Not my everyday drinking - the suggested price for the Montrachet for future delivery is £1,766 per 12 bottle case, the Chambertin £1,094.

Buying wine en primeur can be an expensive gamble, requiring expert advice, since future values may go down as well as up. Winemerchant James Nicholson knows the en primeur market; email shop@jnwine.com. Check Jadot at www.hatchmansfield.com .